here is a link to a page that compares the different types of wls to eachother. not all of the info is spot on, but it gives you some idea of the pros and cons of each wls, none of which are perfect.
http://www.lapsf.com/weight-loss-surgeries.html
they call my surgery type the vertical gastrectomy in this chart.
once you have approval from OHIP, this stuff sure does move with the quickness!
my very nice and lovely parents came with me for my consult last week. the consult itself is of two parts. they have a group info seminar (8 people altogether, 4 of which were from ontario, jeez.) dr poplawski talks about the different wls types they perform at barix, (rny, vsg and lapband) pros and cons of each one of them, what life is like post-op, etc etc. then you have a one-on-one consult with him afterwards so that he can answer any questions you may have.
i am jewish. funnily enough, so is my mother. have you heard about jewish mothers? they worry. they worry like it’s their job. so i knew that if my mom sat in with me for the consult and the one-on-one, that perhaps she’d learn a lil something, be able to ask some questions, and perhaps feel a little better about the whole procedure.
after arriving, i filled in a lengthy health history form. i handed that in and a nurse took me into an exam room, weighed me, measured my height and blood pressure, and asked me a few further health history questions. a little while later, the group of us were directed to a meeting room where we’d have our seminar.
after about 10 minutes, dr poplawski came in and introduced himself. i found him to be engaging and honest. he didn’t sugar-coat any of the information or make it seem like post-op life would be any kind of walk in the park. he spoke for close to 45 minutes, and at no time was i bored, even though i already knew a lot of what he was telling us. my mom kept saying “wow” and “oh my”. she learned a whole lot during that seminar.
a little tip for you if you are planning to have surgery at the barix clinics. they arrange the one-on-one part of the consult on a first come/first served basis. meaning if you arrive only a few minutes before your appointment time, that you will be at the bottom of the list to be seen for your one-on-one. usually the groups are about 8-12 people with the one-on-one lasting 15-30 minutes long each… so yeah. arrive early. it’s better to wait around before than after, if you ask me. especially if you’re hitting the road to drive back to toronto afterward 
during the one-on-one, dr pop was a bit surprised to hear that i had opted for the sleeve. i guess with most people being familiar with the RNY and the lap band, those are the two that patients opt for most of the time. he then went on to tell me that if he were going to choose a bariatric surgery for himself, that it would without question be the sleeve. upon hearing that, my mother got up and kissed him full on the mouth. ok, not really, but i think that statement alone gave her a lot of relief. honestly, it was very nice to hear from someone who performs wls for a living. i asked some questions, my mom asked some questions, we laughed with the hysterically funny dr pop a whole lot, we both developed little crushes on him, and we set off back to toronto feeling very satisfied with my choice of clinics, surgery types, and surgeons. a great experience on all fronts.
today i received a phone call from the barix scheduling department, and we booked my pre-admission testing (PATS) and surgery dates!
april 7th- PATS
april 22nd- I GET SLEEVED!
i am SO stoked to finally have this date written IN PEN. i feel now like i can close this hurry up and wait chapter of my life that has been going on since sept/08, and finally allow myself to become excited about this life-changing surgery!
i am out the door, headed to the barix clinic in ypsilanti mi to have my consult with my surgeon. today i’ll secure my surgery date. this is feeling pretty real right now 
howdy, and welcome to my shiny new digs. i’m about to embark on a very exciting (to me) journey, and i’m happy to have you along for the ride.
in september of ’08, i started researching the different types of weight-loss surgery (wls) available, finally deciding on the vertical sleeve gastrectomy, or VSG. (heartonhersleeve… GET IT???)
OHIP approved my surgery on feb 5th. i’ll be meeting with my surgeon on thursday feb 12th, at which time, i will receive my surgery date! i am hopeful for some time late april.
i’m still riding my post-approval high. it was quite the process, getting here, and i still haven’t fully wrapped my head around how new and improved my life is about to become.
i plan on updating quite regularly. it delights me to think that someone researching wls may one day use this blog as a resource for information. it was personal blogs like this that really allowed me to understand what i would be in for post-op.
so thanks for stopping by! feel free to leave a comment and let me know you’re reading!
~jude.
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