So pissed off!

Metamorph1959
on 1/2/18 12:34 pm

Seems the referral I requested to Richmond was not sent in. I've got a date for an orientation in Victoria in June, but I really don't want to go there. The stress of travelling is daunting to me. Richmond is bad enough in that respect. I'm not a happy camper. Not at all.

MM

Mjdvan
on 1/3/18 12:42 pm

When were you referred to Victoria and supposed to have been referred to Richmond? Richmond is INSANELY slow. I've been waiting 19 months for Richmond. Only waited 12 for Victoria. Where are you located? It's not too bad for me in New Westminster. Day of travel but worth it.

Metamorph1959
on 1/3/18 3:44 pm

I believe the appointment where the doc agreed to refer me to Richmond in addition to my referral to Victoria was Jan 25 (i.e., a year ago), but she didn't do so. My referral to Victoria went through in Dec, 2016 so, yes, it was almost exactly a year from referral to phone call.

I live on the Sunshine Coast, and the ferry service is challenging at best -- especially in the summer -- so the extra ferry makes it a very full day of travel. I'm looking at at least one night and possibly two nights away for each appointment in Victoria whereas I can get to and from Richmond for appointments in a day. And I have friends and family in the Vancouver area who could support me around the surgery (rides, a place to stay relatively near the hospital), which I do not have in Victoria.

I haven't cancelled Victoria. I'm going to wait and see just how long the wait is for Richmond. The other thing to factor in is the time from orientation to surgery, which I believe is (or can be) shorter in Richmond.

In the meantime, I'm very concerned about the number of people (up to 25%) *****gain the weight after surgery. It's my intention to use this time to really focus on building good habits, especially around eating regular meals and overcoming compulsive eating, so that when I go through surgery it will be successful.

But I'm really needing this surgery now, not in two or three years!

Metamorph1959
on 1/3/18 3:46 pm

Boy, that filter for "nasty" language is rather sensitive! My concern is about the people who regain the surgery. (Let's see if that works! ;) )

Mjdvan
on 1/3/18 3:48 pm

That's what I've been doing too. Have really good habits, have been slowly losing weight. Your time from orientation to surgery is more dependent on your cooperation with programs and readiness based on assessment. That really sucks about Richmond. I was in contact with them 2 weeks ago and they told me it would be another year before they contacted me.

laisheavenbound
on 1/21/18 10:43 am - Parksville BC, Canada
VSG on 09/17/18

I am sorry for your experience....I know its hard....I am hoping all this waiting and all the struggles will make the end experience even better. I know for me I will stick to the program just to never ever be back in this place where I need it so bad

Metamorph1959
on 1/21/18 12:56 pm

The good news is that committing to this process -- and wanting to be well prepared for entering into it when that call finally comes -- has rekindled my efforts at weight loss. Currently experimenting with a 5:2 regime, which seems to be working. Maybe by the time I can have the surgery, I won't need it! And yes, I don't want ever to be back in this place. That's what is really motivating me at this point.

meontheweb
on 9/25/18 10:36 am - New Westminster, BC, Canada

Yikes - it is "safe" to contact the doctors office to ensure that the referral went in??? I would expect that a referral would get sent, then something from either your doctors office OR the referring office would send you something letting you know that you were at least in the wait list...

M

Metamorph1959
on 9/25/18 1:10 pm

I suppose the lesson to be learned from my experience is not to wait patiently for that phone call without getting some sort of confirmation from somebody that your referral did go through. It's not just about trusting your doctor (I will never go back to that doctor who promised me the referral -- for that and for other reasons), but sometimes referrals get lost in the shuffle. There are three sources you can check: the office of the doctor *****ferred you, your GP's office, and the hospital itself. They all would have some record of the referral having been received, and with the latter, you can also get a very rough idea of the time remaining that you have to wait.

Metamorph1959
on 9/25/18 1:11 pm

LOL! That ruddy filter for bad language slays me!

"...the doctor who referred you..."

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