Dr Tang

I have been a member for a while but this is my 1st post. Iam going to See Dr. Tang on April 30 for my 1st appointment. Not sure what to expect. Was happy that it took only about a month to get an appointment. So tomorrow we go to Victoria to see him. Then I guess  we go from there. It is the start of my journey.

This is excellent news that you got in for your appt in just one month, dont leave the office before booking your next appt.  Have you joined a support group yet, its a great source of information, great support group as well, and great friends.  Also have you got the the book, Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies, that has also been a great source of information to me, it covers all the surgeries, every detail of what you want to know, and what you need to know before you make your decision, once you decide on which surgery, and all the stuff before during and after.

The North Vancouver meeting is every 3rd Tuesday of the month at Lions Gate Hospital, seminar room C at 7;00 pm til appro 8:30 pm, and its not far from the gift shop right off the main entrance of the hospital.

Had my surgery Feb 3, 2009 was my 3 month anniv last Tusday, has Roux-En-Y gastrivc bypass surgery and have lost 67 lbs, about 140+ to go.

Let us know how your appt went, and any questions you may have

There are two other websites as well www.wlsforum.net and www.blazeonline.com/wls probably more than that but thats the two Im aware of.

Suzanne

My appointment went differently than expected. The Dr advised me that because of my bmi being so high that iy would be too dangerous and that I would have to lose about 80 pounds b4 he would advise for the surgery. So I will be working my bum off for however long it takes to lose enough to have the surgery.

Interesting... in that case, I would try and apply for out of country surgery.  My guess is that you would be far more likely to find a surgeon who would consider your case south of the border where there is more experience and a larger number of docs who perform the surgery.  Dr. Tang is relatively new to the field and I can see him refusing any patient who might prove too difficult for him.  If you are interested, go to www.bb.wlsforum.net .  There is an area there that is dedicated to out of country surgery.  It is relatively new (the Out of Country topic area)  but there are several people who have had surgery out of country who frequent that particular board.  You might make enquiry about how to go about applying for OOC approval and how to find a surgeon willing to take on your case.  You may find that you can find a doc willing to take you on, but you may not be able to have the procedure done lapriscopically (which is the only way that I think Tang does this procedure).  
When you join  the above mentioned forum, you might ask Brenda or Ruth about their experience with the out of country process as they have been there, done that whereas I have not.  There is also a couple by the name of Jeremy and Tracie who both went south of the border.  I gather that he had a relatively high BMI so you might seek out their counsel on their experience as well. 
Best of luck with your search. 

Hey there sammy,

Since you got in to see Dr. Tang so quickly, would I be right in thinking maybe you are willing to be self-pay ?
If so, you might want to goggle Puget Sound Surgical.   I went there 6 months ago (after initially seeing Dr. Tang)  and I am so glad I did.

I had all my appointments in Bellingham  (so much easier than going to Victoria for me) and the surgery itself in Edmonds, near Seattle).  I go back to Bellingham regularly to see them for follow-up.
The surgeons at PSSC are terrific - experienced, skilled, and caring.  Wonderful, really.
I would suggest an info session with them.  They have a schedule on-line and they do sessions up here in the Vancouver area from time to time.
They are compentent enough to handle very very high BMI's - right now, not after you lose 80 lbs.  and no wait list.
Good luck to you.  Keep us posted.
p.s. And no, lol, I don't get a kick-back for endorsing them.  I have your best interests at heart.
Judy   (feel free to PM me for more info)

hello i am a patient of dr tangs. i was supposed to see dr amson for the 1st time in feb 2010 but i got a referral from my gp to dr tang last may and got me into see him for my 1st appt in july 08 and the referral was may 08.  i am not a self pay patient .
i have seen him in july 08, jan 09 and now i have my scope done and seeing him  on june 18th 09 to talk about how fast for surgery now that everything is done.
did he say why he felt besides your bmi why he would not do surgery?
i know that when i saw him for the 1st time i weighed 338lbs and i had been exercising and do what i could to lose weight but could not. i have had a weight issue for over 12 yrs but also most of my life. i know that he told me that if you are not trying to him he wants you to go home and come back in six months with what have you been doing to try and lose weight.
i hope that you do not give up and that you are going to keep on plugging away.
dont give up and keep trying to be positive,

lisa :)