iluvlongnecks

Fair Oaks, CA (Sacramento)

You go girl!!!! Make that appointment and start your journey.

YEAH! that's what I want to hear! I really can't wait till I go to my orientation on Sept 11th and get this thing rolling. I go today for my EKG and then I will have completed everything they asked for me to do. Not bad since they just sent me the letter with the request on Aug 7th.....can you tell I'm ready to start this journey? Thanks so much for the info. I am sooooo excited that this may happen sooner than I expected....maybe! :clap2:

Yes, I know about having to have all those test done within 6 mos of the surgery. Which made me curious as to why they would send me to have those test done before I even go to my oreintation and now I'm finding out that it could take a few months to have the surgery. Do they have everyone take care of the test before they come for the oreintation? It would make more sense to have people do them after the oreintation incase they put you on the pre-op diet. I can only guess they plan to not put me on a pre-op diet because my BMI is low....huh! I just don't get it, it seems a waste of their money to have us go and do these test and then not schedule you for surgery within the 6 mos.

Hi April, Thanks for the info. Boy! You've had a long road to travel to get where you are now huh? but I'm sure it will be worth it when you finish your journey. The bariatrics dept has already had me do all my blood work, chest x-ray and I'm having my EKG on Monday. I'm hoping that because my BMI is lower (37.4) that their not going to require to much of a pre-op diet. Do you think that I could be one of the lucky ones and not have to do a pre-op diet and that way I can have my surgery sooner? LOL. Good luck to you on reaching your goal weight so that your surgery will be scheduled. It sounds like your doing a great job and your almost there!

Hey Vicki J, I have a question for you about fills. Do bandsters have to drive to SF to get their fills or are they able to get them at one of the Kaisers here in SAC.?

I am so excited for you and I know you must be too. Your just one step away from getting your approval and thats what I want. I went today and got my chest x-ray done and will go Monday for the EKG. Then that long wait till Sept for my oreintation.....I know it's really not that far off , but it's just the waiting that gets to ya....I just want to hear that one important word......APPROVED!! I have done everything that the bariatrics asked me to do, but now I guess I just have to wait till my oreintation in SF to get any word as to what to do next. I'm also guessing that after that, they will schedule me for the psyh. eval. and maybe then I too will find out if I've been approved.

WOOO HOOOO!!!!! Let me know when you get your surgery date! I'm so happy for you, it sounds like your headed for surgery. Hopefully I'll be right behind you!

I called and asked about the appts being scheduled on the same day since I live in Sac. I was told that they will try and schedule them all on the same day. I sure hope so. I'm guessing that after I go to my orientation then I'll get word about when the other appts (psyh. eval, diet eval and consult.w/ surgeon) are scheduled. My co-worker who is also goingh thru this process tells me that I'm pretty well approved, but I don't want to count on that till I see that stamp of approval. I go tomorrow for my chest x-ray and my EKG on Monday.....then it's the orientation on Sept 11th. Can't wait till I go to that, but am nervous about too.

It's all about what you want, yes it helps to have support from others, but I was prepared to do this with or without support because I wanted to do it for me and not them. I researched this :ranger: and thought about it for over a year before I made the final decision to start this journey. I'm sorry to hear that you changed your mind and that you are now probably regretting it.....I know I would be, but then like I said....I'm doing this for me not them. :nervous Just starting my journey with a orientation on Sept 11th. Have aready taken care of the blood work and waiting for the appt to get chest x-ray and EKG.....I will jump through what ever hoops they want me to in order get this band :biggrin1:

I called and was told that they would try and book them all on the same day! I sure hope that's the case. I work in a severly handicapped classroom and I'd hate to have to keep taking time off from work (school starts Mon. 8/13). Now I'm thinking I should have asked her if they would be booked on the same day as my orientation or all the evals done on another day.....well I guess I'll find out when they send me the info on the date of the evals. Your daughter is having the lapband done too huh? My daughter is also considering it , but has decided to wait till after she's done having children. She has 1 active 14 mo. old boy now and plans to try for another in Sept- Oct. I pray this next one will be a girl and she'll be done. She has really bad back issues. Thanks for telling me about the appt thing. I'm glad I called and asked. Now I just hope that they do schedule them all on the same day! I'm use to life not being easy and being handed what you get and being okay with it. I'm just happy that I have been considered enough to get this far and that there is hope that I will be approved.....I will be VERY disappointed if I go through all of this in SF and then they deny me! Gosh I don't even want to think like that! I want to be on the Bandster Hall of Fame!! I read about so many others that are sooooo happy with it and are glad they made the choice to do it, that I too want that feeling of no regrets and on my way to feeling and seeing less of me as each week goes by. You know when I did diets and lost only 25 lbs each time, I remember how good I felt, not just health wise , but mentally too. I am now so much bigger than then that I know this is what I want and need. Thanks again!!

Thanks so much! You know after looking at the letter again I'm not sure if all of my evals are going to be on the same day. I guess I just assumed they would be because my pcp told me they would when I asked her. I don't know the name of the dr as of yet, just only got the letters in the mail. Maybe I'll call them tomorrow and find out more info about the other appointments, I'd be driving from Sac. so I sure hope their all on the same day as my dr told me, but drs have been wrong and now you have me wondering if I'm going to be making alot of trips to SF or just one. I WILL jump the hoops that I need to in order to get this surgery. As for the 3 month wait...thats okay...I just want to see a light at the end of the tunnel and it not be a train!

<p>I got my letters from SF to get my blood work done and the form to have my dr order a EKG and chest x-ray. Went the following day and did my blood work and dropped off the form for my dr. I have already gotten the lab results back on my blood work and there don't seem to be any red flags. Now just waiting for the appt to take care of the other requests, but have time to take care of that before my scheduled oreintation, pysh eval., dietary eval.in SF on Sept 11th. (Trying not to be discouraged about the date 9/11). I know this doesn't mean I'm approved yet, but I pray that it does! </p> <p>I'm just not wanting to get my hopes up! This is where I could use some words of encouragement that this is going to happen. Keeping my fingers crossed!</p> <p>Would Kaiser really send me on all these test and all the way down to SF to deny me????</p> :cry

I am a Sacramento Kaiser member and my doctor has just referred me to see a surgeon in SF to see if I'm a candidate for the lapband. My BMI is 37-38 and I have sever sleep apnea. I currently use a CPAP and have had it almost 2 yrs. I am now having allergy issues and I'm finding myself waking up during the night and wanting to take it off. I too have done the diets, Atkins, Weight Watchers, Herbal Life to only hit that plateau of 25 lbs and then gain back more than when I started. I am currently at 225, but have been as high as 230 and I'm 5' 5". What I'm looking for is hope that I will be approved to have this surgery and I can get on track again and see a light at the end of the tunnel to get beyond my pateau to being healthier. Does anyone out their know of any Kaiser LB approvals with 37-38 BMI? I have myself a nervous wreck that they are not going to approve this and I'm not going to get the help that I need to get healthier. :help: Shannon

I got my letters yesterday from SF to get my blood work done and the form to give to my dr. to order the EKG and Chest X-ray (took care of that today). I am scheduled for Sept 11th to go to SF for my orientation,psyh eval and dietary eval. I'm looking forward to this journey to SF and I'm praying that this is the start to being a healthy me again. I know that I haven't been approved yet and still need to jump some hoops to get it. I pray this works out for me!

They do lap bands in SF, as a friend of mine has been through the whole spill and they are looking into doing a lap band on her instead of gastric. Kaiser in SF started doing lap bands in Feb. 07. Sorry to hear that you chose to go to TJ and pay for it on your own, but I'm sure it was worth it right? When did you get banded? Thanks for the advice, I appreciate any info that anyone can pass on, that's what LBT is here for.

I just now opened the letters from Bariatrics in SF and they have scheduled me for the clinical evaluation for surgery. The orientation is on Sept 11th. Now for all the test that have to be done before that date (EKG. chest x-ray, blood work) Gheez... I just did this back in March for shoulder surgery, but I guess it has to be done within 6 mos. I know this doesn't mean that I'm approved, but I sure hope it's a good sign! Pray for me everyone!

I went to my pcp 10 days ago and she has referred me to SF . She told me that it would be up to a surgeon if I was a candidate for LB surgery. Because my BMI is only 37 she told me that I wasn't. I reminded her that I have sever sleep apnea along with other health issues, back pain, swelling in feet,etc that she referred me to SF. I know that you have to have a BMI of 40 to be approved, but I am praying that my other health issues will be considered. I can't image what I would feel like at a BMI of 40....God help me!

Thanks so much for your encouragment. I want this so badly. I want to feel healthier. I want to feel better about myself. I pray that Kaiser will approve this surgery for me, so that I can start this journey and know that I will reach my goal. I'm very nervous as to what Kaiser will say, but also prepared to do what it takes to get them to approve this. I know in my heart that this is what I need to get healthy. I love this LBT and want everyone to know that it gives others alot of answers and encouragment. Thank you again,

I am with Kaiser also and am trying to get a lapband, only I just got started and my doctor has referred me to SF to see if I'm a candidate. I have a BMI of 37, but beacause I have sever sleep apnea my doc refered me. By what I'm hearing from other's it don't seem like I have a good chance to get approval.