Recent Posts
Hi Linda,
There is a monthly support group meetings once a month in Moncton for post-op patients, however I am not 100% sure it's only for the people that has had surgery in Moncton or not. The monthly meeting is coming up soon and I'll ask and get back at you :). Dr Beausoleil is the one doing the surgeries in Moncton, and again, not sure if he sees patients that aren't his. You could always call and ask also.
Hello,
I am wondering if you know if there is some sort of support group for lap band surgery in Moncton, NB. I had the surgery 2.5 years ago, I have never had any support. The company I went with in Ontario went bankrupt so I don't even have anyone I can call to ask a questions and I have many. Any groups or even a doctor local that I can go to I'm sure can help. I'm sure I'm not suppose to have these problems.
My name is Linda and my email address is [email protected] Thank you in advance.
Hi Colleen...hi Ellie!
Thanks for the support....I too have to work out everything with work and money and my life. To go through this process with uncertainty from start to finish is so hard. I am praying for a date soon.
Congrats on getting your date! What an exciting and yet stressful time!!
Dr. Savoie did my VSG on Jan. 12/15. I was VERY scared about the Boost diet!! I did not know how I would make it through! I agree with your description of the strawberry boost. I did not care for the vanilla either so I stuck with Chocolate. I tried different things with it. I would put it in the freezer for about an hour or so before I drank it. I poured it on ice and added different exttacts to each one. My favorites were mint, orange and almond. For me, the third day was the absolute worst. By the end of the 2 weeks, while I was still enjoying the shakes I just did not feel like drinking them and had dropped to 2 or 3 a day (which they will give you hell for at the clinic if you tell them). I struggled with constipation too but found that Pegalax worked well for me at that time. I drank gallons of water every day and I flavoured that as well. I did eat the veggies a couple of times. I was worried on surgery day because I had only lost 10 pounds but it was obviously enough because my surgery went as planned.
I wish you the best of luck as you move through your journey! YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!!
Greetings to all. I have spent some time observing comments made here online regarding the company called Mexico Bariatric Centre . I have listened to one female berate the owner of the company and one of his staff. I respect that each of us who post here are entitled to their opinion and so I have decided to share my story regarding Ron Eli and MBC.
I am a Canadian who travelled to Mexico to have the VGS performed by Dr. Alejandro Lopez in April of last year. The experience was one I shall never forget, met many a new friend and visited a new country. I trusted in my surgeon and his staff to perform the surgery that I hoped would give me a new lease on life.
After the surgery was performed, Lopez advised me that I had a Hiatal hernia that he had “repaired” and that there was an added expense. I was a bit shocked as I had a test performed one week prior to my surgery and there was nothing that concerned my own doctor. The test was completed and the results were sent directly to Dr. Lopez to verify that I did not have a hernia.
When I returned home to Canada I was feeling alright for about two weeks, not great but I was doing okay. Unfortunately, that changed in days. I had a massive infection between the esophagus and the stomach…the same place Dr. Lopez stated he had repaired. I was informed that the suturing had been done quite poorly.
I spent two months in hospital and eight days in critical care. I was advised by my doctor that it was touch and go. During this period, I had to undergo another surgery to correct the damage from the original surgery, as well as two blood transfusions. I felt like I was dying. I was released from the hospital on June 10th and came home too weak to walk, let alone go back to work.
What upset me was to see comments stating that MBC and owner Ron Eli were not nice people and that they somehow had become a punching bag for some of Dr. Lopez’s patients. I, like many of you, had a wonderful experience with MBC. That being said, when everything went sideways with my health, Dr. Lopez tried to hide behind legalities and threats. MBC and Cindy Rios were the only ones that treated me with respect and took responsibility for the botched surgery Dr. Lopez had performed on me.
I kept every piece of correspondence between myself and Dr. Lopez. He told me that my doctors were “liars” and with incredible arrogance refused to believe that I spent two months in the hospital. All I wanted was for him to take some responsibility, to say “I’m sorry for this happening to you”. Would that not be the decent reaction of a caregiver? He would not even return the calls of the Canadian surgeons, who wanted to speak with him.
MBC did the honourable thing and took full responsibility for Lopez’s botched surgery, something the doctor himself refused to do. MBC did the decent thing, the right thing. So please, before you decide who is the big bad monster out there, I would check and see how many other patients have experienced Lopez’s marginal surgical skills and callous, uncaring attitude. Thank You to Ron Eli and the Mexico Bariatric Centre and to Cindy Rios for all her hard work and genuine concern. They can both hold their heads up for their compassionate handling of my unfortunate situation.
Sounds like good ideas...I tried a Strawberry Boost for lunch today (call me crazy when I don't have to yet, I just wanted to see what it would be like to replace a meal with Boost I guess)...it tasted exactly like as if you took a bottle of Flintstones chewable vitamins and melted it down and drank it LOL...I don't think I will buy any more strawberry!
on 3/7/15 2:41 am - Oromocto, Canada
So glad to hear you are doing better! I was worried about you. Thank God for your quick action and them sending you right to Moncton! It's all downhill from here! In a good way ...lol. You'll be able to get on track now and dropping the weight like you wanted!
My clinic is in Moncton and they use a different product called "slimtime". It is a protein shake powder that you mix with water and any flavoring you want. They come in chocolate and vanilla and I used things like decaf instant coffee, cinnamon, rum extract with the chocolate and nutmeg and carmel extract with the vanilla shake. It was also recommended that mint extract was really good with the chocolate as well. Change it up a bit for variation and to not get tired of the same flavors. Drink lots of water and just power through it. I found that I missed the savory flavor because everything was sweet and being diabetic I got tired of the sweetness but got through it and you will as well. Good luck and if I can help in any way just let me know.
Ellie
Thanks Kat, just hit a bump in the road but I am doing good now. They discovered the problem early and treated it agressively, they were excellent in Moncton.
Thanks for your concern and kind words...Ellie
No they treated it with IV antibiotics. Every 6 hours they hung another bag onto the IV and then did a CT scan at about 7 days to make sure there was not an absess (and there was not). If there had of been one then they would have drained it to make the healing go quicker. The good news is that the prognoses for recovery is excellent (Dr. B's exact words). It was a bump in the road but it is a very fixable one, it just takes a little time to heal. Still no regrets, I know that even after all of this it is going to be worth it. Good luck with your journey, you will be fine. Do not worry about the "what if's", stay positive and focused and you are going to rock this.
All the best...Ellie
