Out of country approval

Hi there, My name is Sim White and I am a Canadian living in Vancouver, BC Canada. We only have 1 surgeon here that does the WLS and there are 600 people on his waitlist, LOL! I have been waiting since the summer of 2005 to get a consult with the surgeon Dr. Amson. In the meantime I decided to apply to the medical services plan here to go out of country thinking it is a long shot but worth a try as I was thinking of looking into self pay somewhere else as a last resort. Well I got a letter last week from them saying that I have been approved!!! They have approved funding for me to have the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery by Dr. J. Hunter in Seattle, WA. at the Virginia Mason Medical Center. I can't believe it! I started to cry and shake. I am in shock. I am so lucky. The letter states that they will pay for the surgery and hospital stay but I still have to pay for scheduled appointments, travel arangements, accommodation and meals. Does anyone know what it costs to go for the appointments as here in Canada as you probably already know everything is paid for by the government but getting anything done takes a long time. I heard there is a hotel next door to the hospital? Does anybody have any advice on places to stay, etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am going to see Dr. Hunter on Monday, May 14th for a consult and then we will probably talk about when they will book me for the surgery. Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it Sim Sim from Vancouver

Slim: Congrats on your approval..... I'd check this out .... http://obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/forums/?ID=TR-982905067 This is a page on OH for Dr. Hunter and VMMC. You can see others on OH who have also gone there! Best of luck to you...... please keep us posted! Shell Marr

Sim, It depends on whether or not Dr Hunter will require that you get all of your pre op testing done in the US or in Canada. Most people having RNY have to have blood work, uninalisis, chest xray, abdominal ultrasound, nutritional counselling, psyc eval, sleep study, EKG etc and according to your general health there may be other requirements as well. If you have to have all that done in the US it can cost thousands of dollars (probably close to $7000 or $8000). So you want to make sure with Dr Hunter that you will be able to do those tests in Canada where they will pay for it all. I would check out Silver Cloud Inn up on Capital Hill/First Hill. It's fairly close (with in two miles) to Virginia Mason and they usually have decent rates (downtown seattle can be VERY expensive for hotels) and it's a great hotel!! Good Luck and what a great idea to think outside the box and apply for this!! Corinna Q

Dear Shell and Corinna, Thanks for your help and advice. I have had the following tests done already so I am hoping that he will accept most of these so I don't have to do too many over again. I am mailing all the results to them on Monday so they can get to know my medical history and start a file. I have had an ultrasound on my heart and stomach; psych evaluation, blood work including the arteries, scope, EKG, sleep apnea, and nutritional counselling. These were all done in the last 6- 9 months. With all the tests done, everything was normal except I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and now I am on a CPAC machine. I am guessing they will do the blood work again and make me see a dietician but hopefully the rest will be okay. I guess he will let me know what he wants me to do for tests and then I hope to be able to get them done quickly in Canada if needed. Thanks for all your help Sim from Vancouver, BC Canada

Your welcome...and the best of luck to ya!! Please keep us posted....

Welcome over! Hopefully it will be a good experience for you! Lori

Hi there Sim. I am also a Canadian, living on Vancouver Island. I have decided to go ahead with the lap band and I am not willing to go through the wait times here. MSP does not even consider Lap band as a covered surgery, so I will be going elsewhere and will be self-pay. Will you be receiving your follow-up and fills in Canada? If so, are there surgeons in vancouver willing to fill the band? I am thinking about going to Mexico but I am concerned about the lack of follow-up care. Any thoughts? Kellie