hi everyone im really new at this so forgive me .i had surgery july 13 2006 in mississauga with dr. colbourne i've lost 51lbs so far and am quite happy with it i'm the only person in town who has had this done .thanks for being there.

Hi delphine: Forgive you for what? welcome to bandster land. Loss of 51 lbs is great news. Know how you feel. Being out in Vanc. BC it is hard to tap into bandster from here. We don't have the support meetings that bandsters have in Toronto so I get my support from the web. Doddie

Hello all,

My name is Leslie and I am just starting the journey that so many of you have already made. I am living in Alberta and wondering if there is somewhere online that I can find out where the closet place to go is.

I have looked a little but so far have found nothing in this province. Lots in the States, Mexico and Toronto and BC...

I am also curious about the costs and whether any of this is covered by medical.

Can someone please help me get started?

Hi Leslie Lee. Look no furher than your province of Alberta. Dr. Cobourn (sp?) in Toronto has trained a number of doctors from Alberta. If you watch your post, you will soon hear from bandsters from your area. There are only 3 doctors that band in BC and there is lengthy waits. I personally went to Toronto LBC (tlbc.ca) and recommend them very highly. Also, go to the Canadianlapbanders website. This site is very popular with bandsters who have been banded in Canada. There are over 900 members. You have to join (free) by answering questions you are interested or have been banded. You also are lucky to have doctors that do the fills as well wherein BC there are none unless you were banded by one of the BC doctors. Doddie

Hi Sorry forgot about the costs - Most in Canada around $16,000 plus any travel costs you may encounter. There is some income tax relief if you go private. If you wait for your medical insurance to pay you could wait years. Doddie

Hi Delphine - you've had great success thus far, you really give me hope!

LeslieLee- I live in Calgary and Doddie is right, the waitlist in this province can be quite long as far as I can tell. I've chosen to self pay and will be getting my surgery in Toronto (Dr. Cobourn) on May 9. Can't wait. Anyway, you'll find tons of informatino on this board, just cruise around for a few days and do some researach. Also, surf the web and make some calls to clinics you locate. I'm sure you wil have most of your questions answered and what you have not found answers for, come back here and start a new thread. Lots of helpful and caring bandsters on this board very willing to share their experiences.

Welcome to you both!

Welcome Delphine!!

Congratulations on 51 lbs!!!!!!

Hello Delphine and welcome to our site, glad you found us and congratulations on your weight loss.

Hi Leslielee and good luck on your journey.

Maria :bolt:

Hi Leslie,

I am being banded on April 5th at TLBC. Here are some links that might help you in your research:

http://obesityhelp.com/forums/LapBand/a,messageboard/board_id,5359/

message board for Lap-Band. Most users are US - but there is good info about banding and they are a friendly bunch and very helpful.

Obesity Help has also has local forums - look for the provincial ones that are applicable. I find however, that those boards don't have many bandsters and mostly discuss insurance issues relating to RNY. (at least thats the Ontario board) http://obesityhelp.com/forums/AB/ Alberta forum.

https://login.yahoo.com/config/login_verify2?.intl=us&.src=ygrp&.done=http%3a//health.groups.yahoo.com%2Fgroup%2Fcanadianlapbanders%2Fmessages This link "should" take you to the Canadian Lapbanders - but you will have to sign up first.

Dr. Cobourn - http://www.obesitysurgery.ca/index.php

I've only heard excellent things about him.

Dr. Klein - http://misgroup.ca/

Toronto Lap Band Centre - http://www.tlbc.ca/index.php

I chose this clinic based on experience and convenient location. I can walk there from my office for fills, etc.

Dr. Tin - http://www.tcclinic.com/?gclid=COzIi-aNlYsCFRPdPgodSjztWQ

only just heard about this one yesterday.

Hope this helps.

Alex

Hello all,

My name is Leslie and I am just starting the journey that so many of you have already made. I am living in Alberta and wondering if there is somewhere online that I can find out where the closet place to go is.

I have looked a little but so far have found nothing in this province. Lots in the States, Mexico and Toronto and BC...

I am also curious about the costs and whether any of this is covered by medical.

Can someone please help me get started?

Leslie, I am from Calgary and went to Dr.Coburn in Toronto to be banded. There is no option in Alberta at this time for people who are wanting to self pay for their bands. If you want a band done in Alberta you have to wait 3-5 years to have it done by Alberta Health Care. You would also have to participate in thier wieght management programs before you are approved, and there is no guarantee you would get a band in the end. The may say RNY for you or you dont need surgery. It all depends on you BMI and comorbidities.

My cost was $16,000 which is about the going rate in Canada (not including travel & accomodations), about $8,500 in Mexico. As you are from Alberta, you are able to get some of it back from AHC, about $1036 in my case, and I think about $1700 if you went to Mexico. You are also able to claim it as a medical expense on your income tax so the amount you get back will depend on your income.

Your only option really if you want a band is to go somewhere else. Most of the people here have been done by either Dr.Coburn's Clinic in Missasuaga or the Toronto Lap Band Clinic (TLBC). There are some others who had theirs done in BC and some in Mexico.

Keep in mind that if you do choose Mexico that you must set up after care for yourself BEFORE you get banded, whereas with the Canadian clinics aftercare is pretty much set up for you by them near your home.

Have a read around here, and ask questions as most of us here have jumped though many hoops.

Andrew

Welcome, Delphine!! You're doing great so far!

Thank you to everyone who has replied. It is great to hear from you all and very helpful. It is quite a huge deal to be starting down this path. I am seeing my family Dr on thursday to tell him that this is what I am going to do. I guess I just want him to know and if he has any input he can give it. After reading here for the last few days and at a few other web sites I am sure this is what I want. I am also sure I do not want to wait years so I will be paying for it. I am 52 and I want to really live my life again. I recently lost 45 pounds doing the Jenny Craig plan... I also walked 60k for breast cancer last august and would really like to do it again this summer. Unfortunately the weight loss has not continued and I have gained back once again what I worked so hard to lose. I have not gained it all back but if I don't do something it will be all back and likely more.

I am just wondering how I will get the care I will need after as in fills and such if I go else where for the surgery.... Andrew how are you working that out? Also how are you doing after your big day?

Once again thank you all for answering Alex, Maria, Janice, Doddie. I actually wrote last night but then promtly lost it when I tried to do a spell check...lol Said ok must be bedtime and decided to write tonight.

-=crosses fingers and hopes I won't lose this one=- Look Mom no spell check!!!

Good luck LeslieLee.

And....by the way...no worries about spellin'....we don't judge folks here on their spellin' and grammar!!! (well, Mandi and Chloe do, but the rest of us don't!!!)

Welcome,welcome. welcome!! Leslielee I am from Edmonton, banded by Dr.Cobourn. There is a Dr here in Edmonton trained by Dr.Cobourn to do our fills, as well as Dr's in Calgary. Good luck and keep reading around here and asking, you'll find most of your answers.

Andrew how are you working that out? Also how are you doing after your big day?

-=crosses fingers and hopes I won't lose this one=- Look Mom no spell check!!!

I am doing great, and today I am 6 weeks post op, have one fill and am down 51lbs from my pre-op weight (Keep in mind this is including my 3 week pre-op diet which I lost ~30lbs on), and have lost one third of the weight I want to lose. The only problem is that I had to donate all my skinny pants because they are falling off me, and I have no clothes to wear.

I have no residual pain from the surgery, and my recovery went really well, even with the hiatal hernia repair which can make the healing a little longer. I am working out like a mad man these days so I figure I am 100%, actually 125% from where I was pre-op.

I could not be happier, and I am already noticing such positive changes in myself and how I interact with others.

My aftercare & fills are being handled by a Dr. here in Calgary. There are 2 here that can do fills for Dr.Coburn patients, I chose the one that I could get an appointment with. He is also $99 for a fill opposed to the other who is $125. This was all set up by Dr.Coburn's clinic for me, and they make the call as to how much fill etc.

I have to stress that your after care is the most important thing to set up. For me it was no problem because Dr.Coburn already had it set up where I live. I have noticed others here have had trouble finding aftercare for fills etc. incertain parts of the country. I dont know what it is like for people in Calgary who have been banded in Mexico or by TLBC in terms of getting fills.

Good luck, and no matter which Dr. you decide to use, you have made a wise decision. It sounds like you have the commitment to diet & exercise, now you just need to get the right tool to really get the weight off

Andrew

Well I saw my family Dr today! He has started the paper work. I was so nervous but I just said.. I have decided I want surgery to lose this weight. I have had enough and want this. He didn't try to talk me out of it and even said he had a patient in yesterday who lost over 100 lbs and then got pregnant!! I was feeling an oh oh and then he said she is doing great the baby is fine and she has lost all the weight she gained. He said she is a very happy woman now compared to before having it done. I was so relieved.

He said I should get a call in about 2 weeks. I also mentioned that I might go to Ontario and that I had heard Mexico does it too. He said he thinks Mexico would be difficult but Ontario would work...

I am just happy that he was positive about my choice and that he didn't ask me to try another diet.

So..... the first baby step has been taken...

-=smiles and thinks how eager she is to be running but knows she must learn to walk first=-

Have a great day everyone!

Leslie