Frustrated in Edmonton!

I just joined this forum today. I already like what I see. I had been on the waiting list for the capital health's weightwise program for 2 years. In January I got in and they won't commit to me whether or not they will do the WLS at all. They keep telling me we'll see how you do. Last week I was scheduled to see the surgeon just to find out one way or the other. He left the clinic before seeing me.......and why would they apologize to the fat girl. I have never felt so yoinked around as I do at the capital health clinics. Then I got frustrated and quite tearfully told them that I wanted to know one way or another whether they were going to do the surgery. I said that statistically, at a BMI of 63, I have very little hope of ever keeping weight off after 5 years by taking it off without surgery. I also said that I could probably write a book on nutrirtion because it has been crammed down my throat my whole life. Do you know what the stellar and supportive @#$^% at capital health could only think to say to me....."well why aren't you doing it then?" Unfortunately, I do not have the money to go south or east or west.....I'm stuck here in Alberta. This AM I tried to call Dr. Nohr but got a number not in service message. I am sooooooooo frustrasted.

Hi Sally, I'm so sorry for the incredibly rude treatment you've been getting. All of us who are obese have been on that diet roller coaster for years and ended up in worse shape than ever - after all, 95% of people who lose weight gain it back plus more. Staff at these clinics should know this and be more understanding about our struggles. That is unacceptable and if you do see the doctor you should let him know how unkind and unhelpful his staff was. I had my lapband surgery in Mexico a month ago and had very respectful treatment and no problems after the surgery. I will see Dr Mitchell here in Calgary in a few weeks for my first fill and hope to have a good experience with his staff, but who knows. Anyway, keep trying, maybe even call the doctors in Calgary, Red Deer or Med Hat. Good luck with your journey. Betty

I'm sorry to hear about your struggles Sally. I waited 5 years at 2 different places before I had my surgery this past May 3st. There is no explanation for the rude treatment that your received. We have all been there. Just hang in there, do the do things, and try to keep your chin up. If it is worth having.....its worth fighting for. Tamara

Sally, I feel your pain. I have been on this road - weight loss surgery - for 13 yrs. 13 years ago I had VBG done by Dr Davey here in Edmonton, 2 yrs later it came apart. I slowly gained all back that I lost in those 2 yrs. 12 yrs later (2006) I went back to resolve my weightloss issues, I wanted a revision - went back to Dr Davey. To make a long story short, I had the revision after 6mo of dietician counselling and me making major chgs to my diet. I had the revision (RNY) done on Apr 3/07. I have lost 60 lbs to date. I started as a lightweight (230lbs) but suffered all the head hunger that all overweight people feel. I feel absolutely fabulous, saw Doc Davey today and he is very pleased with my sucess. I have known Doc D for a long time - there are only 3 Doctors in AB to do this surgery - they are all overworked. The wait time is long........... but I can only say it is soooo worth the wait. We have a support grp here in Edmonton that we meet once a month - this is key to the WLS journey. We have both pre and post op patients. Unless you have the money to go south, you will have to tough it out. It takes some people 1 1/2 yrs just to get to see the surgeon, bite the bullet and rebook your appt. I have seen many people over the yrs just get peed off and say screw it. WRONG!! Its your quality of life that will chg and don't you think you should do ANYTHING in your power to make it better. We have many patients in our grp that have been morbidly obese (up to 500lbs) and my god are they grateful to have had the tool that only our surgeons can give them. Sorry Sally for the rant, I get angry when I see people mad at our health care system - if only we had more bariatric surgeons then maybe this would not be a issue. Do yourself (your body) a favor and go back to the Doc and take it one step at a time - you will get the payoff inthe end. By the way, I'm also from Sherwood Park. Cindy

Hi Cindy: I am going for Vertical Sleeve surgery in Mexico next week but would love to connect and maybe have a coffee before I leave (13th). I am interested in joining your group for support because I don't think it will be easy to cope especially initially. Could you call me please - 504-0526 - I'd really appreciate it. By the way, do you know if AB Health pays for some of the cost of surgery out of province. I'm having it done by Dr. Alvarez and would appreciate any info you can give me. Hope to hear from you soon, Deb

Hi Sally! I'm also a patient of Dr. Davey's here in Edmonton and I had my initial assessment in January as well. It wasn't until I proved that I could follow the post-op diet (based on the Canada Food Guide) that they could approve me for surgery. They can't tell ANYONE (not just you) that they are accepted or not accepted for surgery until they see how well we do with our monthly dietitian appointments and how well we follow all the recommendations we are given. I followed every recommendation perfectly and it wasn't until late last month that I was finally accepted as a surgical candidate, so it does take a while but it's for our own good because if we can't follow their recommendations now, then we won't be able to follow them after the surgery either. They put us through this process so we can dramatically increase our changes of being successful and not gain all the weight back by falling back into our old, bad eating habits. So when they tell you that you'll be accepted (or not accepted) into the program based on how well YOU do...they tell that to everyone because it IS based entirely on YOUR efforts. Although I know it must have been so frustrating for the doctor to have left before seeing you, it could have been an emergency because both Dr. Davey and Dr. Birch do other surgeries as well. In fact, Dr. Davey is the chief of surgery at the Royal Alex, so if your doctor had to leave it likely couldn't have been prevented. It's frustrating and disheartening, I know...but it likely couldn't have been helped. And trust me, it's NOT because you are a "fat" girl. We are ALL fat or we wouldn't need to be in their program. They are both very "fat friendly" doctors and treat overweight people with the utmost respect. My best advice is to keep following the dietitian's recommendations as closely as you possibly can because they can't accept you as a surgical candidate until they are positive that you will be successful based on how closely you follow their recommendations now. Plus you have a higher BMI, like I do, and they want us to lose a significant amount of weight first before surgery, so the surgeries will be safer for us. Once the dietitian feels that you have a great chance of being successful in your weight loss post-op (based on how well you are doing now), then they will recommend you for the surgery itself and then, unless the doctor himself has any concerns, then you'll officially become a surgical candidate. Good luck and hang in there!

This response is to both Deb and Pam. Pam, you are right on the money with explaining the pre-op WLS journey - to a T. I would like for both you and Deb to consider coming to our Bariatric support grp mtgs once a month at the Royal Alex Hosp. Your stories are exactly what us members have all experienced, however, the most challenging part of your journey is the post-op stage AFTER the weight loss. The head hunger and other issues don't disappear with surgery or weight loss. We have both pre-op and post-op patients. To join our online grp go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EdmontonBSG/ you will have to register on Yahoo, from our website you can join in our daily conversations, view before and after pics or just find out when the next mtg takes place. Having been thru WLS twice now I think the key is having the support needed to make the journey a success. Hope to see ya both at our next mtg in OCT. Cindy S.

Mistake on my part - next mtg is in Sept - go to our website for details. Thanks Cindy S.