Waiting game...

After I went to the doctor to discuss bariatric surgery, where I was surprised to find out that she was happy to give me a referral. Apparently my struggles have been... apparent.

I started to talk to a friend of mine from school. She had the lap-band "installed" and had some info. Also she had spoken to lots of others that have had various surgeries and all through Alberta Health Services (AHS). She did not, she went to Mexico, because way back when she wanted it done, it would've been an 8 year wait.
8 YEARS... whoa.







Turns out, it might be a long time for me as well.

Maybe not THAT long, but it'll seem like forever.

I found a website, a place where people can find surgeons and forums with an entire COMMUNITY of people that have had or are hoping to have surgery.

Some have been waiting for months, some more than a year... some have been waiting for months to get the appointment that TELLS you that you can have surgery! That's not even waiting for SURGERY yet!!

So while I wait for my doctor to call me with a referral appointment date, I am, unadvisedly, doing some Internet research on everything.


  • Could be a month before the initial appointment.
  • They need you to attend some "classes" and lose about 10% of your weight in six months BEFORE surgery.
  • If you lose to much then you'll no longer be eligible for surgery.
  • The "faster" you lose that 10% the sooner you'll get surgery.
  • SOOO many people have had problems with either type - bypass or lap-band - so it's hard to decide what would be better.
  • It could be up to a 3 year wait for surgery.
  • If you DO get surgery it could be in Red Deer, Edmonton, Medicine Hat, etc.
  • You have monthly appointments, in the CITY of your surgery... JOY...



With all that said, it makes me wonder. What's the point of exhausting all other options of weight loss until you're to the point of frustration that makes you want to pull your hair out... if you're just going to be told it could be another 3-4 YEARS of waiting before you get relief??

Don't get me wrong. Or think me spoiled. I didn't think I was going to get surgery tomorrow. But I DID think it would be within this year sometime.

Obviously this is what I've read on the net. Not what I've been TOLD in person or anything. And fortunately, I am unfortunate enough to have co-morbidities that go along with being morbidly obese. I suffer from depression and anxiety and I have asthma.

It seems as though if you have co-morbidities then you are pushed up that list. So it's actually in my favour (for once) that I'm as broken as I am.

So. What am I going to do? I'm going to walk on my treadmill. Do 15 min at a time on my elliptical. Eat as well as I can. Work as hard as I can to NOT get sucked into all the drama on the inter-webs. Work as hard as I can to, at the very least, not GAIN weight.

And wait... I'm going to wait for the phone call that gets me the appointment with a surgeon.

Keep up with me if you want, I'll be posting this new journey and hopefully we get somewhere together!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The End isn't always THE End

After almost seven years I'm closing my dayhome. I've had the same girl with me for four of those years. None of my kids were with me less than a year. It's amazing how attached you get to other peoples children. Finding the courage to tell the parents I was closing was the most difficult thing I've ever ever had to do. I know it won't be the last difficult thing, and I know that there will be moments in my life that will not even compare to this. For now, this is my life. I cry at the thought of losing these kids. I smile at the thought of working outside my home again. I get upset when I think of all the things I'm going to miss with this. I laugh at the thought of getting my art "studio" back. I am conflicted emotionally. My husband, my boys, they've got my back. They're supportive and encouraging. I've got wonderful family and friends to help me through this. It is a selfish thing of me to feel this way, however, I need to
Read more

Washing My Hair in the Sink

We woke up late this morning. Jerome and Xavier decided to sleep in and Sylvain didn't set his alarm. I woke up and looked around, it was bright in our room. Oh no. That means the sun is coming up. That means it's after 7am. Crap. Turns out it was 7:45am. My dayhome is 'supposed' to be open at 7am, Sylvain is supposed to be off to work at 7:30. EEK! Jump out of bed, don't even get dressed, run downstairs and check the front door. Nobody. Whew. Then I start to wander around and turn on lights, straighten up and realize I probably have to wash my face. Make up, wonderful... unless you go to bed with it on. Anyway. Everything started out in a hurry, but slowed down after that. I was going to have a dayhome safety check done today, but she called and rescheduled. But that wasn't before I ran around putting things away, cleaning things, locking up cupboards, etc. Sheesh. In between babies snacking, playing, diaper changes. And that was BEFORE lunch! I remember I have
Read more

Where to Start

 Time flies when there's a pandemic and you're in out of school care. I swear I just made the previous post the other day, not three weeks ago! So much has happened, but before we even begin to talk about that, let's discuss some topics that I want to go over. The next few posts that I create will be centered around behaviour. Yes, I know, everyone talks about behaviour and how it's linked to feelings, situations, peers, caregivers, weather, meals, etc. Really it all is. However, there is so much more to it than.. Joe hit Sue because he was angry that she took his truck. While Joe is probably very angry and did indeed hit her for that reason, is there something else? Should we be helping him unpack and determine where those feelings came from? So much can be learned. After that I hope to go over observation vs supervision. Yes. There is indeed a difference. Maybe not to most, but if you have intent and purpose as motivation to watch what the children do and how they int
Read more