Oreintation

Hi, i called HRRH this morning to make sure they received my referral . She looked it up and then said that there is a session coming up on Feb 18th and 25th . She took my number and said she will call me back . I pays to bug a little. 

Good for you that's where i just had my surgery great team!!

Exactly!  I've been criticized by some for trying to "buck" the system but only you can advocate for your health!  As soon as my GP called to tell me my referral had been received at HRRH, I called them to "ask" for an orientation.  Got one for a week later.  After the orientation, I called again and asked for my NUT, RN, and SW appointments.  Got those for March and met with the doctor a few weeks ago.  What's that saying, "Ask and Ye Shall Receive".  I'm also going to ask at those appointments for a different doctor as the one they assigned to me is booked till August/September for surgery.  Most people seem to get their surgery date within a month or two of their approval.  I actually had the nerve to post that I wasn't willing to wait that long and boy did I get negative feedback.  I was in tears after the things people said to me about having to wait my turn like everyone else and basically I'm no more important then anyone else.  Some people may be willing to be complacent about their health, but not me.  That's not a criticism of others but if you wait for them to contact you, you will be waiting a heck of a lot longer for surgery then if you take things into your own hands and call them.  I'm not trying to be whiny and I know this can be a long process but I think it can and will be longer if we don't "ask" for what we need.

Be sure to follow-up with them in a day or two if they don't call back.

I have to agree with you for this....I didn't call back and because of that I slipped through the cracks and they actually forgot about my referral.  I asked the doctors office if they even sent it in and they said they did, so they called the centre and finally a day or two later the centre called me and asked if i received the information package (this took more than a year before i thought something is wrong), which I did not, and she verified my address which was right and they didn't know why I didn't get it.  (probably because they didn't send it) Well because I was not persistent i got to wait an extra year for the surgery I should of called like a week or two after my doctor called them to see what was going on as another patient that got the referral around the same time as mine was contacted).  My referral went in around March 2010 for out of country, (which OHIP does not do anymore) it took a month or two month for that to come back as a no, that is when the thing with the centre not sending me the info package which I was VERY patient and waited about year, thinking that it is normal, which it was not, as that is when I "slipped though the cracks". It does not hurt to call, and just because you call may not make it faster than someone who doesn't call, but it will stop mistakes like mine from happening. I finally had surgery in July of 2012.  It was worth the wait, but I really WISH I was more persistent! 

I just called them to and got my surgeons appt !!! I leave nothing to chance.....call me a control freak, but it does pay to call and stay on top of things.

Thank you ladies!  I now feel vindicated after the negative comments on another post I made of similar content that had me in tears.  Nothing wrong with being proactive.  If they couldn't give you appts through a phone call, then they wouldn't :)

Thank-you so much much everyone. I will keep on top of things.I did not ask her to do anything except to check and make sure they received my referral. She came back on the phone after a few minutes and i assume she read some of the referral and she was the one who told me the dates coming up and to think about them and she will get back to me. Everyone of us are over weight , but either way its going to be sooner or later. We all will have are day . I wish everyone well who has decided to take this step and to have WLS. and have a better quality of life....

Yeah some people are willing to lay back and let others control their lives, and then others are actively involved in their own lives.

I called to follow up everything and got what I wanted. I got a quick orientation date, quick appointments with the `big three`and I changed the appointed surgeon and got a surgery date I wanted that would fit my own schedule.

Take charge of your life and don`t be afraid to ask for what you want.

All the best on your journey to being skinny"!