Ok I Need Some Serious Help

Hey everyone, First of all I wanted to say Im new to this site ( well the forums anyway) and I need some help. I don't know if Im completely clueless or what but I can't figure out how to get the ball rolling with this WLS. I've asked my doctor but he just kinda brushes me off. He's not really that good of a doctor clearly. I also live in Canada and I know the wait times for Gastric bypass surgery are like 12 years long. I can not wait that long.  So my questions are pretty much How do I get an out of country approval? Is Gastric bypass surgery covered by OHIP? I basically need to know everything I can about getting the process started in Canada. Please someone help me! Thanks in Advance, Lisa

Hi Lisa!

I wish I could answer all of your questions, but I'll do what I can.  I'm not sure about how your insurance works but I would consider seeking out my own consultation with a doctor that is approved through your insurance.  Often you can call insurance companies and they can tell you which doctors in your area are covered and what specialties they have.  I would still keep in contact with your first doctor because if later down the road you're probably going to need him to provide your medical records and/or vouch for your previous attempts at weight loss.  I did hear of one individual who is also Canadian and had WLS surgery approved in Michigan.  She had a vlog on youtube.com.  Her name is Mallory and she goes under the name Meechermani on youtube.  Maybe you could contact her and find out what she did.  Well, I hope this helps!

Hi Lisa. I post on this forum as well as the DS forum. On the DS forum there are a lot of people who are from Ontario who have gotten out of the country wls. I would suggest that you post this same question on both the DS and Ontario boards. You will get excellent feedback. Good luck. Jo

Sorry for the newbie question but what is DS?

Lisa, We were all newbies at one time   DS is a one of the many Weight Loss Surgeries that are perfomed.  DS stands for Duodenal Switch.  If you go to the home page and go to Forms to the last choice which is More Forums.   There is a selection of all the different types of surgeries.  I would also suggest you try and get a hold of a book called Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies (yes they have one) it was a valuable tool to me pre and post op. Good luck to you. Jeanne

The duodenal switch is similar to the RNY in that it provides weight loss by both restriction of how much you can eat plus a malabsorbtion portion. The following website will show you an animation of all 4 of the mainstream surgeries done for weight loss. http://johnhustedmd.com/