On Sunday my good friend Nancy and I hit the road to Utica NY as I had a 9 am appointment to meet with Dr. Graber for a consult on the bariatric surgery. Nancy was permitted to join me as I met with the nurses and the doctor in three separate rooms.
We met with the first nurse who reviewed my history against the questionnaire I had filled out online some time back. She confirmed that what was true back then still holds true today. She took my blood pressure, weighed me and measured my height.
Next we met with the nurse who does the patient education and she explained the mechanics of the surgery, the risks and the recovery process. She was patient, kind and understanding and answered all our questions honestly and thoroughly.
The third stop was with Dr. Graber himself who also explained the procedure, compared it with other surgical options and explained why he preferred the Roux-en-Y which he performs exclusively. Of course it's kind of like a VW salesman explaining why VW's are better than Honda, but all bias' aside both Nancy and I felt a lot less freaked out by the surgery and definitely had a positive feeling that it could be the tool I've been looking for to help me reach my life long dream.
Dr. Graber was jovial and friendly, and Nancy and I both liked him a lot. In fact we liked everyone at the clinic. All told they spent about two hours with us and did not pressure me into anything. Dr. Graber said I could change my mind right up until the mask goes on face.
On the way out of the clinic we ran into a woman who was ECSTATIC, to say the least. I discreetly leaned over and asked her if she'd had the surgery to which she emphatically responded, "Yes!!. It was the best thing I ever did. It was EASY!" She even lifted her shirt and showed my her key hole scars from the laparoscopic procedure. I noticed she had a French accent and asked if she was from Quebec but she reponded that she was from Ottawa. I asked her if she would be interested in meeting me for coffee so I could discuss her experience and she happily gave me her phone numbers.
Now the decision.... but I suspect you may already have a sense of where this is going.....
Nancy and I chatted on the way home about the appointment and about the surgery itself. We talked about risks, eating modifications, behaviour modifications, and of course we talked about the probability of me finally being slim. Wow! A weight loss rate of 5-6 lbs per week is a pretty intoxicating concept! I could be in a bikini for my next winter vacation.
But I digress....
After much consideration I decided that I would ask the Ottawa clinic to pursue the surgical option for me in NY. I called them Tuesday morning to set the ball in motion. They will complete the forms to obtain approval from OHIP, and I must take 4 weekly classes to prepare for the surgery. My classes will start on June 16 and finish July 7. The clinic advised that OHIP would not likely approve the surgery if I didn't commit to attending the classes so based on this schedule I don't forsee a surgical date before mid to late July.
In the meanwhile I have chosen to continue with my Weight Watchers program because one of two things will happen:
- My success will be so great that when the surgical date is offered I will feel that I won't need it and decline; or
- WW is teaching me some very good habits, not the least of which is portion control, which I will need to aware of if I choose to proceed with the surgery.
So that's my decision.... in a nutshell, the decision is deferred until I get a surgical date. Sneaky eh? lol
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