I'm glad you had a good experience with TWH! In my case, yes I already had the RNY 15 years ago so I can't have it again. The Duodenal Switch is the gold standard for RNY revisions. It provides the most weight loss for the longest time. But - there aren't many doctors who do it because it's a complex surgery. So far the only one I know of is at St Joe's in Hamilton. I know TWH also does the gastric sleeve. I'm a bit concerned they may try to force the sleeve on me, because it doesn't provide enough weight loss and it only works for a few years. It's not much better than the gastric band which I just had removed.

I was pretty upset when I wrote my last post because it has taken me two years of fighting with doctors just to get the referral to OBN, and I had to fight every step of the way to get my RNY as well. I've calmed down a bit since then. I went on the OBN website and read through the physician section of the site. It turns out that they send you to the hospital based on postal code at first, and at that hospital your needs are assessed and they decide if you need to go elsewhere.

So I'm going to their orientation next week. It's going to be interesting. Now in Toronto we have the first case of the coronavirus and everyone's freaking out. You can't find a mask in any of the stores or online. I'm worried because I'm still recovering from lap band removal surgery a couple of weeks ago, and TTC doesn't provide accessible transit to the hospital (I use a walker). I will have to walk almost a kilometer from the nearest transit to the hospital, in the dark, through Chinatown and a bad neighbourhood with a homeless/addict drop-in. I'm afraid of being mugged or picking up that virus. I have one of those respirator masks with the big filters on the sides, that's what I'll be wearing when I go.

Thanks Dawn!

I have my appointment with my family doctor tomorrow and I am armed with that article, and directions on how to refer to the Ontario obesity network. I'll update after my appointment!

Eva

I found several years after an RNY that booze hit me like crack cocaine. A couple of years later I was in rehab. You will find it a lot more powerful and addictive than it was before surgery. It also makes you gain weight, it irritates your stomach and bowel lining, and if you drink carbonated booze it stretches your pouch. I recommend you stay away from it altogether. If you're going to an event like a wedding, bring a bottle of sparkling grape juice or some other alternative. My two years of rampant alcoholism cost me a lot, and I don't mean money.

If you switch centres you usually need to restart process from orientation as each centre operates independently. Hopefully someone will respond to what centre provides what you want and you can request transfer. No guarantee that you will get what you want. Do your research and have your arguments ready to support what you want. RNY remains the GOLD standard in Ontario

I have a 15 year old gastric bypass. I'm gaining weight again and my diabetes and sleep apnea are back. I also had a gastric band which did nothing except cause trouble with reflux and food regurgitation. That was removed on Dec 31/19. The surgeon *****moved my band told me I need a Duodenal Switch and referred me to the Ontario Bariatric Network, since my family doctor was refusing to do so for 2 years.

I just got a letter from Toronto Western Hospital, where I was referred based on my postal code. I have to go in for a seminar next week. I checked their website and they only do the gastric bypass and the sleeve. I don't want a sleeve! I'm getting older (mid fifties) and I don't want to have to fight for years again in my sixties to get a DS after the sleeve fails. I've done a lot of research and everything I've read says the DS is far and away the best option for a RNY revision. I called this hospital but they wouldn't give me any straight answers and just said "come to the seminar anyway".

How do I avoid getting railroaded into getting a surgery I don't want at a hospital I don't want? This hospital is also in a bad location for me because transit there isn't accessible (I use a walker), I have to walk 20-30 min from the nearest accessible transit to get there and it's two hours' trek by transit each way. I don't want to waste years going back and forth for lectures, tests, consultations etc. at the wrong hospital only to end up being sent to a second hospital, jumping through the same set of hoops a second time, and waiting more years for a surgery. I could die of old age first.

Has anyone else had the experience of being sent by OBN to a hospital that doesn't offer the kind of surgery you need? I know they do it by postal code, which IMO is asinine, in fact there's another OBN hospital that's a lot closer to my home. What happens? Is there any way I can get sent to the correct hospital now? Or does the first hospital send all of your results to the second one where the procedure is done? Is St Joe's in Hamilton the ONLY Ontario hospital doing the Duodenal Switch?