DS questions!

Who here in BC has done it? Is it covered? Who performs it? Can you get OOC? I'm still deciding on DS vs Lap-Band.

 Awesome, I'm alone! I'll post what I find.

Hi S,

The Lap Band surgery is performed in three places throughout BC and is self-pay.  I am having mine done by Dr. Amson on January 20th at RJH in Victoria for a cost of $15,100.  This includes the anesthetic fee ($1,000), the Hospital fee ($9,600) and Dr. Brad Amson's fee ($4,500).  If you need to, you can stay in the hospital overnight (or two nights) if  you have complications or great pain.  Surgery takes about an hour, (or 8 minutes depending on who you believe).  The day or week before surgery you come to Victoria and meet Amson's Internist Dr. MacDonald and whoever is on call for anesthetics.

Dr. Amson does not make you go on MediFast/Trim (the guy is that good, no need to shrink your liver for him!) or any special diet for the two weeks prior to surgery.  Just clear fluids from the afternoon before surgery.  Call his Asst. Ailsa or his partner's Asst. MJ for Dr. Bao Tang and tell them you are intersted in Lap Band surgery (they actually use the Mid Band) and hopefully you will get a consult with one of them before the standard two years that most gastric bypass patients have to wait. 

If he agrees to do your surgery, you'll have to see some specialists for some tests on you like an Upper GI Scope (mandatory) and they will likely want to know if you have sleep apnea (is it under control?  if not, see a respirologist), see an Endocrinologist if you have Diabetes and get medical clearance, etc. etc.

That ususally takes a few months or a year or maybe you have had everything done already and can fax copies of the results to Ailsa in Victoria.  Then she usually schedules you within 2-4 months and Bob's your uncle!

Dr. Amson can do the first fill for you, but if you go to his website Victoria Band Surgery, your doctor can watch an 11 minute video on how to do a fill on the 9 cc Mid Band and any adjustments thereafter.

There is a new place in Kelowna called IQuest that is starting to do Band surgery with aftercare (ie. fills and psychology), but I am unsure how much it costs and I wouldn't want to be the guinea pig for a doctor/surgon just learning how to do laproscopic Lap Bands.

I also went to a place in Vancouver for an expensive consult with False Creek Surgical Centre.  They charge about $17,500 for the surgery and after care, but I wan't too impressed with them, you can message me pivately if you want the deets.  My conclusion was that I'd rather have this surgery in a hospital by a Bariatric surgeon who has performed MANY of them.  No offense to anyone who had it done elsewhere.  Just my take.

As for DS - not even sure if MSP covers this, I know they cover RNY and the Sleeve.  But VIHA is the only place performing the surgeries and they do 55 per year, this would have been my fifth year waiting...

Oh and the other surgeon in Victoria who does Lap Bands for self-pay is Dr. Samaad Malik, just moved here from Ontario and took over for Con Rusnack.  Dr. Menghetti in Lower Mainland no longer does the surgeries either.

Good luck with your journey and for the best info check out the Blaze Online site called WLS Support Forum run expertly by Ron Merk.

Hope to see you in the skinny section.  Fiona 

PS - you can't get OOC (Out-of-Country) for Lap Bands - just RNY at Virginia Mason by Dr. Lily Chang in Seattle.  You'll need a BMI of 50 with at least two co-morbidities to be considered by the MOH after a Bariatric surgeon fills out your papers.

Thank you, Fiona!

Yep, already contacted iQuest. The surgeon there is still learning the lap-band procedure, apparently. He's done over 1000 other bariatric thingies, though. But I would rather get something that aids my poor metabolism than hinders it, which is why I'm leaning towards a DS.

Looking up Mexico, also. Not for Lap-Band... that's too much post-op. I'd go with iQuest's program if I choose lap-band, despite Dr. K's learning.

Hi there.  I too looked into iQuest for the Realize Band.  I was quoted $17,200, but that included all sorts of consultations and 1 year of fills (if I'm not mistaken).

However, I have decided that because of how much I have to lose I am better off with a different type of surgery.  I am going to try to get on a list here in BC for the VSG, but I can't wait another 5 years to do something about my weight - so if that is how long it would take, I will self-pay.

Good luck with everything, and let us know which way you go.

Heather.

Hi shift,

I am about 40 minutes away from you. I went to Brazil for DS. I was self-pay as you will be too if you go for DS.

Lapband you can get on the coast. RNY you can get in Victoria. The waiting list for RNY is about 2yrs, I don't know about Lapband.

I researched both Mexico and Brazil. Please feel free to PM me if you want to talk about it.

In regard to your question regarding DS or Lap Band, I would choose DS all the way.  If you go over to the DS board, you will hear all kinds of people rave about their DS.  Personally, if I were not going to be covered by MSP for RNY (hopefully very soon) then I would self pay the DS if I had the money.  Even some of the really long term successful RNY post ops say it is the way they would have gone if they could have had that choice covered by medical.  I have not heard of anyone in BC who does the DS, but you could definitely look state-side or other international markets.  You might also check out Alberta or Ontario for someone who does the DS. 
Come to think of it, you might contact Dr.Samaad Malik's assistant, Kara and get her to ask him if he knows any reputable DS doctors as he worked in a Bariatric Center of Excellence in Ontario and was one of the better skilled mucky-mucks there (lots of research, awards, he was sought out for his expertise in bariatrics).