Orientation

 After almost a whole year I have the Orientation in Guelph on Sept 6 from 4 - 6, is anyone else going?  I am just wondering if they start with appointments from then on.  It sure would be nice to finally start do something and hopefully it won't be another year before I can have the surgery.

 From my orientation to first appt was 3 mths. And from orientation to surgery was 14 mths. Don't expect it to go super quick. But it's worth it I promise. 

 I heard that it is a wait  for Guelph so I knew it would be a longer wait but Sept 26 will be a year and I am just going to the orientation so another 14 months will be over 2 years from the the referral, that sucks.  I know it will be worth it but it seems like foreverrrrrrrr...........lol

 Yep that's average. Most of us are around the 2 yr mark from referral to surgery. My best advice. Use this time to make changes now. Give up sugar, caffeine, and soda now cause you won't be able to have them post op so you won't miss them as much if you give them up sooner. 

You'll get there.. I'm there too... being referred in April 2011, finally seeing some movement when I had my orientation appointment in June and am now moving forward with some appointments next week.  It all takes time... but you'll get there and be glad that you had the extra time to educate yourself and to be prepared for what really lies ahead....

 Yes I know I will be glad when it comes that is for sure I am trying to read up on all of it and saving posts that have tips for me to remember after so that I may have the some of the answers from what others have experienced.  

I was going to go to the London support group that has a meeting   on August 26th but it was cancelled so I am just going to go to the September 30th one and talk to others and find out some things that they have experienced. Try to be prepared as much as possible before.

I got my surgery from guelph and went to orientation last August 2011 and finally got surgery July 19th 2012.  So you will probably get surgery sometime next year, probably around July / August.  That is if they are not even more booked up since I was there.  They like to see you twice Nurse, Dietitian and Social worker.  You will have to keep a food journal for the Dietitian which she will go over with you during your second visit.  HINT:  The good snack that they like to see on it is cottage cheese mixed with fruit..

Yep, you should stop drinking pop (even diet as it has carbonated water which is a no no after surgery) and caffine (can irritate the pouch) 

Ya it's a blow when you find out that it will still be a while before you get surgery, but time goes FAST and you will be better prepared because it is a major surgery and very life changing! 

So get a referral from your doctor for a sleep test if you haven't got one done before (I think it has to be within a year or something like that) and sleep test results take like 6 weeks to get back I think for most places. 

OH and one more thing....don't make my mistake and wait to book your apts. call them FIRST THING in the morning (they are there at 8am)  since your orientation is done at 6 and they are gone at 4 you will have to wait until the next day to call (yes you call them that is how they did it when I went), and waiting until afternoon could make you wait a couple more months LONGER for your first apts.  (That is what happened to me)  They will also probably tell you that if you split up your apts. then it will be faster as in some people are very far so make apts. on the same day if you are close then you can split them up like make the nurse and dietitian on the same day and social worker on another one.

I hope all goes well, and this gives you an idea of what to expect with Guelph! Sorry for my long post   but it all came back to me! lol

PS: My refferal was around March of 2010 but I tried for out of country but didn't work as there is more funding for the surgery here now...then it went to guelph a few months later but I slipped through the cracks so to speak so I waited about a year and a half for the orientation...

Good Luck!!
Melissa!

 

  Those are really good tips thank you.  I wouldn't have thought of calling at 8 in the morning so I will be right on it first thing that is for sure.  I'm glad that you told me about the dietician and some tips that they may like.  It is helpful to have some idea of what they like, it is all foreign to me that is for sure.

I didn't mind the long post as it was very informative and I appreciate it.  I am from London but I don't mind splitting up the appointments if it meant getting them done faster.

I was reading a post last night that said that the surgeons at Guelph weren't booking their post-op appointmens until 8 months. I didn't know that we went to the surgeon after we got out of the hospital and if we did I wonder why they changed it.  She said that, that is what the hospital told them that they were to not book them unless it was a medical reason or something like that.  I am not sure I found it interesting I guess I will find out that after......

If anything comes back to you let me know.

Thanks

Cindy

Ya I read the same post, my surgery was the first kind the surgeron ever seen so I am still seeing him on Sept. 7th.  I was in the hospital for 6 days (I was starting to think I was never leaving...)which is long, but had something like a longer bowel (part of which he had to remove) and he couldn't see something??  I was soo doped up I don't remember what he was talking about, but I am going to ask when I see him! So being his first case of this kind I am sure he wants to see me! lol 

As for calling in the morning, I wish I did! I got bumped just because I think I called the about two days later and it bumped me about 2 months!  You see there will probably be about 30 other people in the class and almost all are excited about the surgery, so whoever calls first gets the first available apts. (usually the early birds lol) and these apts will be a couple of months down the road.  Just a thought but if you start keeping a food journal now that will probably impress them, and the dietitian will go over it at your first apt. and tell you what you are doing wrong or what needs to be changed and then you will have to keep doing the journal again for the second apt. but you will probably be much more on track and really seeing what you eat can be a shocker! 
Oh and the cottage cheese thing with fruit is YUMMY! lol I really like it, but make your own much cheaper that way instead of buying it already with fruit, (container of cottage cheese 1% and can of fruit in WATER not surup that is just added sugar that you don't need) Just mix what you are going to eat and store separetly that is what i did) 

Melissa!

No I am not going, but I have empathy for how you are feeling. I copy and pasted my time line for you as an example, I learned a lot about myself during all the waiting and the stewing. Hang on you'll ge there,
Referral-July 2010
Orientation Class-July 28 2011
1st visit (RN&RD)October 25 2011
2nd Visit(RN)November 18 2011
3rd Visit(RD&SW)Feb 3 2012
Surgical teaching class-June 12 2012
Meet the surgeon-July 6 2010
Start Opti-fast-August 15 2012
Surgical Date-August 29 2012