Ottawa Wmc
You can see my timeline below. It took me essentially one year from referral to surgery.
I hope your orientation goes well! Good luck on your journey!
OTTAWA -- 2011 - Contemplated WLS Feb. 15, 2013 - GP Feb. 20 - lung functioning Feb. 22 - blood work Feb. 27 - Referral April 19 - orientation, bloodwork July 10 - nurse July 23 - rheumatologist (VSG) Sept. 12 - Behaviourist & Dietician Oct. 23 - Echocardiogram Nov. 6 - Pre-surgery Class Nov. 12 - Surgeon Jan 13, 2014 - Optifast (3 wks) Jan. 27 - PATTS Feb. 3, 2014 - Surgery (VSG)
HEIGHT: 5'5" HW 303 Pre-Opti 297 SW 271 GW 170 CW 200 (Feb. 8, 2018 - damn the regain!) VSG with Dr. Yelle
Welcome! At orientation you will get information on the surgery and how the process works. Most people brought another person with them for support -this was encouraged. It is just a powerpoint presentation with statistics and approximate timelines, etc. You will get some booklets to take home and read. Since I had already been on this site for a month or so there was very little that I did not already know. But it was nice to have confirmation and the reference material and to be in a room with people who are in the same boat as me.
Ottawa, in my opinion, has one of the longest wait times in Ontario, so be prepared for the wait. After orientation it can be a while before they call you with a first assessment/bloodwork appointment, it took me 2.5 months.
Below is my timeline so far, I am still pre-op. Feel free to message and/or friend me as well. There are quite a few Ottawa folks on here - OH is a great place to find support and answers to your questions. Best of luck to you in this process, come back and let us know how things are going.
Highest: 320, Surgery: 255 (Aug/14), Lowest: 132, Current: 167, Goal: 155
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. - Soren Kierkegaard
Hello, yes I agree that Ottawa probably has the longest wait times in Ontario. I really depends on what comorbis you might have, what tests they decide you will need and the time it will take to receive those tests. My best advice is to be your own best advocate and find a "go to" person, ie: nurse and keep in close contact with them. That is what I did, however I should mention that I am from Kingston and went through the Regional assessment Clinic at Hotel Dieu Hospital. As they are rather new the processes are not quite "perfect" yet. I was frustrated with some of the testing I had to wait for. I found a person I could call and who helped me expediate (the best she could). All this being said, it has been 14 month until I received my surgery date of March 20th. It will be 18 months overall when surgery takes place. I am not providing this to discourge you, as you may be far more expedient that I. I did have to have an abdomnial ultrasound, an endoscopy, sleep study, ekg, tons of blood work, and several visits to the social worker to convince them that my anxiety disorder was well controlled with medication and coping skills. Best of luck and keep us posted!!!