Anyone here been banded through Kaiser? My doctor told me I have to go to a gastric bypass siminar to find out more info on the band. Apperantly they don't have a Kaiser doctor in my town that does the band, I may have to go futher up north to have it done. If you've been through this process with Kaiser, I would love to hear about your process.

Thanks,

Does anyone have a soft copy of the eating plan from Kaiser Nor Cal.. I have the book at home but would love to have a copy I could email someone.

No, Sorry. All I have is the book as well.

If you are talking about the Richmond Kaiser, you can get it on line - Richmond Medical Center, Bariatric Surgery - go to the link on the left for the bariatric binder

My PCP finally sent a referral in for my surgery yesterday, to Kaiser Richmond. When I went and looked at the info binder online this morning, it's all about bypass! They WILL do banding there, right? What is the process in Richmond? I am taking the 4 month weight loss surgery class series in Santa Rosa, and they told me for sure to stay in that class.

Hi Riley!

I have met someone banded at Richmond, so I know that they do band. In my binder from SSF, it does have pages for specifically Lap Band. So maybe they haven't uploaded it yet?. Hope u are doing well in the process, so are u closer to Santa Rosa? I will be having surgery in SSF next month, and live north of Sac/Roseville area. Have a good day!

Good morning! Thanks for your reply.

a friend from my Santa Rosa class is having bypass in SSF, her binder has info for both in it, too. I suggested SSF to my PCP here in Santa Rosa, he says he uses Richmond. Maybe i should have been more clear with him that i wanted lap band??

I guess I'll wait till Monday and call Richmond and ask. They have been very nice, I just never thought to ask!

I must say that so far my Kaiser experience has been great!

I was banded at Richmond Kaiser on Aug 26. The binder they give you at orientation has sections for both bypass and lapband. They are very familiar with the differences and talk about both at orientation. When I went to my pre-op class there were 6 of us having lapband and the rest were bypass. My surgeon was Dr. Im. Feel free to e-mail me directly if you have questions about Richmond.

Momof3, were you banded in Richmond?

I see you were! Thanks! Gong out for my walk now, will think about questions to ask you! Thanks so much!

Hey everyone. Hope all is well with you. When you go to your classes, not matter where they are, SSF or Richmond be sure you ask questions. I was banded in SSF and the classes focus on RNY. There was only one lady who was being banded. I initially went to be banded but the doc wouldn't do it because I have to much scar tissue from some other issues I had. Be aggressive with your questions and make sure they are answered to your satisfaction. The team in SSF is really good and they are nice too. Good luck!

Hi all, found out my date is Nov. 19th in SSFO. Anyone else around that time? Looking forward to it!:smile2: If you would like to visit the Sacramento Support group on Sat, Oct. 25th @ 11:00, it is for Post & Pre-op patients.

A few of us ladies from here will be meeting there, possibly to develop a Band support group! Please let us know (through here) if you are interested. Have a healthy of good choices!

Hi all I have just started with Kaiser fremont/ Hayward I have visisted the the Nut. and Has A sleep apnea and Psch. appointment in November. I also Have my first WLS orientation next month as well. I do not have a refferral to the bariatc clinic so I made an appoint with my PCP for next wekk to see if she will give me one so what comes next i heard soome poeple are denied throu kaiser does anyone have information on that. and am I on the righ track with kaier it is so confussing will the orientation help with all the confussion

Help

momcof3, your stats are fantastic! And the time frame from orientation to surgery seems pretty quick! How long after your referral before you get your orientation appt. with Richmond? What appointments did you have to have in Richmond, and what could you do locally? What kind of test did they want? Upper GI? Apnea? Did you have a liver-shrinking diet right before? Did you have to take a series of classes at home or in Richmond?

Thanks for your help!

Riley

How long after your referral before you get your orientation appt. with Richmond? It was about 3 weeks- they have orientations every Tuesday.

What appointments did you have to have in Richmond, and what could you do locally? The only thing I could do locally is the blood work, chest x-ray, and EKG.

What kind of test did they want? I had to have blood work, EKG, chest x-ray- no upper GI, no sleep apnea Upper GI? Apnea?

Did you have a liver-shrinking diet right before? no you start their 1200 calorie food plan (they give you a list of food) and continue that up to the evening before your surgery

Did you have to take a series of classes at home or in Richmond?

I had the orientation in Richmond which consisted of two classes on one day - the only other class was the pre-op class and the post-op nutrition class that were given on the same day (before surgery). No other classes anywhere.

I went through Kaiser. You have to go to an orientation class and there they will give information on both bypass and band surgeries. It is a very long process. I went to orientation in August of 07 and was finally banded in may 08. One thing to do is start losing weight right away. The sooner you do the sooner you will have your surgery. I had Dr. Le in South San Francisco. The staff is great and they are very helpful. These classes are mandatory and are very informative. Per Kaiser: if you miss any of your classes you have to reschedule them and attend them prior to having your surgery. People complain about having to do all the things they want prior to surgery, like having to lose 10% of your initial weight, this is done to help prep your internal organs for surgery. Right now they are covered in a layer of fat and that needs to come off so it is easier to get to your stomach. Do what they tell you and you will be fine. Good Luck! It is well worth the wait!

Congratulations on your surgery. May I ask what the process was like with regards to the eating what was the 1st week like? What was the 2nd week like? I know they put you on a diet did you actually follow it? Did you follow there calorie program that was tailored for or designed for you? Did you actually write your food journals down (that you ate) or did you write down what they wanted you to eat according to the calorie allowance? Let’s face it if we or I had the will power to do the calorie reduction that they want to put me on, why would I need the surgery? I am sorry my question is so long, but you’re the only one I can ask, as you have been threw it.

Thank you,