"****http://members.shaw.ca/kris-wls**** rnrnI spoke with my family doctor about surgery and he in turn referred me to Dr. Van den berg, she in turn referred me to Dr Brad Amson. My initial consult with Dr Amson turned out to be a group consult with 4 other patients. I was very impressed with Dr. Amson - he seems to genuinely care for his patients - he listened, expressed opinions, and did not judge us/me. I'm doing all that Dr. Amson suggested in the consult - support group, learning all I can about wls, exercising more, and eating healthier. Dr. Amson highly \"suggests\" that not only do you see your family doctor every 2 weeks (which I did religiously for 16 months and then switched to every couple months) but that you also excercise for approx 2 hours a day; the last one is a hard one, with working full-time, having a home based business and caring for my 5 year old daughter, but... I'm trying! There is a whole team of people that you have to see if you are a patient of Dr Amson's to see if you are a suitable patient emotionally as well as physically. Dr. Amson's waiting time, from initial consult, seems to be about 18 months to two years IF he sees you are trying to change your lifestyle - after all, wls is a TOOL not a cure to obesity. rnrnI am happy to report that I had my surgery on November 8, 2004! Dr. Brad Amson was my surgeon - and he was great :) You can read all about my surgical experience by visiting my website at http://members.shaw.ca/kris-wls (it's too much to type out again!). "
