Born yesterday, please advise! LOL

So I have been searching the forum for 2 hours for previous posts to answer my questions .. to no avail.

I'm new here, found this on Google. I'm just going to TMI dump all pertinent information and queries, if anyone can assist me with information I'd greatly appreciate it!

I'm 30 years old, BMI of 54% (according to an online calculator), type 2 diabetic, congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy. My health (in regards to heart failure) is finally considered stable.

My cardiologist submitted a referral to Windsor on May 11th. Yesterday I received a letter from Ontario Bariatric Network for an "Information Session" at Hotel Dieu in August.

My understanding from reading the letter is once placed on a wait list after the session, there may be up to a year wait before starting the approximately 1 year process to surgery?

Could anyone share the timeline they experienced?

Does having a serious illness somehow expedite the process, even if it is not caused by obesity BUT will surely help lessen symptoms/improve quality of life?

If you are are on ridiculous amounts of life sustaining medications (multiple times a day lol) is sleeve typically preferred to bypass? That was kind of the jist I got when searching Dr.Google.

I understand all of this will be answered when I go or at some point but hoping to pick some experienced brains.

*fingers crossed*

Hi there I am currently going through the process at hotel dieu and from the info session to surgery education has taken me about 5 months. After the information session they will give you an appointment before you leave that could be within a couple days to a month away. So don't worry if moves A lot quicker then you think.

Oh wow, 5 months? That's not bad at all!

When I wrote this I did not know there were 2 hospitals named hotel dieu. So I apologize if my info is wrong. I was referring to hotel dieu hospital in Windsor not Kingston. The best suggestion I can give is have your family dr send you for an ultrasound blood work heart trace etc. The more you are prepared from the onset the quicker it goes.

Windsor is where I'm being sent as well! Although rereading the letter they mistakenly put me in the non surgical orientation. Called and left a message.

That's too bad they put you in the wrong orientation. Hopefully that does not make the wait longer. Just remember when you get started do everything they ask of you and you will move through quickly. Good luck with your new journey and feel free to contact me if you ever need support or have any questions.

Hello JJ -

welcome to the board. You will find a lot of solid advice here, as there are multiple people that have walked in these shoes for many years, and have learned through experience and mistakes.

firstly - half you battle is over, being able to identify you need a life style change.. its not a easy journey in by no means, but the benefits are huge.

I can only try to answer with my own experience... my process too 2 years from first appointment to surgery, the reason for such a longtime is i had a heart attach in the beginning of the process and had to be on the waiting list for 1 year.. Once i got the process started up again, it was a question of 8 months. One bit of advice though, stick to what they tell you and listen to what they instruct you to do. I followed it to the T and it paid off, and it is still paying off. The health benefits are huge.

regarding the meds. I had the sleeve done because of all the meds i need to take.. The R&Y wouldn't work because the meds traveled to fast through the system and i would not absorb the meds. especially regarding the slow release meds i need.

one last comment - WLS is not a diet plan, its a life changing program. You will learn to eat food that gives you the best bang for your buck, and you will learn that hydration is the most important.

I'm new to this life style, and am still learning, but loving the journey im on.

Good luck on your journey.

Absolutely, I started this journey close to 10 years ago. I ended up gettint a job that was physically rigorous and got to my goal weight on my own. I had been to 2 appointments in Ypsilanti, was attending biweekly local support groups etc.

Once I started not feeling well the weight started creeping back, by the time I was diagnosed I had already gained back everything plus. ð??' I've been chasing a referral ever since (2016).

I'm sorry to hear about your heart attack, glad you're still here and were able to complete the process! I appreciate the advice, would welcome any more if you happen to think of anything. Very nervous of mis-stepping and sabotaging my own success.

Were you hoping for the sleeve originally?

You can read my timeline from referral to surgery in my signature lines. It also gives the timeline for tests. Basically 18 months.

Your surgeon will decide the type of surgery you will get based on input from other health professional (internist, pharmacist, etc) and his own assessment. He may change his mind once he begins the surgery because in certain cases the size of your liver, the room inside the abdomen to maneuver, the amount of scar tissue, will dictate what type of surgery he can perform.

Most of us had co-morbidities and that did not seem to lessen the timeline. Some of them they want treated before surgery (eg. sleep apnea) Different Centres seem to have less of a wait than others.

Corrie has given you a wonderful response. He is rocking this journey. I wish you great success.

I will most definitely check it out!! Thanks for the response. ð?¤--ð?¤--