Anyone in the Calgary Weight Managment program?????

I am intrested in finding people in the program, I was interviewed by Michelle at Global about the program and the cut backs to the program. In case anyone has not heard the goverment has cut the funding drasticaly. They have gone from funding 100 surgeries to 25!!!! i WANT TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO GET TO THE GOVERMENT AND BOOST THE FUNDING BACK UP, But I can not do it alone. If anyone has any more ideas PLEASE let me know, I can only imagine where I am on the list of 800 people in the program waiting for lapbands.

No, I am not in the Calgary weight management program, but I am trying to find a way to be referred to it. Are you in the program? What can you tell me about the referral process? No one I have talked to, including my family doc, seems to know anything about the program! Any ideas how I can get a referral? I am pretty sure I will meet the qualifications. I called the WM prgram office and left a message asking for someone to call me with information 2 weeks ago and no one has responded. I certainly hope the province rethinks their decision to cut back funding for this program. Thanks for anything you can tell me.

HI, I was in the lap banding part of the program for 2 years and have just been told that I am not one of the 25 to be chosen this year (there is no for sure that they will get the surgery either you know?) If you are in the program and have received a letter stating you are not being considered then I guess you are sh...out of luck. There is talk that the surgeons may set up a private clinic for the lap banding at a cost of $16000 dolars or so. Not a for sure thing though. Even though 100 surgeries were funded last year there were only about 15 done...so what happens to that mooney, eh?? I am trying to get the gov. to help me get a gastric bypass in Arizona...wish me luck. and good luck to all of you who are trying to deal with this morbid obesity problem in Alberta!!!! motorhome mama

I was in the Calgary Weight Management Program for 1 year and worked very hard. Then one meeting with the dietician everything looked great, the next meeting with the dietician that returned from mat leave and was told that the program was closing down, keep up the good work, heres your hat, leave. I was so upset. The way they did it was so cruel and unkind. I hope she gets fat one day and works as hard as everyone in that program and gets the rug pulled out from under her like they she did to others. I am getting the lapband on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 in Toronto. Dr. Colburne is doing it. On my phone consult with him, he said that his group is setting up a private clinic in Calgary this fall and after the first few fills, I should be able to get them at the new clinic.

HI Lola.. Yes I agree with you . It was so frustrating to work so hard to have the lap-band and then be told Oh well tough luck. I have multiple health problems and my doctors all sent letters to try and help but no luck...some one told me that if I had been a welfare recipient I would have got in for sure!!! Who knows, I really don't buy that but....Anyhow I wish you luck on your banding this week. Is the gov't helping you pay for it? When are they going to wake up and realize that morbid obesity is a disease, just like alcoholism or smoking and certainly just as deadly, yet they sure have lots of funding for those things. Keep me posted as to how you are doing. Good for you for not just gining up. LOL Eydie

Good Luck to you. I can hardly wait to hear about your success! I'm sorry you weren't able to get help in your home town. Very disappointing.

Hi Lola,I'm having my surgery with Dr. Cobourn in Toronto on July 23.  I really hope you and I can talk about our surgeries.  If you are up to it maybe you could email me and let me know how it went.  It is really hard to find someone in Calgary who has had the surgery.  my email address is [email protected].  hope your doing great.wendy

Hi Kari, How about getting together for coffee and discussing some option for going ahead with putting some pressure on the " power mongers". Cutting back to 25 people is just obscene! It has been 5 years since I made my first request for referral! I need to spend all this agro energy on something productive. Lois