TWH Orientation & Appointment Dates
Hey Everyone!
I had my orientation had TWH last night! I'm not going to say it was the most riveting of experiences- but I did use the time to fill out the massive amount of paperwork and questionnaires! My husband listened intently, which is good. He hasn't done the crazy research that I have, and so it's important that he's well informed too.
I did get my appointment dates. My Social Worker appointment is September 1st, which I'm happy with, it's only a month away. My Nurse Practitioner appointment isn't until November 5th, and my Nutrition Class is all the way in January! I'm just wondering, is it worth me calling the clinic and asking if there are any up coming cancellations so that I may boost up some of these appointments? I know that two months in between is normal (right?), but if there's ANY way to speed the hoop jumping along, I'll do it.
Any advice is welcome!
on 7/30/15 10:45 am - Mississauga, Canada
Yes, there are definitely ways to speed up the process at Toronto Western and consider yourself lucky for being out of that hospital and not others because some of them are having surgeries booked in the new year when they have had all of their appointments completed.
I had my orientation on January 9 and my surgery is tomorrow (July 31). I also had a 1.5 month delay due to my sleep apnea results. So all in all it has been 6 months.
My suggestion is to be nice to the staff at the desk and who answer the phone. Don't ever be rude to them because they hold the key to getting you into cancellations. I got my first 3 appointments at my orientation and I brought the sheet straight to the desk and got earlier ones. Once I got my next ones, I did the same. You can also try to call at the beginning of each week and find out if there is anything available. Hell, my friend just cancelled her surgery and someone else got it on a cancellation with only 2 days notice. Anything is possible :)
Good luck!
Every one of my appointments at TWH (besides the surgeon) was a cancellation. The important things are:
-be nice to the staff, not just because they get you in for earlier appointments, but because they work hard
-call in once a week to see if there are openings (don't bug them too much)
-if you live in town, call on days when there is bad weather/other traffic problems and out of towners are cancelling
-call in the middle of the week, I was told there are less cancellations on Mondays and Fridays
-ask about cancellations for future dates when you go in for your appointments
Hope this helps! Good luck.
Referral: 8/14; Orientation TWH: 12/14; Nurse: 01/15; SW, Dietician, Psych: 2/15; Surgeon: 5/15; RNY: June 15/2015
After my first appointment (post-orientation), I just went to the front desk and asked if my next appointment could be moved up. Easy. I had a conflict with a later appointment (happened to be booked for a colonoscopy 3 months prior) so I was able to get that swapped. If you do live out if town they try to book your appointments as close together as possible. I was even on my way home and they rang me to see if i wanted to come back for a last minute cancellation.
Referral: February 2015; TWH Orientation: April 2015; Social Worker: June 10, 2015: Nurse Practitioner: June 11, 2015; Nutrition Class: June 15, 2015; Psychometry Assessment: June 16, 2015; Nutrition Assessment: July 22, 2015; NP follow-up: July 28, 2015; Surgeon Consult: August 28, 2015; Surgery: November 6, 2015; Operation: VSG
After my first appointment (post-orientation), I just went to the front desk and asked if my next appointment could be moved up. Easy. I had a conflict with a later appointment (happened to be booked for a colonoscopy 3 months prior) so I was able to get that swapped. If you do live out if town they try to book your appointments as close together as possible. I was even on my way home and they rang me to see if i wanted to come back for a last minute cancellation.
Hello,
How were you able to get the sleeve, did you have to convince the surgeon?
