Anyone From The BaY???

[sarahthree 0]

me, me... bay girl all the way and just had surgery last week at kaiser south city.

best,

s

[spclk60 0]

Hi S,

Good luck to you. I'm sure you are much younger than I am. So I believe I am more of a risk for the surgery. I have many concerns. Please keep me informed as to how you are doing. All the pros and cons.

Best of luck to you again.

spclk60:biggrin:

[sarahthree 0]

spclk,

thanks for your message. i have been doing great -- just had my two week post-op appointment and was advanced to normal (soft-ish) foods (thank god i still remember how to chew) and given permission to exercise. i have no more pain with the exception of maybe some very slight and occasional port soreness. my incisions are closing up nicely (although the big one where the port is looks, as my surgeon described it today, a bit "punky"). all in all, no problems and i'm thrilled with my decision, however early in the game it might be. i researched lapband for about a year before my surgery, so i feel pretty prepared for what comes ahead -- just hoping i'm lucky and have no major obstacles along the way.

i don't think you should be worried about your age at all -- there are plenty of bandsters who are your age and significantly older and who do very well. have you found anyone on the age-specific support groups who might be able to ease your mind a bit? keep us all updated on how things go for you!

best,

sarah

[spclk60 0]

Thank you so much for your reply. It is so comforting. I have not tried my age group yet. But thanks for the suggestion.

I am so happy that things are going good for you.

My daughter had the gastric bypass. So I do know a little about the gastric sugeries.

Did you have a problem with the liquids only for the first week, or two? Have you lost any weight as of today? Hope your excerise program goes well for you.

I have scheduled an appointment for the seminar on Feb. 6. After that I will be able to see the specialist. I have a feeling that my insurance will reject me. I need to give some good reasons to the specialist as to why I want this surgery. All I can think of is health reasons. Did you have to do this?

Thanks Again,

spclk60

[sarahthree 0]

spclk,

i checked in the sixties support group and there were tons of people there, all older than you! i wouldn't worry about that at all.

as far as liquids go, each surgeon has his or her own post-op rules, it seems, and these can vary widely. my surgeon required two days of Clear Liquids and two weeks of full liquids and purees. it wasn't a problem at all, and in fact MUCH easier than i would've imagined. don't get me wrong; i was really excited to chew! it really wasn't awful, though, to wait two weeks without solids.

i lost about 10 pounds right after surgery, which brings my total since orientation down to about 24 pounds lost. i'm trying not to weigh myself, though, as at this point, i know it's just about healing and not about weight loss. the loss will come once i have restriction, i'm sure, but right now, i'm just focusing on my new lifestyle changes and getting back to working out and so on.

i had no insurance problems at all. i have kaiser and all i needed was a referral, and then i was in the program. it did take about eight months to go through the pre-op classes, but they were absolutely invaluable and i kick myself now when i think about how angry i was when i learned i'd have to complete all those classes before surgery. they were SO valuable and i'm sure they will be a key to my success. i don't know much about the way programs work outside of kaiser, though; i'm sure if you post something on the general board, you can get information from other bandsters who went through your insurance company. there are all sorts of us here; this board is a priceless resource!

best,

sarah

[want2beme 2]

Yo Yo... I'm in the 916...

Sacramento

[juliegeraci 7]

Sarah, quick question regarding Kaiser. My girlfriend got her referral weeks ago from her doctor but for some reason the Bariatric center isn't calling her. Did you have to wait very long before they contacted you to move forward in the program?

[spclk60 0]

Thanks again for your assistance. I am going to check out the other chat rooms.

Best of Luck to you. You seem to be doing great.

:tt1:

Spclk60

[sarahthree 0]

Sarah, quick question regarding Kaiser. My girlfriend got her referral weeks ago from her doctor but for some reason the Bariatric center isn't calling her. Did you have to wait very long before they contacted you to move forward in the program?

julie,

yes, i did have to wait a while, as i recall. they are SWAMPED and have waiting lists for everything; it's crazy! it never hurts to call once a week or every two weeks, though, to check on where she is on the list. she should just wait on the line instead of pressing any buttons to go through the menu options -- that way she should get a live person to talk to. hope that helps!

best,

sarah

[lawbebe 0]

Hello

I am in Napa.. I went to Dr.Foster in Burlingame..I had surgery October 17 of 07'!

[Not interested 0]

Hi All,

I'm a newbie too and also had my surgery at Kaiser South San Francisco. So far so good, I get my 1st fill tomorrow!

[spclk60 0]

Please get back to me and let me know how your first fill goes. I am so interested right now in the step by step process of the lap band surgery.

I sure hope that my insurance company approves me for this surgery. I have run out of options. I fell so tired and have so many aches and pains.

Sincerely,

spclk60

[sarahthree 0]

Hi All,

I'm a newbie too and also had my surgery at Kaiser South San Francisco. So far so good, I get my 1st fill tomorrow!

rachel, were you at class on saturday? the girl with the cute hair, right? i think i overheard someone say your name was rachel but i'm not sure. :biggrin:

[Not interested 0]

rachel, were you at class on saturday? the girl with the cute hair, right? i think i overheard someone say your name was rachel but i'm not sure. :frown:

Hi Sarah,

I was there! I think I have cute hair but there was another Rachel in the group so it might have been her too; she sat next to me and was knitting. I did have my sunglasses on my head if that helps

Will you be at the Feb meeting? I just got my appointment card in the mail.

I had my fill, not nearly as tramatic as I thought! Having my mushies today... yum

[tuszak 0]

I'm in San Jose and my doc is Robert McKeen.