New to OH Forums

Hey there new to OH and have an appointment on December 7 2015 for orientation in Ottawa. I have quit smoking,quit drinking carbonated beverages and switched to decaf coffee. I am now working on my water intake. Any advice you have for me is appreciated. The wait times in Ottawa from what I have heard can be quite long, anyone have their surgery booked or have had it already have any time lines they are willing to share.

Hello

Congrats on your accomplishments..... May I ask when were u referred? Or when was your dr app that led to the referral, I am new also and just wondering how long it takes to get scheduled for orientation after you've been referred?

Good luck there is lots of advice and help on this site, you've come to the right spot:)

I was 14 wks from referral to orientation, a friend of mine was 10 weeks.  Hope that helps!

Hi there I was reffered at the end of July and just got my paper work. If your Dr. Reffered you online they can log on and see your status and where you stand. Ask your doctor to check for you. 

Welcome!!

Unfortunately I can't help you with respect to timelines in Ottawa, but from my own experience, the time flies by regardless!!!!  Way to go on the quitting smoking/carbonated beverages and switching to decaf.. you have already started your journey!!!  :)

Hi there, my recommendation is that if you snore, or have any other apnea risk factors (you can google them), then get your GP to refer you to a sleep clinic right away.  The wait times for sleep tests in Ottawa are terrible! Also, if you are referred, try to find a clinic that does them (I think there is one in Ottawa) rather than the Civic, the clinic is faster (according to a poster from a long time ago). The Civic is extremely slow!

As for wait times, it seems like Ottawa is about a year (give or take a month or two depending on how your appointments fall) from Orientation to Surgery. I've seen a couple people's timelines on here (recently) get through in less than a year from Orientation, it appears that my own timeline is on track for 12-13 months, barring no complications.  But I've also seen several timelines that have taken closer to 15 months, but they weren't as recent patients.  Hope that helps!

ALL OF THAT HELPED!!!!!

Welcome to OH, the timeline for Ottawa is about 18 months from referral to surgery.  Start journaling, everything, food, activity, and how you feel when you are eating or during activity.  Writing food and activity, makes you face what you are doing, and allows you to pick small goals to achieve.  Writing any emotions you have will help you identify any trends, or emotional issues that you need to work on before your surgery as they don't go away with the surgery.  There is always help and classes available for you.

Someone mentioned about sleep tests.  When you get your appointment, it looks like you are waiting a long time, but if you call you can get on a cancellation list.  I did that and was in the same week I got the letter.  You just have to be able to go same day if you call.

OWMC doesn't have cancellation lists.  But for some of the tests, if you need to wait, call and see if they do.

Cathy

I see you are from Arnprior. I live in Constance Bay and work at First Choice in Arnprior. Small world. Thanks for the advice.

Welcome! I hope you find this a useful and supportive resource.

i was recommended this book when I began my journey. It has all of the useful info you learn about during the various assessments and recipes for each post-op phase. I found it very helpful and still refer to it.