Orientation

Hi everyone, i was wondering if someone can explain the orientation and what takes place  at that appointment, i have just been referred in january and just curious about the process 

Thank you for your time :)

Karen

Basically what Orientation is, it is a group information meeting about the surgery. They will give tons of paper information as well. They encourage you to bring someone with you as there is alot of information to absorb. Nothing to worry about!

Thank you so much, im just trying to learn all the appointments and such, which appointment do they decide if you qualify, ive heard you get a 3 hr screening, but then ive heard once your referral is sent into the registry you are already screened.  Also, how do i find out if they received my referral or what hospital ill be referred to or is that something i have to wait for down the road.

If you've been accepted to orientation, it means you meet the BMI or co-morbidity criteria. So your BMI is above a certain number (40 I think?) or below that with co-morbidities. Orientation is an introduction to the program and to the surgery, so you'll have a basic idea of what you're in for. You'll get appointments with a nurse, social worker, psychologist and surgeon and at those appointments they are gathering information to decide if you are mentally/emotionally/physically ready for surgery. Are you ready to change, do you understand the nutrition after surgery, do you understand the surgery, etc. Any of those appointments could be repeated if the person feels there are things you need to work on and they want to see you again. I'm not sure how other centres work but at TWH where I was, we got our first appointments at the end of the orientation session.

Your doctor should have a confirmation from the bariatric registry that they received your referral, so the first step is to call and ask if they got a fax confirmation. If they did, you can wait for the letter from the hospital you'll be assigned to telling you your orientation date. To find out what centre you'll be at you can go here - http://www.bariatricregistry.ca/Ontario%20Bariatric%20Registry%20Referral%20Search.aspx and enter the first three letters/numbers of your postal code and it will tell you where you are assigned to. You could call that centre and confirm they have your file, they might even give you your orientation date over the phone :) But first check with your doc to make sure the registry received your file.

Oh thats great, thank you Katie i really appreciate all the information....i just checked where my surgery will be and it will be at humber.  I will call my dr and see if they got a confirmation yet, its only been 3 weeks so it maybe too early for me.

I heard that if your a binge eater or depressed they wont do the surgery, i think most people inquiring for this surgery are depressed, why wouldnt we be.  I dont get that.

Thanks again for all the info you have been a great help :)

Karen

No problem! I think Humber moves pretty quick once you get orientation done, so that's good news!

I have dealt with anxiety and depression my whole life, and used binge eating as a coping mechanism from the time I was a kid. I had surgery with no issues! What they are looking for is that you understand (to a degree) why you eat, and they want to see that you are stable in your depression. Meaning you have not had any recent crisis episodes, you are for the most part stable. Stable is different for everyone - for some it's that you can go to work, look after your house, enjoy healthy relationships. For other's it's that they can get up and get dressed in the morning, that they can go to the grocery store or they can attend therapy meetings. They just want to see that your depression is in a manageable place for your own personal cir****tances and that you have a good relationship with either your psychiatrist/psychologist or your family doctor. My best advice if you have issues with depression and binge eating is to start looking in to reasons why we binge, if you haven't already, and start working on changing some of the behaviours that lead to binge episodes. Mindful eating, cognitive behaviour therapy, etc. There are some awesome books that will be on a list you get at orientation to help with that process :) Good luck!!

Thanks you have been such a wonderful help, thanks again :)

I suffer from acute depression and anxiety, I had my surgery last week. Dont believe things until it is confirmed by the clinic. Everything will go ok Keep smiling :-)

Thank you, nice to see you had your surgery, noticing you took awhile to finally get to that stage , hope things go well for in your new life journey :) 

As others have mentioned, finding out which hospital your referral would go to and then calling to see if they got it, would be a great place to start.  Looks like no referral for me, as I'm borderline on the approval, doctor wouldn't refer me...thinks I know what I need to do on my own without the surgery...so, let's see if I can actually find my groove and get myself into a healthier shape than I currently am???