Hello!

Hi to everyone, especially motorhomemama! It is so good to hear you are home and doing well. Thanks for recommending this site to me.   I am enjoying it and love reading about all the different experiences.  It has been 2.5 yrs since I had my name added to have surgery through the Weight Wise clinic and am still in the dark.  I had my doctors nurse call and she also had no luck getting through to anyone for an update.  I saw my family doctor last week and he is going to make a call or two from the sounds of it, so maybe next time I see him he will have some news.  It is getting very depressing waiting with not even a light at the end of the tunnel.  Is there anyone else out there going through the same thing...would love to hear from you.  Anyways glad to be part of this forum and will enjoy getting to know others. 

Patti

Hi Patti and welcome to this forum.  It's great to see a few more people posting here

I had my two week folowup appointment today and  everything seems fine. I have lost 12 lbs since surgery and have been doing okay with the diet.  I now get to start having some real food and had 1'4 cupof tuna with a bit of mayo tonight...yum!!!

Had a good visit at the clinic and cleared up some questions as well as got set up with a liason person who I can e-mail with questions and concerns.  This is great because I know when I travel I will have a contact that knows me and knows what I have had done in case I have any problems. Sure eases my mind.

The clinic was very understanding about my upset with the hospital things that happened and we worked it out so I think we all feel better.  I am looking forward to getting on with the journey and working with the people at Weigth Wise.

I will probably get a fill on the 23 of Dec which will mean turkey broth for me this Christmas....but I don't care , I just really want to do this right and make this work for me.


Hope you hear some news soon too.  I found a great book at the library that you should read .  It's called It aint over 'til the thin lady sings by Micheele Ritchie...Super book for before and after surgery.

Love Eydie

Eydie!  Congratulations with your weight loss so far!!!  That is wonderful  and you must be feeling pretty darn good about it too.  Im so glad to hear that you have worked things out so well with the hospital.  Now that you have a contact that should also help too.  I hope we can get together before you leave to go south.  I am sure that they (the hospital) learned some valuable information from you as well that may help others in the future.  I am just getting so darn discouraged.  I knew there was going to be a wait involved, but I honestly thought by now I would have heard something from the clinic.  Do they not realize people are literally hanging by their fingernails just to hear a word from them...even if just to let you know where you are in the system so that you can at least take a deep breath and keep your head above water for a while longer.....anyways I am so thrilled for you and your progress....you keep going girl...

Keep in touch and thanks for recommending this site to me.  Love you..

Hey Patti,
 I just had surgery at the Royal Alex and wanted to give you some information about wait times because yours seems very excessive and I am wondering if they lost your referral. I was referred by my family physician in May 2006 and recieved a call from the Weight Wise Clinic in June 2007 and had my first appointment  on July 3 2007. Then went on to have appointments with the clinic dietitian every 6-8 weeks. I followed all the recommendations and was able to lose 40 lbs then got my referral to the  surgeon and met with him June 2008. I then had Gastric bypass on Nov 4 2008. I have heard that the wait is about 2-3 years from start to finish but most people have been called within 12-16 months. I have also heard from a few people at the clinic that there referrals were lost and once they called they were moved ahead in the line. I would call the weight wise program at the royal and ask them where you are on the wait list, this is what I did and they can tell you exactly how many people are ahead and which month you are likely to be called to start the program. I know the wait is so hard and I hope this helps and you are able to find out some info. It's along wait but the surgery is so effective. I am down about 20 lbs since nov 4 08, and a total of 70 since I started the program. Let me know how it goes and contact me if you have any other questions. Nancy

Hi Nancy,

Thanks for your response!  I actaully got a call from Jacques last week, who my understanding is the program coordinator for the Weight Wise program.  I think that my referral slipped through the cracks from the sounds of it.  It is confirmed that I will be getting a call from them to attend an orientation in January.  Then if all goes well I  will be 'in' the program.  My question then is, how long will I have to wait again before surgery.  From the sounds of what you did I wouls guess another year at least.  Well, that is ok as long as I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.  I'm glad for you that you are doing so well.  That is encouraging to hear!  Do you live in Edmonton Nancy......I would love to hear your hospital experience too, if you have the time one day.  Take good care and it was nice to meet you.

Patti 

Hi Patti,
That's so great to hear about your referral! Once you are in the program it takes about 1 year for surgery, however there is a third surgeon Dr Karmelli who has joined the team and I have heard that wait times will hopefully decrease. I have heard great things about all three surgeons and had a great hospital experience. I had my gastric bypass on Nov 4 08 and was in the hospital for 4 days. Since the surgery is done laproscopically as often as possible the pain seemed to be quite minimal. I had morphine and that seemed to do the trick. My only problem was I was given a multivitamin pill in the hospital and it was not crushed and so the pill ended up getting stuck in my stomach pouch and then I was very nauseaus and was vomiting and had to have my IV hooked back up otherwise I would have been discharged in 2 days. Other than that my hospital stay was uneventful. Things have been tough this past month though feels like all I have time to do in a day is eat and drink and if you over fill your pouch the pain is quite bad until some food passes or vomiting occurs. Things seem to be getting a little bit better everyday though. The Weight Wise team is really great and I will continue to see the dietitian every 3 months now until I am one year post-op. In the last month I have lost about 20 lbs and that is the one thing that keeps me going. You will be amazed how fast the time flies once you are in the program and it is good to have some time before the surgery to adjust to the food changes, and eating more healthily. Do you know which surgery you would like to have- the clinic offers both the bypass and the lap band. I researched both pretty well and decided to have the bypass so that I could lose the weight quicker and more of it, but have heard good things about the band too. I will give you my personal email and if you have any questions or just want to touch base and let me know how your journey is going that would be great. My email is [email protected]     
I do live in Edmonton and know that there is a support group that meets monthly at the RAH so if you want more info you just go to yahoo groups and then search for Edmonton Bariatric Support Group and then you can request to be part of the group. I have only made it to one meeting so don't know alot about it. Good luck   Nancy 

Dear Nancy,

Well, you are wonderful to write me such a lovely letter.  So you have had a gastric bypas....is this a mini bypass or the regular one?  I am trying to figure out what is what.  that is really encouraging news about Dr. Karmelli joining the Weight Wise team up there.  Oh I sure hope that I get in a little quicker than a year, but you are right when you say that a year goes by fast when you are busy preparing yourself and going to meetings etc.  I amstarting to get some excitement built up about it even though it's a ways off...at least now I have some tangible "thing" to hang onto.  when you wrote about that pill getting stuck in your stomach pouch, my first thought was, "Oh no....please tell me that you didn't choke or gag to death trying to get it back up!!.  That would be awful even so.  I'm sorry you had to go through that and hopefully it doesn't happen to you again.  Gosh that would have scared me!    I hope things get better for you as time goes on, at least that is how it should be right?  Let me know how you make out.
My friend Eydie (aka Motorhomemama) just had a lap band done and she is also trying to get all her fluids in etc.  She says you literally have to walk around with a water cup in your hand all day long.  I'm going to have the lap band done as well.  I'm glad to hear that you had a positive experience with the clinic and the hospital as well...that is encouraging.  Why did you decide on the bypass Nancy besides the quicker weight loss?  I like the lap band because it can be reversed...and you can't undo a bypass can you?  That kind of scares me.  What about malabsorption (sp?) problems too?  I will email you at your yahoo address too.

Take good care.....

Patti 

I've been reading the posts about the wait times in Edmonton. I live in winnipeg and have been on the waiting list for gastric bypass since october 2007. I inquired a few weeks ago and have been told that I have a 6 month to 1 year and a half wait for a consultation for Dr.Birch. I am so disapointed. I was told initally that the wait was 1 and a half to 2 years. Is the new surgeon speeding up the wait list? Also, how long is the wait between consultation and surgery? Please let me know... I just want to know there hope out there.

To put things into perspective, my referral to the Weight Wise clinic was sent in April 2007 and after several pre-info sessions/screenings, I entered into the program in late May 2008.  However, that was not a consultation with the surgeon.  Once you enter the program, you have several months to work with the clinic professionals as appointments are usually 8-12 weeks apart.  You'll work with a dietician, physical therapist, psychologist, internist and maybe other folks depending on your needs.  Essentially, they are assessing you.  The ultimate goal might be surgery, but not everyone who is seeking surgery is approved.  My spouse was told that when she entered the program at the same time as I.

As of today, I've lost about 35 lbs while at the clinic and I have still not been referred to surgeon.  To put things into perspective, I am a 36 yr old male, topping the scales at 500 lbs currently.  If there was anyone who is in need of bariatric surgery, I believe I am.  However, this is not something that the clinic will jump into.

If all goes well, I hope to be referred in early Jan with surgery being on the radar for this spring.  It depends.  I've been doing fairly well and meeting their goals they have set...for the most part.  Jumping through the hoops, doing what they say, and not gaining weight is the name of the game, not to mention proving that you are able to survive post-surgery.  Some people are not so fortunate.  I've heard stories of some patients staying in the clinic for well over a year with no signs of being referred to the surgeon.

With that said, I am not sure how they would handle an out of province patient.  However, I would caution you not to get your hopes up for an immediate consultation and then surgery, if you are going via the Weight Wise clinic.  They don't work like other surgeons (Farries, Nohr) that I've heard about, where it's a consultation(s) and then surgery.

As for wait time between consultation and surgery, my info seems to suggest two things.  The new surgeon (Karmali) seems to be speeding up the process when the gastic sleeve procedure is done.   Maybe it was just due to the fact that this was the first procedure outside of clinical trials in Alberta, I don't know.  Secondly, there are plenty of spots open for surgery.  The problem is that there is not enough patients who have passed the criteria and are prepared for surgery to fill those spots.

Sorry to put a damper on your hopes, but that's the reality of the situation.  It's a tough pill to swallow.

What I would suggest to you, to help grease the wheels, is to start food journaling and wearing a pedometer and recording your steps now.  The clinic is going to ask you to do this anyway.  Might as well be ahead of the curve.

Cheers!
-- Xcalibur2572

Hi  Everyone,

I gave up on the Weight Wise program, for me it was way too much waiting time and unrealistic appoinments to meet etc.  Anyways, I went to see Dr. Gregg at the Red Deer Hospital and am going to be having the Gastric Sleeve.  I am so happy I made this decision.  From the time I went to my first appoinmnet last May 2011, I am now scheduled for my surgery to happen on the 26th of this month (March).  That is only 10 months!  I have heard a number of people who had the lap band (which I was origianlly going to have) and are now going back to have it removed and have the sleeve instead.  I hope you have had success in whichever program you have decided upon.  For me it just didn't work out with Weight Wise, but I know others have had a lot of success. 

Patti