I will be having a consultation with a plastic surgeon at the end of February in Toronto. I got price quotes from three surgeons in the U.S.A they estimated the cost for a lower body lift, inner thigh lift, upper body lift and breast augmentation at about $35, 000 - $40,000. Obviously this is a lot of money! I was hoping for some advice on lowering the plastic surgery cost... Is there any government assistance I can apply for or is there anything I can say to the surgeon to help lower the cost? I'm willing to pay the cost with a personal loan but anything that can be done to reduce the crippling debt I'm going to endure will be appreciated. For those who have had post bariatric plastic surgery can you tell me on your search to find your plastic surgeon did you consult the The American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons? - apparently these are the surgeons who specialize in body contouring procedures after massive weight loss. The following website lists all these surgeons (who must also be board certified plastic surgeons to be a member) https://www.asbps.org/media.php I'm thinking (and correct me if I'm wrong) that because these surgeons are specialist their prices must be significantly higher. Please share with me who your surgeon was and what procedures you had done. Also share the amount you paid and if you are happy with the results. Any information you can give will be greatly appreciated. Take Care.

Hi Diane! I don't think it is. The Dr. Kuri that I know only does his surgeries in Mexico. Where did you have yours done? Was the information I gave you helpful - did you call Michelle? Elaine

Hi Arlene! I too went to Mexico and had LapBand with Dr. Kuri - my surgery was on November 9th and have had two fills by Michelle Wright in Saskatoon. She is very good and gentle - she has been trained by Dr. Kuri himself so I felt very comfortable going to her. You can reach her through her website which is www.fillcentresaskatoon.sasktelwebsite.net - if you are unable to access that website her phone number is 306-934-3746. I hope this helps you. You can e-mail me if you have any other questions regarding fills or anything else. [email protected] Take care. Elaine Frerichs Annaheim, SK

Hi Betty - nice to hear from you again! this board is really quiet and I hardly come back to it anymore. I really like the Yahoo Group of Dr. Kuri's - so I stay pretty active there - lots of information. Since September 5th I have lost a total of 53 lbs - 15 lbs since surgery. Not much - but I am going for my second fill on Saturday. I hope she puts in more than 1.6cc this time. I am finding that I can just about eat a horse!! I also have a problem with candy - I have a 3yr old and a 5yr old in the house so having no candy is just not fair to them. I have to keep the will power going!! I am so jealous of you and going on holidays - especially in the cold weather! One concelation is that I am accompanying a friend from Edson to Mexico so that she can get a band from Dr. Kuri as well!! We will probably be going in the middle of February so I can get another fill down there too! She has to wait for her passport to arrive. She sent it quite a few weeks ago but they sent it back because she had something wrong on her application. So now she has to wait again before she gets it. She is so frustrated as she had an appointment with Dr. Kuri on January 28th - good thing she can change her appointment. Talk to you soon - have a great holiday!! Elaine

Hi Elaine, The fill went very well yesterday - only one poke this time and he got right in. I now have 2.5 cc in a 4 cc band, and feel okay this morning, just a little muscle stiffness at the port site. I haven't tried any food yet, only liquids so far so we'll see how the restriction is later. I live in Calgary so it was pretty easy for me to find a doctor here. There was a young lady at his office yesterday having her first fill, also Dr Kuri's patient, who came all the way from Lashburn Sask. There's probably no one closer to you than Saskatoon though, but if you want to come to Calgary you're welcome to stay over at my house. I hope you're doing well. Talk soon. Betty