HELP PLEASE : feedback on msi/medicare procedure

Hi I am new to the forum- not new to obesity. I weigh almost 300lbs and I am 5ft tall. I just got back from my drs. today and discovered that msi (my medicare) here in nova scotia will not cover any bariactric surgery in Ontario. My bmi is almost 55. I am only 41 years old have high bp and chronic osteo arthritis in my knees and back....... so I am in pain constantly and I am on a lot of medication including meds for depression. My dr. has gotten other patients approved so she was sure with my bmi it would be no problem however due to the new 2 or 3 drs. opening this new weight loss clinic in halifax - msi replied that I have two options moncton or halifax.......... I am sure the wait even with the new Halifax clinic is going to be very long because of the amount of people who have been waiting such a long time - years! I guess I was kinda stunned that msi rejected me and now tonight I am wondering things like how do I find out how long a wait will it be at the new clinic - my doctor followed msi's instruction and referred me to both clinics- halifax and moncton as per there instruc.......... she is not sure of who the new drs in halifax are - and if there is a clinic as such or if they will just operate out of the QE II Hospital ? Does anyone have any suggestions - my dr. told me to hang tight but I feel like I left her office without getting all my questions answered ......... seeing my family dr again before the next month is impossible she is so busy that May 2nd is the soonest appt I could get. I checked out the QE II website but do not see any bariactric section. Does anyone out there have any advise for a newby............ how do I keep up the fight - I have read some posts that say appeal the msi decision- if they are saying we have 2 options in your province and will not pay for a private clinic in ontario- what grounds do you appeal on? So does anyone have the names of the clinic Drs for Halifax or more info. Those who have been on the Moncton list with Dr. B do you know where you are on the list and how far away that puts you for a surgery date- will they give you that much info? I know a lot of you are past this stage but I so would appreciate the help...... I have read the past posts but nothing is current enough to address all of my questions. Especially now that Halifax is going to have a wls clinic again. I thank anyone in advance for all your advice and experience. Deb trying to start my journey to health

Hi Deb, I can answer a couple of your questions, I am having WLS at the new Halifax location, May 28th. My first letter sent to me was 7 years ago May 9th. So, the new sergeons are working on the 2001 surgeries. But, I also know that they put more serious patients ahead of others. I would get your doctor to write to these new surgeons. Mine is Dr. Dennis Klassen. Good luck, don't give up yet. Donna

Hi Deb , I just had a referral sent to Dr.Ellsmere in Halifax for my revision and right now his wait list has 60 people on it so i would get in as soon as possible before it gets too long , I think I am going to have to wait for about 4 months top for my revision and for the actual surgery 60 people might be less then a year wait....his number is 902-473-1886

Hi Becky When I spoke with the wls clinic at the end of March that Dr. Ellsmere is leading in Halifax they told me when it was up and running at full capacity- Dr. E would be doing 4 surgeries a month and the other two surgeons each doing 2 a month- so that would be all of 8 surgeries a month getting done. Not much for such a back log of names.At that time they stressed two very important people still needed to be hired and had not been as of then and that was a dietician and Clinic Co-ordinator- without them they were only doing really emergency surgeries. I was also told that there was a patient list of 7 years long that this yet to be hired Clinic Coordinator would have to go through and find out who has had wls surgery whether it be private or public- who is no longer having surgery- anyone who has chosen other methods for weight loss, patients who have relocated to other provinces and sadly those that have passed away and did not make the wait. They then would comprise a wait list from that old list and the new in order of health severity and those who had been waiting longer and already approved by msi. So with your updated info - do you mean your family doctor found out this info for you? Or did you contact the office- Do you remember who it was you spoke with at his office as I am about to look elsewhere and pay out of pocket by cashing in my rrsps as I can not wait 5-7 years and I have approval by msi- you can private email me if you feel more comfortable doing that. When you mention revision do you mean previously you have had a bypass or band and something went wrong? thanks Deb Best of luck with your revision- hope we can keep each other posted and try to figure out this jumbled service and what the real wait time will be at the new clinic - oh I so would love to have my surgery and not have to travel to Toronto or Montreal and be away from home.

I hear you!!!! I have spent the last two years trying to figure out a way to get this surgery done and paid for by MSI.......I might as well whistle Dixie...... I've finally had enough....I am scheduled for Laproscoptic RNY Gastric Bypass Surgery on June 28th with Dr. Alberto Aceves in Mexacali Mexico. I've checked everything out and he is an excellent Dr working out of an excellent clinic. The cost is $12,500....that includes transportation from San Diego to Almater Hospital in Mexical...about 90 minute drive.....pre op tests, hospital stay, surgery, hotel stay....you have to stay 8 days....that is all inclusive...you could choose to stay at the hospital too at no extra charge..... I am leaving on June 26th and coming back on July 4th....air faire is $675 including taxes and fees but I'm still trying to find a cheaper flight. There are Medical Financing places in Canada for this very thing so if you have half way decent credit they will approve. You would get 1/2 back on taxes if you pay alot in income tax. Anyway, that is the only advice I can give you....waiting to have this done is NS or NB is a fools errand if you weren't on the list to start with and I wasn't.....people have been waiting since 2003 as I understand it..... The same surgery costs $18500 in TO or Montreal and $21K in the US. I wish I had better advice but that's all I got!!!!!

Ive been waiting for wls for halifax for 5-6 years now and finally just went up for my consult last week! What i am noticing is, is that the squeaky wheel gets the oil so to speak, ive been pestering them every 3 months for 5 years lol... im going to have my surgery any time now- she said she would call me this week. Ive even went so far as to call msi and have them speed up my aproval. The wait is very long, but from what i hear now that they are up and running with 5 doctors in halifax doing the surgery they expect to go through the list fairly quick-- they are calling everyone on the list now to see who has allready had it done elsewhere, or is still interested. Good luck hun! I hope things work out for you.