2004-10-05 - 12:03 p.m.

Gastric Bypass in detail and more
My second entry for today. I have a little more time now to talk about a few things that should be addressed. I want to make clear that anyone who has any questions about Gastric Bypass please do not hesitate contacting me. I will try to answer any questions you have or can point you in the right direction. I know how frustrating it is to try to get answers and everywhere you turn they arent helpful or look at you and talk to you like your and idiot.

I want to also make clear that the information I give has been researched by doctors and specialists, and has been put together in a package I received from a doctor.

First you need to start a "campaign" and the first thing you need to do is find some GOOD doctors who are knowledgable and willing to help you. Second is to follow my previous entry and fill out form 1442-84. Remember the waiting list in Ontario is currently 3-5 years. This is what the brochure says however it is most likely longer due to no doctors taking patients nor do they perform the procedure here in Ontario. The Ontario Ministry of Health puts more emphasis on the Ontario doctor who is recommending you for the surgery than on the surgeon at the other end. In other words you do not need to travel to Rochester and have a meeting with the surgeon and then apply to the ontario ministry of health.

For anyone in the Ottawa area I highly recommend Dr Dent who runs the weight management clinic at the civic. His contact number is 613-798-5555 ext 17497. Dr Dent is highly regarded and extremely knowledgable. He will give you a package of a step by step process on how to obtain funding and how to contact the surgeon in rochester. I will not go to much further into details the red tape of politics, and the system. I will however give you more information about gastric bypass surgery.

This procedure should not be entered into lightly and it isnt a quick fix. If people believe that they have this surgery and all your problems are fixed your sadly mistaken and you may not be approved for this procedure. You must go through psychiatric appointments, you must have exhausted your weight loss options and you must have a histroy background of doctors attesting to your physical well being if you do not have the surgery. It must be made clear that the surgery is detremental to your health. The more doctors notes and referals you obtain to send in with your pre-approval form the more likely you are to be approved.

NOTE:When you do send your pre approval be sure to send it express post. Pay the extra money it takes to get a name and signature of the person who receives it at OHIP. If you have not heard anything AFTER 4 weeks of OHIP having received your application make some calls. If you need this please contact me and I will provide the numbers.

Drive time from Ottawa to Rochester is 5 hours.

I will be seeing Dr O'Malley in Rochester. After doing extensive research I highly recommend him it will be worth the wait.

After being approved by OHIP Dr, O'Malley will need information from your primary care giver, your history and medical background. Dr, O'Malley's office has dealt with Canadian patients on a regular basis and he has worked out a system to do so. The office staff is aware that people travel large distances and try they to accomodate the patients needs. No one should expect to have one visit and then the surgery, so it may take a couple trips to rochester to organize it all. The staff try to make it as painless as possible and try to organize all your appointments in order to minimize your travel time. Some tests may be done here at home and then sent to Dr. O'Malley.

When the office receives the requested info, and the info is reviewed the staff with call you to schedule your group seminar and initial consultation. The group seminar is manditory and is presented by Dr O'Malley. Typically the consultation is scheduled 4 weeks later. For the Canadian patients the staff make special arrangements and see the patients immediately following their group session. You will also be given a tentative surgery date which will be confirmed after your appointment with the doctor. They will then email you the instructions for the next phase of the process.

Some people ask me WHY SURGERY? I didnt have all the information to explain it properly and now I do so this is why suregery is needed for some people.

Medications to control appetite have been made available in recent years. SOme have been removed from the market for safety reasons. The results obtained with medications currently cannont compare to the weight loss obtained with weight reduction surgery. A person 100lbs over weight gets little benefit from losing 30, 40 or even 50lbs from a prescription medication. As soon as the medication is stopped the weight is regained. Surgery for weight loss is a difficult choice. (I tossed and turned with this idea. I had a hard time coming to terms that this is what I needed. It really was NOT easy to do.)You can however be confident that the benefits are unmatched by other therapies. Do not be fooled however, surgery should not be the "first stop" to achieve weight loss. It is reserved as a last resort.

The Roux-Y Gastric Bypass surgery can lead to an average weight loss of 60=65% if excess body weight. That is equal to 130 pound weight loss in a person 200 pounds over weight. This loss can last for years following surgery. Success after surgery is defined as losing at least 50% of excess body weight and keeping it off year after year. By this definition surgery is successful in approximately 80% of patients. "THIS IS ONLY POSSIBLE IF SURGERY IS COMBINED WITH A LIFESTYLE CHANGE, INCLUDING HEALTHY DIETING AND REGULAR EXCERCISE"

"SURGERY IS ONLY A TOOL TO HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT. IT ALONE WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY MAKE YOU LOSE WEIGHT"

I will share more of what is involved in the surgery in the next entry.

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