What are the next steps?

I've done:

• Orientation
• Blood tests
• Social Worker Meeting
• Nurses Assessment
• Nutrition Class

What I have to do:

• Sleep study (March, 2018)
• Psychometric Assessment (April, 2018)
• Dietician Meeting (May, 2018)
• Nurse follow up (phone May, 2018)

I assume I have to do:

• More lab work
• Another nursing meeting?

What other steps are there before surgery? Is it realistic to assume that I may have surgery before Christmas is possible?

Hey there,

I assume your Centre is TWH? If so, you should not need more lab work.

After you see the psychologist and dietitian, assuming they give you the ok, your file will go to rounds... and all the practitioners will make a final decision together. It's mostly a formality at that point and you should have a good sense already.

Then, you meet the surgeon!! Then, you get a surgery date, your Opti, pre-admission and finally, surgery. :)

And yes... it's realistic to have surgery before Christmas, especially if you call for cancellations and get yourself on a cancellation list for surgery. I did my whole process in about 4 months.

So in May, once my file goes to rounds, I should call for cancellations?

I have a few answers to that...

If your schedule allows, you can call for cancellations for your psychologist appointment and your dietitian appointment and try to move them up from April and May. Realistically, you should be able to have them both sometime we'll before then... in March anyway. As long as you're diligent in calling.

The piece I am unclear about is your nurse follow up... but you should be able to move that up too, once you have cleared all the other steps. Unless there was a reason they wanted you to keep your appointments where they were; which there usually isn't.

Then: your file will go to rounds and you will get a date to meet the surgeon. You can try to move that appointment up too!! It's harder, but keep trying!! I moved mine up by months.

Then!! At the meet the surgeon appointment, you talk to the nurse, Sharon (only Sharon... if you get someone else, you ask for Sharon) and you ask to be put on the cancellation list.

Hope that helps!! :)