From London and meeting my surgeon by Telehealth

 Hello everyone 

 I'm just looking for some information   I will be meeting my surgeon  by telehealth  video  conferencing  as I live in London but will be having my surgery at Toronto Western Hospital. I have not received any information on what I can expect from my the Tele health appointment  I only received a date and a time . I'm just curious if there will be a nurse there and if they will be taking blood work.  Is this when I buy my Optifast? For some reason I thought I could only buy it from my surgical site?  I have tried to call TWH  as well as the telehealth but I'm playing phone tag .....for days.  Today I decided to come on here and see if anybody can shine some light for me :) 

Thanks!!

hopefully i can give you a little more information.  I just recently did my tele medicine OTN with my surgeon from St joseph healthcare in Toronto. Its a very short meeting approx 15 minutes.  Your surgeon will explain the procedure and ask you some questions.  at the end you can ask your questions.  A nurse will weigh you and measure you and do you blood pressure.   I was told during my meeting to write down his secretaries phone number and when i was finished I could call in and get my surgery date and pre op date.  (not sure if you'll have the same option as its a different hospital)  You purchase your optifast usually at pre op but again im not familiar with your hospitals procedures so hopefully someone else will have more insight for you.

Thank you!  so you got your O.R. Date the same time as your pre-op? I take it you need to travel to Toronto for your pre-op?  I thought I was told (I could be wrong) that I would only travel to Toronto once before  my O.R. and that would be to meet my surgeon.... So the telehealth appt has me confused lol.

thank you again!! :)

yes i will need to travel from northern ontario to toronto twice.  once for pre op a few weeks before i start optifast this is where they'll have me meet the surgerical team and meet my surgeon in person. i'll purchase my optifast have an xray if need be and blood work.  Then i'll go down for my surgery.   each center has their own way of doing things so im not sure on how yours is. 

I had my telehealth appointment last week from London to Toronto Western Hospital. The person who does the telehealth in London is not a nurse so there is no weighing or blood pressure or anything done. The appointment is very short. I saw a resident rather than one of the surgeons. The doctor goes through your medical history including the drugs that you are taking. Then you have the chance to ask any questions that you have. I got my date at the end of the appointment. I can't use optifast but she said that the hospital would be calling me to arrange for the optifast purchase and delivery (she forgot that I couldn't have it). She said that the pre op appointment is supposed to be on telehealth as well and any blood work or testing I need done will be done here in London. It was almost a let down since I waited so long for this appointment and had myself all worked up about it and then it was short and nothing much happened.

Thank you Leslie!  I feel your pain I was signed off on in early Dec and then had to wait to take my pre op class in Jan.  I've been waiting for this appt ever since.  I wanted Guelph (closer) but was told they were not accepting.... So I went with Toronto because they (Windsor)  told me it would be faster.  However now I have read Pt's that are going to Guelph are getting seen faster.  Oh well, I guess good things come to those who wait.  Thank you again for sharing the info!!! 

I switched also because Windsor told me that Toronto would be faster. I was signed off in October and had my surgery class in December. I think I would have been faster with Guelph. At least it's here now. My surgery date was exactly six weeks after my telehealth appointment. I hope yours is soon as well.

I was also in Windsor for the surgery class in Dec, got my surgeon appt in Guelph in Feb, had surgery Feb 18 and could have had the surgery 2 weeks earlier if I wanted. Funny how they said Guelph wasn't accepting.. Maybe there are requirements.