I NEED HELP I DONT WANNA DIE

Hello my name is macaren I´ve been looking for so long a doctor that can opperate me I´ve been waiting 6 long yrs and still dont have any answers am back to point zero I started to look up msg bored if to see if you of you people can help me am 22 and in need of a gastric bypass, am scared I dont want to die and you May be thinking but why dont I go to my family doctor well been there and for my point of you he hasnt done nothing to help me he say I have to aply and look well I have but no luck so if you read this pls help me... :help:

If you plan on having this surgery in the public system (i.e. free) your wait time will be minimum of three years to about six years - and there is no guarantee you will have the surgery at the sixth year. If you don't think you can wait this long, you can have the surgery through the private health care system. The wait time in the private system is two months. I had my gastric bypass surgery in Montreal with Dr. Christou, it cost $18,000. The public health system gave me back $2,000 after I declared I had the surgery privately due to the long wait list. I know that you can also have this surgery in Mexico and South America for about $10,000 - although I did not go down this road out of fear of lower health standards and language barriers. I wish you all the best. Take Care.

I live in Ontario and we have OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) Do you have the equivilant to that? I applied to OHIP for coverage to have my surgery out of country because the waiting list here in Ontario is 4-7 years. As long as a physician signs this form saying you need the surgery in a certain amount of time (which is much shorter than the waiting time in Canada) Plus you must be over 100 pounds overweight and co-morbilities then then will pay for you to get your surgery in the states. I went to Virginia and had my surgery within 3 months from approval. I hope this helps and you have the same thing where you live Wendy (Ontario Canada)

Where do you live, Macaren? I live in Alberta and it is covered by Medicare if your family doctor says you need it. The wait once he gets your name to a specialist is no more than 2 years, and in the meantime you see counsellors and specialists to help you feel better and lose weight while you wait for the surgery.

I can feel your pain and I have to admit that we don't look at obesity as a death sentence, but really it is. Gastric bypass was something I never considered as I did not want to be all cut up and have to deal with the massive complications, so I decided on the lap band. I know it is not covered, but you can get it done for a reasonable price. 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. 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

I agree, the wait times in Alberta are out of control. And the fact that Alberta Health will only cover a very small portion of the cost (I was told up to $1000 for anesthisia by an AB Health rep) makes it even more aggrivating. I've heard that there are groups that dedicate themselves to helping people get coverage or assistance for surgery in Canada, but personally I didn't want to go through all the red tape of fighting the government only to be turned down in the end. Julie, since you had your surgery in 2006, did you claim the cost on your income tax? I'm thinking I'll have a pretty nice return waiting for me next January :-D Do you know the names of the doctors doing fills in Calgary? I might be moving there next year for work, and that would be a big help. I can't find a lot of doctors in Lethbridge who will even refer for surgery, let alone do the follow ups. Michael Cool sig coming soo.

There are three fill doctors in Calgary - Dr. Descoteaux, Dr. Mitchell, and Dr. Botha. As far as rebates from AHC, if you go to a clinic in Canada to have your procedure, you get back about $1,000. If you go to a clinic outside of Canada, you get back about $2,000. You can claim all your surgical costs on your taxes, including travel, meals, hotel, etc. It made me get a pretty good return. Good luck with your journey. Do you have a surgery already booked or are you just looking into it? Julie

Thanks Julie, that's great to know. I'm in Calgary all the time, and it may come in handy if I have a day off there to get my fills. I'm booked for surgery March 31 in Great Falls. And yeah, I'm saving every cent on every receipt for tax time next year