hello

Hi, I had no idea there was a forum for people in NB interested in obesity surgery until now. I thought you had to go to the USA and pay for it out of your own pocket for it to even be a possibility for people here. Are there New Brunswickers here who have actually had the surgery?

hey there, That there are! Not me yet. I have a date of August 29th for my surgery. There is a Dr in Moncton who has been doing this for a few years now. Dr Beausoleil. Lots of stuff on here that you can read about it. But yes basically you can have it done in NB and medicare will pay for it. I believe the waiting list is about 5 years now though. You have to get your family Dr to refer to you to Surgeon in moncton, and also have an endocrinologist (I went to Dr Dornan in Saint John) send the papers in for approval to medicare. SO if this is something you would like to look into I would suggest getting the family Dr to refer you to these two right away, get the process started and then research more from there. Good luck.

Hi there Colleen... yep, there is a place to have the surgery. One Dr. in Moncton, with a very large waiting list... Getting approval from Medicare can be a hassle for some, and others don't have a problem... I was one of the lucky ones who didn't have to fight to get it done.. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.. just send me an email and I will help you any way that I can!

Hi Colleen! I'm also from Saint John and I am having Lap Band Surgery on July 24th. I have been waiting for 3 years and surprisingly had no problems getting Medicare approval. I say that as I have no co-morbities whatsoever. I'm simply "morbidly obese". I was originally scheduled for May but gained 5 lbs so my surgery was postponed 'til this month. It's been a long long wait and I have also heard the waiting list is much longer now as a previous poster said. I have to pay for the lapband itself (and have!) which was $4500 but Medicare covers the surgery / fills / aftercare so I'm glad about that. I could not afford to go out of province and be "self pay" and to be honest, I wasn't willing to put up that kind of money, suspecting that it might now work for me. (Always dubious but hopeful!) Welcome to the board! Which type of surgery are you considering? Krista

Hi. I haven't really gone so far as to choose what kind of surgery, etc. I don't think I've completely given up on losing weight the regular way yet. I am around 285 have a BMI o****0, depending on whether I call myself 5'3' or 5'4'. *L* Last year I lost 55 lbs without going to any diet program, I simply ate healthier and exercised lots. I thought I was on my way, felt so sure that the changes were going to be permanent that I gave away or altered all my bigger clothes. But then I "fell off the wagon" like I have SO many times before and gained it all back plus more. I'm good at losing weight but not good at keeping it off, it seems. Luckily the only "comorbidity" I seem to have thus far is depression, which can be severe at times and which I am taking a pretty high dose of antidepressants to control, so I'm fine right now. I'm not sure if this would be a "plus" or a "negative" in terms of me qualifying for financial assistance for the surgery. Perhaps I should see about getting on the waiting list but still keep trying to lose weight on my own in the meantime?

I would start the process of getting on the list ASAP. It can take years and years, you can always change your mind and opt out. As for me, I will make my final decision when I finally get to see the surgeon. I also suffer from depression. Being fat does not help one's self-esteem and low self-esteem goes hand in hand with depression. I have choisen not to tell co-workers etc that I am in the process of applying for bariatric surgery- many people (usually thin ones) say that it's taking the easy way out or cheating and I don't need their ill informed opinions. I will make my own choice.