Saying Hi

noone · September 12, 2004

Hi All,

I'm Lindsay, I just joined the board. I'm just interested in finding out more about the surgery, the costs associated with it, and in particular I would like to meet Canadians who have gone through the procedure, as that's where I'm located.

A little bit about myself for those who are interested, I live in Beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia with my husband of 7 months, our Pitbull and Chihuahua, and a bunch of tropical fish! I'm a Webmaster by profession, and I do web design on the side as well. I'm a computer nerd to the core! lol.

As far as the weight goes, I've been overweight for about 8 years. I started to put on weight when I graduated high school, and it became problematic when I was about 19 and got up to about 190 lbs. I'm now 27 and weigh about 315 lbs.

I am currently in therapy for Compulsive Eating Disorder. I'm finding it somewhat helpful, but when I'm still stuffing myself so much it's difficult to find the willingness to deal with the issues that cause me to overeat in the first place.

I'm really at my wits end, as I have been for a long time. I've played around with the idea of WLS for a couple years now, and I've seen it work for people, so it's starting to look more and more appealing. My only concern is the cost, because I've been told that Lap Band Surgery isn't covered by any health insurance companies in Canada, and that it costs upwards of $10000, which of course I don't have.

I just get so frustrated with my inability to STOP the eating. I feel like I've tried everything and nothing works -- for very long anyway. I've seen moments of sanity around food, but they've been very short-lived. I just feel like I've had enough.

If anyone has any information about LBS in Western Canada I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for this great board, I think I'll learn a lot here!

Talk to ya later!

leatha_g · September 13, 2004

Welcome Lindsey.

I hope you'll find what you need to help get you on the road to better health!! Please feel free to browse all the sections of this forum. There is some great information and shared wisdom here!

Leatha

New Hope · September 13, 2004

Have you "talked" w/ member ~C~ ? She's in Ottawa. Maybe she can give you some insight. Best of luck on your search. Hope you get some positive answers. And you're not alone in your frustration. We all seem to have that in common.

Marimaru · September 13, 2004

Hey there,

I'm from California, so I don't really know what options you have up in Canada, but there is a doctor in Mexico, Dr. Kuri, http://www.lapbandsurgery.com/ he has a company that he works with for financing for the surgery. He's also one of the lower cost surgeons out there. It's still up near $10000 (USD), but at least you could make payments instead of trying to front the cost. He's not my surgeon but he does my fills, and seems really nice.

blossom · September 13, 2004

Hi, Lindsey! Sorry I can't help you with any info about LBS in Canada, but just wanted to welcome you to the board. I am sure you will find a way to have the surgery. Best of luck!