New here and looking for any info you have...

I am so glad to have found this website a couple of months ago..I am so happy for all of your stories and hope one day, to have my own to post. My doctor sent a letter on my behalf to the doctors at St. Boniface and I received a letter today stating that I meet their current criteria and will be called when an appointment is booked. Believe me, that letter was so fantastic to receive!! But now what??? I was going to call the office to get more info but I thought I would try this avenue..from those of you who have lived through where I am starting. So, for those of you who were at this point, now what? How long do you think it will be before I even get into any appointments for the pre-op stuff..2 years maybe???  I thank anyone who can give me some direction.

Congratulations on receiving your letter!! That was one of the best days ever for me! You're past one of your hurdles and hopefully it won't be too long.
As far as the 'waiting game' goes, I received my letter in early December of 2010 and I received a call for a consult the following May (2011)...so about 6 months after I got my letter. It took all summer to complete the requirements (Psych consult, dietician (she's a LONG wait), physical and blood work from family doctor) but my surgery was Sept 26! I was very fortunate, as I only had to wait about 10 months from letter to surgery.
The important thing was to get approval from the surgeon at the consult appt. I made a sincere effort to lose weight before I saw him, so he could see that I was serious. I was 290 lbs when my family doc referred me, but I managed to lose 30 pounds before I saw Dr. Vergis. He knew that I was trying to be proactive in my healthcare and felt I was an ideal candidate. I have heard of other women who have been told at their consult to lose more weight or, if they had gained weight between the letter and the appt, to come back when the extra weight was gone. I was so afraid that would happen to me!
I know that they are trying to do more surgeries each week and so hopefully, the time will speed up a little more (plus, it's no longer a 'pilot' program).
So what do you do now? Unfortunately, not a lot...basically sit and wait for a few months. Hopefully by summer, you'll hear something.
I also told Laura (who did the bookings last year but now it's Andrea) that I was flexible and could come in at any time, in case there were any cancellations. I'm not sure if it helped, but when she called for my initial consult, it was for a cancellation for the very next day. I was jumping around for joy! I'm not sure if that'll help, now that they do large meetings.
Good luck, and try not to drive yourself CRAZY with the wait! Hopefully the time iwll fly by for you. Just think, this time next year, you'll probably be done and recovered from your surgery!
Take care,
K

Sorry...it was JULIE who did the bookings last year....not Laura. Laura is the nutricianist! Whoops!

Hello,
Isn't this forum great!!!  I had RNY surgery in 2008 and had to wait about 4 yrs at that time.  I had to go out of province (Alberta) as there was no surgeons in MB.  The waiting lists were long even back then and I accepted that.  I saw the surgeon and had to wait 1 yr for the surgery.  There is not much we can do about the wait times.  Keep researching, keep talking to people on this forum, email people and ask questions, even go to other provinces just to see about their expereinces.  I have lost over 100 lbs and kept it off for 4 yrs now.  No regrets at all (just that I waited too long to start the process).  Good luck. 
Diane

I'm reasonably new here, too. I received my letter in October, so we're in the same boat right now. I've settled into waiting mode but I'll certainly post when I hear anything. Hopefully that will help anyone else who is waiting to see what the timelines are like right now. I'm pretty sure Andrea told me to expect to hear from someone in 6-8 months with surgery happening within 3-4 months after that initial meeting, providing everything goes smoothly.

Hope that helps!
Tanya

Thank you ladies very much for the info..this is the beginning of my journey and although exciting, I have alot of questions. One thing I notice Total_Kos (sorry if I mispelled that) is your comment about getting the approval from the surgeon at the consult. So already I think I am misunderstanding..I thought the letter meant I was approved..but from what say, I first have to meet the doctors and then get an approval..and then start the appoinments you speak of???? Forgive my ignorance but I guess I thought the letter was my approval??? Do you know some of the reasons why they wouldnt approve it? Trying not to get discouraged thinking of the long wait only to get denied..By the way, you have done as awesome job and I only hope to do that well if I get the chance. 

Hi...sorry for the confusion. When I went for my consult, Dr. Vergis asked me a ton of questions (about lifestyle, if I smoked, exercise, how else I've tried to lose weight, etc). We also spent some time discussing the two types of surgeries and what would work best for me. He told me at the end that I was a good candidate and he would approve me for the RNY.
I think you are approved in meeting the initial criteria (meeting the criteria for BMI, age, etc), but if you gain weight from now until then or smoke, etc, your surgery will be delayed by several months until you lose the weight. I think you have to be smoke-free for a couple months before they'll even schedule it.
Dr. Grosko (the psychologist) also has the "power" to approve or not approve the surgery. I haven't heard of anyone not being approved by her, but she did tell me that she would write her approval letter to the surgeons. If you have any other 'addictions' (besides food), or any thing else that may impede your success after the surgery, it raises some red flags with her.

I wouldn't worry. The letter you received is your approval...you just wouldn't want your surgery delayed after the long wait.

Tota lkaos

Oh dont worry..I am the one confused and Im so thankful for any advice etc you have. So from what you say, things look good then for me. I dont smoke, no other addictions, my weight is within a range I think they would qualify  (260 for 5'7) but my blood pressure recently became elevated for no known reason. We are working on that right now as thats the trait in my family that has caused strokes in young family members. Anytime you want to share with me go right ahead..the more I learn the better it is.
And Jamaicadane, I will be watching and learning from you too so please post anythiing you can..I'll be excited for you when you get the call!