How to Begin?

HI there

I'm one of the many obese (but beautiful) Nova Scotians frustrated with the lack of help out there for young adults suffering with Obesity.  Because i am young...ish at 27 and have no diagnosed comorbidities (yet), my family doc never mentions my weight as an issue.  Her answer is always, "well you should be walking everyday, that's what i do"  ARG... she doesn't take me seriously when i tell her i don't think it will ever be that simple for me.  Like many others I have been overweight my entire adult life with lots of attempts and failures at losing weight and maintaining that loss.  I am a true yo yo dieter, with every successful pound lossed, i regain it and a few of its friends as well.   Now at my all time heaviest (Ive said that before a couple dozen pounds ago) I'm mentally at an all time low.  I'm afraid to seriously start another journey just to fail and end up in an even worse place. 

I'm looking for insight and advice on how to get serious with my problem and get the help i need to get healthy.  How did you get yourselves and you're doctors to seriously consider medically assisted weight loss?

Hi gnolalily,

It's frustrating when your doc won't take you seriously!!  My advice would be to make an appointment with your Dr. and insist that they refer you to the weight loss surgery clinic - if she won't, I would look for another Dr. that will take you seriously!!  You have to wait for a few YEARS after your referral to get the surgery done, so the sooner you get the referral the sooner you will get the surgery! 

Here is the site to find info on the WLS clinic in Halifax:
http://www.cdha.nshealth.ca/default.aspx?page=SubPage&catego ry.Categories.1=112¢erContent.Id.0=32829

Hope this helped!
Angie

You have every right to insist that your family doctor refer you to the weight loss clinic that is referred to in the previous post. 
I finally asked about it to my dr and he told me I would wait 6 years.  I got a letter from the clinic a few months later.  I went to the information session and exactly one year later I had surgery. 
YOU have to be in charge of your health.  Tell your doctor that you need the help the Weight loss surgery will provide.

Hi Gnolalily,

You sound like I felt late in 09 only I'm older than you are.  I was tired of my weight issues and yo yo dieting but like you, didn't have any of the comorbidities.  For me, because of my lack of serious health issues, to have had the surgery here in NS I was told I would have had a 7 year wait.  Because my time, life and happiness is precious to me I chose to go to Mexico to a wonderful surgeon and had the surgery there on March1/2010.  It was a wonderful experience from start to finish and I would highly recommend Dr. Aceves to anyone.  I have lost 63 pounds since March 1 with 40 more to go and life is good.


All the best to you,

MJ

Hi MJ,

I am 52 years old with comorbidities (high blood pressure - not able to stabilize on medication and osteo arthritis) but am still waiting to hear.  I was wondering if you could tell me about your experience in Mexico and how you researched which hospital and which Doctor to use.  Did your doctor here support you for the after care once you returned to NS?  I will wait until the fall but then I am going to have to explore other options.  Any information you can provide would be appreciated.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.

Anxiously_Waiting

Hi there,

Just wondering if you could share a little bit more of youre experience having surgery internationally.  Was youre doctor supportive of that decision?  did s/he provide your aftercare?  How did you chose youre Dr?  what was the total cost?(if you dont mind my asking)?  What was the experience like?

Thanks a bunch!

Heather

Hi MJ,

I noticed you had your surgery in Mexico and I was just looking at that myself.I know this is too much to hope for but did MSI cover any of the procedure? How did you get it all started?The doctor I have contacted can actually have me in before the end of the year! Still I am hoping to stay in NS but would really like info about the whole Mexico thing!

Tracy

I just wanted to chime in on self-pay.

I was self pay and went to Montreal - MSI covered zip zero zilch! Sorry just telling you how it is. Quebec and Nova Scotia have no agreement - my understanding is that NB and NS do but their wait list is about the same as NS so nothing gained but you can chk into the particulars and ask on the NB Board- again I had surgery in 2008 and back then NS folks were still going to NB for WLS surgery and still even just after the Halifax Clinic opened but it may have changed.

If you want to ask about Mexico or Medical Tourism (outside of Canada) on the forums of your surgery type/choice you can ask and get lots of responses too - I am sure MJ will chime back in about her surgeon. I believe that Mexico has a forum too on OH so chk that out too.

My surgeon was Dr Nicolas Christou in Montreal - his private clinic is
www.weightlosssurgery.ca

There is one girl in NB who went to him most recently and a couple other OH friends have gone to him from Ontario and Quebec. He is one of the leading surgeons in Canada- he actually trained Dr B in NB.

I am not sure of his current costs but in 2008 it was 18,000.00 - there are medical loans and also some people work with their banks and get money from their RRSP's and also from their Mortgages- I know one lady who said - so I wait 3 more years for a new car- this is a new me and its a heck of a deal ! lol

Good Luck
deb