Newbie - Surgery booked

 Hi All,

I'm new here.  I've been reading the treads for about a year now while i've contemplated WLS.  I made the decision to go ahead with out of province surgery.  I'm booked on June 7th for the procedure with Slimband in Toronto.  I've chosen to finance the surgery, which is also terrifying.

Has anyone out there had the procedure done with Slimband?  

I went out of country ( mexico ) for the gastric sleeve. I originally looked .at the lap band and then saw all the complications and poor success rate and changed my mind. The sleeve and the bypass ( VSG and RNY ) are both covered through manitoba health and the results are much better.

I know the wait time here ( if you qualify ) is a couple of years,. I wanted the vertical sleeve and ended up going to mexico and paid $5500. May I ask how you will get fills? I know that the doctors here don't do follow ups on the band for patients they didn't place. It seems awfully expensive to run to Toronto every time you need a fill. 

They do it also at maples and I believe the western surgical center here as well for about 18 000

I have one friend who had the band and lost a total of 20 lbs over 4 years and has major issues with it.

 Thanks for your reply.  I've researched the vsg and I don't like that a large portion of your stomach is removed.  I also do not qualify for the surgery in Manitoba because my bmi is too high.  I'm aware of the risks associated with banding, as there are risks involved with any WLS. I am aare with the success and failures of it, as come with any of the surgeries.  

Fills are down in Winnipeg so there is no need to go to Toronto for them.

I have agonized over this decision for a long time, looking at all of the different procedures and feel that this is the best one for me.

I can tell you that Dr. Yau was highly recommended by my mother's GP in Toronto.

They do the fills in Winnipeg? cool... I know someone who had it done in Toronto and has to go there. Apparently the docs here won't see her.

Good luck.  Have you looked around the lapband forums?

Dr. Lorraine Hilderman in Winnipeg does fills for people who had their surgeries in Toronto.

Where is her office? I had heard the doctors at both facilities don't do fills for people they didn't place the band in for...  which sucks for the lap band patients who move or had their surgeries elsewhere...