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Yay!!! I was wondering what date you would get! My mom is having surgery on the 3rd as well! Mine is Dec 13th!

Tiff...you are so inspirational! Just reading your posts makes me feel so much better about my decision to get sleeved. My surgery date is fast approaching on Dec 13th! Your posts always answer so many questions and you always have such great advice! Thank you so much for continuing to post and for providing such great information and encouragement to everyone! By the way, you look AMAZING!

Yeah I don't really get the no protein drinks either. I figure I still will add protein powder to stuff to keep my energy up during the first two weeks. I don't want to get all tired and run down.

I have only been out to Richmond twice so far. Once on Nov 12th for my psych appt and then on Dec 2nd for my pre-op classes. The other times I got to go to vacaville. Which was wonderful because I am in Sacramento. Congrats on our surgery date. That is super close! Are you all prepared?

Lisa...As far as your monthly is concerned, it does not matter if you have it during surgery. You are not allowed to use a tampon during surgery but a pad. They recommend wearing some ugly throwaway panties with a pad and then when you get in the surgery room tell the nurses to just throw them away. They will give you a gigantic pad to use. Then after you wake up you can put on a clean pair of panties and use your own pads (which they recomend because their pads are gigantic and not comfy). I had to stop my birth control a few weeks ago so I am all out of whack. I am hoping not to have to deal with it during surgery but if it happens oh well. Just a little embarassing but nurses have seen it all.

Congrats Stacey on getting sleeved!!!! I just went to my pre-op classes in Richmond today. I am all set for surgery on December 13th. Yikes it is getting soooo close!

Well, it has been a little over a month since I last posted. A lot has happened. I have officially lost 28 pounds, according to my doctor's scale. I only needed to lose 21 pre-op. I met with the pyschologist on Nov 12th. She was super nice and made me feel comfortable and didn't ask any weird or odd questions. I was very lucky and got a Case Manager appt for that following Tuesday, nov 16th! By the way, my mom had all of her appointments the same day. So we went into the appt with the Case Manager and she let us do our appointments together, it didn't bother me. She had the same concerns as my surgeon with me having the sleeve. Basically saying that since I am so young, 28, there are no long term studies and all of that. I explained again, that I did not want my intestines rerouted and that as far as I was concerned I would rather risk not knowing what could possibly happen in the future. The furture is unknown anyways. So then the Case Manager looked at her surgery calendar and asked when I wanted to have surgery. I said as soon as possible. So she set me up with December 13th. My mom was disapointed that her surgery date is not until Jan 3rd. Though that is because she is having gastric bypass and they didn't have any surgery days available for that procedure until then. So we then scheduled our pre-op appointments which are on Dec 2nd. All of this seemed to happen very quickly. I had to stop my birth control right away and have to take a pregnancy test a week before surgery. I went in for some more blood work and now I am all set until Dec 2nd. I am worried about the silly stuff. Like the catheder. Um, that doesn't sound pleasant and I hope I am sleeping when they do it. Then staying in the hospital over night by myself. I am scared of that. Not that I will be awake or able to entertain but I have never stayed in the hospital, never had surgery. I am a wimp! Then all my family is worried about me being home alone while my boyfriend works that first week. Will I really need that much help? He will get me my beverages and meds before leaving for work at 6:30am then he will be home around 2:30. Won't I be sleeping, sipping and walking? Oh and we live in an apartment and have stairs. So I figure I can just walk in circles inside, right? Walking is walking. My grandparents are so sweet. They are going to pick me up from the hospital, my mom has to save her time off from work for her own surgery. My grandparents have an extra bedroom but no bed because they gave it to my brother. So my grandpa says, "If you want to stay here just tell me and I will go out and buy a bed." That cracks me up. They would buy a new bed just so I could stay there for a few days! I love my family. My boyfriend is worried that my family will be mad at him for not taking time off. I'm not worried about it. He is a teacher and that is a week before winter break. But he did say that he would drive out to see me after surgery after he gets off work. It is almost a 2 hr drive so that is super sweet! I now need to start making my list of what I need to buy for the hospital. Robe, slippers, chapstick, gas x strips, a blanket, a small pillow. I am sure I will overpack. Though I am nervous and trying not to think about the surgery every min of the day. I am trying to break up these next 3 week into small things. Like Thanksgiving, then Black Friday shopping, then Pre-Op appointment, then family x-mas party, then Surgery. The next few weeks are going to go by so fast. I just need to take it one day at a time. Make sure that I am sticking to my pre-op diet. GREAT... the BF is making cookies! Good thing I love him a lot!

Wow! I have to say that I am a litle suprised. I did not hear from anyone else on this site needing help wiping. I love my boyfriend and my family but I REALLY don't want anyone to have to do that. I know that it is going to be painful and I am just hoping that I will have a nice and easy recovery like some of the other people on this site! Thank you though for all of the information. It did really help.

I just bit his head off for having pie and ice cream in the house....and then ordering pizza for his dinner!!! I told him it was okay but dang can you blame a girl for changing her mind? It all looked so good. I am still pre-op by the way so trying to lose those last 4 pounds! I told him that he HAS to help me. I don't mind him eating junk but single servings only so there is not enough left over. Sometimes my willpower SUCKS! I did really well for my frist two weeks on my pre-op diet. Did slimfast for the second week to jumpstart my weight loss before meeting with the surgeon. Now I am back to eating well. I think that it may take a few days to get back on the correct road. I just feel bad for my boyfriend. He is not having the surgery so he doesn't need to be cutting off his junk food. I hate asking him to, but he has been a sweetheart to help for the most part.

Thank Judy. He has been super supportive. Even throwing out food that is tempting me!

Thanks! I am not too worried about having the surgery on different dates. It would have been nice though. I am just excited and nervous that it is happening so quickly. I have to make sure that I don't gain any weight which now seems hard because I want my "last meals." But I have allowed myself two semi cheat meals and now am back to being good! I had to stop my birth control, at least I had only taken 2 pills from the pack. I don't want to be on my period during surgery! Eek!!! My mind can't seem to stop thinking about the surgery. I am slowly making my list of what I need to buy for the first couple of weeks after. I need to try to focus on one thing at a time. Thanksgiving, then Black Friday shopping, then Pre-Op appt, then Surgery. I can do this. Even my thoughts are rambled. Sorry. Ah at least it is Friday! Have a good weekend!

Steph, I think that the Option classes are only done in Southern California Kaisers. I have not heard of anyone in Richmond or SSF having to do them. I originally thought that I wanted the band. I knew that I did not want Gastric Bypass because I was worried about the rerouting of the intestines. To me that just seemed more complicated. Once I researched the band, I realized that there were too many complications with that procedure and Kaiser is not really doing the Band anymore. So when I started hearing about the sleeve and researching it, it just felt right to me. I liked the idea of still having a normal functioning stomach, being able to eat normal foods just in smaller amounts. Though long term data is not in, I feel comfortable and confident with the sleeve. Though both my surgeon and the case manager tried to make sure that I knew that they would recommend gastric bypass for me over the sleeve. But they stated it was because of my age, i'm 28, and the lack of long term studies. My mom decided on the bypass because she wants to make sure that she will not be able to eat sweets and fatty foods which caused her to gain weight in the first place. She wants the dumping to keep her on track but is also aware that not everyone has dumping with the gastric bypass. I worry about her choosing the bypass because I don't want her to have any complications with her intestines or anything. But I understand her reasons just as she understands mine. We are both very supportive of each other and our decisions.

I just found out that my surgery will be on December 13th with Dr. Baggs at Kaiser Richmond. My pre-op class is on Dec 2nd. I am excited and nervous all at the same time!

Welcome Karelo! Congrats on being sleeved!

Woo Hoo!!!! I have a surgery date of December 13th! Yikes! That is less than 1 month away! I am nervous already. My mom is unable to have the surgery until Jan 3rd. She is bummed but they put her on the cancellation list so hopefully she will get in sooner. I have an appointment for the pre-op class in two weeks and then surgery is a little over a week from that. Everything is moving soooo quickly. Does anyone know when the next Kaiser support group is at Point West?

I am having surgery through Kaiser in Richmond. The process has gone pretty quickly for me as well. I had Orientation on Sept 27th and just got my surgery date for December 13th! The longest part for me was just getting the other appointments scheduled. If you look at my signature it has the appointment dates. My mom is going through the process with my but her surgery date is not until Jan 3rd (she is having gastric bypass). Usually the Kaiser thread is a little more lively, maybe everyone is caught up in the holidays! Good Luck!!!

I get that a lot by co-workers. I have lost 27 pounds since Sept 27th. They keep asking me why I am having surgery when I am losing weight so well without it. I tell them about the odds of people regaining weight after just dieting alone. As well as explain to them that I have done the diet and excerise and then gained it all back mutiple times. I think that they still don't understand, but then again, they are all tiny petite women who have never had a weight problem.

Great news! I went to my psych appt today in Richmond. I weighed in at 266, which is 4 pounds below my goal weight of 270. They scheduled my Case Manager appt for THIS tuesday Nov 16th in Vacaville! OMG I am so excited. My mom has an appt the same day just 30 mins before me. She had asked when they were scheduling surgeries for and the lady said Jan, but then asked my mom how soon she wanted surgery and my mom said that we both would like surgery for December. That is when the lady gave us the Nov 16th Case Manager appt date. So I don't know if we can get our surgeries in December but I am hoping. Also, it looks like my mom and I can get our surgeries on the same day! Woo it has been a great Friday!!!

Karen, I am so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Thank goodness Dr. Baggs noticed something unusual on your liver and had it tested. If you hadn't had surgery this might have gone undetected for some time. I can't imagine having to deal with this news along with just having had surgery. You are a very strong person and will get through this. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us updated on how you are doing.

Right on!!! Very exciting!!! You will be sleeved in no time at all!!!

Congrats Mommy!!! I hope you get an appointment with the Case Manager quickly! Keep us updated. I am curious on how long it will take to get the Case Manager appt! I am at my goal weight but waiting for 11/12 for my psych appt before I can do anything else. The wait is driving me crazy!!! A sleeve for Christmas sounds like a wonderful gift!!!!

Unfortunately I have to go by my Doctor's scale. What I do is weigh at the doctor and then weigh as soon as I get home so I can see how my scale differs. Then I adjust my weight loss accordingly. I still have to lose two pounds for my pre-op, but then again I will most likely need to lose around 5 as a precaution to weigh in under my goal weight at the doctor. I weigh at home first thing in the morning and naked. At the doctor it is usually the afternoon and of course I am not naked. I found that my weight fluctuates about 3 pounds from morning to afternoon and without clothes to with clothes. Though I am suprised that your scales are so off. I got a weight watchers scale from target for 30 bucks. Works like a charm.

I would love to have the surgery with just two incisions, but when I spoke with Dr. Baggs a couple of weeks ago he said the Richmond was not doing the two incision thing. That because they were still perfecting performing the sleeve he does not think that they should be trying a more complicated way yet (they have only been doing the sleeve for the last year or so). Plus he said that if there were only two incisions they would be way bigger than the 5 small ones. I think that it is so odd how every Kaiser is different. Either way I am anxiously awaiting my psych appt on 11/12. I still have 2 pounds to lose. To be honest I have been eating kind of bad (but not nearly as much or as bad as before I started the pre-op). So I have to really get my mind set now. I think that because my surgeon appt and my psych appt were a month apart and I only had to lose 4 pounds I slacked! I am hoping that the psych appt will go smoothly and that I will get my appt with the Case Manager a few weeks after. I wish it would all go faster!!! Sorry for the rambling! Congrats Karen on getting sleeved! Hopefully I will be joining you soon!

Sorry ladies, I will be unable to make the support group today. I have a bad cold and I don't want to give it to everyone. Especially those of you who are going to have surgery in the next couple of weeks! Hope to see you all next time unless we meet up before that.