Thank you for the info, however I am not financially able of pay for the surgery myself. I am a single mother with a very young daughter who I am not able to leave. I need to have the surgery in Canada where I can stay with family or friends to help me with my daughter while I recover. Thanks again, Sandy

Hello to all. I have just started my search for surgery here in SK. My family doctor feels it is the best option for me at this time. However I'm sure you have heard this story before. There are no surgeons in SK. I am able to travel to either B.C. or Alberta. My question is this. Where do I go from here. I'm at a loss as to what steps to take. I need to find a surgeon that participates in The Inter-provincial Billing Agreement. I think thats what it is called. Can you help me.

I havn't been on here in a while. I've mostly been chatting with the Aberta site because there are lots of people over there who've had the bypass but I wanted to share my experience so far to let you know that out of country lap band is not the only option for us in Sask. I had my doc make a referral for me to the Weight Wise Clinic at the Royal Alex Hospital in Edmonton in March 2006. In March 2007 I had my first appointment with the clinic. I met with the nurse who explianed the program and what was expected of me. I then had follow up meetings with the nurse and dietician in June and Aug and met my surgeon, Dr. Daniel Birch on Aug 27th. I had my surgery booked for October 2 and here I am! I had to journal everyday, loose as much weight as I could so that I would be as healthy as possible for the surgery and show that I was committed to making lifestyle changes because the surgery itself is not a cure, it is a tool, and all those nasty habits we have/had, eventually will find their way back into our lives. I also had to wear a pedometer in hopes of achieving the recommended 10,000 steps a day (I never did get that high). I lost 40 pounds and since I don't smoke and had no other comorbities, that I had to get under control first, I was a perfect surgical candidite, so they said. Surgery was great, 2 1/2 hours and I was done (lapriscopically). My recovery has been great, no pain, little to no hunger. I am still on a liquid, purreed diet until next week. I have lost 10 pounds already. I have already noticed a change in my taste preferences. I have been eating full sugar ice cream, puddings and chicken noodle soup, I even had about 1/4 cup of gravey on thanksgiving and no dumping syndrome. Oddly, the gelatin in regular and sugar free jello upsets my stomach . The weight wise program and surgeon will continue to see me for the rest of my life unless something similiar is introduced in Sask and they are comfortable transfering over my care. I like the fact that I have a team of people at my beck and call to support me and the life long challenges that I am bound to face with food. They recognize that obesity is a disease and can not be solved by diet alone. I will see them often in person for the next year and then yearly after that. Sask Health covers all of the expenses for this surgery. I was not a good candidate for Lap Band anyway because the research indicates that those with a BMI over 50 don't do as well with it. Bypass is recommended to those of us by this medical team. They are very knowledgeable and I highly recommmend checking them out. I have been dealing with obesity my entire life, I knew that I was going to have to wait a bit to get my surgery and I was ok with this because I knew that the Bypass option was the right one for me. One year from referral date and then 7 months later until surgery date. It was so worth the wait! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me on my OH web page.

Hi Betty!! I cried silently when Dr. Kuri entered the room. I am a very emotional person and when I saw that he was this real person and not someone I have been researching for the last three years, my emotions took over. My husband was with me for the meeting and I'll tell you that he is now very comfortable about me going! I actually got all of my questions answered and was able to talk to Dr. Kuri alone. He gave me a big hug and said that he couldn't wait for me to come and see him. That meeting just clinched my decision!! I can't believe it's only 5 weeks away!! Thanks for caring Elaine

Hi Patty!! Welcome to the site!! Not much activity here though! I am scheduled with Dr. Kuri on November 8th as well!! Where do you live? I live in Annaheim. It would be great to have a fellow Canadian there with me as well as a fellow Saskatchewanian (?) Write soon or e-mail me directly at [email protected] (my work e-mail) Elaine Frerichs