So I have been thinking of having weight loss surgery for a long time. I have been obese the majority of my adult life. The one exception is when I was diagnosed with bone cancer, and lost quit a bit of weight. Sad to say I gained it all back when I was able to eat again lol. So out of the blue I emailed both my Oncologist and my Primary Doctor at Kaiser to see what the process was, am I even qualified and even more importantly how much will it cost? So that same day, I found out yes I qualify, yes I can afford it, and yes my oncologist will sign off on it. This was done on Monday 3/20/17. I was scheduled for the first available weight loss class...2 hour class on April 4th. My doctor said after the class i will meet with the surgeon. I have many questions but I guess the most important right now is what happens after I meet with the surgeon? I know there will be labs, but does the surgeon schedule more classes, or pre surgery weight loss? I'm not looking for more complications, it just seems this process has been too easy. I am open to know what others think or know lol.

That is wonderful that you want to lose the weight and get healthy. It is easy to get to the first class then every insurance has different requirements and you will learn about your requirements at your 2 hour weight class. Many of us have 6 months of nutrition where we learn how we need to eat once we get our sleeve. Good luck on journey. I'm getting sleeved 4/17 and I am so excited.

It depends on the requirements your insurance and surgical team require. You might need six months of supervised weight loss. You might not. You'll probably meet with a nutritionist and quite possibly a psychiatrist. There might be group meetings to attend. These are all things I - and many others - did. My best advice is to get all your questions answered by your surgical team. Good luck!

My process was very easy and I hope yours is smooth sailing for you as well!

To give you an idea of my process: I went to my first consultation on January 13th. During the next month, I did my labs, psych eval (just did it online), got a primary care physician (recently moved and didn't have one), and a gallbladder/liver ultrasound. Next appointment was mid-February where they submitted everything to insurance for approval. Insurance approved March 17th, same day as my monthly appointment so I was scheduled that day for surgery on April 12th. Each of my monthly appointments I met with the nutritionist, exercise physiologist, and surgeon.

I am a Kaiser patient just going to my first informational meeting April 1... I found out different kaisers have different requirements.. after the 2 hr information meeting then schedule 2 hr orientation meeting then choose your surgeon.. then dr sets your goal to lose .. weight .. usually requires losing5 to 10% Pre op weight.. depending on your BMI.. ? psychological evaluation .. also Kaisers require 4 to 12 nutrition option classes.. before getting approval as surgery date..

Since you seem to have your ducks in a row as far as the getting the surgery done goes, try and attend as many classes and gather as much information as you can surrounding pre-op and post-op nutrition, supplements, and if you take any medications how your surgery might affect those. Being aware of necessary lifestyle changes is part 1, implementing them is the next phase, and the most challenging. This must be partnered with the WLS for it to be effective at all. It's always good to be a step ahead and know whats coming.

Edited March 29, 20179 yr by PatientEleventyBillion