Carley, eventhough I know first hand how frustrating it is when the clinic lose files or misplace them, i can empathize with them in their predicament on being underfunded and short staffed for the amount of intake they do have it must be difficult. I realize it must be frustrating for them but in no way does it excuse them for the unprofessional way that they speak to people etc. I realize too that we as the "referrals in waiting" can be hot tempered , exasperated and impatient in waiting but still a professional being ignorant is no excuse...even if shortstaffed....as well as the missing/misplaced files is of a concern...but ourselves being hot tempered and ignorant will not get us anywhere either. The method how people are chosen is not laid out by the clinic...so put the blame where it lies.

So what can we do? as an individual we have to take our own health into our own hands and be proactive....stop blaming an do something. we have done it too much in our lives with our health and weight and we have to approach this the same...who is accountable and go after them. Like coreena said ...we need to make a noise where it matters.  we have to he heard to make things happen.

Nannydeb i commend you at offering your services...and thanks they did accept...(and i can only imagine that they will have a screening etc as they do for ALL their volunteers at the hospital through) this at least is an attempt in the right direction....not just complaining and not doing anything..kudos....and it's nice to know someone who knows what it's like will be a part of helping the referrals coming in so they at least get seen ;)

 

Coreena.... have a meeting..invite the mlas of the area...they want to help the people...pick their brains on what can be done or what they can do ..or people they know who knows higher ups to get them to do something for the health care for the obesity network....we can all be there to tell our stories...invite the media too. I am not much into politics and the only names i can think of in my area is Scott Armstrong and Lenore Zann..... they both i know are on facebook...an easy way to get ahold of them.

ok good, I can't wait to hear the answer.  It will be an interesting one I am sure and will help me make up my mind for sure.

I posted a link to the Nova Scotia Ombudsman earlier.

I'm going to write a letter and then cc it to our Ombudsman, Department of Health, Obesity Clinic, Health Canada, MSI, the Provincial Medical Board, The Fifth Estate, & MLAs addressing my concerns. I suggest everyone else do the same.

But just like any other areas of concern with Nova Scotian's health, we need to act loudly! Jus****ch what others have to do before someone will listen and take action. They protest!...Make up pamphlets, pass out flyers, stand on the corner with a bull horn, talk with the news, they don't stop until something gets done!!! And it works!!!

I'm not going to keep saying this over and over, and it be ignored again, ... I've said I will participate in any such actions like above to do something and get it started, but I won't waste my time doing it alone!!!!!

I've done enough and have gone way above what is required of myself to fight for what is rightfully ours. Half of the problem is people in Nova Scotia are so passive and we let our health care crumble. It's our own fault!! If you don't like it........do something!!!!!

It's like a never ending circle of discussion here, we talk about it, everyone gets revved, and give a day or two and nothing happens. I offered for our last meeting to make this a topic, but no one bothered to get into the discussion. If you want to meet up for a special meeting to cover this I will book Sobeys room for that specific reason, but I will need a number for attendance.

It's up to all of YOU!!! If you don't do something now, you may never get your surgery date or eventually end up in my shoes...abandoned!!!

**please note: I don't bite and do care about all of you, I'm just at my wits end with the dead end subject.

...and Chris, you really are a TROOPER!!! XO

Hi Debbie!!

I hope you realize the only reason why I refered to the clinic in that way is because thousands of people like me are for some poor unexplainable reason not qualified to become their patient for follow up!
...NOT QUALIFIED! (Like Carly said, it`s about the clinic, not the patients!) They will not even do a scope on me! I WAS TURNED DOWN IN OCTOBER when I was in constant pain and vomiting, I had to just live with it and did so for over 5 yrs with it getting worse as time passed!!! It simply states the Obesity clinic will only take care of new patients and even my family doctor was very concerned but didn't know where to send me for tests. At that time we didn't know if I needed surgery, but definitely needed to be checked out and there's nobody there who will do this!!!

This current problem with selection or priority has nothing to do with me since I'm not waiting for initial surgery, but I have to agree with a lot of what Carly is saying, it is their fault for how it's being run at the administrative end and everyone there needs to take responsibility for their position.

It is also something that needs to be addressed with MSI. They (MSI) are overlooking thousands of former patients who will need ongoing care/followups, and from my position, am absolutely frightened to know I don't have medical backup in case of emergency like a stricture, obstruction or twisting of the gastric sleeve (This does happen and is a risk for any VSG). If I get a leak today, where will I go for emergency medical care like you have??? It would be a different story if we didn't have a surgeon in Halifax, but they do and he CANNOT take on my case or any of the "others" in my position. I feel like I'm falling through the cracks of our health care! Doctor MacDonald is semi-retired, 74 years old, and goes away on vacation through the summer and in the winter from November until March every year, I guess if I do have something go wrong, and I pray is not life threatening, that I will have to schedule that around his availability or move to Amherst to be closer to emerg!!

Please take this into consideration, I`ve seen the clinic in Halifax open and close shop a couple times over the years with MSI juggling the program. If they decide tomorrow to forfeit coverage once again, all their new patients will be in the same boat as me for aftercare (including you)! --This is VERY LIKELY TO HAPPEN AGAIN!! There were 3 surgeons in Halifax in the 1990`s that were treating bariatric patients. (Prior to this, it was the rare gastric bypass, or other variations of gastric restriction like screen mesh to tighten the stomach, metal balls in side the stomach and balloons). Once the VBG was discontinued, Dr. MacDonald was the only surgeon who stayed on to continue the program with doing only Gastric Bypass!! Then they took away the OR time for this too and he left--don`t blame him. There were a number of years that there was nobody in Nova Scotia to do the VBG or Bypass followups. And it`s only been the last few years that Dr. MacDonald was given back authorization to do repairs or followups.

Now think about our members who've had lapband, if they have band slippage, which happens far too often, get port slip or infection, where will they go? What will happen then? There is just too much risk for these folks to not have the medical care available. Afterall, they are Nova Scotia citizens and pay their taxes like everyone else. This is not like buying a car out of province and the mechanics won`t touch it just because they didn`t buy it from their dealership! And I doubt even that would happen.

Lastly, I am very surprised that they are willing to have you come in to volunteer with entering private referrals into their database and risk confidentiality But then again, it`s a double edged-sword and it needs to be done so hopefully you will be beneficial to clearing up that problem. Nothing is a waste of time if it helps!! Good for you! I would volunteer in a heart beat, but they (the nutritionist -Diane?) had literally hung up on me when discussing our support group.

In the meanwhile I hope you seriously take to heart what I`ve discussed and think about what could happen to you or anyone who`s just now having the surgery, ..where you will be for follow up care, if MSI pulls the program again. It`s times like this I feel (myself) remaining obese would have been a lot safer! But I`m hanging on. Scared, but hanging on!!

This year is the only time I have started to express to anyone my fears of living with weight loss surgery and started that support group because I need it!!! There`s not much I can do about this crisis, so I never shared these fears with anyone, not even my family! I don`t want to discourage anyone who is wanting to have WLS, but you all need to look past the first 5 years for our health care in Nova Scotia, or all of Canada for that matter because Bariatrics is not high priority!!!

Wondering...DO THEY COVER THESE CONCERNS AT THE CLINIC???

 I have spent hours talking to the staff at the "Obesity Network" as well over the last decade or so.  If you had read my initial post, it said -- to some degree, they are swamped because WLS is elective surgery, and they are only budgeted to have the OR for two WLS per week.   This is not their fault.
However, it is there fault that they hand-pick who gets seen.
It is there fault that they abandon patients who were operated on locally but their surgeon relocated.    
It is their fault how they organize their database and how they select people.
It is their fault -- how they treat people who are sick and tired of being sick and tired, and suggest Stage 3 liquid diet for as long as it takes. 
It is their fault how they lose files, misplace people's personal health information.
It is their fault, how snippy and short they have treated many people calling with relevent questions.
It is the Obesity Network suggesting people take a WL program that costs $4,000.00 and is in the beginning initial trial stages.
It is the uncaring tone of some of the staff there:  "Consider yourself lucky", "Go on the stage 3 liquid diet and you'll lose weight"... there have been worse, and there are many others who have been treated the exact same way.

I'm not saying the patients who have been seen are part of the 'private country club'.  I said that I am happy for each person who has began their new journey.   I'm frustrated with the guards at the gate, not the members.  There is no reason for you to be insulted, because you are not employed nor do you have anything to do with the people who run that Clinic.  My comment was clear, and it referred to the Clinic, not the patients.   I'm happy you were chosen, happy you're moving on with your life as a healthier you.  

I'm genuinely happy, and I don't know your own personal story, but I'm sure I've read posts where you waited for what seemed to be the standard amount of time.    Again... if you re-read what I wrote, it was not an attack on anyone who has been operated on.  My rant is only about the Obesity Network.... as it has been in every post/reply/subject line pertaining to this post.

It is an 'invitation'.. it is a 'select few' ... it is the only province that makes the patients jump through hoops to have WLS done.   People are scared to voice their frustrations for the chance they may be shunned and ignored, or that they'll lose their place having surgery.    

No offence for you doing what you think you need to do, but maybe you can start another post with your offers to volunteer there.  Or if you're not looking for praise or acknowledgement for doing this, maybe just quietly go about doing it.  My topic has nothing to do with asking for help for a hospital clinic.  It has to do with how they've mistreated people.  This is about how they are failing and neglecting people -- so I wouldn't want people to think my solution is to give them help with their admin work.