I went through Park Nicollet’s Bariatric Surgery division. Everything was amazing beginning to end. The first step was to go to an informational meeting. From there I filled out paperwork and set up my first appointment with the nurse. This nurse oversaw my case beginning to end (I had Dorothy). On a side note I loved that almost everyone working in the Bariatric unit had gone through a weight loss surgery themselves. It made talking about my weight and issues a lot more comfortable. Another plus is that you get firsthand knowledge from each person you interact with.

My insurance company is BCBS of MN. That meant that I had to do 6 months of nutritionist meetings, a sleep test, blood tests, ect. At the end of the 6 months Park Nicollet took all of the information from the previous 6 months and sent it directly to BCBS. Just 3 days later BCBS confirmed that they would fully cover my procedure.

Doctor Wetherille discussed my surgery with me in depth. I chose to do the LAP-BAND® as an outpatient. On the day of surgery again he was very helpful in getting me prepared for everything that was going to happen. The surgery was quick and only a few hours later I was headed home. I actually even went back to work only 6 days later!

Since the surgery I have had monthly follow up appointments. Amy and Stacey are the two women that administer the fills. Both are awesome! They give you great workout tips, are encouraging, and have made this experience just wonderful.

Overall, Dr Wetherille is a great surgeon who has surrounded himself with an amazing team of people!

Hi there I was just wondering if your doctor that did the surgery did he xray you before the first fill?

I was x-rayed before I was able to be discharged the day that I had the band put in place. I haven't been x-rayed since then.

I just had the informational meeting with him last night he seemed really nice and I think I will go with him for my surgery its grate to hear from someone who had him for a sergon. How much have you lost since surgery?

I went through Park Nicollet’s Bariatric Surgery division. Everything was amazing beginning to end. The first step was to go to an informational meeting. From there I filled out paperwork and set up my first appointment with the nurse. This nurse oversaw my case beginning to end (I had Dorothy). On a side note I loved that almost everyone working in the Bariatric unit had gone through a weight loss surgery themselves. It made talking about my weight and issues a lot more comfortable. Another plus is that you get firsthand knowledge from each person you interact with.

My insurance company is BCBS of MN. That meant that I had to do 6 months of nutritionist meetings, a sleep test, blood tests, ect. At the end of the 6 months Park Nicollet took all of the information from the previous 6 months and sent it directly to BCBS. Just 3 days later BCBS confirmed that they would fully cover my procedure.

Doctor Wetherille discussed my surgery with me in depth. I chose to do the LAP-BAND®® as an outpatient. On the day of surgery again he was very helpful in getting me prepared for everything that was going to happen. The surgery was quick and only a few hours later I was headed home. I actually even went back to work only 6 days later!

Since the surgery I have had monthly follow up appointments. Amy and Stacey are the two women that administer the fills. Both are awesome! They give you great workout tips, are encouraging, and have made this experience just wonderful.

Overall, Dr Wetherille is a great surgeon who has surrounded himself with an amazing team of people!

just had the informational meeting with him last night he seemed really nice and I think I will go with him for my surgery its grate to hear from someone who had him for a sergon. How much have you lost since surgery?

how did your 10 days of liquids before the sugery go? I am scheduled for Oct 29th at Park Nic and the team does seem wonderful

I just had my 4 hour long apt at park nicollet on wed. Went well long but good because of my insurance requirments ill have to wait till at least dec for surgery. So next apt at park nicollet is on the 19th.

I had to wait too but only 10 weeks. I think it its good to have time to prepare and to be ready both mentally and physically. I am scheduled on October 29th with Dr Svendsen. I am excited and nervous. This is going to be a big step and a much needed change for me. Good luck with everything!

I too have the 10 week thing but going to try and push them to scheduling the calls every 10 days instead of every 14.

Hi mnguest & amybethy,

It's great to see other Park Nicollet Bariatric users on here! I am scheduled for the outpatient LAP-BAND® with Dr. Wetherille on Monday, October 11. I am finishing day 2 of the 10 day pre-op diet. I must say, it's been harder than I expected. :smile2: I am hungry, but the worse part for me is I am having headaches. Unfortunately, Ibuprofen works best on my headaches, but since we can't have that I am using acetomenophin. It doesn't work nearly as well.

Other than that, I am very excited to be so close to my surgery date. I have had a mostly positive experience with Park Nicollet Bariatrics. I am going through the program as a "self pay" since my insurance (my husband's employer exludes coverage for it) does not cover bariatric sugery. I think that's what I worry about the most-the financial aspect of this journey.

I wish you both good luck with your journeys-if you have any questions for me about the PN process, I'd be happy to try to answer your questions.

its great to know there are others on here going with the same dr as i am. i cant wait till i can have my surgery. you will have to keep me informed about how you are doing after. surgery.

I went through Park Nicollet's Bariatric Surgery division. Everything was amazing beginning to end. The first step was to go to an informational meeting. From there I filled out paperwork and set up my first appointment with the nurse. This nurse oversaw my case beginning to end (I had Dorothy). On a side note I loved that almost everyone working in the Bariatric unit had gone through a weight loss surgery themselves. It made talking about my weight and issues a lot more comfortable. Another plus is that you get firsthand knowledge from each person you interact with.

My insurance company is BCBS of MN. That meant that I had to do 6 months of nutritionist meetings, a sleep test, blood tests, ect. At the end of the 6 months Park Nicollet took all of the information from the previous 6 months and sent it directly to BCBS. Just 3 days later BCBS confirmed that they would fully cover my procedure.

Doctor Wetherille discussed my surgery with me in depth. I chose to do the LAP-BAND® as an outpatient. On the day of surgery again he was very helpful in getting me prepared for everything that was going to happen. The surgery was quick and only a few hours later I was headed home. I actually even went back to work only 6 days later!

Since the surgery I have had monthly follow up appointments. Amy and Stacey are the two women that administer the fills. Both are awesome! They give you great workout tips, are encouraging, and have made this experience just wonderful.

Overall, Dr Wetherille is a great surgeon who has surrounded himself with an amazing team of people!

this is my first post on the site. I went to the informational meeting at PN last Thursday. I am just getting to all the paper work now d/t the Holidays. I am hoping to go with Dr Wetherille for my surgery. I will be grateful for any help that is out there I guess I know I need this but kinda scared also. Please keep in touch if you have gone or are going to PN. I have BCBS ins. so I will have the 6 mo. wait. Good luck to all in the new year and your new life.

Today I received an email notifying me that someone posted on here. I'm sorry I haven’t been keeping track of this or checking in!

Someone asked how much weight I've lost. Since surgery I have lost 118 pounds. Of course I'm still not at my goal weight, but it's in my sight! My goal is to be at my end weight by April of this year. It's been an amazing journey for me. I'll never forget what it felt like to run my first mile, to sit on an airplane comfortably, to put on a swimsuit and not be ashamed.

I wish everyone the best of luck! I truly had a wonderful experience at Park Nicollet. I would recommend seeing Amy for your fills.