I saw my doctor yesterday and asked her about possibility of Gastric Sleeve. She seemed ok with it - hard to tell her real feelings. But she is a GP and has seen a lot in her career. She has patients that have undergone the surgery and she seems to understand the battle obese patients have with weight and the issues that accompany it. She knows me well - I've been her patient since about the time she began her practice. I think she 'gets' me. She referred me to this doctor in my city. Can do self-pay, so can bypass the very long waits for surgery paid by our provincial healthcare, and the surgery is done in a hospital, not a clinic. She said this guy was a GP originally (so she said he has a good bedside manner), but decided to pursue surgery after a number of years as a GP. She said she highly recommends him. His office is close to home for me, as well as the hospital he works out of. Here's the clincher: I looked him up on RateMD and there are mixed reviews, although I have to say his support staff gets very low marks compared to him. Some people were very happy, one guy wrote the worst review as he had a terrible outcome (he doesn't just do WLS - other surgeries too). Some say he thinks he's a god and acts like it, some say he is great at explaining things. Perhaps it depends on whether or not the patient is obese and there for bariatric surgery as to how he treats the patient ??- just going by the following tweet I found on him… what do you think? It's the best option I have in my city - and I'm going to go see him and get an opinion for myself - but this tweet made me VERY uneasy. Even more so than the bad review or two on him.

https://mobile.twitter.com/kristalK55/status/403369637087178752/photo/1

Edited August 12, 201610 yr by TracyBar

How disappointing! Hang in there, though, and something will work out. Have you tried searching online to find a surgeon in your province that does sleeve surgery?

I just had an issue with my surgeon and had to postpone surgery. My MIL had open heart surgery 16 days after my scheduled sleeve surgery. She's 83, needed 2 valves, double bypass, and an ablation, and there was no way I wasn't going to be there. Well... my surgeon prohibits air travel for 6 weeks post surgery. I KNOW that people go to Mexico and fly home 2 or 3 days later- but this was the surgeon's rule and even though it seems foolish to me, I rescheduled. This is kind-of like your doctor's question "Who will take care of you post-op?" Well, who takes care of all the folks who have surgery in Mexico? THEIR DOCTORS AT HOME. People fly to Mexico, have gastric surgery, fly home a couple of days later, and somehow manage to survive and thrive despite their surgeons being out of country, despite having to fly. You'd think the surgeons here would realize this and be a little more open-minded.

Keep your faith... this is going to happen for you. If you have to go out of province for the surgery, DO IT. You'll get there, one way or another.

(and for the record, I thought the tweet was funny. My husband teaches college and friends are always sending him cartoons and jokes about underachieving students with bad attitudes. Doesn't mean my husband feels that way about his kids!)

How disappointing! Hang in there, though, and something will work out. Have you tried searching online to find a surgeon in your province that does sleeve surgery?

I just had an issue with my surgeon and had to postpone surgery. My MIL had open heart surgery 16 days after my scheduled sleeve surgery. She's 83, needed 2 valves, double bypass, and an ablation, and there was no way I wasn't going to be there. Well... my surgeon prohibits air travel for 6 weeks post surgery. I KNOW that people go to Mexico and fly home 2 or 3 days later- but this was the surgeon's rule and even though it seems foolish to me, I rescheduled. This is kind-of like your doctor's question "Who will take care of you post-op?" Well, who takes care of all the folks who have surgery in Mexico? THEIR DOCTORS AT HOME. People fly to Mexico, have gastric surgery, fly home a couple of days later, and somehow manage to survive and thrive despite their surgeons being out of country, despite having to fly. You'd think the surgeons here would realize this and be a little more open-minded.

Keep your faith... this is going to happen for you. If you have to go out of province for the surgery, DO IT. You'll get there, one way or another.

(and for the record, I thought the tweet was funny. My husband teaches college and friends are always sending him cartoons and jokes about underachieving students with bad attitudes. Doesn't mean my husband feels that way about his kids!)

Hi Leebick - really sorry about having to delay your surgery but I understand why. Family is worth it. Are you in Canada? And if so, where do you live and where is the surgery? The surgeon in Montreal prefers out of town patients stay 2 days in a hotel after discharge from his clinic (there for 2 days). It's in order to make sure you are not experiencing issues and because it's also more comfortable to fly at 4 days out. I do want a surgeon that has a lot of experience with this surgery. I'll have to wait until I hear back from my doc I guess

I know I may be in the minority, but I thought the post was insulting and in poor taste. People in the medical field should show compassion and understanding for their patience. I'm sorry this surgeon didn't work out for you, but I think you'll find the right person who will treat you with compassion and not as a punch line.

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*patients

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi Leebick - really sorry about having to delay your surgery but I understand why. Family is worth it. Are you in Canada? And if so, where do you live and where is the surgery? The surgeon in Montreal prefers out of town patients stay 2 days in a hotel after discharge from his clinic (there for 2 days). It's in order to make sure you are not experiencing issues and because it's also more comfortable to fly at 4 days out. I do want a surgeon that has a lot of experience with this surgery. I'll have to wait until I hear back from my doc I guess

How disappointing! Hang in there, though, and something will work out. Have you tried searching online to find a surgeon in your province that does sleeve surgery?

I just had an issue with my surgeon and had to postpone surgery. My MIL had open heart surgery 16 days after my scheduled sleeve surgery. She's 83, needed 2 valves, double bypass, and an ablation, and there was no way I wasn't going to be there. Well... my surgeon prohibits air travel for 6 weeks post surgery. I KNOW that people go to Mexico and fly home 2 or 3 days later- but this was the surgeon's rule and even though it seems foolish to me, I rescheduled. This is kind-of like your doctor's question "Who will take care of you post-op?" Well, who takes care of all the folks who have surgery in Mexico? THEIR DOCTORS AT HOME. People fly to Mexico, have gastric surgery, fly home a couple of days later, and somehow manage to survive and thrive despite their surgeons being out of country, despite having to fly. You'd think the surgeons here would realize this and be a little more open-minded.

Keep your faith... this is going to happen for you. If you have to go out of province for the surgery, DO IT. You'll get there, one way or another.

(and for the record, I thought the tweet was funny. My husband teaches college and friends are always sending him cartoons and jokes about underachieving students with bad attitudes. Doesn't mean my husband feels that way about his kids!)

I live in northern Maine and am having my surgery in Bangor. I made the right call about postponing for so long, though. My mother-in-law did OK with her surgery but she's 83 and it's never easy. We were with her at Cleveland Clinic for 6 days, but they can't stabilize her heart rate- she's still there, 13 days in all, so far. I'm going back out for a week, and may try to sneak in another week just before surgery (if I can get FMLA and my principal is OK with it). However, I am not postponing my surgery again. I realized that part of the reason it's been so easy for me to postpone was my discomfort with giving over control of my body to a medical team for a couple of days. After seeing what my dear, sweet mother-in-law put herself through to be healthy and stay alive, I realized I can SO do this… and really, really want to.

I live in northern Maine and am having my surgery in Bangor. I made the right call about postponing for so long, though. My mother-in-law did OK with her surgery but she's 83 and it's never easy. We were with her at Cleveland Clinic for 6 days, but they can't stabilize her heart rate- she's still there, 13 days in all, so far. I'm going back out for a week, and may try to sneak in another week just before surgery (if I can get FMLA and my principal is OK with it). However, I am not postponing my surgery again. I realized that part of the reason it's been so easy for me to postpone was my discomfort with giving over control of my body to a medical team for a couple of days. After seeing what my dear, sweet mother-in-law put herself through to be healthy and stay alive, I realized I can SO do this… and really, really want to.

Hi Leebick - really sorry about having to delay your surgery but I understand why. Family is worth it. Are you in Canada? And if so, where do you live and where is the surgery? The surgeon in Montreal prefers out of town patients stay 2 days in a hotel after discharge from his clinic (there for 2 days). It's in order to make sure you are not experiencing issues and because it's also more comfortable to fly at 4 days out. I do want a surgeon that has a lot of experience with this surgery. I'll have to wait until I hear back from my doc I guess

How disappointing! Hang in there, though, and something will work out. Have you tried searching online to find a surgeon in your province that does sleeve surgery?

I just had an issue with my surgeon and had to postpone surgery. My MIL had open heart surgery 16 days after my scheduled sleeve surgery. She's 83, needed 2 valves, double bypass, and an ablation, and there was no way I wasn't going to be there. Well... my surgeon prohibits air travel for 6 weeks post surgery. I KNOW that people go to Mexico and fly home 2 or 3 days later- but this was the surgeon's rule and even though it seems foolish to me, I rescheduled. This is kind-of like your doctor's question "Who will take care of you post-op?" Well, who takes care of all the folks who have surgery in Mexico? THEIR DOCTORS AT HOME. People fly to Mexico, have gastric surgery, fly home a couple of days later, and somehow manage to survive and thrive despite their surgeons being out of country, despite having to fly. You'd think the surgeons here would realize this and be a little more open-minded.

Keep your faith... this is going to happen for you. If you have to go out of province for the surgery, DO IT. You'll get there, one way or another.

(and for the record, I thought the tweet was funny. My husband teaches college and friends are always sending him cartoons and jokes about underachieving students with bad attitudes. Doesn't mean my husband feels that way about his kids!)

Good for you! There comes a time when we women need to put ourselves first. I'm at that point in my life. I have 3 kids and my youngest just turned 11. But my older kids are 25 and 22 so I've been parenting a long time! And have given over my life for a long time - time for me! (and it's not easy doing it but I know it'll be worth it)