Information Seminar

I received a letter today inviting me to attend an information seminar this month. I've been on the wait list for a few years now. Kind of excited to attend. Any advice or suggestions?

Good for you! Attend the session to find out what this is all about. I found it informative but it still didn't offer enough I formation and I did a lot of research on my own. Good to go though! 

Congratulations Linda! It's the first step in your new life! I took the time to fill out the forms right after the session and took them to the clinic that afternoon to get my date for my first appointment. It made sense for me as I am from outside of Winnipeg and I wanted to get a date as soon as possible as I had already been waiting over 3 years.

Do your own research on top of what the clinic tells you and make sure you ask lots of questions...good luck!

Karen

Congrats! I received my letter at the end of August 2013, and I went to the seminar, filled everything out that week and got my first appointment on October 15th. I just had my surgery on the 10th, this past Monday... At the time it seemed like a long process, but so worth it. Now looking back it actually went really fast. 

I recommend ready everything thoroughly, ask tons of questions and follow everything they tell you to do. On the end totally worth it, you can always back out at anytime, but if you skip this opportunity now you will miss out completely... Take part, and make your decision. Only you can decide what it right for you. I thought this was not right for me until I started to take part and realize that I actually did need this... Good luck ;)

I'm going for sure. I appreciate all your support.  I will post an update.

Hi Linda, my name is Cara...I am now going into my 1st year of waiting for any orientation...could you please tell me  how long you waited to hear about your orientation...I am so anxious! 

2 or 3 years.

Hi Cara,

i waited a year to get to the information seminar.. i called all the time, seeing if they had cancellations ect. and finally they squeezed me in.. this is at the Victoria Hospital. after the seminar, which is lengthy but informative.. they explain alot.. they said its usually 6 months or more from your first appointment.. so more like 7-9 months until ur finished.

i had my seminar in October of 2013, then my first appointment in December 2013, and i just had my 3 month in March 2014. they dont need me to come back to the center (because i live so far away) (and ive followed the rules, did the excersise and lost a bit of weight and have changed my eating habbits and completed the the craving change) so in 6 weeks i have a call from them and then they will put my name through! so i might get in sooner!

so dont let the long wait list get you down, i was there! and FINALLY, there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

You will get there too!

Hi Northern,

I have been calling  every month for the past year...no one answers the the phone and you can't leaves messages. The recording at the clinic says. And I do quote from memory" if you are calling with regards to the status of your application talk to your family doctor"....we'll I did talk to her and she has no idea as to what is going on at the Victoria and further to that she called the clinic and they didn't return her call either...I would love to get in on a cancellation...but when you speak a person or even a machine all I can really say is this really sucks for me.  

Do you have to be invited for an information seminar?  I just saw a bariatric doctor for the first time this week and was approved for the very first assessment, ofcourse still have lot of work to go through.  But my boyfriend was invited to an orientation this coming week at Victoria General.  I am wondering if I can go, guess all I have to do is call and Ask.  Would like to go even if I miss my usual volunteer day.