Hello,

My name is Jeff. First I would like to say that I am glad to have found this site (what I would do without Google, lol), as I am currently pre-op and it really helps to have all the information one can get from those at various stages, especially on a forum dedicated to one surgery.

Anyway?I?m a 24 guy from Oshawa, Ontario (about an hour east of Toronto). Since the age of 6 I have been dealing with an evolving weight problem. I went from being ?husky? to being, well I suppose ?super, super, super?morbidly obese?. I think a timeline might be the best way to document my struggles with my weight:

Birth: 11lbs ? oz

11: 180lbs

16: 375lbs

21: 663lbs

24: 745lbs

In 8 years I have literally doubled my weight. I was taken aback when I found out I was 663lbs after having to go to a warehouse and step onto an industrial shipping scale. My relationship with food has never been great. I went from sneaking of food at night to extreme binge eating.

Luckily for me my height coupled with my large frame and the way my body carries my weight I am still mobile, albeit greatly hindered. Due to no proper furniture to support my back I don?t have much built up stamina. I have spent the past two years fighting with disability to get a bariatric bed and I finally managed to get the $6,000 funding I needed for it. I am hoping to get it this week! Right now I can?t go from my apartment to the lobby (my apartment is the closest to it, about 75 feet), without feeling like my back is going to give out and becoming winded.

Over the years I have tried numerous diets: Atkins, Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, Dr. Bernstein, Opti-fast, Cabbage Soup diet, Slim-fast, etc. Nothing ever seemed to work long-term and I would see 20-60lbs of weight loss only to put it all back on twice as fast. Obviously I learned diets don?t work and eventually I just did not care anymore.

In 2007 I was hospitalized for nearly 3 weeks and was transferred to a private facility and spent 4 weeks in an eating disorder program. However because of my extreme size the facility and I mutually agreed it would be best for me to leave halfway through as they just could not fully accommodate me. Initially they denied me on my size alone. Unfortunately in Canada there just is not enough extreme cases to warrant the same type of programs to help battle obesity like there are in the US. However during the 7 weeks I was in hospital I dropped from 745lbs down to 680lbs. Although over the past two years I have regained that weight.

For the past 6 years I have been researching bariatric surgery. Most of my research was with the mindset of having a lap-band procedure. In Ontario this is not covered by OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Program), so I was trying to get family to cover the costs. Unfortunately surgeons up here are not as experienced at 4 years ago I estimated my weight at being 450lbs, when in fact it was probably closer to 550lbs.

This past January just 3 weeks until my 24th birthday my mom sent an email to a Toronto news station. Within an hour she received a response from their health anchor wanting to know if I would be willing to do a story. Within three days they were filming my mother and I at my apartment building. A few days after the story aired, I received a call from the anchor informing me that a man they had done a story on a few months earlier contacted them wanting to offer me some help. Having been in similar shows weighing over 500lbs at one point he went to Cleveland to have lap-band surgery. When he came back he eventually opened a clinic of his own when he realized there were no support programs in place.

The offer extended to me was the help to facilitate with a top US surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic whom he saw for his lap-band. He also personally offered to drive me down to Cleveland and then provide me with post-op support services free of charge. We filmed a follow up story two weeks after my first news segment and the wheels started moving with the paperwork required to get approval for out of country surgery.

After my own further research and hearing it from Tom (the generous fellow who owns the local lap-band clinic), that the lap-band was not right for me I spent countless hours scouring Obesity Help and settled on the DS. Unfortunately after applying for out of country approval a month later OHIP came to the decision to suspend approvals for the DS pending review by a panel they setup. I was prepared to fight tooth and nail, but then Cleveland Clinic sent a proposal to OHIP, which was then offered to me by OHIP. The proposal was for me to go down to Cleveland for a VSG to be performed by Dr. Philip Schauer followed by a RNY roughly a year later. Due to my excessive weight they deemed me high risk and thus wanted me to come down two weeks prior to surgery and spend two weeks recovering down there. This means a very big bill for OHIP so today they are supposed to get the final negotiated price from Cleveland and I assume I will then get official approval.

I agreed to the first portion of the two stage surgical approach, the VSG. If a second surgery is necessary then I am hoping that the DS is once again covered by OHIP. However at this point in time I am honestly hoping that the sleeve is all that I need to get my weight in control.

I will admit that I don?t know quite as much about the VSG as I do the DS, however minus the malabsorption the VSG and DS are pretty much the same?although correct me if I am wrong.

At any rate I am expecting to be in Cleveland by the middle of August preparing for my surgery. I am hoping to potentially get a better idea when I speak with Cleveland and OHIP later this morning. I have mentally prepared myself for all possible outcomes and now I just need to find out a date.

Anyway clearly I can go on and on about this. I hope that I made this somewhat comprehensible and that I didn?t jump from one topic to another too much.

Again I am so glad to have found this new treasure trove of information and I know this is going to be another frequented site that I?ll have tabbed on my browser 24/7.

Congrats for making it through my novel, ha ha.

(I apologize again if there is some comprehension issues as I have been up all night and thus my mind is not quite as sharp at the present.)

Ohh I thought of a name:

BaldricksCorner.com

that is very catchy!

You asked about throwing up. Yes, it's common for people to throw up at first with the sleeve.

If you eat too much, or eat something your new tummy does not like, up it comes. I hadn't done it in awhile, and then last week I ate some chicken too fast cause I was late to an appt. I didn't chew it well enough and took too big of bites and sure enough, I knew it was going to come back up. Believe me, when that happens, you're happy to have it come up rather than be miserable.

There is really no way of knowing what your'e going to like after surgery. I am one of the only people on here that liked what I liked before surgery and liked it just the same after surgery.

There is a thread I started that shows where you can get samples of different things to try. Everyone says not to buy too much of anything ahead because after surgery, you may hate it.

There is also the thread "rate your liquids" where people talk about what they like.

Well I think it is going to be tough to get me to eat enough in the beginning. As I said I am a very cautious person and I go out of my way to avoid any unnecessary discomfort or pain. That's not to say I won't be compliant with my post-op diet, I'll just pay acute attention to my my new stomach.

Thanks for the link to the thread re: Protein samples. Going to see what I can find locally. I'm sure there is some sort of store in the mall just around the corner from my apartment building that sells this sort of stuff.

The only thing that caused me to vomit, was when I got home from the hosp the first night, I crushed one of my meds and added to the top of the liquid pain medicine. My new stomach didn't like that and wretched about 5 times. If you wretch too much, it could disrupt the staple line, so you have to call your doc if that happens too much. My mom was so good to me, I moved to the chair in the living room, and she slept on the couch, near me, until I felt better. Sometimes, there is nothing better than family.

I told my mom if I end up with open surgery she better make the necessary arrangements to make the easy chair and ottoman I have comfortable, because that'll be her new bed for a while, lol. It is not comfortable at all, but I honestly cannot imagine how I would cope in the beginning if my surgery was done open. I have enough trouble now bend and twisting to do certain everyday tasks and it would seem impossible in my mind to do before an open wound was fully healed.

I was told I would SOL to get a PSW (personal support worker), through the CCAC (Community Care Access Centre), to come in and look after me and help me with different things. Plus I am not keen on someone else bathing me or what have you. My mom did it 24 years ago...I'm just a heck of a lot bigger, lol.

I hate to vomit too. But sleeve vomiting isn't that bad. And you can avoid it by not eating fast and chewing really well.

Shouldn't be mission impossible for me. Like I said I am EXTREMELY cautious. It'll be nice when I can actually go outside during the winter and not have to worry about slipping and falling on my ass. I'm hoping for another mild and mostly snow-less winter!

I have read a lot of strange stuff on weight loss boards. Laying claim to things just in case a family member dies during a surgery is one of the most shocking things I have read. This may not be the right time but in the future I would encourage you to stand up for yourself. I know I became more passive the more weight I gained. I stayed in an abusive relationship because I thought no one would want me. Next time someone does something so shocking and rude tell them to F off. They are not your friend. There is no excuse for this even if you were talking about your risks and fears of surgery. We are all educated adults here. We know you are a high risk patient. They know too. This is not a garage sale. This is your life.

I know you are going to come through fine.

I love the thought of a website! I am no good with web names though. We all can't wait to see before and after pics!

Humm. At your size I think 1400 to 1800 calories to start is good. I don't know what your daily caloric intake is now but you don't want to drop too fast. Your journey is going to be a little different than the rest of us. Most of us were restricted to 800 to 1000 calories pre op or just clear liquids but my uneducated guess is your weight makes going slower a better option. You will feel hungry until your pancreas gets used to having to put out less insulin. You can do it.

I am 21 days out and not thrown up yet but (and two big buts) I have taken Zofran the minute I felt any nausa and I am still on clears. I have not "tested" my new tummy yet. I am honestly so scared of a leak I would do almost anything not to throw up.

I would continue to own your problems with food. I had to own mine. Yes it is an addiction and yes I have to work everyday to overcome it. I alone am responsible for what goes in my mouth.

I think your care in the U.S. is going to be great! Cleveland Clinic is good medicine. Nothing substandard there.

Hey how are you getting to Cleveland?

Well my family and friends are "special" sometimes. They'll say ridiculous things and I just let it go in one ear and out the other. I don't hold a lot of merit towards things my dad says. He knows I won't be giving stuff away to him anytime soon. He screwed me over years ago and I'll never forget it. It was actually the biggest reason why I went from around 400lbs to where I am now.

Without making the story too long...I was in my first year of university. OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program), provided me with the bulk of the money for tuition and residence, however they don't give you nearly enough to cover all costs. My dad's father is a multi-millionaire so I was seeking some help from him through my dad as I don't have the greatest relationship with my grandfather due to rarely seeing him growing up after my parent's divorce. My uncle (a lawyer), was the one who was doling out the money and I seemed to be managing. My grandma (mom's side), was also help me with money for groceries.

Prior to heading off to university I received two student Visa cards totaling $1,500 in credit. Right away my dad convinced me to get him high speed internet and a new cell phone with the promise that he would pay the bills on time. I got myself a cell phone as well and for the first month things were going fine. He and my step-mom came down to visit me the week before Thanksgiving (early October), and they decided to take me for lunch at the Native Casino behind my residence building (my step-mom has a gambling problem). Well I decided to use $40 and eventually hit a mini-jackpot and came out ahead $400. Well right away I was asked if I would loan them the $400 as they wanted to have Thanksgiving dinner at their place, so being the way I am I handed it over on the verbal promise I would be paid back. A month later he just stopped paying his internet and cell phone and I could not cover the $150/month he owed me for his services. Debt started piling up...I was low on money as it was and when I went home for the Holidays, I said I did not want to go back. No one gave me support so I dragged myself back to school and halfway through the semester I had to call it quits. I could not focus, I was holing myself up in my bedroom and I was extremely depressed.

So skip ahead to today and I have horrible credit, and creditors calling almost every day for the past 6 years.

Alright, so I lied...seems like that wasn't as short and simple as I had hoped.

I could horrify you with some of my other baggage!

Ohh I thought of a name:

BaldricksCorner.com

This will be on the short list for sure. A lady in Ontario kept her's simple and just made it Sarahsgastricbypass.com

Not many people get my online handle of Baldrick, lol. They just assumed that my name is Rick and I am bald, ha ha.

Bump the bill collectors. You are now taking charge of your life. It is true, unfortunately, that normal weight people are more successful. You will realize all the things you have wanted to do. I was 36 when I went back to college. I knew I had to stay one step ahead of the teeny boppers that were just coming out of college and looking to take my job. I am getting ready to take some more classes to stay on top of things. Plus I have always wanted to be a true Florida Gator. I have not truly started pn my VSG journey yet due to complcations.I am on a feeding tube so I don't know all about the chewing and throwing up if you don't but I'm a quick learner so that should come easy. I should be ready to consume foods orally sometime in October. I am also looking forward to the beginning of my new life.

Hayley - what a great attitude you still have for all you have gone through. I'm glad to hear you're progressing and things are getting better. Thanks for keeping things in perspective for so many of us.

HUGS to you. You are a STRONG woman

Not many people get my online handle of Baldrick, lol. They just assumed that my name is Rick and I am bald, ha ha.

I HAD IT FIGURED OUT....I was wondering if I was right :scared0:

I HAD IT FIGURED OUT....I was wondering if I was right :svengo:

"I have a cunning plan!" ...such a great character in a great comedy series.

Anyway I should be in bed as it is 3:15am and I have to be up early to head into Toronto for a meeting at CIBO (the local lap-band clinic that is helping me out big time re: surgery), as we are going to go over final details before Tom (the founder/owner), drives my mom and I down to Cleveland on Sunday night.

We're also going to be shooting another news segment for a Toronto news station, which should be interesting.

I'm supposed to start the liquid diet tomorrow, but I am not exactly looking forward to that. I'm going to try out some old Optifast 900 I have left that is expired (Oct. 2006 is what the box says), but from what I have read the only problems with expired powdered Optifast is the flavour might not be as potent. I must also remember to make room in my freezer and start making some ice...because without ice it just is not as good.

Still figuring out website stuff...have a few ideas, but nothing set in stone. I'm really pushing it...so I might not get it setup until after I get home, however I'll be jotting all my thoughts down on my netbook, and if I can't do it myself then I'll dictate to my mom.

Anyway just wanted to mention what was going on. I better go to bed and get a few hours or quality sleep.

Cheers!

I honestly can't wait till your next update and when you get your website up!

Optifast. Yech. Remember as you are going through your liquid diet keep your eye on the prize, stay out of the here and now and look at the future. You can do this.

This is so exciting. You are going to love your sleeve!

Just in case anyone was interesting I'm linking the two news stories I was a part of in January (just prior to my 24th birthday):

Story 1: 733 Pound Man Desperate For Life Saving Surgery - CityNews

Story 2: Generous Offer May Save 700 Lbs. Man's Life - CityNews

Unfortunately it seems since they upgraded their website it no longer has the video clip of each segment. I know I have them saved on my other computer and will most likely put them on YouTube and embed them in my websites blog.

Tom Saridis (the man in the second story), is the gentleman who will be driving me down to Cleveland as well as covering the cost of some medications, hotel stay for my mom for 2-3 weeks, bought my passport, etc. Very generous and supportive guy to say the least.

I'm thinking of getting my website up this weekend so that I can then update my blog while in Cleveland rather than just saving it to my hard drive until I get home.

liquid diet is going alright. My mom brought me some sugar-free popsicles, some other already mixed Protein shakes and she picked up my new CPAP mask. I'm got a new model so I am hoping it works out. I actually think I tried this Resperonics mask before and it leaked...but perhaps it was some similar model...who knows.

I also found out that if I had surgery on October 8th as is planned presently, then I'll be sharing a surgiversary with a friend of mine who will be having an RNY at Barix (her sister is also having an RNY the same day).

Another friend of mine who I assume has a close BMI to myself, but is worse off because of her height, age (mid-50's), diabetes, problems with her legs, etc. might be getting a lapband. They are not covered in Canada so you need $16,000 and I heard her mom is not considering dipping into her savings to help cover the cost. Basically she was told this would be coming out of her eventual inheritance. I am really happy for her, but I know if she does have the lapband done she will have a much more difficult journey then me.

Anyway, just wanted to post something to keep me busy.

Cheers!

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for posting the links to your story. I googled baldrick (now that I see you have lots of hair and your name is Jeff!), and found this youtube link:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=328Q79GoR7g]YouTube - Blackadder II - Teaching Baldrick Mathematics[/ame]

Is this the same baldrick??

Tom is obviously a very special person and I'm glad he reached out to help you.

Good luck with your trip to the U.S. I live in PEI and I have been referred to NS for surgery with Dr. Ellsmere, however I hear the wait may be 5 or 6 years.....

Keep posting so we know how you are getting along.

Nancy

Yes, that is the right Baldrick. That is the second season of the show, but I prefer the 4th, 3rd, and 1st in that order respectively.

Anyway just a quick update before I head to bed. I have been in Cleveland since Monday of last week. Surgery is on October 8th, so in a few days time. Hoping to get a better visit with the surgeon on Monday to ask a few important questions as when I met him later in the afternoon on the day I arrived in Cleveland I had been up for over 24 hours straight, and with all the testing they did I was just not able to think of these questions during the impromptu meeting.

Anyway I have blogged each day and I will provide the temporary link. My blog posts are basically unedited at this point, however I am allowing people to read them to get an idea of how things have been for me.

I will say though that I am sick of the Protein shakes and jell-o and would kill for some pizza, chicken or a cheeseburger. I thought about getting a pizza delivered to the hospital, but I don't have any American cash on me...plus I don't like confrontations and I know the doctor and nurses would not be pleased, lol.

Heck I'd prefer the beef/chicken broth over the shakes right now.

Anyway I will post the link to my blog sometime tomorrow.

Cheers!

Hi Jeff,

So glad to see a post from you. I have been thinking about you.

I thought that clip was pretty funny and showed my two sons (17, 14) - I'll have to check out the other seasons.

I would love to check out your blog, can't wait to get the link. I'm sure it is helpful to have a spot to document everything that is happening.

So, Oct. 8th - not long now, you must be so excited. Hang in there on the shakes, you'll be moved onto broths in no time.

It must be so nice to have your Mom with you. Have you done anymore interviews? If so, maybe you can post the link to those also.

Take care,

Nancy

I can't wait to see your blog!

I am glad you decided against the pizza. Staying on track is hard. Sometimes it is just sheer willpower that keeps us good before surgery. After surgery your stomach will make you be good the first several months but you still need to work on your thought patterns that cause overeating patterns. I think recovery is a daily activity.

Keep us updated. We will all being thinking about you on October 8th!

Hi Jeff,

I am also fairly new to this site and a fellow Canadian. I live in BC and the wait time here is about 1-1&1/2 years for appointment and then about 3 years for surgery. I am also going to have the sleeve done. My first appointment is Nov 16th so I have been waiting 1&1/2 just to meet the surgeon. I really hope your surgery goes well and I wish you all the best! This is a great site and the people are very welcoming supportive. Please keep posting on your progress. If the Canadian Government would wake up and see the major savings in Healthcare that would be had, if they were more supportive of Bariatric surgery, then maybe one day more patients would get the care they need. Here are a few interesting facts from another forum that I go to. These are based on stats from BC but they would probably be applicable for any province:

A diagnoses of morbid obesity (>40 BMI) is like being told you have cancer. Your chances of surviving 5 years is about the same. Cancer surgeries are NOT optional. Why would obesity surgery be optional for people with >40 BMI?

The MSP plans spends $1700 more on services for the average obese person in BC per year.

19% of British Columbians are Obese – 750, 000 of us.

Over 55% of British Columbians are considered over weight

If you're >25 BMI and have been longer than 5 years, your chances of returning to a normal weight without surgical intervention is less than 5%

If only 20% of obese British Columbians were treated with WLS, there would be a $1 Billion Dollar return to our Health Care budget over 25 years

I find that last statement to be staggering. Anyway take care, and you will be in my thoughts as you start this amazing journey!

Cheers,

Heather

wow Heather, thoes are some startling facts---wonder what the numbers are for Amer-i-cans? our health care could use a break! I wonder why our Insurance company's do not see this and act? it would cost them so much less???