Thought you may be interested in this post. The first part is from a WLS patient in Canada, (Rachelle) the second part is from the man’s wife (Ben). The link later on in the document is not valid anymore as a new paper arrived today. I truly am one of the lucky ones with angels looking down on me.
Hi everyone....just wanted to post an article I just read in
today's Winnipeg Sun: "Going to a restaurant, taking a flight or
squeezing into a seat at a cinema is a daunting, if not impossible
task for Ben MacMichael. At 550 pounds, just getting through the
day is a challenge for the 33-year-old Niverville man. "When I go
to the city, people look at me like I'm some kind of freak," said
MacMichael, who has been on a Saskatchewan waiting list for more
than two years for an operation to shrink his stomach and help him
lose weight. "People assume I sit in my house and eat non-stop and
don't care, but that's not true." While MacMichael admits a love
for cake and chips, he has made many changes to get his weight under
control.
> With the support of his wife, Angela,
the Niverville man has cut down on carbs and is trying to rid his
diet of junk food. "But when you have more than 300 pounds to
lose, I need something that will help me lose more than one or two
pounds a week," he said. "I'm not trying to convince you I'm a
victim. I just want some help." Upon recommendation from his
doctor, he was approved in 2003 for bariatric surgery, which will
reduce his stomach to the size of a thumb and remove some of his
intestines. The surgery is not offered in Manitoba and patients,
like MacMichael, are referred out of province, said Winnipeg
Regional Health Authority spokeswoman Heidi Graham. Manitoba
Health will pick up the tab to send approved patients to other
provinces for the procedure, she added. MacMichael initially felt
optimistic when he got his name on a Saskatoon surgeon's wait list,
but his hope is waning with each passing month. Recently, he
learned there is a
> Winnipeg physician who is willing and able to do the bariatric
surgery. The doctor, who works out of a St. Boniface clinic -- was
unavailable for comment when contacted by the Sun last night. But
the WRHA confirmed there is a qualified doctor waiting on provincial
approval before offering the surgery to obese patients. "There is
a physician in the region that can do the surgery and there is a
proposal. It's under consideration," said Graham. The province was
unable to confirm if the procedure will soon be offered in
Manitoba. In the meantime, MacMichael, who is director at Youth
for Christ in Niverville, isn't giving up hope. "My biggest dream
is to go kayaking. I'll know that I've made it when I can get into a
kayak and go on the lake," he said. Without the surgery, he's
certain his health will slip away. "I'm afraid I'm going to die.
My body can only take it so long," he said."
>
> Rachelle
> Winnipeg
>
Thank you Rachelle for posting this story here on the list. I'm
married to Ben, whom the story was about. We've just recently found
out about this list and we've been reading everyone's postings with
such interest. It took us 2 years to find that there were other
people out there with the same weight issues as my husband. For
those of you who haven't read the article see:
http://www.winnipegsun.com/ My husband had a consultation 2 years ago
in Saskatoon with Dr. Colquhon. At that time he asked my husband 5
questions: do you have high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes,
sleep apnea, or heart trouble? My husband thankfully was able to
reply "no" to all 5 questions. The doctor told us then to expect to
wait 2-5 years for the surgery because, "he wasn't at a high enough
risk." Ben and I drove home from Saskatoon with nothing but tears
and a sense of hopelessness. Since then we have tried Atkins, a
diabetic diet (even though we don't have diabetes) and in general eat
in a more healthy way. Ben's family doctor told him to NOT to
continue with Atkins and to instead try to maintain his weight and
hope that the surgery date gets closer. Truth is though, we have no
idea, no information about where he is on the waiting list and how
much longer he will have to wait. The Saskatoon doctor expressed his
frustration with the provincial healthcare program in SK. The
government there has placed a memorandum on the number of surgeries
he is able to perform and when. Basically the government is tying
his hands although he is willing to do the surgery. The story is
basically the same here in Manitoba. We have heard of a doctor in
Winnipeg that wants to do the surgery here but again his proposal is
caught up in the red tape of government politics.
Ben's doctor has recommended the bilopancreatic duodonal switch type
of bariatric surgery. Have any of you had this type of procedure?
How long was your wait? We are hoping that the stories in the
Winnipeg Sun and an upcoming one in the Free Press will put a face to
the problem and show that we(those waiting) are sick of it and want
something to be done! Angela MacMichael
An interesting article and post - kinda long
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