So, as you can see by my signature, I have been taking the fast track through the Kaiser system! I attended my orientation on May 24 and here I am not even a month later, 14 pounds down, psych consult behind me and awaiting my case manager appointment tomorrow where I will get my surgery date. I have asked them if there is any way I can get in for surgery in July since I work full time and go to school. I would really like to have some time to heal before the school semester starts up in August. So if I get my surgery in July, my whole process through Kaiser will have been 2 months. Not too shabby at all! I guess it's all about how much you want it, how motivated you are, and how persistent you are.

So now I'm getting to the phase where I'm getting a little nervous about the surgery itself. I feel like I've read every post on this forum. lol. I know it's not going to be too terrible, I still can't help but be nervous. What's funny is I'm probably most nervous about the heparin shot. That thing looks awful! lol. You'd think I'd be nervous about having my stomach sliced and diced. No no. Just the shot beforehand. lol!!

Anyways, I'm so ready for this and I'm glad that the process is going so fast. I still feel like it's taking forever even though I know I am going through the system way faster than most. I'm just impatient I guess.

Like I said, I have my case manager appointment tomorrow where I get my surgery date!! Tomorrow can't come soon enough!!

Congrats on getting through it so quickly! What's your trick? Did you have to do the 12week class thing they require? My aunt has Kaiser and is going through the program to get approval but she has to go through a 12wk course and lose at least 10% of her weight....

Thanks!

Congrats! I was sleeved 5/9 at Kaiser Richmond. They are AWESOME!!

The Heparin shot is really no big deal!

Good luck to you and let us know when your date is!

Kelly

Kaiser N. Cal doesn't require the 12 weeks of Options classes.

Kelly

Congrats on getting through it so quickly! What's your trick? Did you have to do the 12week class thing they require? My aunt has Kaiser and is going through the program to get approval but she has to go through a 12wk course and lose at least 10% of her weight....

Thanks!

Congrats on getting through it so quickly! What's your trick? Did you have to do the 12week class thing they require? My aunt has Kaiser and is going through the program to get approval but she has to go through a 12wk course and lose at least 10% of her weight....

Thanks!

Yeah, like Kelly said, Kaiser in N. Cal doesn't require the 12 week course. I wasn't required to lose 10% of my body weight, BUT... Kaiser Richmond does give a goal weight. At the orientation, they gave us a pre-op diet and I started that diet the day after the orientation. I went to the store on my way home from orientation and bought all the suggested foods on the list that I liked. When I got home, I threw out all the junk food and stuff that wasn't on the list (my husband was in for a shocker when he got home! lol). I stuck to the diet and didn't cheat even a little bit. My surgeon appointment was scheduled for a month out, but I called after 2 weeks and asked if there were any cancellations and sure enough! There was an available appointment that week. When I showed up for my surgeon consult (2 weeks after my orientation) I was already down 11 pounds. Their diet WORKS. The surgeon was so happy with my results she wrote down my current weight and said "This is your goal weight. Just keep losing from now until surgery and you will be good to go". I have stuck with the diet and have lost another 4 pounds in the last week.

So I guess my "trick" is sticking to the pre-op diet and calling to check for cancellations. But you have to do both. If you call and get an earlier appointment, but you haven't lost any weight, they are not going to be happy.

Congratulations on your speed to surgery! Obviously, my Kaiser plan is in the wrong area. Good luck to you!

The pre-op diet DOES WORK!! I lost 55 lbs on it in about 5 1/2 months. I was only required to lose 20lbs by my surgeon, he about fell over when he seen me!

Kelly

Yeah, like Kelly said, Kaiser in N. Cal doesn't require the 12 week course. I wasn't required to lose 10% of my body weight, BUT... Kaiser Richmond does give a goal weight. At the orientation, they gave us a pre-op diet and I started that diet the day after the orientation. I went to the store on my way home from orientation and bought all the suggested foods on the list that I liked. When I got home, I threw out all the junk food and stuff that wasn't on the list (my husband was in for a shocker when he got home! lol). I stuck to the diet and didn't cheat even a little bit. My surgeon appointment was scheduled for a month out, but I called after 2 weeks and asked if there were any cancellations and sure enough! There was an available appointment that week. When I showed up for my surgeon consult (2 weeks after my orientation) I was already down 11 pounds. Their diet WORKS. The surgeon was so happy with my results she wrote down my current weight and said "This is your goal weight. Just keep losing from now until surgery and you will be good to go". I have stuck with the diet and have lost another 4 pounds in the last week.

So I guess my "trick" is sticking to the pre-op diet and calling to check for cancellations. But you have to do both. If you call and get an earlier appointment, but you haven't lost any weight, they are not going to be happy.

The pre-op diet DOES WORK!! I lost 55 lbs on it in about 5 1/2 months. I was only required to lose 20lbs by my surgeon, he about fell over when he seen me!

Kelly

that's so awesome. I remember you telling me that in the beginning when I first started the diet and it really motivated me to stick with it. It's so much easier to stick with a diet when you know you're going to get results!

I bet the surgeons don't have many people walking in there having lost TRIPLE the amount of weight they were told to! It was probably a nice surprise for them!

I'm right behind you friend! Woot woot!

I'm right behind you friend! Woot woot!

Hey Lisa, we were at the same orientation!!

Northern Ca is a lot quicker than So Ca. It has taken a year for me, and that was pushing everyone the whole way.

Northern Ca is a lot quicker than So Ca. It has taken a year for me, and that was pushing everyone the whole way.

Oh man, that is awful. I can understand why they have us jump through hoops, they want to make sure everyone fully understands that this is permanent. But a year? Wow. You should come on up here for a few months, get your surgery, then move home So how much longer do you have to wait?

I was honestly not expecting it to go *this* fast. I was expecting September or possibly even late August if I was lucky. My appointment is in a few hours, so I'll post my surgery date as soon as I know it

Hey Lisa, we were at the same orientation!!

Sweet! Nice to meet you! That place was packed!! How are you coming along? Have you gone to your surgeon appointment yet? Are you down 16 lbs since the orientation??

Sweet! Nice to meet you! That place was packed!! How are you coming along? Have you gone to your surgeon appointment yet? Are you down 16 lbs since the orientation??

Yeah it was packed, is it usually like that? I'm doing good. Started the pre-op diet and everything else the day after orientation. The 16 lbs is since 5/29 when I started a diet on my own. I have lost NOTHING since orientation and starting the pre-op diet!! It's SOOOO frustrating. I was doing a diet with an app on my phone from 5/29-6/14 eating 1900 calories a day and lost the 16lbs. Now eating about 1200 (usually less), still exercising the same as before (an hour a day, 7 days a week) and nothing! No budge on the scale. My first surgeon appointment is 7/14, my lifestyle class is 7/13 and I start my 14 week class at Kaiser Santa Rosa on 6/30. I'm calling Dr. Im for cancellations every couple days, they said it's rare for a consultation cancellation.

Oh man, that is awful. I can understand why they have us jump through hoops, they want to make sure everyone fully understands that this is permanent. But a year? Wow. You should come on up here for a few months, get your surgery, then move home So how much longer do you have to wait?

I was honestly not expecting it to go *this* fast. I was expecting September or possibly even late August if I was lucky. My appointment is in a few hours, so I'll post my surgery date as soon as I know it

I wish it would have only taken a few months, the process took so long that my Kaiser plan through work changed to a DMHO and now I have a

co-pay of 3k. My surgery is scheduled for July 25th, so I am pretty excited and glad all the hoops I went thru are in the past.

Good luck!

Yeah it was packed, is it usually like that? I'm doing good. Started the pre-op diet and everything else the day after orientation. The 16 lbs is since 5/29 when I started a diet on my own. I have lost NOTHING since orientation and starting the pre-op diet!! It's SOOOO frustrating. I was doing a diet with an app on my phone from 5/29-6/14 eating 1900 calories a day and lost the 16lbs. Now eating about 1200 (usually less), still exercising the same as before (an hour a day, 7 days a week) and nothing! No budge on the scale. My first surgeon appointment is 7/14, my lifestyle class is 7/13 and I start my 14 week class at Kaiser Santa Rosa on 6/30. I'm calling Dr. Im for cancellations every couple days, they said it's rare for a consultation cancellation.

I would assume it's always packed because it's covering basically all of northern CA. I'm sorry you're not losing. I wasn't losing at first, now I am, but I wasn't dieting before I started. Drink all your Water and get a good nights sleep, I think it helps. I think I got lucky on the cancellation thing. I called at 4 p.m. the day after our orientation and they had a surgeon appointment the next day at 4 with my same surgeon! So keep trying, it can happen!