I am a newbie here

I just went to the TWH orientation session on May 21, 2014 at Toronto Western Hospital and found this site while reading through the materials they gave me.  I am a newbie and am wondering if anyone could tell me what the process in going through TWH is like?  I got my referral from my GP back in November and never heard from them until I called 6 x and left messages and finally I got a call back saying I'd "slipped through the cracks" and was scheduled for the orientation session May 21st.  I am lucky in that I got my appointment for the social worker and nurse practitioner already but can anyone explain the whole process?  I am 5'6" and 286 pounds and am hoping to have the VSG but am told I will likely get the Roux-en-Y surgery.  Any advice/info about the process would be appreciated.  Thanks so much everyone!  xo

Can't you choose whatever surgery type YOU want? It's going to affect the rest of your life, after all.

Hi MsBatt nice to "meet" you and thanks for replying. I am in Canada and this would be covered by OHIP our universal health care coverage and in this case the surgery type is roux-en-y 99% of the time. They only do thd VSG if the surgeon deems it physically necessary. But I will definitely let the surgeon know that I'd prefer the VSG. 

Well, hello, newbie! Welcome to the madness.

I agree with Ms Batt. Try to fight for the surgery YOU want and that YOU are most comfortable with.

Hi Dreamy,  do lots of reading here on the various boards, for the various surgeries.  My surgeon also told me he would rather go for the RNY on me looking at my file.  When I stated my preference for VSG, he said I could decide later.  RNY is not going to be the one for me unless he is left with no other choice because I have severe osteo arthritis thoughout my body.  I have to take NSAIDS and you can't take them with RNY.

It really is your decision unless the surgeon can give you verifiable evidence that one surgery will be more detrimental to you.  At that point, you might listen to his side of it.

Hi there and welcome.  I totally agree with the others here, it is your decision to make.  Let me just say that I went into this thinking that I wanted the Lap Band then researched it and talked to the surgeon that was recommened to me thru a friend who also had the Lap Band that eventually converted to VSG and decided that VSG was the best choice and the least complicated with less side effects from it, it was a no brainer for me and for my life style.  I am two years out and would do it all over again if had to do, it really is the best decision that I ever made... only wish that I had done years ago but either way it's done and the fact that I did it to get off my meds is a plus, no more diabetes, high blood meds... Life is even better and heathier but what ever you decide on is a life time change and you have to be that change too, mentally, emotionally and physically.  God bless! 

Unfortunately, in Ontario (unlike in the USA or elsewhere), it is the doctor or medical system that makes the default choice of RNY for you. If you want the sleeve, you have to have a darn good reason for it and medical proof (written reports, references, etc.) from specialists to persuade the provincial health care plan that the sleeve is the better surgery in your case.

In Ontario, only the sleeve and RNY are covered by the provincial plan. Anything else is (a) hard to find, and (b) not covered, so you have to pay out of pocket. Thus 99% of Ontarians do end up with RNY, rather than any of the other weight loss surgery types.

There are LOTS of us active on the Ontario forums; come on over and say hi. ObesityHelp's Ontario Forum People who have gone through TWH are the ones who can fill you in on the process there. I'm sure you can find lots of them to give you the low-down.

It sucks that you slipped through the cracks though! I've heard of that happening. Hopefully they can get it all sorted out and you can go from here.

Welcome to the forums! Browse around and soak in all the information here. There's a boatload of info and experiences to absorb and learn from as you move forward.