I am scheduled for my Info class this month in Vacaville, but I know that the surgeries are performed in Richmond. I am curious if they do the first weigh in at the INFO class or at the Orientation class or are they the same? I was in this program way back in '07 but got cold feet and things seem to have changed quite a bit since then. I don't remember having to attend an INFO class last time.

I am scheduled for my Info class this month in Vacaville, but I know that the surgeries are performed in Richmond. I am curious if they do the first weigh in at the INFO class or at the Orientation class or are they the same? I was in this program way back in '07 but got cold feet and things seem to have changed quite a bit since then. I don't remember having to attend an INFO class last time.

Welcome to VST and Kaiser Richmond. I attended an overview class at Kaiser Roseville to start and then moved on to the orientation class at Kaiser Richmond. You will be weighed at the orientation and they will use that weight to determine how much the surgeon wants you to lose before surgery. I attended my overview class at the end of April and am now scheduled for surgery on August 29th. I was overjoyed that the whole thing has progressed so quickly, but I dug down deep and kicked butt with my weight loss after the orientation. They really like to see the effort.

Congratulations and keep us all updated on your journey. Make sure you let us know who your surgeon will be (they will tell you at the orientation).

Hugs

Shell

Welcome to VST and Kaiser Richmond. I attended an overview class at Kaiser Roseville to start and then moved on to the orientation class at Kaiser Richmond. You will be weighed at the orientation and they will use that weight to determine how much the surgeon wants you to lose before surgery. I attended my overview class at the end of April and am now scheduled for surgery on August 29th. I was overjoyed that the whole thing has progressed so quickly, but I dug down deep and kicked butt with my weight loss after the orientation. They really like to see the effort.

Congratulations and keep us all updated on your journey. Make sure you let us know who your surgeon will be (they will tell you at the orientation).

Hugs

Shell

Thank you so much. I will keep in touch... this board helps keep my eye on the ball.

Hi, I had my orientation at Richmond Kaiser on June 14 and I'm scheduled for my surgery on August 17, next Wednesday! They use your weight on the day of the orientation there. You will also get your binder with the pre-op diet and you will get your appointment for your surgeon appointment. It will be 2 months between orientation and getting sleeved for me...I hope you are ready for a fast ride! Good luck.

Hello,

I was sleeved by Dr. Aaron Baggs, MD on July 25th 2011. This was the process for me:

January: Program orientation. Includes weight, overviews with Robin the Dietician, a Surgeon from the program and I think Liz McClaren RN Case Manager provides info as well. Plan to take the whole day off.

April: Same day appointments with the program Psychologist and one other that I do not recall.

May: Meet with surgeon. He provided me with goal weight and advised me to email him and to weigh in at my docs office in Sacramento and he would see it and email Liz Mc Claren to contact me with a surg date.

In the meantime he will order various tests. Get them done. I did them at my local KFH facility.

June: Met goal weight, Liz McClaren called and set up an appointement with her.

June: With Liz got my surg. date and a brief visit with a Hospitalist, MD, questions only about your general health.

July 25th: Surgery.

The program was very organized and every time I needed something most in the program have been very helpful. Sarah will be an excellent resource. Do not hesitate to contact any of them with any questions.

Good luck.

Hi, I had my orientation at Richmond Kaiser on June 14 and I'm scheduled for my surgery on August 17, next Wednesday! They use your weight on the day of the orientation there. You will also get your binder with the pre-op diet and you will get your appointment for your surgeon appointment. It will be 2 months between orientation and getting sleeved for me...I hope you are ready for a fast ride! Good luck.

WOW, that is a fast ride !! Thanks for the info.

Hello,

I was sleeved by Dr. Aaron Baggs, MD on July 25th 2011. This was the process for me:

January: Program orientation. Includes weight, overviews with Robin the Dietician, a Surgeon from the program and I think Liz McClaren RN Case Manager provides info as well. Plan to take the whole day off.

April: Same day appointments with the program Psychologist and one other that I do not recall.

May: Meet with surgeon. He provided me with goal weight and advised me to email him and to weigh in at my docs office in Sacramento and he would see it and email Liz Mc Claren to contact me with a surg date.

In the meantime he will order various tests. Get them done. I did them at my local KFH facility.

June: Met goal weight, Liz McClaren called and set up an appointement with her.

June: With Liz got my surg. date and a brief visit with a Hospitalist, MD, questions only about your general health.

July 25th: Surgery.

The program was very organized and every time I needed something most in the program have been very helpful. Sarah will be an excellent resource. Do not hesitate to contact any of them with any questions.

Good luck.

Thank you for all the great info.

I agree the staff at Kaiser Richmond is AWESOME!!

I too was sleeved there May 9th of this year. My surgeon was Dr. Fisher and he is THA BOMB!!

Start your pre-op diet that is in the binder as soon as you can. It really sets you up for success!

Good luck to you and keep us posted on your journey.

Kelly

I was sleeved by Dr. Baggs on dec 13th 2010. Everything went super fast. I had my orientation in september, met with surgeon two weeks after that. Was told to lose 20 pounds. By the time I met with the psych 3 weeks after that I had already lost almost 20 pounds. Then I had appointments two weeks apart for evrything else. The process can go super fast if you meet your goal weight. Good luck!

I agree the staff at Kaiser Richmond is AWESOME!!

I too was sleeved there May 9th of this year. My surgeon was Dr. Fisher and he is THA BOMB!!

Start your pre-op diet that is in the binder as soon as you can. It really sets you up for success!

Good luck to you and keep us posted on your journey.

Kelly

Is the pre op diet still 1200 calories and 10% of your weight? I notice some people from different hospitals and doctors go on liquid diets.

I was sleeved by Dr. Baggs on dec 13th 2010. Everything went super fast. I had my orientation in september, met with surgeon two weeks after that. Was told to lose 20 pounds. By the time I met with the psych 3 weeks after that I had already lost almost 20 pounds. Then I had appointments two weeks apart for evrything else. The process can go super fast if you meet your goal weight. Good luck!

How did you lose 20 pounds so fast? Did you follow the diet to the letter or do something different? Did you exercise? If so, what did you do?

My starting weight was 280, I weighed 262 when I seen my surgeon and he wanted me to get down to 240. So I had to lose 22lbs. So, not quite 10%.

I really don't know how many calories the diet is. I don't think it tells you that. It is just very high Protein, low fat and low carb. 3 meals and no Snacks. It is really easy to follow and after about a week, I was NEVER hungry!! It is very well balanced and easy to follow.

Start it as soon as you can. I exercised, just walking and the weight fell off me.

Kaiser Richmond does not have a liquid diet. Thank goodness!!

Kelly

Is the pre op diet still 1200 calories and 10% of your weight? I notice some people from different hospitals and doctors go on liquid diets.

My starting weight for orientation was 316 and my goal weight was 293 so not 10%. I have lost a total of approx 40lbs since 5/17, 36 of it since 6/14 when I started the pre-op diet in the binder. They say the diet is approximately 1200 calories but Robin made a point to make sure we knew we were not counting calories, we were counting portions. I am 6 days pre-op and day before surgery I can eat regularly until 6pm and then nothing to drink after midnight...although I got an email from the anesthesiologist that said I could drink clear liquids up until 2 hours before arrival time at the hospital. I have an email in to him to clarify.

How did you lose 20 pounds so fast? Did you follow the diet to the letter or do something different? Did you exercise? If so, what did you do?

My starting weight was 291. I had my last splurge at lunch on the way home from orientation. I didn't exercise but I followed the preop plan the first few weeks religiously. I thought that it was going to be hard to follow the preop plan but it worked for me. I never felt hungry or deprived. After two weeks on the plan I could tell that even if I strayed and ate mexican food or something that I ate half of what I did previously before the preop plan. I think that when you start out heavier, its easier to lose weight faster. Also, I was nervous about going through with the surgery so I didn't want to wait, I wanted to be done with the preop and surgery as quick as possible. So far everything is great. I have my moments but I would do it again in a heartbeat. I started at a size 24 pants and 3x shirts...I am wearing size 10 jeans and large tops. This morning I weighed 262. I would like to get to 145 but would also be fine to stay where I am at. Its a journey but worth it!

I am hesitant to admit this but here goes.

Dr. Baggs had me loose 10 pounds total, not 10%. My weight is evenly distributed so that made it very easy. The surgeon needs to move the Liver up and if you have a lot of visceral fat, this could cause problems. So, for me, it worked well to wait and see how much the surgeon wanted me to loose. I am also tall, 6' 2", so I am sure this helped.

Every surgeon is different in what they ask you to lose because it's based on your body.

Kaiser still uses the 1200 calorie plan which works great for most. I'm really carb resistant so I used the plan but didn't eat the starches and stuck to protien and veggies.

My orientation was November, met Dr. Baggs in December and had surgery February 17th, 2010.