Hi lorna, My wieght is around 510 lbs and hieght is 5 foot 10. the calculator fo bmi I used off the net only went to 456 lbs and still came up as bmi of 63.7. I'm not sure how the total is reached but its still scarey no matter how you look at it. I really thank you for your reply and will think about attending your seminar. My only concern is that lap band is not a reasonable alternative for my size and am looking into gastric bypass with great difficulty in finding information. Again thank you for you response. Ken

Hi, I'm Ani... I'm going to Puerto Vallarta for my surgery...I am having the sleeve, have you checked that surgery out? You might want to consider it before going through with the band. You can go to the forum and get a ton of information. There is a doc in Calgary that does fills...I am not sure what he charges, probably between $200-300 per fill...no, it is not covered. The cost for my surgery is $10,000...that includes airfare, ground transportation to hotel and hospital, a 5*hotel, and all medical charges. My doctors name is Dr Joya...google him, or put him in OH search engine. He does the band, RNY and the sleeve.

Hello, My BMI was about 35, and if you have underlying conditions, high blood pressure, sleep apnia, etc. Dr. Kuri will do the operation for you. It will cost you around $8000.00 What I have found after having the surgery, and meeting many people who have had lapband, is that we are all ordinary people. I originally suspected that only the rich could afford the surgery, but if you value yourself, and your health, you will, like the rest of us, find a way. Go on line and find Dr. Kuri's site, contact him, and tell him your particlular stats. He will let you know whether he will operate on you or not. Good luck, Aurel

When I eat it doesnt matter how much i chew the food it seems sometimes the food keeps trying to back up or I have to vomit

Hi Tracie, I had my lapband done in Tijuana Mexico last July for $8000 by Dr Pedro Kuri who has done thousands of bands - it's all he does. He was a very kind and caring gentleman and the hospital was clean, calm, quieter than any I've been to here. There is a bit of a language problem with the nurses but we managed fine. There's really no waiting list. My weight loss has been slow - my fault not the bands- but steady. I've lost around 45 pounds, about half what I want to lose, but I'm not good at the exercise part. I just eat a whole lot less than I used to, and no bread, pasta, rice etc, and it's a lot easier when you aren't hungry all the time. I really feel like I will get to my goal and this time the weight will stay off. I LOVE MY BAND!! Some people have problems apparently, I've had none, and feel great. The fills are not covered, Dr Mitchel does mine for $125, but I've only needed 2 so far. No it doesn't hurt to get a fill. I hope I've answered some of your questions. Good luck on your journey. Betty