Person A has several co-morbidities and a failed lap band surgery 12-15 ish years ago. Also has extremely wealthy parents (who paid the $20k for the lap band.) A started the process for WLS (gastric sleeve I think) 2 years ago. Was barely compliant, but managed to lose just enough to qualify. Mind you, it took them twice as long as it should have. Frequently cancelled/rescheduled appointments, didn’t complete required tasks. But because the parents were footing the bill yet again, the private bariatric clinic kept extending the timeline to qualify. They didn’t want to lose out on this chunk of money. As soon as A met the target weight loss, the pre-op testing was underway and the surgery happened within 45 days. (30 days of that was spent on a liquid diet.)
Post-Op, A lost 30 pounds in the first 3 months, then gained for the next 3. I haven’t spoken to A since before the summer, so I have no idea where they are now.
Person B also has medical issues. Has been on ozempic with minimal weight loss. Has been waiting for at least 3 years for the surgery referral. (B did manage to lose upwards of 60 pounds before ozempic, just by diet and exercise. But stalled since.)
B is not wealthy and doesn’t have filthy rich parents, so B is being funded by OHIP.
B received the referral appointment in June. Was given a list of tasks to complete. Basic things, like maintaining a food diary, completing some education modules prepared by a dietician, weighing and recording vital signs daily etc. There’s even an app that does it all. They didn’t even get to the goals part in terms of required weight loss.
B failed to complete these tasks, was late for the next appointment and tried to reschedule another appointment. B claims executive dysfunction from ADHD.
By August 1, B was dropped from the program completely as non-compliant.
While A was given multiple chances by the private clinic, B was turfed so fast it made their head spin.
(Interestingly enough, the surgery would have been at the same hospital. The private clinic books ORs at the same hospital that the publicly funded bariatric clinic is at. Likely because the OR staff are all strictly doing WLS there. Only the surgeon is different.)
FWIW, my money would be on B. If B could just get their shit together, they have a far higher chance of success based purely on what I know of their habits. But B has a family, full-time job, part-time job, special needs kid, sick spouse etc. so it’s no wonder they couldn’t manage the tasks. A, on the other hand, is a total failure to launch, coddled by parents, moocher who would be the basement-dwelling 40-year-old if the parents had a basement. Hasn’t had a job in 10+ years, and is a perpetual victim with multiple “disabilities” that don’t exist and haven’t been diagnosed.
