Hi Everyone

I am new here - I have been reading alot of the posts and I am so pleased to hear all the wonderful results everyone is having. I am having my lapband surgery done at kaiser in freemont - are there any other banders whom have had there bands from kaiser? I'm really really nervous, part of me thinks I can still do this by myself but then the other part is like "who you kidding." I have not seen many banders alot of the people that I work with or know have had the gastric bypass and are discouraging me from having the band, so I'm glad to read all the wonderful stories of success and if there are any other Kaiser patients, please do share your experience. :rolleyes2:

Update.

I finally got to ask for someone at the Fremont Kaiser Bariatric Department. They tell me that they have not received any information or referrals! I have been asking my PCP about this all along as well as the psych referral doctor. They both told me that the list was long, but now I learn that someone dropped the ball and didn't even get the referral in. I am furious!!:biggrin: I have followed up on this for the last ten months and I am barely told now that my file wasn't received.

I cannot contact my PCP because he's gone until the 12th of October. I am so mad and, what's more, is that I probably won't be able to do anything about it. Talk about feeling alone and powerless. I feel like I'm David and Kaiser is the big bad Goliath. I'm very upset.

:cursing:does any one know what I would have to do to move over to richmond could i just make an appoint with a new pcp and redo eveything or would the use some stuff from my current kaiser doctor

From what I was told when I went through the program, it's broked up by the regions we live in. I don't know if that is the same now. I asked if I could do some of the stuff up here in the Sacramento area instead of driving all the way to SSF. They said no. I have heard that they are changing some of this. I would call first the bariactric unit and ask. Also, ask them what the hold up is. Then I would call patient services if I still felt like I wasn't getting treated equally.

Unfortunately, they view this as an elective surgery. Yeah, we can talk until we are blue in the face about it being life saving. It won't do any good.

If you are simply not getting the appointments, call and check for cancelations. At SSF they DO NOT call people and try to fill cancelations. They simply let them go. This is the case for everything except once you get on the surgery schedule. They do fill those cancelations. Once I had my psych cancel on me at the last minute due to jury duty that ran longer than expected. I asked when I could get in next and they wanted to put me out 3 months!!!! The girl who actually did the appointments was gone for the day and the other people just looked for the end of the list. The funny thing is the next Monday (cancelation was on a Friday) I called and talked to the appointment girl and I was seen that Friday. What they didn't know is the appointment they gave me was one my daughter cancelled about 30 days prior. So call and call again. People can speed up things if they do this.

You do have to work on loosing your required weight though because if you speed things up you have to be ready. At SSF you don't even get on the surgery calendar unless you've lost the weight. Sometimes you can't even see the surgeon unless you're REALLY close.

I can't believe I said "it's broked up". <groan> It's broken up....LOL

Hi I see you posted a while ago how are things now for you tell me all? I just started my process in Fremont kaiser. I have my referral to the bariatric and my appointment is on 11-9,I have a bmi of 41 to 43 unsure of my height I have seen the nutri all ready and my pschi,and all of the other appoints are all the first and second week of Nov. i still need to schedule my EKG,chest x ray and I am unsure what else so if you can tell me as much as you can I would love the know

Thank you

Atasca.

The BAND-ONLY support group in Sacramento meets next Saturday, Feb. 19th, 2011!

ALL LapBanders are welcome! Even if you are pre-surgery!!!

Sacramento Valley Bandsters Support Group

third Saturday of every month from 10:30-12:30.

Sutter Cancer Center

Classroom 1, First Floor

2800 L Street, Sacramento

Easy parking is available one short block away in covered lot on 29th Street, between K and L streets. This costs $1 per hour. There is also street parking on the blocks surrounding the area that use a meter to park. I think its approx. 25-cents per 15 min. increment of time.

This group was purposely set up so as NOT to conflict with the other support groups in the area.

Any and ALL band patients; from ANY doctor or hospital are welcome to attend.

Please join us!