medicine hat surgeries

for people who had it done or is getting it done in medicine hat... what goes on at the consult?? is there things you have to do to for it to go through?? how long does consult take? do you get a surgery date right away????

Who is your surgeon?  Dr. Nohr or is it through the new obesity clinic in Med Hat?

dr nohr is

I can only tell you how it worked for me, but I had surgery almost 2 years ago with Dr. Nohr.  Who is awesome by the way...

The consult was a half day group session at the Medicine Hat Hospital with a dietician.  She goes over the process including what to expect with surgery and life after surgery.  She speaks about food and vitamins, reading labels, exercise.  Basically everything you need to know to make an informed decision about whether the surgeray is right for you.  Make sure to come with questions you would like answered and don't be afraid to ask. Then that same day, in the afternoon, I had my initial meeting with Dr. Nohr.  He's a quiet, soft spoken doctor.  He will describe what he does in the surgery.  He'll asked my weight and took a look at my belly and pressed around.  At this time he told me he would be happy to do my lap RNY surgery.  Be forewarned...he does expect you to come with questions to ask him.  He expects you to have done your research.  I told him I wanted to move forward with the surgery and he completed the paperwork right then.  I took it to give to the girl at the front desk and she gave me a surgery date.  It was 2 years down the road.  Eek!  Make sure you ask her to put you on the cancellation list.  I did, and was called in for surgery a year earlier than the date initially given to me.

This is how it worked for me.  Back then there was no new bariatric clinic.  I do not think that Dr. Nohr is part of this clinic.  I am not sure if the hospital consult has changed now that there is a clinic.  Dr. Nohr had no after program either.  But he was always available to contact by phone, as was the dietician if I needed to.  I relied quite heavily on the OH site.  Including the RNY site, which is mostly american based.  But lots of the info was valuable to me.

Since my surgery I have lost 124 lbs.  I am now 148 lbs.  Just this past June I had an extended panni done to remove the excess skin on my belly.  I have a huge scar but my belly is flat.  I love it.  Again, this surgery was performed by Dr. Nohr.  I can not say enough about Dr. Nohr and his team.  He changed my life for the better and I am very grateful!  I am sure you will have a similar experience.  If you have any more questions, let me know.

do you live out there or were you from out of province??? did they cover the cost of your tummy tuck?? i have a consult in january and really gettting excited and nervous about the whole process!!

I live about 2 hours west of Medicine Hat in Lethbridge, AB.  Alberta Health Care covered the cost of my panni through Dr. Nohr.

I had Dr. Nohr as well and same process as already explained.  

If you are traveling from out of province, pending on where you are from, health coverage may cover a portion of travel, hotel, meals, companion, etc.  Take a look at your provinces health care website for out of province surgery.  I looked in to it as I was in Manitoba at the time I was referred to AB for the surgery.

Has anyone been to the new bariatric clinic in the Hat?  

I met with Dr.Nohr a few months ago.  My preference was for the sleeve, so he sent me for a gastroscopy.  It showed a hiatal hernia, which is not recommended for the sleeve, due to acid reflux.  He said I should be experiencing acid reflux now.  I have it so   infrequently, I don't even keep antacids in the house.  He indicated some doctors repair the hernia during the sleeve surgery, but because he is new to the sleeve, it is out of his scope of expertise.  I appreciated his honesty with me.  He recommended RNY, which kind of scares me.  He also offered to refer me to the new clinic if I wished.  

I have thought on it, and still don't know what to do.  My lifelong friend went to Mexico last year and had the sleeve, with no complications or issues, and she looks and feels amazing.  I just need to get off the fence and decide!

I had RNY with Dr. Alkassem through the bariatric clinic in Medicine Hat. I love the clinic and the staff. They are so helpful and friendly. The support is amazing!!