Hi in limbo lap band land....

Ok hi to all...new to the site and I love reading all of what you have to say. I had a terrible doctors appt. this past Wednesday. After fasting, found out I am type II diabetic (big surprise!) and high cholesterol, yadda, yadda, yadda. Which basically means that if I do not do anything soon, I am going to be in very bad shape. Weighed myself and I am at an all time high of 325 lbs!..cannot believe how I even got there. I guess I just ignored my body for so long, that now I am paying the price of my health. I could really relate to what Dawn G had to say, because I too went on a family trip this past April to Mexico and had to use a seat belt extender and after everyone was seated, the flight attendant brought one over and not even discreetly, no that would be too nice, she said in front of everyone, "please make sure you give this back to me after the flight". What a witch. That was honestly the first time I had ever experienced "fat prejudice" as it were. I was devastated, but of course put a big smile on my face and acted as if nothing happened. So I too have been looking at alternatives to Alberta's long waiting list and the Toronto Lap Band clinic can get me in within a month. Which is amazing! But I still have so many questions maybe you out there can answer such as: are you really hungry after the surgery and is it torture to be so limited, or is your stomach so small now that you don't have that nagging feeling? And I read lots where some people say that AHC will cover the cost of private surgery, but I was wondering how you go about that and how do you qualify? I know so many questions, but I like to be informed and I know that surgery is now the way to go for me. I wish all of you happiness and good health and feeling good about yourselves no matter what...thanks for listening...

Hi Karen! I'm pre-op and going through the public system (rather than a private clinic) so unfortunately I can't answer your questions. But I just wanted to say hi and welcome to the site!

Hi there. Don't know anything about how Alberta funds for private clinics etc as I am from Saskatchewan. I had the Lap band surgery in Toronto on January 30 and have not spent any time regretting it. I had to go on a special diet of vegetables and shakes for two weeks before surgery. I was not hungry after the first couple of days. After surgery I found that I did not get very hungry at all except as I approached meal times which is how it should be. I will be going for my first fill within the next couple weeks (depends on when I can get in to see the Dr.) Since there is no one trained by the Toronto clinic in Saskatchewan, I will have to travel to St. Albert. Oh well a great chance to do a bit of shopping while I am there. Since Mid January when I started the preparation diet I have lost 40 pounds and gone from a size 30 to a comfortable 22. Now I am looking for sales on size 20 and 18 so that I have something ahead of me to fit into as I continue to loose. When I had the surgery I was back to work within a week with only a lifting restriction. I think that if you go ahead with the lap band you will not regret it. I find that I can eat almost anything now but just far less of it. What a way to live!!!!!!!!!! Eat a bit of anything and still loose weight. Of course one does have to make wise choices but what I enjoy is that food is now something that I eat to live instead of something that I live to eat.

I have looked at the lapband in Toronto. May I ask how much it cost you to get it done and the cost of getting there?

Hi, Surgery in Toronto was expensive (16 thousand) but I was able to get a loan for medical procedures (the site is listed on the lapband.ca site) I will have the surgery paid off in 4 years and have a lifetime of benefits for my investment. I flew out and stayed at a hospice for two nights and then moved to a motel for two nights then flew home and was back to work within a couple days of getting home. have lost 55 lbs to date.