Humber - who to call for medical issue?

I am seven months into my wait for my first appointment at Humber.

I have multiple sclerosis, and am about to start a new treatment to stave off further progression of the disease. The treatment is a daily pill, and I have been going crazy trying to find out if it is compatible with roux en y (absorption, stomach irritation, pill size, etc.). It is a brand new medication and not many doctors or pharmacists have encountered it.

It takes two months to titrate up on the medication, and again to clear it out of my system, so my neurologist and I want to ensure we're on the same page as the surgeon. The titration stage has some pretty awful side effects, so I'm not keen to go on the meds then off soon after for surgery.

After seven months just waiting for an appointment date, there's no way I feel comfortable putting off treatment, as it could be another year before I actually have surgery.

My neurologist is clueless about bariatric surgery and insists that medication absorption is not an issue with roux en y. My GP keeps pushing me to contact Humber.

But I don't have a surgeon or nurse or anyone at Humber who I can consult. I've left two voicemails and never got a response

Who can I ask for when I call, if I don't yet have an assigned nurse or anyone?

Your ideas and experiences would be much appreciated!

I can't speak specifically to Humber, but at Guelph they had a pharmacist who specialized in bariatrics. Perhaps Humber has someone similar? They may at least be able to do further research to help you out.

Meg~

Depending on your meds the surgeon may choose to go with the Sleeve Instead of RNY.

I could see that you really need to co-ordinate both if your serious medical needs. Timing is everything here and you also need to know if this new MS med might need to be stopped for you WLS surgery regardless of any malabsorbtion issues. One of my meds, an immunio suppressant, had to be suspended before surgery and since MS is an autoimune disease, this may also be an issue for you.

I would call the clinic daily to get someone's attention - you need to know more information before you proceed on either road.

An update:

I called the clinic again yesterday, arming myself like an indestructible tank. It took 25 minutes of calling and transferring and calling again before I finally got an actual nurse.

I very quickly and politely explained my situation and she told me that because I'm not in the program, they can't help me. She was very abrupt and sounded annoyed.

So... I cried. My defenses broke. I told her it's been seven months since orientation, that I appreciate that's it's a long haul and many other patients are waiting and also have health concerns, but I am at a critical impasse and worried I have fallen through cracks.

Finally, she asked for my name, pulled up my file and said she would "pass it on".

I have no idea what that means, but today I missed two calls from Humber (no messages). Auggh! My phone will be glued to my hip from now on!