What to expect and more questions. About Ottawa Hospital

I have recently seen Dr Neville *****ferred me for the surgery.  I will be going to some sort of meeting/information session at the hospital on Aug 17th.  So far everything is happening quite quickly, I was sent for a barium swallow test, and have previously had 24hr ph test, and motility testing.  I do have a Cpap machine already.  I had a neissen fundoplaction 17 years ago, but now I have Gerd again, hiatus hernia and swallowing issues.

i am overweight, but I am definitely not an overeater.  Because of my swallowing issues, for the past 15 years, I have not enjoyed eating at all, to the point where I only eat one meal a day most days, for fear of choking on my food.

1.  I am wondering what the process is like at the Ottawa Hospital

2.  Will someone go over my current medications and either change them or make recommendations to my doctors, as they are very unsure as to what to do.

3.  Are there any support groups in Ottawa, most people seem to be near the Toronto area.

i would be grateful for any information.  Thank you

I can't answer #1 and #3 because I'm in Toronto. Hopefully I don't irritate you by replying, but...

Your second question was bothering me and I posted about it yesterday. I had received conflicting info from several sources--different people at the one-on-one meetings, different people who had been through the process at my hospital, etc. I don't think my GP would be good at deciding what changes are needed because he is not a bariatric specialist. At each 1 on 1 meeting, I get a note that says something along the lines of "your surgery may be delayed if appropriate changes to your medication have not occurred." So, that scared the heck out of me.

Long story short--I went to my pharmacist to ask if any of my medicines are extended or sustained release. If so, you can ask them for alternatives (like, is there a different dose or non-extended/sustained release option). If yes (again), then you can go to your GP and ask them to switch you. If you're not on an extended/sustained release drug, then I feel fairly safe that you can ask about your medicines at your pre-op visit. At least we have one of those in Toronto... where we talk to an actual pharmacist. It just doesn't seem right to me that the hospital would leave you hanging on this point because it is so important. Others have said the pharmacist at the hospital makes the changes... I have heard this more often than not. 

Last resort--you could just call your center and ask (or email if you have someone's email address).

 I might be psycho, but I plan to bring 1 of each pill with me to my pharmacist appointment. I want to make sure they see what I am physically taking so they can instruct me if it's too big. 

Good luck! There are some lovely people from Ottawa here. I'm sure they will help with your other queries.

Thank you for responding even though you are not from Ottawa.  I don't take offence ito any advice given,  even if I don't agree.  LOL

Once I found out about having to have the surgery, I saw my GP who wasn't really very supportive.  He didn't want to change anything and told me to phone my psychiatrist.  Then I reached out to my psychiatrist, just in case we needed to make changes in my treatment.  He didn't know what to do, so I basically wasted my time there.  I don't want to leave anything too long, as I don't know when the surgery will take place.

i am having my first group session/orientation on Monday.  Hopefully I will find out more there.

Hi Michelle,

I've gone through the WMC in Ottawa for RNY.

1) Everyone's process is a little different depending on their health/medical issues. You definitely see many people for surgical clearance (dietitian, behaviourist, social worker, etc) and you may see them more than once as needed. As well, you will have many appointments as needed.

2) In my experience, my medications were reviewed at every appointment. (They usually give you a questionnaire to complete at each visit.) At the pre-op appointment, a pharmacist comes in to review your meds with you as well. From what I've read of others' experiences with meds that had to be changed, this was discussed prior to surgery for changes to be made.

3) There is an informal support group on FB (it's a secret group...message me your FB contact and I will add you to the group). They meet once a month at the Starbucks near Hunt Club & Merivale.

Good luck with the process. Be patient with the process...your surgery will happen when it is meant to happen.

Tammy :)