Dr.s in Calgary

Hi everyone. I am fairly new to this site and appreciate the information that has been shared here. I am wondering if there is anyone that has seen the lapband doctors here in Calgary? How long was the wait? How was the surgery? How were the doctors? etc., etc., etc.

I too would be interested in hearing about docs in calgary. I am looking to have a revision done. and I found out my surgeon dr. hollingsworth out of cardson, retired a few years ago.

no docs here in calgary last time i checked. Dawn

Hi there I have never posted before just lurked for info, and I read yours...My name is Dana and I had VGB with DR Hollingsworth  in 1997 and have Gained much of my weight back I had an apt with DR Mitchell He said that many VGB s fail He said it was like a dinosaur method and I agree with him look how far they have come, we had to be opened up with a pretty scary surgery, look at the amazing procedures they have now! I'm writing to you because I sure there are many of us who have had the old Dina sour method (Bless Dr Hollingsworth because he was an amazing man and for a good portion of my life he gave me a great gift) But I have failed it or it has failed me a bit of both I believe ! I'm sure you feel as though you have let yourself down...but dont there are so many procedures we just have to be crafty and persistant and we will have our second chance at rebirth.....do you remember his little booklet the saying a little corney but oh so true REBIRTH..............I want REBIRTH again. My thoughts are with you good luck!




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There are four doctors in Calgary doing lapbands - Dr. Descoteaux, Dr. Mitchell, Dr. Church and Dr. Debru. In order to see them, you have to be referred to the Weight Management Clinic and be there for at least 6 months before you can see a surgeon. From there the sliding wait list can be as long as 2 years, if you are even accepted. It is really hard to get it nailed down. I had my surgery done in Mexico and I have no regrets. It was a very positive experience. So far I have lost 65 pounds and have got so much of my life back. I used to have high blood pressure and a fatty liver. Now, both of those things are gone. I still have about 35 pounds to lose, so I still have some work, but I would recommend my surgeon to anyone. The wait list in Alberta seems to be getting longer and longer, and the requirements seem to change. The bad news about the wait list in Calgary at least is that it is a prioritized wait list, which means you may be at #15 one day, but if someone is prioritized higher than you the next day, you will be at #16. So if you are lower in the list, you may never get moved up at all. At first they were not doing people with a high BMI, now they won't do people with a lower BMI. I have had no problems getting fills after being to Mexico. There are at least 3 doctors in Calgary that do fills for people banded in other places. I have also heard that there is going to be a private clinic opening in Banff that will be doing bands, but I think the cost will be almost double what I paid in Mexico ($8,000). I took out a line of credit for my surgery, and I would do it again. I have so much more energy and I am sure I have added years to my life. A couple of suggestions if you are looking for a surgeon in Mexico, at least these are the ones I used. Look for a surgeon that is committed to the band. Don't pick one that uses any type of weight loss surgery. I felt that they were just in it for the money and maybe not as committed to the band as I wanted them to be. Also, by looking for someone that just does the band, I felt they would have more experience and probably better skills. Also, make sure they use the INAMED band as this is the brand name most widely used in the US and is used by all the surgeons here in Calgary. Also, check out what other people have said about them. There are some horror stories about surgeons in Mexico. I called to INAMED themselves and asked about my surgeon, they could not tell me any specifics about him except that he is one of their recognized surgeons and that he was also one of their teaching surgeons for a while. That gave me peace of mind. If you want more information, just let me know. Julie Nov 6/06, Dr. Ortiz, Obesity Control Center 258/192/158