Need info from Ottawa people
Hi there! I'm having surgery in 2.5 weeks in Ottawa. All surgeries are done at the Civic campus only. I don't know all of the surgeons, just three names
Dr. Mamazza
Dr. Yelle
Dr. Neville
I met with Dr. Mamazza who is apparently head of surgery and one of the best around, but my surgery is with Dr. Neville.
Referral to OBN: June 20, 2017
Surgery with Dr. Neville - Ottawa, ON: December 6, 2017
Thank you for this info. Had heard of Dr. Yelle and Dr.Mamazza who according to the Ottawa Hospital surgeon Directory are the Co-Directors of the Bariatric Program. Dr. Mamazza is also Chief of the Division of General Surgery (all campuses). I also found out (from digging around online Bios thanks to the info you gave me to start my search) that Dr. Amy Neville is an Attending Surgeon in Bariatrics, and is Co-Director of the Bariatric Fellowship Program together with Dr. Nicole Kolozsvari, who is also a recent addition as Attending Surgeon in Bariatrics.
No matter who you have for your surgery I am sure you will be in good hands and wish you all the best. May you sail through as troublefree as I did ten years ago. I was amazed I only felt tired, had relatively little pain. I wish exactly the same for you!
Does anyone else among the Ottawa Peeps have more information? If you do, thanks in advance for any additional help!
on 11/17/17 7:09 pm
Hello there mermaidoz, you have all four surgeons' names. I believe that all the surgeries are done at the Civic even those coming from outside services, at least I have not heard of any surgeries performed elsewhere.
referred Jan 2016 intake May 2016 left programme returned June 2017 final pre-sx class Oct 2017 surgeon appt Oct 2017
Opti Wt Nov 4/17 226 lbs BMI 45 Sx Wt 212 lbs RNY surgery Nov 23/17 M1 -18 M2-9 M3-10 M4-8 M5-6 M6-7 M7-6 M8-3 M9-1(so far) Down to within one pound of my goal and 99 lbs down from my highest weight. I was not a fast loser but who cares as long as you get there! I know the newbies check the trackers and the signatures so although I kind of lost track of how the rest of the weight came off, you should know that it was not fast and furious but it was slow and steady!
current BMI 24.7 that, my friends, is NORMAL!!! Strong is the new pretty!
Presumably Dr. Mamazza was hovering over ( jr ) Dr. Walsh?! Let's hope so. Laparascopic surgery is projected on multiple screens, and one of the trochar holes (portholes) in our skin is for the CCTV camera. Surgeons operate looking on the screen manipulating " puppets" or robotic arms with claws. I was done ten years ago in Montreal, the OR was huge, and was told afterwards that once I was knocked out about twenty bariatric surgery students from McGill filed in, they had been collected quietly out of my sight, and came to spectate.
It crossed my mind when my first check-up was done by a Dr. from Israel (who introduced himself saying he "met" me when I was already out cold on my day of surgery), that possibly Dr. Christou did not actually do my surgery, maybe the Israeli Dr did, but I didn't ask as really did not want to go there as was self pay in Dr. Christou's private practice. No bariatric surgeries were offered in Ottawa then, OHIP sent everyone to the US.
My preference was to remortgage, and go just 2 hrs away to Dr. Christou, a world eminence in gastric bypass, at that time Chief of Bariatric surgery at the Royal Vic hospital and also Professor and Director of Bariatric Surgery at McGill. Thinking back, there were few surgeries at Royal Vic so few learning occasions, so it makes sense Christou had everyone troop into his private practice OR and "learn", maybe even "do". He had many Canadian and foreign surgeons in his Fellowship program at McGill who came to study with him as postdoctorals refining bariatric techiques. Suggest your Dr. Walsh wasn't an "undergrad" as you say, but like my surgeon from Israel. Anyway I too survived, had no pain and no complications. I was over 300 lbs, 274 lbs day of surgery, slow loser, but ten years later am below my personal goal of 160lbs. Yay me, and maybe all thanks to the Israeli Dr under close supervision of Dr. Christou.
Wishing you all the best on your continued weightloss journey...fun isn't it? Sooo worth it, after the "honeymoon period" it gets harder but I never regretted remortgaging and doing it my way. I was 62 and after researching a couple of years the types of wls, risks, and surgeons, made my choices and went forward as no longer had time to wait ...I was in a hurry to live again!
THANK YOU All for responding!
The reason for my asking is that now that I am older, my health has had a few hiccups (none wls related). I felt it wise to know the names of General Surgeons with Bariatric Surgery specialties, and the locations they practice.
I wear a Medicalert bracelet in case of a trip to Emergency, to let medical personnel know about my wls.
I find you can explain over and over and shove written descriptions at people, they don't listen and don't read. You'd better wear a sandwich board to the ER at a non-bariatric hospital listing your restrictions (and maybe to a bariatric ER as well?). At any rate, will feel safer going to an ER with expertise in my reworked plumbing. I obsess about getting older, being unconscious somewhere in a non-bariatric ER with a doctor wanting to scope by mouth, or pump out my stomach, or I am out cold after an intestinal resection surgery and a Nutrition tech or nurse wants to force a NG tube up my nose and down my throat into my "stomach" and instead perforates my RnY pouch.
When in Ottawa will only go to the Civic, and request my GP refer me to one of the 4 surgeons practicing Bariatric Surgery if ever I need one ( ex hernia repair, or for anything that might involve my internal plumbing). They are all General Surgeons first, with Bariatric surgery and perhaps another as additional specialties. If something happens, I will request a doctor with bariatric specialty if I can speak for myself (in addition to wearing my sandwich board). Not likely to find that expertise in any other ER in Ottawa!
Thanks again Ottawa Peeps!
