chargers56

There are a lot of steps just to be able to get into this program. Im assuming they arent making me go through all this just to tell me at the end I cant have the surguery. I have no plans to go on another diet if the end result is not WLS. I will end up gaining it all back and more, im at a stage right now where I stay at the same weight, but the moment i diet and lose 25 lbs it all creeps back and more and i reach a new staying point. No thanks.

They told me after the 6 months I will meet with the surgeon whom is contracted out of Kaiser to Pacific Baraitrics. I will have to ask these questions during my first class coming up next month.

I have heard kaiser does the sleeve in nor cal and los Angeles. I dont think it is an option for me down here in San Diego, and im not sure how I could get it done.

I will ask when the time comes to speak with a doctor or surgeon. Im assuming if I get through the 24 weeks of classes and do everything they ask I will be able to have the surgery no? No way do i want to do this if they are not going to decide until the very end.

Well today I got accepted into the Kaiser options program down here in San Diego. Apparently now I need to wait for them to call me to let me know when I can start the classes. In socal they require you to do 24 weeks of classes once a week, so about 6 months. But as far as I know if you make it this far and dont miss any classes your approved!

I am 30 with a BMI of 38.5 with a few Co-Morbidity's I was originally set on getting the Lap Band, then the Sleeve, now I think im back on getting the Band again.

I could use some advice from anyone that has been in this program before. I'm not really worried with the surgery as much as I am worried about potential problems with the band in the years ahead.

I was at a group meeting the other day and they were discussing the RNY. The lady giving the seminar said that they used to take out the unused part of the stomach when performing RNY back in the day, and that the reason they leave it in now is because people were dying when it was removed, and now that they leave it in everything is fine.

Now i know with VSG they dont take out your entire stomach but this comment really made me worry. What does she mean? How much data is there on this surgery and its long term effects?

Upset and need advice....

Well they asked me for all that information reguarding 6 months of monitored diet program. Since I didnt have it they took my forms and said they would wait for me to get the documents, OR for my Primary at Kaiser to send then an E-Referal that will inform the program people to enroll me without the documentation.

Also they talked about this company they contract with here in San Diego called Pacific Bariatrics, they perform the RNY or Lapband for Kaiser. Pacific Baratrics does not perform the sleeve... When I asked they lady here about the sleeve she said it would not be an option, and when I told her they perform this surgery up at Kaiser in LA she said it would be up to your surgeon to recommend you for that surgery if there was a reason medically. Basically saying that we cant choose the surgery we want its up to the surgeon to decide lapband or RNY.

I am so frustrated, I knew this would not be easy.. How can a surgeon at pacific baratrics which doesn't perform the Sleeve recommend me for a surgery they don't provide. Kikiphiasmom I hope you are doing well, if you can I would really love to talk with you more about this as you are the only person I have found that has Kaiser and had the sleeve.

A bit nervous. Monday is my meeting with the Kaiser people. I have the questionare all filled out, but I dont have the papers for the prior weight loss attempts they say I need. Some people have said not to worry that they wont ask for them or need them but im still worried. Usually with my luck I will get asked for them or something.

Anyway anyone know what will happen at this meeting? When do they tell you if your in the program?

How are you guys doing? Please fill us in on anything your willing to share on your recovery, the first week or two are the experiences I am most interested in hearing about. How is your recovery?

will they put the cath in while im a sleep? pls say yes. LOL

Were you able to get up and walk shortly afterward? I am scared to death of clots, and my hope is i will be able to get around after to prevent them.

I am getting in the program here shortly and I am very excited to move forward. I am really nervous about one thing and I was wondering what all your surgeons told you about the chances of blood clots.

I had a grandparent who passed away after a surgery years ago and they believe a blood clot was to blame. Granted she was in her 70's It is the #1 thing I am afraid of about this surgery.

Any info you have about this issue would be wonderful. Thank you for your responses in advance, I love reading about all your successes and will continue to follow.

Called my OLD doctor today and he called me back.. He is going to send me a letter saying that I was enrolled in the Medifast Program. Although he says he doesnt have any data from that program, like weighins and such.

Do you think this will be enough If i also write the other programs I have tried on the questionnaire?

Called my old doc today and left him a message. Hopefully he will be willing to write me a letter saying that I have tried these diet programs and I can move forward.

Also I have another question that i have not got a clear answer on. With the sleeve, once you heal can you have leaks down the road? This is really my only other concern. Im talking like months or years down the road. Can the staples being left in your stomach cause you any problems either down the road?

NO dont tell them anything. Just log it there on the questioneer. Dont give them room to take you out of the program. TRUST me! Just fill it out and go to orientation. And ZIP it ... LOL ..jk

Ouch I talked to her already today. She told me she needs this information. She told me i could call my old doctor and have him sign off on the fact that I tried 6 months of a medically supervised diet.

I'm going to call him today and see if her will write me a letter.

I just put in a call to the center, and the program coordinator is going to call me back. Basically I want to tell her that I did Medifast, HMR, and Alli several times over the past 3 years. I have spent thousands on diet food and in joining these programs, but I don't have any documents from them with weights and stuff like that and im sure the support groups didn't keep any records. If only I knew then I could have logged this stuff myself...

Basically I'm going to tell her about this stuff and see what she has to say.

Kikiphiasmom thank you so much for your support. It is so nice to have someone to talk to about this.

Also I noticed in my manual that it says Pacific Bariatric (Gastric Bypass Surgery and Bariatric Surgery information - Pacific Bariatric) here in San Diego performs these surgeries but on their website it doesnt even have the Sleeve as an option. Hopefully they will let me go to a surgeon that does.

Ok! So I received my packet today from Kaiser. It comes with a 23 page booklet about the whole process. Also a Bariatric Pre-Program questionnaire.

Im a bit worried from some of the stuff I have read in the booklet. For example, they want me to show proof I have been on a program for at least 6 months in the last 10 years. Well years ago my old doctor put me on Medifast and I went to some support meetings for it. I was able to lose weight over a course of 8 months but I gained it all back. They charted our success at the meetings, but I wasn't given any documentation on letterhead or anything like that. Ive also done HMR supplements last year and lost 25 lbs and gained it back. I'm worried I don't have the proper documents they are looking for.

Also im a bit nervous with this questionnaire. I'm afraid if i answer wrong ill get turned down.

It also says a BMI of 50 or 40 with 2 morbiditys. Im 38BMI and I have hypertention but it is not severe, and the booklet says severe. I do have gerd, sleep apena and joint and back pain. And some depression from my weight.

Any advice you can give me if you have filled this out for kaiser before would be helpful. Id like to know what happens when I bring this in. I feel like its my only chance and I dont want to mess it up.

Kikiphiasmom will they try and push Gastric Bypass on you? Are they high on the sleeve at Kaiser? Im really hoping so, when I ask about it id like to not have them look at me like im crazy.

Hello Chargers56,

Ok so this is how it all began. This time last year I had made up my mind that I needed the lapband. I made an appointment with my PCP to get a referral. When I started this (Sept 2008) you had to have a BMI of 50 or lower with 2 co-morbidities (diabetes/high blood pressure/sleep apnea ..ext) I only qualified because while I was pregnant with my 2 daughters I became diabetic and have a very LARGE possibility of becoming diabetic. My BMI at the time was somewhere in the 40's. My PCP sent a referral to the OPTIONS bariatric program. In October 2008 I got a call to go to the orientation in November 2008 (they sent me that packet too). At that point when you go to orientation make sure your packet is complete. Then you wait for the classes to start. I had to wait until January 2009. These classes are 6 month classes you go once a week. I think they have changed them so now instead of going to 24 classes you only go to 20. You HAVE to take these classes. There is no way around it. They are VERY beneficial. Anyway ... after you are done with the classes ( I was done June 2009 ) they ask you what surgery you want. They offer RNY/SLEEVE/LAPBAND. They HATE doing the band. Kaiser surgeons will talk you out of getting one. They are taking more out then putting them in. When I finished my classes I was told there would be a 6 month wait to get the band ... again ... here I was having to wait.. BUT to my surprise ... I get a call in August from Kaiser Harbor City that they had openings to get consults. My consult date was Sept 21, 2009. I went and spoke with my surgeon Dr. Zane and he talked about all of the WLS and by this time I had already changed my mind and decided on the sleeve. He was happy with my decision as he thought that this was the best surgery for me. Right then and there he gave me a surgery date October 2 ... I couldnt do it that date so he changed it to October 9, 2009. So there you go. This has been my ordeal ... but I wouldnt change a thing .. if I would have gotten the surgery sooner I would have been stuck with the band, and after hearing all of these stories ... im glad I had to wait. Hope this helps you out. Any more questions on Kaiser ... ask away ... oh and btw .. Kaiser Harbor City is getting the pts from Kaiser San Diego ... :svengo:

This is encouraging, you have actually heard of San Diego patients being send north to harbor city? My BMI is 38, i have hypertension, high cholesterol, depression from being overweight, its all i think about all the time.

I am hoping after my consult they will accept me. At what point did you find out you could get this done? Do they run you through the classes then tell you after? Do you get to meet with a surgeon any time before then? Im afraid to go 6 months then be told no. Goodness this is very confusing.

UPDATE:

So I went to my consultation yesterday (09-21-09) and I got a date. The surgery date is 10/09/09. I'm so excited. I am definitly getting the VSG. He wanted to schedule me as soon as 10/02/09, but I am having a Halloween bday party for my lil girls on 10/03/09. I cant believe its happening so quickly. I am still in shock. My surgeon eased and calmed my fears. Dr. Zane @ the Kaiser in Harbor City rocks. I asked if anyone had ever died on him during this procedure .. he said no and kind of laughed at me... LOL .. he said almost all of his pts who have sedentary positions go back to work within 1-2 weeks. I asked about leaks. He said that as long as I do exactly what he tells me that I should be 100% :thumbup:in no time. He said that the one pt who ended with a leak was a pt that upon discharge, went to KFC to eat .. I was like WTH???:svengo: Needless to say she busted a staple and had a leak. Well guys/gals this is my update. I am so excited. Not so scared anymore. Cant wait for the 9th:thumbup:. More stories on your hospital stay and feeling while getting the band are appreciated:biggrin0:

Toodles :scared0:

I wonder if Kaiser where you are is the same down here. Kikiphiasmom how long did you have to wait to get to this point? What did you have to do? I am down in San Diego and my doctor said I could have a Baratric Evaluation. I called and made the appointment yesterday and the guy told me they would be sending me a questionare to bring with me. They have these meetings every monday and im going on this monday.

Im really worried that Im gonna get turned down, or that they dont offer the sleeve.

Thanks for the input. I am not the kind of person that just eats Snacks here and there. I tend to eat way too much.

I am very very frustrated with the lack of information I am able to find on Kaiser Permanete in San Diego. Its almost like there is no information available at all on what they offer. And it doesn't look like many people have discussed their experience online at all from my fruitless searches on google.

Hi, Chargers;

I was/am a kaiser patient, and I have been very happy with my experience overall.

I am up in the L.A. area. As a rule, kaiser does promote the Bypass as opposed to the other procedures.

I wouldn't be too upset that you PCP doesn't know that much about WLS. Many of them don't, and it really is a specialty area.

Also, don't be too upset about having to do the 6-month diet. It's terrific training for your new lifestyle, whatever procedure that might be. It's not bad thing.

Also, don't discount the Bypass as a possibility. The band (restriction) did NOT work for me. The Bypass (malabsorbtion) did, and very, very well.

Don't go into the process having already decided what you want/need. Listen to all that they have to say. I made a wrong decision the first time out; I wish i had those years back.

HH

Thanks for the responses, I have done lots of research on both the Band and the Sleeve. I was originally sold on the band, but after thinking about having to live the rest of my life with this thing in me I started to change my mind. I know myself and I know I would worry all the time about it slipping and eroding and I just don't want that. And the chances of something happening over the next 30 + years is almost a certainty.

I really like the sleeve and im leaning toward that, even though they haven't studied its long term effects for very long.

I personally don't think I would do the RNY, I don't like the idea of changing my anatomy that much.

I do have some other questions about the sleeve. Is leakage a problem only right after surgery? Or can they develop throughout your lifetime? Also what about MRIs with the staples? My only other real concern is that it is not reversible, but I think I could live with a smaller stomach.

Hello I am new to this forum so please bear with me.

I am 30 years old, male 285 lbs with a bmi of 38. I have hypertention, gerd, high cholestorol, and back and joint pain, along with depression about my weight.

I went to an appointment at Kaiser Permanente here is San Diego today and asked my doctor about LapBand and Sleeve. She didnt seem to know much about either or maybe did not want to talk to me about the details which really made me angry, but she did say that it might be a good choice for me. This was after she told me of the positive choice program and other options.

I have had problems with weight and dieting does not help. I have been on medifast and HMR while supervised with my old doctor through insurance at a previous job.

Anyway after she referred me for what she called bariatric evaluation and gave me a number I called them. They are sending me a packet and want me to come to a meeting held each monday.

Here are my questions for you guys. My doctor did not say if they support the sleeve, she just said gastric bypass. Also I really dont want to have to go through 6 months of a supervised diet. I have no problem with waiting or waiting 6 months to do the classes for the surgery.

Anyone have Kaiser in Southern California? Specifically San Diego? I could really use some support and advice.

Thank you.

Hello everyone, I have been browsing these parts for some time now and I am learning so much about this process each day. I am 29/m 6'0 280lbs and I have been dieting for years losing weight only to slowly gain it all back and more. And I have spent more money than I care to admit on diets and medifast, and HMR and I am no longer interested in dieting anymore.

I have decided that lap-band is the right thing for me after talking to some people about it. I like the fact that it a a tool that works with me, and I am not interested in changing the inner workings of my body, gastric bypass and such.

I am scheduled to see my PCP on Monday morning and I have not discussed this option with her before. I am at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego California. I am interested in any advice for when I talk to my doctor on Monday. I have called kaiser to find out if they cover the band, and they tell me if my PCP says it is medically necessary then they do. I am scared that they are going to turn me down, and try to get me to diet again.

I have high blood pressure that i am medicated for and sleep apnea, as well as high cholesterol.

Anyone here have Kaiser in southern california?

Any advice you could give me for this visit would be excellent. I'm afraid of how to approach my doctor for this.

Thank you so much.