Long journey.... where to start?

Hi guys!
New member here Just exploring the world of weight loss surgery and I have so many questions. luckily most of these have been answered with this site (thank god) but still so many others. I am from North  Vancouver Island but still i can't take too many trips to Victoria How many trips would I be expected to take? I have seen people mention 3 doctors Dr Malik, Dr Amson, and Dr Tang. which one is the best? who has the shortest waitlist ? who is the most understanding?
I would love to lose 100-130 lbs and am seriously thinking of the RnY seems like the most rapid weight loss but it seems to me that it is also the most radical.
 But first things first, How does one talk to a Doctor about this? I don't have a full time doctor so i guess really this will be my first step.
also i am looking for buddies to help me along the way(and sometimes kick me in the butt) sometimes i need it...lol

First of all, you need to see your GP or get a GP since you don't have a regular one.  That GP will then send in a referral to one of the physicians in Victoria for surgery.  For me, Dr. Malik was the one my GP and I chose because he seemed to have the shortest waitlist.  

Now, that being said, I first saw Dr. Malik in September, 2009.  He then had me for a whole wack of tests (colonoscopy, diabetes specialist, psychiatric assessment, ultrasound) and then I saw him again in January, 2010.  Now I am keeping a journal of my eating habits and he wants me to lose 10% of my weight (about 30 pounds).  I am struggling with that!  However, he will not discuss a date for surgery until that weight is gone.  I see him again in August.

Now, my first suggestion is that you should start trying to lose that 10% of your weight now.  It shows some good faith on your part.   Even if you have lost 5 lbs by the time you see your doctor, it will help.  Take any tests you've had done with you (ie: colonoscopy) as long as they have been done in the past year. 

Keep this in mind:  unless you self-pay, you will not have the surgery within the next year.  That is just the honest truth.  There are many hurdles and many things you have to do before you actually have the surgery.  Don't be discouraged by that - I am not trying to discourage you!  Just keep it in mind. 

There are support groups.  Unfortunately, with my schedule I cannot seem to attend, so I use this board as my support.  Everyone has been great!  But if you can get to a support group in person, that would be great too.  Do lots of reading if you can and get as educated as you can.  I found "Weight Loss for Dummies" very informative, and there are others as well. 

No matter what, don't give up.  Even if you feel you have to go the Out of Country route (which means filling in more forms!), keep going. 

Hope this helps!

Cynthia

my dr had me with Amason and than switched me over to Dr M.

I also need to lost 10% so I need to get down to 250 lb which i am also fighting with.

thanks guys for your replies it really helps ! information is key and i'm feeling empowered. Thanks

There are some other forums too that you may want to check out, they get a lot more traffic and therefore are better for advice then here  bb.wlsforum.net/index.php  and www.blazeonline.com/wls/forum/ 

Donnabelle and Sookebunny,

We all struggle with losing weight, just keep up the good work.  I was having a lot of trouble losing weight too so I started using  www.fitday.com .  It was well worth it.  I just got a green light from Dr. M for a surgery date and hopefully will be done by the end of June.  Fitday will help you keep track of your goals, what you eat, how much you exercise.  You can even track your moods and keep a daily journal. 
When I went to see Dr. Malik last time, I took the log with me (as you need to be able to show this to him) and that is why he finally approved me to get a date.  I saw him in mid-Feb and even though I had lost weight, he wanted it on paper.  He wanted to see that I was paying attention to what I was eating and when.  This is key with him.  No journal of weight loss=no date.  He was trained in a Bariatric Center of Excellence in Ontario so I trust his judgement.  He knows his stuff.

Ok so I thought I should give you all an update. after thinking long nd hard i made a appointment to see a doctor I barely know, but I had seen from time to time. when I told him I wanted the surgery he told me he'd put in a refferal but no one did gastric bypass anymore and medical won't cover lapband. There was no way I could pay for the surgery myself no way, out of the question. so I had stopped trying feeling quite discouraged. the Dr gave me some tests I needed to do before I go see the Dr in Victoria and I actually have a date he's going to see me I looked up his name on Google and it says right there he does gastric bypass and it IS covered by medical so I figure I'll go in there and at least state my case and see if i can get it done. I also started reading a book called "It aint over till the thin lady sings"by Michelle Ritchie in which she talks about her journey through WLS and gives some major insight into the reasons to why I am currently obese. A big eye opener. I'm going to see Dr Amson on June 17th I'm just trying to keep a journal and make better food choices and keep off my butt. I need to be good, I can change ... I also got a new game in addition to my wii fit...it's called just dance soooo fun! if you love dancing you should try it!

Donna

There are three surgeons in Victoria, Dr. Tang and Dr. Amson are in the same office. Dr. Malik is in Victoria as well.

You should keep an exercise/food journal for Dr. Amson to see.

If you advocate for yourself it will help you a lot to get your surgery, take a list of questions you have as well. Are you going to any of the weight loss surgery support groups.

Two other websites to look up are www.wlsforum.net and www.blazeonline.com/wls

I had the Roux-EN-Y gastric bypass surgery done 16 months ago by Dr. Rusnak who has now retired,Dr. Amson assisted with my surgery but Dr. Malik has taken over for Dr. Rusnak.

Hope this helps.

Suzanne

   HI Donna,

A lot of doctors have no clue about weight loss surgery and don’t know where it’s done or who does it, I am positive that the people on the forums that Suzanne mentioned could school these GP in the treatment/care of wls patients.    You really are going to have to do the work yourself.  Make sure that your referrals reach the offices, double check your appointments and ask a tonne of questions.  You don't want to get lost in the shuffle. 

Make sure you know a lot about everything.  Do lots of research on the surgery and make sure that you do keep that journal current on what you are eating and the exercises that you are doing. Dr Amson likes to see that people are trying.    Be confident too, this will be a long process so you have lots of time to think and do. It’s great that you started now, time is precious and you can never get it back. Good luck with everything, and let us know how your appointment goes J   Cheers, Sandi