hi ken i am seeing dr farries in red deer, he is awsome and does do the rny gastric bypass on large bmi's, he only takes referrals from ur doctor once a year in may !!! the first monday in may i think. any ways i hope u see ur doctor soon so he can refer u this may, or else u will need to wait till next year. he is a awesome doctor he does expect u to loss a certian amount of weight before he agree to do the surgery as well as u will need to travel to red deer once a month to see him, u are not allowed to miss any appointment, and lastly u have to record all ur food in a journal that he looks at monthly. it is worth it i am from nb and the travel sucks but i have a date for my surgery !!! good luck julie

Weight Loss Surgery Seminar facilitated by Registered Nurses on April 13, 2008, at 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the Cliff Wright Library Auditorium at the Lakewood Civic Centre at 1635 McKercher Drive in Saskatoon. Discussion will be about various types of surgery, including Lapband and Sleeve Gastrectomy, risks and benefits, availability and costs. Call Lorna @ 306-373-1879 or Leah @306-956-7769 for more information and to register.

Hello Lapbanders!! I am an R. N. and have been doing my own lapband fills for 3 years and have been doing others for the past year. I have done over 30 different people several times. I was trained by Dr. Lopez Corvala in Tijuana, Mexico, who is the Director of the Surgeon Training Centre of Mexico for bariatric surgery. He has been doing lapband since 1996 and was a training surgeon for the Lapband company and taught surgeons in the U.S. when it was passed by the FDA in 2001. I also run the Saskatoon Lapband Support Group and we meet once a month. Our next meeting is on April 19th at 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the Field House at the corner of Preston and College Drive, in meeting room #2 on the second floor. You can call me at 306-373-1879 or 306-280-7313 for a fill or more information about the support group. Lorna King R.N.

Hi Tracie I had lapband done 4 years ago in Tijuana, Mexico, with Dr. Lopez Corvala. He is the director of the Surgeon Training Center of Mexico and has many years of experience with all kinds of bariatric surgery. I do fills here in Saskatoon and I charge $75 per fill. There is a Dr. in Calgary who does them for $125 but I've heard his bedside manner isn't great! There is someone in Medicine Hat as well but I don't know who that is. I don't know if your fills are covered by Alberta Health, but your surgery and your fills are tax deductible as a medical expense. The first week post-op you are on clear fluids and then graduate to other fluids. After 5-7 days you move on to soft solids and then to other solids. The amount of weight loss varies from one person to another, depending on BMI and compliance to the program. You should not drink liquids with your meals and you should stay with low calorie, low fat and low sugar foods. You should not eat between meals. The lapband is a tool to help you lose weight but it does not work by itself. You do have to be committed to it and work WITH it and not try to "cheat" it. The fills are done usually 4 -6 weeks post op for the first one. This also varies from person to person as to how many fills you will need. The fills are usually not painful as it is just putting a needle into the skin to get to the port. Much like a blood test poke in the skin. There have been incidences of band slippage but since the new and improved way of stitching it in place there has been less of that happening. You can get more information at www.surgicalbariatric.com. or call me at 306-373-1879. Lorna King R.N.

Hi Bill I had lapband 4 years ago. You may be having a problem called first bite syndrome. Try starting your meal with a soft food like yogurt or mashed potatoes to sort of "prime" the band. Sometimes I also try to have a warm liquid drink before meals to "soften" the band a bit. Hope this helps. We have a support group in Saskatoon if you're interested in attending. The next meeting is on April 19th at 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. at the Field House at the corner of College Drive and Preston Ave. Its on the 2nd floor in meeting room #2. Join us!! Lorna King R.N.