Newbie. Anyone in Ontario pay for surgery themselves?

Hello, I'm new here and have been researching gastric bypass for the past few months. I saw my family Dr today and have been referred to the OBN. I am seeing on this forum, that it seems to take anywhere from 8 to 18 months from referral to surgery. Is that about right? Also has anyone gone the pay for it themselves route for faster scheduling?

Many paid out of pocket but it won't happen in Ontario.  I think the nearest you can self pay for a RNY is Quebec.  Getting to the finish line quicker isn't always the answer.  I self paid but my surgery was not covered under OHIP so had no choice in the matter as I wanted something not covered.  Self pay in Quebec used to be about $22k for a RNY and forget how much for a VSG.  

You can self pay for a sleeve with dr colbourne in Toronto 

I know Smart Shape offers it but was told it wasn't Cobourn doing it but another surgeon. I would trust anyone that works for him though. Haven't seen anyone post on here that they had a sleeve done there yet so keep forgetting about them. 

Hello Gastric Bypass surgery is covered under OHIP here in Ontario.  There is a criteria for getting accepted for surgery.

The process takes 8 months to one year here in Ottawa.

There are seminars, classes, nutritionists, behaviourists, nurse practioners, & doctors...

Lots of preparing...

Mahalo

I'm in Kingston, and here the time from orientation to surgery can be as little as 6 months. I did orientation about a month ago, and the time is flying by! The months before surgery are a time to establish healthy lifestyle habits, address other physical or mental health concerns, and whatever else you need to do to prepare for what is a major, life-changing surgery. I totally understand the frustration with waitlists, but for WLS I think it's a good thing we can't just "jump in" quickly.

Agreed. After going through the program and being so close to surgery has made me appreciate the program and how much help they have been. From referral to surgery will be 8.5 months. It's flown by. 

It took me 10 months and I wouldn't change it! Sometimes I still feel unprepared lol

It's not a long time to wait and there are important steps involved. 

My wait time has been on the longer side than  most. My orientation was October 2015 and I will be having surgery January 26 so around 15 months. But I've truly needed that time to get my head around everything and now I can honestly say I'm ready. That said, the last 2 months have really flown by.

Thank you so much for your replies.