Question for people who've gone to their Education Orientation Class

Hey everyone! I'm new here and still learning about bariatric/weight loss surgery. I have an education orientation class coming up soon and was just curious what you thought about the class and what comes next? (Feeling a bit anxious/excited )

I was at my orientation almost two weeks ago .they went over how the surgery works.all the pros and cons all the good things and possible complications.than they had a dietitian speak and the social worker that was in Kingston.than we had to sign a sheet on whether we still wanted to continue with the surgical assessment.we were also given a sheet that said that if you did not qualify for bariatric surgery than they would contact you in two weeks if you don't hear from . then you will get  your appointments sent in the mail between 1 month-2 months not sure what is like in other centers mine was in Kingston Ont

Hm.. sounds pretty basic. Do you know how they determine if you qualify? 

The orientation was so exciting; it's the very first step in the road and it will help you make the choice of whether you wish to have surgery or go another, alternative route.

My class was so informative. We spoke with a nurse, dietitian, and a psychologist (I believe?) and they gave us oodles of information about the various options. In my experience, if you get through the whole class, you're determined to make some choices to improve your life!

If you like, you can peek at the Ontario Bariatric Registry website. That will give you some more information about how this process works.

In particular, there is a FAQ section and there, one of the FAQs says: "How is eligibility determined?"
Answer: In order to determine eligibility for weight loss surgery rather than using weight alone as an indication, your body mass index (BMI) is calculated and is used as one of the criteria for surgery--excess fat in relation to height. Individuals are candidates for surgery if:
• They have failed previous attempts at weight loss in a medically supervised program
• Their (BMI) Body Mass Index (ratio between height and weight) is greater than 40, or between 35 and 40 with major obesity-related medical problems.

I hope this information helps you. Wishing you luck as you embark on this path!

I had my info session yesterday. It was very informative and interesting however, I think it may have scared me out of surgery.

It's a lot of information to process and come to terms with for sure. The decision to go forward with surgery is HUGE and it's for life. Take your time, do lots of reading, ask lots of questions and then decide. What's scaring you the most? Maybe I can help?

Well months ago I started researching all about the surgery (and how i stumbled upon this website). It is definitely a hugh decision, I agree!! I have been thinking about the pros and cons based on what I know about it. I feel fairly educated; I've done a lot of reading and watched a lot of vlogs about people who've had the surgery done. I'm not scared.. I was more less curious about what the class was like. Informative is good so any questions I don't know will be covered there. I like that there's a professional on the eating aspect and a professional on the psychology part, as well! My mum has been watching me struggle with my weight since I started to realize it was an issue (i was a chubby kid but not overly and "you're beautiful! don't let anyone else tell you otherwise" is what she'd say but it's not about vanity it's about health and overall well being) so when 6 co-workers of hers started losing drastic amounts of weight she had to ask them how they did it. All 6 had this surgery done and said they wished they did it sooner. My mum sent me a link around the same time I was frustrated the Slim Band wasn't covered under OHIP (not to mention the surgery part of it scared me). I thought it should be since it's basically rehab and promotes a healthy lifestyle. Little did I know, there was a similar more effective surgery that was.

While we're on the subject.. I am concerned with the serious cons.. but being a young one I hope to have a baby/babies sometime in the near future. I'm 26 now so if I have my surgery when I'm 27 Id have to wait until I'm 29 which is the age I always planned on having a baby anyways. As for the guy.. I haven't met him yet, but I'm hopeful. I'm an only child and my parents divorced when I was 2 so I know on a personal level what it feels like to not have that common ground between your parents; that home feeling. My parents get along now (since i told them to grow up and get along year ago :P) but even so, I want a family more than a baby. I want to give my son/daughter the very best.. and I wonder if surgery is going to effect future pregnancy. Not to mention.. future weight gain!! I sincerely hope I wouldn't gain too much and it would be manageable but what if it wasn't? I suppose the answer is that i would need to be VERY careful i dont over eat. Other than pregnancy.. I don't really have any fears.

I know there are serious risks with this surgery but these risks come with all surgery. And like any other surgery, this is going to improve my health so it's worth it! Let's just pray it's a success. Also, the success rate is so much higher than it used to be years ago!

Hi :)

My comment about "being scared" was actually to the person above me, who had responded to you re. the education class BUT I'm happy you responded to me :)

It sounds as though you're making an educated decision and I can appreciate your reasons for looking into surgery. I'm glad you found this web site, it's an excellent source of education and most importantly, support. Read lots, ask more, welcome!

Karen

I have explored and still explore the OBR website, but thank you! I understand that there are many steps to qualifying for surgery and so I assumed what you said about how to determine it was the initial step; but if it's just that, I'm all set.

My doctor is sending my referral and has told me the process takes "many years" contrary to what I have researched.  I am curious as to how long you had to wait until you received notification of your orientation class?