Wait to get Gastric Bypass or Sleeve Surgery in AB

Hi y'all

New to the board. I am in the very beginning stages of getting bariatric surgery. My doctor has established I qualify, however in AB we need to go through a Clinic and I am trying to establish if anyone else knows how long the time in the Calgary Bariatric Center is before you get a surgery date.

Hi, welcome!

Sorry I don't know anything about AB, but I just wanted to pop in and say welcome, and woohoo! You're starting an amazing journey.

Welcome to the board!!

Not sure if any of us here can help much with your timeline question as we are mostly from Ontario. The waits here are around a year, give or take.

There might be an Alberta forum but I'm not sure.

Good luck,

Karen

I'm not sure about Alberta but it can really vary in Ontario depending on how high your BMI other comobidities, etc. As you can see my original consultation to surgery date has been 15 months but for others who've pushed more it's been more in the 4-6 month range. Pretty much everyone has to go through a clinic with multiple appointments before they decide yes or no.

Good Luck the first big decision as that we need this tool to regain control over our weight.

Ugh, this is so frustrating. My referral was just sent in today. I dont want to wait another year and a half to get this. on another note how can i get that cute little weight tracker you have on your post???

Its a 2 step process, go into the wheely beside the + sign at the top of your home page (line with your name/id) then go into "health tracker" and input your starting and current weight. The go into "Tickers" and add the one you like best. they you update your weight as you lose and the turtle or whatever moves across. Took me a while to get that had to ask too. Hopefully the wait out your way isn't too long, in Ontario the Dr. fills out the referral on line, mine did it with me in her office, I heard back with the orientation date (first step) about a month later, it was a couple months after that but I had to bump to the next available one as they managed to send me the same day my husband was having cataract surgery (I won't talk about the wait for that one). Once you're in the "system" you'll have a better idea.

Good Luck.

So here's the deal.

You have to advocate for yourself and be assertive in what you want. Call and ask for cancellations; get your family doctor to start the testing process for you, i.e., book the sleep study - get it done, book an endoscopy and colonoscopy. I had a abdominal ultrasound as well. If you can get those done now, then you'll be in really good shape once you get into the system.

Once in, you're gonna call for cancellations to keep the ball rolling. Don't sit and wait for the phone calls. Be proactive.

I had called and called to talk to the Surgery Booking Person for close to a month. I left messages that were never returned. I finally decided to show up at the Booking Desk and get myself booked. Sure enough...when I showed my face at the desk, I booked my date right then and there.

I managed to get through the process from Orientation to Surgery in 7 months.

Work the system...don't let the system work you.

Good Luck.

Hello! I am brand new to this site as well. Welcome. :)

I am waiting to get surgery in Edmonton, and I can tell you a little about the process now that I am at the clinic. I waited almost 2 years to get into the bariatric clinic here, once my doctors sent in the referral to them. Every time I saw any of my doctors, I asked them to send another referral and to follow up. I didn't want to get lost in the shuffle. Your doctors can call the clinic and ask them the rough timeline of waiting for you to become a patient at the clinic!

In the mean time, I heard that there were mandatory classes that all patients at the clinic had to take (weight wise management classes), so I booked myself in to those and took them before I was even a patient at the clinic ... figured I might as well get ahead of the game. When I finally got the call from the clinic for the appointment, it was a couple weeks out and they sent me a package of information for me to fill in and bring to them for my first appointment.

Generally speaking, most patients are at the clinic anywhere between 1-3 years before they see a surgeon (depending on how their weight loss is going, and if they are a high risk patient etc). I saw my doctor, nurse, dietitian, and psychologists a lot before ever getting to the surgeon. Then I finally got the meet with the surgeon and now I am officially on the weight list for surgery. This apparently usually takes about 1 year until you get an actual surgery date. There is a whole list of special classes and appointments I have to have during the next year that they have booked me in for.

Once you get a surgery date, its typically 2-6 months away so you can prepare for it.

Its a long journey, and I am only half way through it. BUT be patient and be prepared to work hard when you get the phone call from the clinic. If you can start tracking foods, calories, moods when eating, and weekly weigh-ins, this will help you get into the habit for clinic life. :)