Hello from Calgary! Here's my story, introduction:

[Tyler883 0]

Hi everyone,

First, I'd like to say I have read many threads and I am really impressed with the spirit of helping each other out. Compared to other forums, I think what we have here is pretty special.

Anyways, whats the deal with Calgary? I'd love some insight into the politics around lap band in Calgary, can you share some of it with me?

Here's what I know so far:

I've learned that Calgary has a weight loss management program that is the gateway to Alberta health care paid bariatric surgery. And, if I want to pay my own way, it isn't available in Alberta.

Last Sept (2007) I learned that I needed a doctor's referral to the program, so I contacted my respiratory doctor that is treating my sleep apnea. My resp dr referred me to Dr. Lau at the foothills hospital. I've been waiting all winter to see Dr. Lau. My first appointment was last tuesday ( may 6, 2008)

I wasn't happy with Dr. Lau. He told me that Lap band is out of the question because I am unable to receive anesthetic due to my sleep apnea.

Then he started lecturing me on how my lifestyle is killing me. (grrrrr)

He wants me to go on a diet and exercise program, that he will supervise. All I could think about but did not say was "he must be pretty smug to think he can accomplish something that has not worked....not my reading 3 million books, trying 2 dozen diets, exercising obsessively at least 3-6 months a year, personal training, weight watchers, lifestyle coaches, etc........is he really that smug?"

Anyway, I bit my tongue, I don't want to burn any bridges. If you look up Dr. Lau profile on google. His career and credentials are impeccable.....and he just offered me his personal e-mail address so I can ask him any question, and send reports on my progress. ( something that might be a favor that he is doing because I work for a fellow colleague of his)

What pisses me off most about the appointment, is I still haven't a referral into the weight loss management program. I've waited 6 months, and I got nothing but a waste of time. My family physician doesn't know anything about the weight loss management program, but he said he would be happy to write me a referral if I can provide him with contact info. I should have done this back in September. Especially since I've learned how long the waiting is between each step.

On another note: I want to start a diet and exercise program ( yes, I agree that was good advice from Dr. Lau - LOL) but I don't feel inclined to deal with him. Does anyone know if he has connections to the weight loss management program? because I don't want to snub Dr. Lau just to find our that I've screwed myself with the weight loss management program.

Here's my plan:

-I want to enroll in the weight loss management program so I'm on the waiting list. I understand its a 2-5 year journey to get to the operating room, but at least I could get the clock ticking right away.

- I wanted to take their workshops to help me learn more about lap band

- And, I want toe follow their diet and exercise program, and as lony as it is working, I'm prepared to wait for surgery.

- However, if my diet and exercise program starts to fail like it has too many times, I'm prepared to pay my own way and go after the surgery.

Well I guess this is long enough of a message. Talk to you again soon!

Best of wishes to you.

Tyler

Edited May 9, 2008 by Tyler883

[mommmyof4 0]

hey tyler,

many obese people have sleep apnea, and in fact it is this sleep apnea that necesstates the surgery. there are anesthetists that specialize in the bariatric patient. i cannot believe that surgery is not an option based on that. i don't know how much you weigh or how bad your sleep apnea is, but i think it's worth investigating a little more, going outside of calgary or at least outside of dr. yau. i know nothing about him. you can have a phone consultation with a dr. in toronto at no cost or obligation. yes, ultimately you will have to pay yourself in toronto (which is what i am doing). if it is any consolation, alberta healthcare does give you about $1300 back if you self pay in toronto. did he say that once you dropped your weight you would be a candidate or that as long as you had sleep apnea that you wouldn't be a candidate? because the surgery is publicly funded in alberta, each clinic gets approval to do a certain amount of bads per year. i believe edmonton can do 100 but that calgary is down to 50. don't quote me on this info, just what i've heard from various sources. not very many for either place considering the number of people waiting. and when you think about it - they are going to be very selective in making sure the 100 or 50 people that get the band are the patients that absolutely need it the most. you might want to check into dr.farries in red deer, clinic is new, not such a long wait list but still the same restrictions as to the number of bands that can be done per year. like i said, i am having my surgery on june 3 in mississauga. i don't have co-morbidities so i would not qualify in alberta but i have 80-90 lbs to lose and i know that i cann't do it on my own. i've battled my whole life. and i decided i was not going to wait for co-morbidities. so that's my long post. good luck with everything. i admire you for making your plan and being willing to still try the non-surgical route. best of luck. 8-)

[tapshoes 2]

If you are prepared for the wait, then obviously getting the surgery paid for is the better way...at least Alberta has this plan (other provinces do not).

I agree with mommyof4 that sleep apnea as a reason to NOT be a candidate for surgery is well...perverse. It is my understanding that is one of the comorbidities that screening criteria consider to make you a candidate!

The waitlist is variable between the clinics, so yes, check around. But the screening process will always be the most in need, first. As more and more people hear of the process and enroll, the more juggling of the waitlists will occur.

Good luck on your journey; keep us posted on what happens and the processes you go through.

[so done with it all 1]

I don't live in Alberta so can't comment on any of that but I did have severe obstructive sleep apnea with my pressure on my CPAP being 16 or 17 and I had lapband placed with no problems. I don't think anyone but an anesthesist can make that call so I would ask to speak to one or get a 2nd opinion from your own family doctor regarding that comment. I've had numerous surgeries with sleep apnea and have never had a problem. It almost seems like a copout for him to say that.

[Doddie63 6]

If you have sleep apnea and can afford a private clinic, why endanger your life by waiting for a government program. A car costs 22,000 plus isn't your life worth more than that? Most of us, I would hazard a guess, had to borrow the money from a bank or friend, etc. Me I cashed in my RRSP to get the band and I haven't looked back. I love my band. It stops me from overeating and keep the weight off when I am having binging thoughts. If I overeat I get a sharp reminder to stop and boy do I stop. Now I may retire a bit poorer, but I will be alive.

[Alex R. 0]

One of the reasons I chose the band, was because I could get it done immediately.

The wait for an OHIP covered RNY was then approximately 3 years.

I didn't want to wait any longer to save my life.

[JabbatheHutt 0]

Sorry this is my first post. I've lurked for a while now.

Welcome to Alberta's Catch-22. Since Lap band is considered medically necessary, it must be performed in the public system. Since weight management is considered a life style issue, Lap bands are not funded.

If your fingers can still type on a keyboard, you are way too thin to qualify for the public system. LOL

My weight is over 300, high clorestrol, high BP,bmi over 40 and they won't even consider me.

I'm saving for a trip to Mexico or elsewhere. (Probably not toronto, I am an Albertan, so I'd rather have pins stuck in my eyes than spend two days in Toronto) LOL:biggrin:

[Doddie63 6]

Hi: You don't have to go out of country nor Toronto if you don't want to. You have doctors that provide the private service in Alberta. We have two here in BC and one in Manitoba.

There is a link wherein bandsters had some heated discussion on going to Mexico or out of country. Here is one exerpt.

Quote "I have been banded for over 6 years now my Surgeon is Patrick Yau, I can honestly say I have talked to several Mexican patients who had issues and who came back to Canada to have those issues fixed because their Mexican band surgeons didn't want to deal with them. They lost the cost of multiple flights back and forth to Mexico to hear it wasn't a band problem it was their problem, it might be a fill problem etc with NO solutions until they had a CDN surgeon fix them, and it always took surgeries in every case I know of.

I know TLBC used to take on outside patients and one of the reasons they stopped was because the main reason the patients were coming to them was to have their bands fixed because a variety of Drs in Mexico deserted them. At one point in time the Mexican Drs were even referring their banded CDN patients to the CDN surgeons because they didn't want to deal with the patients with problems!

Personally I have talked to 4-5 of these patients over the years in email, phone conversations and face to face meetings. They felt abandoned over the years by their initial surgeons who could not diagnose or refused to diagnose and fix problems for them.

They had to find alternatives after paying the money to Mexico. As of right now in ON you will be hard pressed to find any band surgeon who will take you on if you weren't banded there and why should they you choose to go with someone else. You choose someone else's aftercare etc. All I can say is in life you get what you pay for!

And if I was going to Mexico I would want a lot of things in writing and I would want them reviewed by a Mexican and a cdn lawyer to make sure they are legal. I would want it spelled out what I get, what happens for complications, who pays anything etc.

And this is coming from someone who has suffered just about every complication there is with a few exceptions. I love my band I would do it over again in a heartbeat even knowing I was going to have 6 band surgeries, but based on the people I have talked to in Canada over the years I would never ever go out of country to Mexico or anywhere else for any surgery that required follow-up whether it was banding or plastic etc.

I would take what anyone was saying who worked for a clinic with a huge salt lick and discount it cause they are making the money not you and if your band fails or you need an additional surgery I wonder if they will be there for you then?"

Heather

This individual has been banded many years.

Do you research carefully emphasizing after care as that is what you will require the most before making a decision.

[marivan 0]

In the clinic I go to and had my operation, the only reason they wanted to know if you had sleep apnea was to let you know you would have to stay over night so they could monitor you after surgery. There were lots of people there who had this condition, and had the surgery with no issues.

And the great thing was, a lot of them, once they lost just 30 or so pounds didn't have the condition any longer!

Good luck with your research! I can't imagine having to wait three more years. I think I'd just start saving.

M

[Tyler883 0]

Hi: You don't have to go out of country nor Toronto if you don't want to. You have doctors that provide the private service in Alberta. .....

Hi Heather,

When I saw this, my eyes lit up with hope. Do you have any contact information, or a tip or a lead that can help me find someone in Alberta?

thank you

Tyler

[Doddie63 6]

Tyler it was a lady called Heather that wrote the information about going out of country not me. I am Doddie. If you scroll downthe Canadalapband link, you will see a number of links to people in Alberta. Click on any one of them and post. You should be able to read in their posts where the clinics are.

On a quick check, I came up with a Dr.Phillip Mitchell in Calgary. I am sure there are one or two others. You could do an Alberta Internet check for lapband surgery private and see what you come up with.Doddie

Edited May 10, 2008 by Doddie63
added paragraph

[Angie911 0]

Hey Tyler..

Im Calgarian,,,and on the wait list. I had my family Dr. send in a referral to the wait management. It was the end of May last year that he had done this and I was in the intro class by Aug 2nd. This went for 1 night a week for 3 weeks. It just gave you a run down of what to expect and such. She was very upfront saying that out of 20 people,,,probably only a fraction would go thro with the surgery. Be it their decision or they didn't meet the requirements.

She then said there are other classes that you can take...Ive taken a couple.

March I met with a surgeon Dr. Church. And as far as hes concerned I meet all the requirements and have done everything possible to ensure I know what I am going into. (other then a few little things I didn't know but from reading many of these posts have learned)

Now the kicker....

The wait time is long. And fustrating. I will not be getting surgery in 2008 for sure. 2009 looks promising.

The wait time to meet with anyone is aanywhere from 3 weeks(you are lucky if you can get that) to 2 months.

So while I have to wait for the surgery I will be doing the classes when I can. Another kicker,,,alot of the classes are during the day.

This is the number I call when I am making an appointment

943-2602

good luck

Angie

[Tyler883 0]

Hi Angie,

thank you very much for the phone number. I'll be able to use it to get my family physician to make a referal.

Angie, I was hoping for an opinion from you. Do you believe that the information in the weight loss management program is duplicated on this website and others?

The reason why I am asking is: I'm beginning to wonder if getting into the calgary program is more trouble than it's worth. After all, the waiting list is long enough that I plan to pay for my surgery in Toronto.

[jjsmiles 3]

Tyler - I was referred to the Calgary Weight Management Program in May of 2006, got into the program in October of 2006 and was banded September 25, 2007. Right now, referrals go to the Colonel Belcher Hospital (4th floor). I think the clinic is supposed to move to the old AB Children's hospital soon, but they have been saying that for a year now.

I can't tell you about other programs, but I can tell you about my experiences with Calgary and hopefully answer some of your questions. At this time there is NO ability to go self pay with the band in Alberta. Dr. Mitchell is associated with the WMP (along with 3 other surgeons - Dr. Church, Dr. DesCoteaux and Dr. Debru). There are rumors that because of the recently announced cutbacks to the surgery part of the program (only 25 to be funded this year) that Dr. Mitchell is trying to get a private program started, but I don't know how long this takes. I have heard that he is trying to start a clinic and surgeries would be out of the Banff Hospital, but I don't know if that is true.

Dr. Lau is ABSOLUTELY associated with the WMC in Calgary. I don't see him medically, but I have seen him around the Belcher on Clinic days more than once. I would be very careful in my responses to him, as I am sure that everyone consults all the various medical professionals involved once you are in the program. I think if you eventually get in, it is up to the surgeons and anesthesiologists to work out if your sleep apnea is too dangerous for surgery.

I know I am biased, but I think that the Calgary program is fabulous. It takes a long time to get in, and I don't know what the impacts of the recent announcements will have, but once you are in you have access to all sorts of services and classes.

They don't have a diet, per say, but the dietician's talk about eating according to the Canada food Guide and talk about cutting 500-1000 calories from your current diet to lose 1-2 pounds per week. This means using a combination of eating and exercising to create a calorie deficit. A really simple way to gage what you are eating is to log all your intake (www.thedailyplate.com has an easy to use system), including quantities. If you have never done it before, you will probably be shocked and appalled at what and how much you are eating. For most of us, cutting 500 calories a day isn't that difficult and doesn't invole a great deal of personal sacrifice.

The workshops they offer include, food and mood, stress and diet, grocery shopping and reading labels. etc. They talk about choosing healthy and lean foods (i.e you should only eat cheese with less than 21% milk fat). The exercise programs they utilize are thru the CHR's Living Well program, and you can get a referral from your dr. to both programs, as they both have long wait lists, but can be accessed independent of each other.

Good Luck! :wink2:

[Tyler883 0]

Tyler - I was referred to the Calgary Weight Management Program in May of 2006, got into the program in October of 2006 and was banded September 25, 2007. Right now, referrals go to the Colonel Belcher Hospital (4th floor). I think the clinic is supposed to move to the old AB Children's hospital soon, but they have been saying that for a year now.

I can't tell you about other programs, but I can tell you about my experiences with Calgary and hopefully answer some of your questions. At this time there is NO ability to go self pay with the band in Alberta. Dr. Mitchell is associated with the WMP (along with 3 other surgeons - Dr. Church, Dr. DesCoteaux and Dr. Debru). There are rumors that because of the recently announced cutbacks to the surgery part of the program (only 25 to be funded this year) that Dr. Mitchell is trying to get a private program started, but I don't know how long this takes. I have heard that he is trying to start a clinic and surgeries would be out of the Banff Hospital, but I don't know if that is true.

Dr. Lau is ABSOLUTELY associated with the WMC in Calgary. I don't see him medically, but I have seen him around the Belcher on Clinic days more than once. I would be very careful in my responses to him, as I am sure that everyone consults all the various medical professionals involved once you are in the program. I think if you eventually get in, it is up to the surgeons and anesthesiologists to work out if your sleep apnea is too dangerous for surgery.

I know I am biased, but I think that the Calgary program is fabulous. It takes a long time to get in, and I don't know what the impacts of the recent announcements will have, but once you are in you have access to all sorts of services and classes.

They don't have a diet, per say, but the dietician's talk about eating according to the Canada food Guide and talk about cutting 500-1000 calories from your current diet to lose 1-2 pounds per week. This means using a combination of eating and exercising to create a calorie deficit. A really simple way to gage what you are eating is to log all your intake (www.thedailyplate.com has an easy to use system), including quantities. If you have never done it before, you will probably be shocked and appalled at what and how much you are eating. For most of us, cutting 500 calories a day isn't that difficult and doesn't invole a great deal of personal sacrifice.

The workshops they offer include, food and mood, stress and diet, grocery shopping and reading labels. etc. They talk about choosing healthy and lean foods (i.e you should only eat cheese with less than 21% milk fat). The exercise programs they utilize are thru the CHR's Living Well program, and you can get a referral from your dr. to both programs, as they both have long wait lists, but can be accessed independent of each other.

Good Luck! :thumbup:

Hi jjsmiles,

congratulations on your progress

Thank you for the insight into the Calgary WMP program. It s sounds like a great program. unfortunately I suspect that it I won't be able to benefit from.

I've reached and read a million books on health and nutrition. So much so, when I took the Living Well classes last year, I don't think I learned anything new. My weight problem runs much deeper than knowledge. I think it has more to do with my "I'm full" nerve being broken.

Plus, I'm finding the information and support for lapband is duplicated many times over in places like this forum, and in the post op services that are offered through the lap band centre that I investigating.

MY target date for surgery is September. I am told that I can get surgery in much sooner, perhaps 3-4 weeks. But if I wait till September I will have plenty of time to prepare for it. Plus Sept is a better time of year for me to start off on the right foot, when it comes to changing my lifestyle.

Thank you

Tyler

PS do you mind if I ask you a few questions from time to time?