Thunder Bay Bariatric
Hi there! I live in Thunder Bay and had my gastric bypass through the TBay Bariatric Centre on May 11/15. Overall, the experience was great. My orientation was in December 2014. My memory is so poor these days, but I believe I had my first intake appointment around the end of January 2015 and that was with the head of the centre, Dr. AbuBakare. I then had an appointment with the psychologist and a dietitian (there are 2 - Kelly & Sarah - mine is Kelly). I had to go for bloodwork at some point early on too. I then met with the surgeon and the dietitian again. A mandatory part of the surgical process is the liquid OptiFast diet immediately beforehand. Once they determine your surgery date you will be given a prescription for the OptiFast (from the Shoppers on Memorial & John St.). It isn't covered by OHIP or any private insurance companies, so you do have to pay for it out of pocket. I'm sorry but I can't recall how much it is (damn memory, lol). The amount of time you are required to be on OptiFast is dependent on how much you weigh. I was 250 lbs pre-op so had to drink it for 2 & 1/2 weeks before surgery. It's 4 shakes a day with only some clear broth and decaf tea/coffee and water for the duration. The first 2-3 days were tough but then it got easier. I just kept reminding myself of the reason for it all and the long-term gains. I think that was pretty much it for pre-op stuff. With the exception of the appointment with the psychologist, all of the meetings with centre staff were pretty brief.
So my wait time from orientation to surgery was about 6 mths, though it could've been sooner as I was given the choice of a couple of earlier dates in April but that didn't work with my home life schedule.
I'm coming on 5 mths post op and haven't had any complications at all. I'm down 67lbs from my highest weight, 55lbs down from my day of surgery. Recovery was as I expected - some pain, but I was pretty able bodied by about 7 days post-op. I spent 2 nights in the hospital and it was ok. They will give you pain meds on discharge, the key is to take them like clockwork during that initial week or so afterward. The early dietary guidelines are a bit of a nuisance (lots of liquids in small amounts very often), but by about 3 weeks you are on soft foods. I was lucky to have the support of my in-laws who took my kids for the week after surgery so I could recover quietly at home and rest when I needed to.
I could probably go on, but I must get back to work, lol. Hope this info helped. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have.
Have a great day!
