One Step Closer

Apr 21, 2015

I started thinking about WLS, and if it would be right for me, last summer.  Living in Ontario, Canada, WLS is paid for by our provincial health insurance, but there is a process to qualify and prepare for the procedure. This was a good thing for me as it gave me a lot of time to figure out if this was a really good match for my life, and if I could make the changes necessary for such a procedure to be successful.  My family doctor made a referral for me in August, and in October, I went to an all-day orientation session to learn about the procedure and what to expect from the process.

After that, I resumed logging what I ate  (something I had quit doing for a long time) and reduced the amount of pop and caffeine I consumed.  I met with a nurse, to discuss my overall health and record my medications, I spoke with a pharmacist to discuss how my current meds would work post surgery.  I then spoke with my family doctor to make changes to what I was taking.  I met with a nutritionist, and social worker.  I took part in a sleep study, and had lots of blood work done. 

Since my last cruise (in January, 2015) I have not drunk any pop or coffee.  I have eliminated all caffeine.  I was never a big drinker, but I haven't  had any alcohol since the cruise either.  I am trying to be more active, and wear an activity tracker to help keep me motivated.   I still struggle with food cravings and over eating, but I feel quite pleased with the progress I've made.  I think that WLS would be a good thing for me, and a useful tool to improve my health.

Today I received a call from the bariatric clinic to schedule a teleconference with a surgeon.  This is the next step in the process.  It's a 15 minute meeting to review my health and the procedure.  Then a face to face meeting with the surgeon and anesthesiologist  is scheduled.  Following that, I would start the protein shake/clear fluids fast (not really a fast...but a very limited diet) and the surgery would be several weeks after that. 

The surgeon I'll be working with is Dr. Sullivan from St. Joseph's Health Centre in Toronto.  It's about a four hour drive from my home, so arrangements will need to be made, but that should be easy enough to arrange, as I should have a lot of lead time to plan.  All the reviews about Dr. Sullivan that I've read on this site have been glowing, so I feel really positive about him doing my surgery as well.  

I feel very excited about his and feel ready to move forward.  I'm glad it's taken this much time to get to this stage, so I have been able to carefully consider and prepare.  There is no rush to get this done, but it's still exciting to look forward to. 

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