Had my referral sent last week!
CONFIRM YOU'RE ON THE REGISTRY AND CALL FOR CANCELLATIONS
In about a week or two your doctor should receive a fax confirming that the Registry has processed your registration. It's a good idea to give your doctor's office a call at that time to make sure they got it. If not, try back a week later. If they don't have it within 3 weeks something may have gone awry. I know of some people who have waited months only to discover that Registry didn't receive their info, and they had to start from scratch!
As mentioned, your doctor should receive a fax to confirm that the Registry has processed your registration. Call or visit your doctor's office and ask to see the fax and 1) write down your Registry ID #, 2) confirm what Centre you've been assigned to (don't assume that it's the one closest to you... the Registry made an error with my application and if I hadn't checked the confirmation fax and followed up it wouldn't have been corrected), and 3) write down the phone number/address of the Centre (it should be on the fax but can also be found online).
Once you have your ID # call the Centre you've been assigned to and confirm with them that you're on their radar too. You can let them know that you're interested in cancellations if they come up. They might have a cancellation list or may tell you to call back once a month to check. Every Centre is different, so some don't back-fill cancelled spots, but it's worth a try!!!
WAIT TIMES
It seems like wait times vary slightly between Centres. If you read people's signatures you can get an idea of their timetables. Once people go through Orientation, I'm assuming that they are triaged based on medical need, so if you have co-morbidities be sure to list them on any questionnaires you're sent. I was mistakenly assigned to St Joes Hamilton, and called them to see if they had a cancellation list that would enable me to get into an earlier Orientation session. I was told, in no uncertain terms, that they did not. Other Centres may try to accommodate.
The wait can be frustrating, but the more I learned about the surgery the happier I am that it was. Using the time to start adopting post-WLS practices is important. The surgery comes with so many limitations, lifestyle changes, and the breaking of life-long habits -- you want to be sure that you can do them.
Start implementing the gastric bypass lifestyle... stop drinking from straws, do not drink within 30 minutes either side of eating, chew your food to a paste before swallowing, take your vitamins EVERY day, put down your fork/spoon between bites, etc. Having a food journal also helps (a lot), and it seems like all the Centres want to see evidence that you've been doing one. Also, if you smoke, STOP! You cannot have the surgery if you've had even 1 cigarette within 6 months of your surgery (at least at Humber). You can't drink alcohol or carbonated beverages once you've had the surgery either, so start working those out of your life.
SPEEDING UP THE PROCESS
If you have sleep apnea some Centres want current results (within 2 years), so if you haven't been in a while go to your GP and ask her for a referral. Getting into a sleep test can take months, so if you can get it done while you're waiting you'll avoid having it hold up your process later on.
If you don't have sleep apnea the Centre may want to rule it out (especially if you snore or have any sleep issues... also, some Centres make sleep tests mandatory if the circumference of your neck exceeds a certain measurement). Read up on sleep apnea and find out if you have ANY symptoms, then plead your case to your doctor. Get a copy of the results from the sleep centre so you can produce it for the Bariatric Team.
Make sure to list all your co-morbidities on any questionnaires your Centre sends you (high bp, high cholesterol, borderline type 2 diabetes, and your mobility issues).
RESOURCES
St Joe's Manual:
http://www.stjoes.ca/media/PatientED/U-Z/PD%206000%20Bariatric%20Surgery%20-%20Gastric%20Bypass%20February%2029%202012.pdf.
Books:
At my Orientation they recommended the following books, which I bought through Chapters (the best prices I could find and free shipping):
"Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think" by Brian Wansink.
"The Complete Weight-Loss Surgery Guide and Diet Program: Includes 150 Delicious and Nutritious Recipes" by Laz Klein and Sue Ekserci (over half the book is about the surgery and the other half is actual recipes).
"Gastric Bypass Surgery: The Psychological Journey" by Ranesa McNally.
Websites:
"Weekly Food Diary" from www.personal-nutrition-guide.com
www.sparkpeople.com
Good luck and welcome!!!
In about a week or two your doctor should receive a fax confirming that the Registry has processed your registration. It's a good idea to give your doctor's office a call at that time to make sure they got it. If not, try back a week later. If they don't have it within 3 weeks something may have gone awry. I know of some people who have waited months only to discover that Registry didn't receive their info, and they had to start from scratch!
As mentioned, your doctor should receive a fax to confirm that the Registry has processed your registration. Call or visit your doctor's office and ask to see the fax and 1) write down your Registry ID #, 2) confirm what Centre you've been assigned to (don't assume that it's the one closest to you... the Registry made an error with my application and if I hadn't checked the confirmation fax and followed up it wouldn't have been corrected), and 3) write down the phone number/address of the Centre (it should be on the fax but can also be found online).
Once you have your ID # call the Centre you've been assigned to and confirm with them that you're on their radar too. You can let them know that you're interested in cancellations if they come up. They might have a cancellation list or may tell you to call back once a month to check. Every Centre is different, so some don't back-fill cancelled spots, but it's worth a try!!!
WAIT TIMES
It seems like wait times vary slightly between Centres. If you read people's signatures you can get an idea of their timetables. Once people go through Orientation, I'm assuming that they are triaged based on medical need, so if you have co-morbidities be sure to list them on any questionnaires you're sent. I was mistakenly assigned to St Joes Hamilton, and called them to see if they had a cancellation list that would enable me to get into an earlier Orientation session. I was told, in no uncertain terms, that they did not. Other Centres may try to accommodate.
The wait can be frustrating, but the more I learned about the surgery the happier I am that it was. Using the time to start adopting post-WLS practices is important. The surgery comes with so many limitations, lifestyle changes, and the breaking of life-long habits -- you want to be sure that you can do them.
Start implementing the gastric bypass lifestyle... stop drinking from straws, do not drink within 30 minutes either side of eating, chew your food to a paste before swallowing, take your vitamins EVERY day, put down your fork/spoon between bites, etc. Having a food journal also helps (a lot), and it seems like all the Centres want to see evidence that you've been doing one. Also, if you smoke, STOP! You cannot have the surgery if you've had even 1 cigarette within 6 months of your surgery (at least at Humber). You can't drink alcohol or carbonated beverages once you've had the surgery either, so start working those out of your life.
SPEEDING UP THE PROCESS
If you have sleep apnea some Centres want current results (within 2 years), so if you haven't been in a while go to your GP and ask her for a referral. Getting into a sleep test can take months, so if you can get it done while you're waiting you'll avoid having it hold up your process later on.
If you don't have sleep apnea the Centre may want to rule it out (especially if you snore or have any sleep issues... also, some Centres make sleep tests mandatory if the circumference of your neck exceeds a certain measurement). Read up on sleep apnea and find out if you have ANY symptoms, then plead your case to your doctor. Get a copy of the results from the sleep centre so you can produce it for the Bariatric Team.
Make sure to list all your co-morbidities on any questionnaires your Centre sends you (high bp, high cholesterol, borderline type 2 diabetes, and your mobility issues).
RESOURCES
St Joe's Manual:
http://www.stjoes.ca/media/PatientED/U-Z/PD%206000%20Bariatric%20Surgery%20-%20Gastric%20Bypass%20February%2029%202012.pdf.
Books:
At my Orientation they recommended the following books, which I bought through Chapters (the best prices I could find and free shipping):
"Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think" by Brian Wansink.
"The Complete Weight-Loss Surgery Guide and Diet Program: Includes 150 Delicious and Nutritious Recipes" by Laz Klein and Sue Ekserci (over half the book is about the surgery and the other half is actual recipes).
"Gastric Bypass Surgery: The Psychological Journey" by Ranesa McNally.
Websites:
"Weekly Food Diary" from www.personal-nutrition-guide.com
www.sparkpeople.com
Good luck and welcome!!!
Referral: Apr 2013; Orientation (HRRH): Aug 12, 2013; 1st Surgeon Appt (Dr Sohi): Aug 23, 2013; SW/RD/RN: Nov 8, 2013; Internist (Dr Glazer): Nov 14, 2013; 2nd Surgeon Appt: Nov 20, 2013; Start Opti: Jan 3, 2013; PATTS: Jan 16, 2014; Surgery: Jan 24, 2014
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