Hi All!! I was just scheduled for bariatric orientation at the SSF Kaiser tomorrow March 12th. I am so excited!! I actually started this process back in October 2012 but was getting denied because I did not meet the BMI requirement and comorbidy. My BMI is currently 37.7. I have a friend who had the sleeve done in July 2012 and when I counseled with her she gave me the run down of what to ask the doctor and not to ask the doctor when seeking the referral for bariatrics.

I always thought I had sleep apnea but she advised me not to mention that, I shouldn't have listened to her because that would have saved me 6 months of watiing. My journey has been a bit rough and I hit a lot of speed bumps with the intial start of the process. I was being denied and the surgery center wasn't informing me so weeks and weeks would go by and I would hear nothing. I had to do a lot of the footwork and follow up and the assistant was no help at all! She actually frustrated me A LOT! Her customer service was horrible. And it made me so mad and frustrated that I wanted to give up.

So in a last ditch effort I told my PCP that I am in pain and so uncomfortable with the extra weight. She is great and has been supportive this whole time!! She really wants to see me succeed. I am 5'2 around 206lbs. She then sent me to the sleep apnea study and low and behold I have Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Once that happened she resent my referral and I had my orientation scheduledthe following day. I am really kicking myself in the arse for not doing that sooner because I could have already undergone surgery. Although, I have to respect the timing and know that it is happening this way for a reason, right?

In any case, I have orientation scheduled tomorrow 3/12 and my appt. with my NP on 3/26. I assume they will also schedule the Lifestyles and Nutrtion class after tomorrows meeting.

My quesiton is, any other SSF sleevers out there can tell me how long this process will take? I am in a bit of a time crunch because my work is undergoing a bunch of layoffs and they are rumored to be handng 60 day pink slips out to people with a last work day of May 15th. I am not too worried about my position but if the environment is bad I may want to leave my job. I have really good benefits and the surgery is 100% paid thru Kaiser thru my work so I want to ensure I have my surgery before I leave or not. Make sense.

Ok, enough rambling. Any suggestions is helpful!! thanks so much for listening (reading).

I am also a SSF sleever!! I started my process in about October or so (I think) and I am getting my new tummy on April 8th!! I am so excited!!!

The time frame of the process with Kaiser is going to depend on a few things...How soon you get in to see the surgen, how much weight he tells you you need to lose, and how quickly you can lose it.

Do you know who your surgen is yet???

Hi there!! Congrats on your date. I don't know who my surgeon is yet but I have a feeling it will be Dr. Khayat. I'm about 5'2 and current weight is 201. I started at the orientation weighing 207.9. So following the per op plan it's help me lose a bit of weight. I carry all my weight in my boobs and butt instead of my stomach which according to Terry is a good thing!

I have my appointment with NP Kirk on Tuesday. I'm expecting to have all my labs done and my surgeon appt scheduled. I'm really excited and want my surgery soon!!!! Are you excited for your surgery??

How did you appointment with Kirk go??.

It went really well! He thinks I am ready to go. I won't have to lose any weight considering I already lost about 5lbs. My current weight 202.5. He wants to push me through to get an April surgery date. I can't wait. He said I was a perfect candidate and they should have no problem performing the surgery. I have my surgeon appt. on Friday 3/29. So excited. It seems to be moving along quickly now. I am still waiting for the dietitian appt though. I haven't heard from them yet.

But I have taken the lifestyles/nutrtiona class. All I need is surgeon visit and psych eval.

How are you doing? Are you excited about your April 8th date? My biggest fear is needing a cathetar. I've never had a hospital stay before!!

Oh and btw my name is Anna. :tongue2:

Hi Anna!!! I'm so glad it went well with Kurt!! I am getting soooooo excited!!! Pre op appointment is Tuesday!! Can't believe it!!!

That's wonderful!!! So excited for you. You'll have to tell me all about it. I met with Dr. Khayat on Friday, he's so nice. He said I'm ready to go too. I got a call from one of the medical assistants today and she booked my dietitian appt. for the 10th and also told me she'll help me get to see the psychologist sooner. Dr. Khayat tentatively booked me for April 24th for my surgery! I am beyond excited!!!

You'll have to tell me about the pre-op class. Are you on Facebook? PM me your info and we can be friends on FB.