Hey everyone, I'm having surgery 5/12 @ Cedars Sinai, and wanted to see if there are any other Mayo Banditos from Cali.

I live in Pasadena, and was orignally going to be banded by Dr. David Martin @ Huntington Hospital, but he's out of network for my insurance. So I found Dr. Philippe Quilici, and I am excited to have such an experienced and proficient surgeon poking around inside of me.

And is it just me... or is every freeway in SoCal decked out with numerous Lap-Band billboards? My BF and I laugh every time we see them or hear that horrible 800-Get-Slim jingle on the radio. Although I'm excited that the word is out that LB works!

Hey i'm soo glad you got approved!!!!! I have dr's appt on may 27th with dr. philippe quilicci for consultation what insurance do you have???? and how long did it take you to get the tests done before getting the approval date for surgery???

Hi Jackie!

My insurance is Aetna PPO Choice II. I had to do the six month physician supervised diet and prove that I was obese for 2 years (easy as pie for that part). That, along with the surgeon's recommendation and they psych clearance were all my insurance needed for approval. The upper GI, bloodwork, pre-op physical by my PCP, and EKG are all tests required by Dr. Quilici before he'll do surgery. I didn't have to do a cardio stress test or endoscopy or other tests because they weren't necessary for my situation. It took two and a half weeks for the insurance people to approve it all, and once I got the approval my surgery was scheduled for three weeks out. Now comes the mad rush of pre-op tests and stuff. Let me know if you have any questions or anything for Dr. Quilici's process or insurance, I feel like I'm more of an expert than the staff is at this point.

The journey ahead may seem long, but boy will it be worth it!!

That's awesome! I'm so glad your on the right track good luck on your surgery!!! how much you pay for your insurance?? because the insurance i'm trying to get is anthem blue cross PPO $125 a month and hopefully everything works out fine. Thanks again!

Hello, I am having surgery on May 7th, with Dr. Machado in Sacramento. Im a bit nervous, but very excited at the same time. Glad to be part of a group, we can keep in touch and give each other advice.

Hello, I am having surgery on May 7th, with Dr. Machado in Sacramento. Im a bit nervous, but very excited at the same time. Glad to be part of a group, we can keep in touch and give each other advice.

Im from Sac too. :thumbup: But Im headin to MX to have my surgery done. Insurance issues. :smile: Basically, I dont have Insurance anymore. That would be a big insurance issue. lol So here I come MX. I havent seen any bill boards here in NorCal advertising the band. But Ive seen a commercial on TV.

I probably should know how much I pay for insurance... but it comes out of my paycheck pre-tax so I haven't a clue, lol! I wish I still had Blue Shield HMO, it was cheaper and easier overall. But when my work changes, so do I.

I am having mine done by Dr. Oliak in Orange...yeah lots of billboards! The doc pointed out that they werent his (I think he thought it was a little tacky but he said it does draw in business!) I saw them as far north as Oxnard on my drive home. I have around a 3 hour drive down there so I will stay in a hotel. Actually my 'office' day is the day before and then the surgery is in Torrance...its all LA to me! I am self pay and I think I found the best doc!!! Cant wait...Cali

Hi Kellster,

I'm very new in this process and I'm meeting with Dr. Quilici for the first consultation next week, May 6th. My insurance (Health Net HMO) already approved gastric surgery so I guess there will need to be further approvals as the surgery comes along right? So after your initial consultation he had you wait 6 months before having the surgery? Also, I'm sure my medical records state my weight n such but what did Dr. Quilici request of you to prove it? If all works well I'll be getting laped at St. Jo's too. Please keep us posted and let us know how it goes!

good luck!

Susie

Hi Kellster,

I'm very new in this process and I'm meeting with Dr. Quilici for the first consultation next week, May 6th. My insurance (Health Net HMO) already approved gastric surgery so I guess there will need to be further approvals as the surgery comes along right? So after your initial consultation he had you wait 6 months before having the surgery? Also, I'm sure my medical records state my weight n such but what did Dr. Quilici request of you to prove it? If all works well I'll be getting laped at St. Jo's too. Please keep us posted and let us know how it goes!

good luck!

Susie

Congrats on starting the journey, Susie! If you're already approved for gastric surgery, I asuume you should be good to go (lucky)! Long story short I was already on month 4 when I went to Dr. Quilici, so I was aware of my insurance requirements, and only had to wait a couple months after that. As far as proving my weight, copies of medical records were sufficient for my insurance, and Dr. Quilici has you fill out a weight/diet history which also helps document it.

Day 3 of the pre-op diet, my energy is a bit lower than normal, but I'm not really that hungry! I can't believe in two weeks I'll be banded already!! :thumbup:

Kellster,

Thank you for your quick response! Can I also ask you if you'll have to stay in the hospital or is it an outpatient procedure? On your first initial appointment were you there waiting a long time before seeing the doc or was your appt. w/the doc long? I've been reading that people have to meet w/"Julie" before seeing that doc too? How long were you there for your first appt? Just trying to figure out how much time I'll be away from the office.

Did Dr. Quilici make you lose a certain amount of weight before getting your surgery date?

Again, thanks for your help. My appt. is on Wednesday and I'm sooooo anxious and nervous about it!!

Susie

Do any of our Mayo Banditos have surgery tomorrow? Mine isn't until the 21st.

Kellster,

Thank you for your quick response! Can I also ask you if you'll have to stay in the hospital or is it an outpatient procedure? On your first initial appointment were you there waiting a long time before seeing the doc or was your appt. w/the doc long? I've been reading that people have to meet w/"Julie" before seeing that doc too? How long were you there for your first appt? Just trying to figure out how much time I'll be away from the office.

Did Dr. Quilici make you lose a certain amount of weight before getting your surgery date?

Again, thanks for your help. My appt. is on Wednesday and I'm sooooo anxious and nervous about it!!

Susie

I'll be staying overnight, which is A-ok with me. I've never been in a hospital room overnight, so it might be weird - but I'm kinda excited! Plus I hear the bariatric ward @ St. Joe's is top-notch and brand new.

I did have to wait a bit before I met with the doctor. First you meet with Julie, the Dietician, and discuss insurance coverage issues. Then you meet with Rosalie, who goes over the difference between bypass and the band (probably with a few other people). THEN you're weighed and put in an exam room and Dr. Quilici comes in to talk with you. He is a big fan of bypass but if you tell him you want the band, he says OK. I have a BMI of 50+ so bypass is usually recommended, but the risks of bypass and malabsorption freak me out!

I was there for a couple of hours the first time. I guess it takes different amounts of time depending on how many people are there with you (questions, etc), so be prepared.

Dr. Quilici didn't ask me to lose any weight, he just said not to gain any. I'm on day 3 now of the liquid diet and his info says that most patients lose 10-15 lbs with this, so on surgery day I'll be down about 20 lbs from when I first started this journey.

Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions, I'm glad to help! Also, there's a bandster support group that meets in the Burbank area @ a bandster's house - the 4th Wed of the month, we just met last night. Most of the gals are Dr. Quilici's patients so it's nice to get their opinion too. I'll send you an invite for our social group on here, they're a great bunch!

Hey Kellster,

I live in Ventura, CA but I lived in Pasadena for five years. I'm being banded next Wednesday by Dr. Billy, who I've heard is the absolute best. I'm a bit nervous but more excited about the journey. I'm at the stage where I want it to happen and get over the hump already.

I'm around if you ever need a shoulder to cry on or just to be happy about a met goal!!

Congrats to both of us for making this wonderful decision about our lives.

Hi Laya, I also live in Ventura County. My sister and I are being banded next Thursday 5/14/2009 at Cedars-Sinai by Dr. Nishi. We are scheduled on the same day, back-to-back.

We were hoping to have our done with Dr. Billy but he was not contracted with our insurance. I know a few people who have been banded by Dr. Billy and he is terrific. We attended one of his seminars and were very impressed.

We are very happy with Dr. Nishi and the staff at Cedars but we just hate the travel. Good Luck next week and hope to meet you at the support group meeting.

I live in San Diego and am getting banded May 18th in Tijuana at Angeles Hospital. On the pre-op diet now...