A request from me to u

Hi all...I just  jumped over from the Ontario Forum. I had my rny surgery 2 weeks ago and all is well. Now heres what I'd like to know if anyone can indulge me. I have a brother living in Abbottsford . He has a BMI of 40 and  loads of comorbidities that have caused him to fall out of society and become unable to work. I know the way  it works in Ontario but unfortunately BC is another dilemma. Heres my questions:
1) Does the BC health system cover RNY surgeries?
2) What are the wait times and who are the prevalent Doctors in BC who are performing the surgeries?
3) Does the BC health system cover Out of Country and are you BCers  crossing the border like we are here to expediate the process? If so who are the prevalent surgeons or bariatric  clinics being used.

I know its alot to ask. His doctor has recommended this surgery to him on several occasions but I think he's  simply afraid of surgery.  I am attempting to show him by example that this will change his  life. Thanx for your help.

Here is what I know. Yes BC medical covers RNY The Doctors I know of are Amson wait 3 to 7 yrs, Tang wait I do not know, Rusnak wait approx. 1 yr. All these doctors are in Victoria. Yes I do know that some people have gone over the border but how and who I do not know, sorry. Hope some of this info helps.

RNY is covered by BC medical, you need a referral to get in to see the bariatric surgeons, which there are only three in Victoria, Dr. Tang Ive heard takes the more straight forward cases, Dr. Amson both are in the same office, www.victoriabariatricsurgery.com .  I had my surgery with Dr. Rusnak I know he is going to retire sometime this year Ive heard but I believe he is still taking new patients and tht the new bariatric surgeon will take over for him at some point.

Dr. Amson has a lot of patients waiting for surgery and as the other person said wait is from 2+ years.  Dr Tang I would think would have less of a wait as not so many patients on his wait list.   I was able to get in for surgery with Dr. Rusnak within 7 months but I had health problems and needed to get the surgery as soon as possible.  Dr. Rusnak talked to me about excercise even getting in the pool and he made a point of talking about it.

Ask your brother to get Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies book, its full of information, also there are many support groups he can go to, they are gresat for information, support and great group of people.  Ask him to check on www.blazeonline.com/wls for the support group listing.

Out of Country there are forms to apply to MSP for out of country surgery, the form must be filled out by a bariatric surgeon, you must be I think a certain BMI and have co-morbidites to be considered for this.  Email me your email address if you want a copy of the out of country form and I will email it back to you.  If you apply for out of country its a good idea to include a personal letter on how your weight limits you be specific, what youve tried as far as weight loss etc.

Lapband surgery is not paid for through our medical system in BC nor is the skin removal after weve lost the weight.

Hope Ive helped

Suzanne

Hi Dyana,

All the information here is really good.  Unless your brother has a BMI of over 50, he will not be approved for out of country surgery.  I understand that in some cases the decision team will consider a person with a BMI close to 50 with several severe co-morbidities. 
In addition to the above mentioned forum, there is another great one at www.bb.wlsforum.net .  As well, the Abbotsford support group is very active. I am sure that your brother would find good support there.  They are very good at taking in newbies and bringing them up to speed and back to life. 

Good for you for supporting your brother.  I always like to hear of siblings doing this. 

Wow people!   You are awesome. Thankyou so much  for the heaps of info on this. Its very different in Ontario right now. You need only have a GP sign the out of country forms to go over the border and a BMI of 40 is sufficient. The wait  times in Ontario are decreasing rapidly now that they've pumped an additional $75 million into the budget for bariatric surgery. We have two new exclusively bariatric programs opening in both Ottawa and Hamilton as well as the  standby that alreay exists in Toronto. The wait times are generally around a year in Ontario still, sometimes less but many are still opting for OOC which can be as little as 3 months. I just had my surgery in Michigan.
Heres hoping that BC will get with the program and make this surgery more readily available for those *****quire it in your province. There are provinces that have no options at all. We have a few east coasters who have moved to reside in Ontario to earn the privilege of applying through Ontario.

Yes, indeed, a lot of us have to cross the border.  I, personally, was not prepared for that 3 year, or more, long wait.
I went just across the border from Abbotsford to Bellingham, Washington.  An excellent practice there, and so close to where you brother is !    They are very competent and experienced. And caring. 

Of course I had to be self-pay.  There are a few people I know that had the BC gov't pay for their surgery in Seattle - but it's a bit of a mystery to me how they accomplished that. 
Gotta be pro-active, diigent, determined, know the right doctors, and don't give up, and have a high BMI and be lucky, I think !

Best of luck to your brother and to you, too. Congrats on having the surgery yourself. 
Judy

Judy is right, pro-active, determined, and even stubborn.
I had surgery in Seattle Apr 30th at Virginia Mason with Dr. Thirlby. I had a revision to RNY .
It took me about a year and 3 denials from MSP. I went to the media and then finally had my appointment with  Dr. Amson and he signed the forms. It was worth all the stressful work. Your brother will not get approval without a signature from a bariatric surgeon in Canada, does not have to be just the ones in Victoria. If he could get surgery in Ontario he does not need approval for MSP to pay for it.
If I can be of any help don't hesitate to email me.
My experience in Seattle was exellent and I would recommend Virginia Mason. It is also the only hospital MSP has an agreement with.
Good Luck to you and your brother
Conni