Ottawa Hospital Weight Management Clinic?

Hi, I was referred to Dr. Dent also by my family Dr. after we had discussed the surgery. I saw him Feb 25,2008......he said that surgery was definitely the route for me...........he wrote a concise letter to my family dr. and we went from there. OHIP approval..........consult appt. with Dr. Fitzer in May........
surgery August 5th.Dr. Dent  is very thorough with your history but gets right to the point. Good luck and let us know how the appointment goes !!!

Welcome to the board.  Just to let you know there are three surgeries covered by ohip.  RNY, VSG and DS.  I suggest you research and figure out which surgery best suits you before you go any further.  It took me four months to figure out which one I wanted and needed.  Luckily my Physician agreed and Ohip gave me approval.    

Good luck

I agree. Before you go see Dr. Dent its VERY important that you research and find out which surgery type is best for you because once you go see Dr. Dent, RNY is your only option. If Dr Dent refers you for RNY surgery and then you decide you would have rather had a different type of surgery (DS or VSG) then you will have to reapply all over again with a referral from a different doctor.

something to keep in mind. :)

btw..i love my RNY but its not the best surgery for everyone. You need to figure out which one is best for you!

Good luck!

Yes, very good point Kelly and I should have included that.  My brain was focused more on the actual clinic experience apart from surgery.  But yes it seems that some folks don't get any info about surgeries other than RNY from the Ottawa WM Clinic so homework is important for sure.

Cheers,

Mike

Hi, I’m a new member to this board. I have 80kg weight. My height is 163cms. I think my BMI is high now. I consulted the specialists in credit valley clinic. But i wanted to know about bariatric surgery also. I wanted like to know how safe it is. I heard some cases where people died of bariatric treatment.    

I went to the Ottawa Civic Hospital Weight Loss Clinic approx. ten years ago. Two of my overweight friends also went to the Clinic, both chose Weight Loss Surgery. I chose to do the Optifast program. I went for weekly meetings and check ups, followed the plan 99% (did break down five or six times and had a treat) but basically I followed the program. While I will never say I loved the Optifast it was tolerable and produced results. In three months I lost approx. 40 lbs. or more...I was in my 60's at the time. I had to leave the program as I developed cancer again (I am a 7 time cancer survivor). Since finishing my chemo etc. I went back to Dr Dent and continued a low calorie diet. In all I lost approx,90 lbs. my health improved, my knees, which were unbearably painful are almost pain free. For a 71 year old woman I look and feel pretty good. I would still like to loose another 20 - 30 lbs so after I get back from holidays in May I intend to do a month of Optifast (yuk) again and hopefully jump start my weight loss. I will continue to see Dr Dent and stop blaming the world for being overweight. Once you realize only you can do it with support hopefully it will make it easier. I might add, my two friends lost approx. 100 lbs.each with the surgery and both have gained it ALL back and then some. It is not a magical cure, it takes commitment and will power so unless are committed forget it. Several people have told me they did not particularly like Dr. Dent but I do....I still see him every three months at his clinic in the east end. He keeps me motivated. Thank you Dr Dent

Also, if you want to try a medically supervised weight loss before going to surgery in Ottawa, for $2400 (less than Optifast), you might want to check out the BMI Medical Center with Dr. Freedhoff. I started there last year and the clinic includes seeing a bariatric specialist (not surgeon), a dietician and a trainer.  It's a 26 wk program that is basically the same as what your life will be like post-op - 3 meals a day and 3 snacks. It's a higher protein, lower carb eating plan that uses real foods, etc. I attended workouts 2x a week at the centre (it's at Hunt Club and Merivale) and did the food plan and I lost about 20 lbs but I struggled.

At the end of the 26 weeks, I had learned alot but hadn't seen the scale move much. At that point, the doc did suggest that I consider WLS and that the folks at BMI would continue to follow me post op. He pointed me to OH to do some research and when I went back to see him, I had questions which he answered and together, we both agreed that I would do well having any of the 3 types of surgery and the choice was mine.  He filled out the OOC forms for me for the VSG (I'll be the first patient from BMI with a sleeve) and I'm having my surgery tomorrow.  They are open to all 3 surgeries when they are a good fit for you.

You can always go see BMI as they have a free consult - don't have their phone number here in Detroit with me but they are at www.bmimedical.ca

Good luck whatever you choose.