shrinkydinkme

I am doing great... should be getting a lot done to prepare and here I am posting instead. Probably should be sleeping too being that after to night I will have 3 more nights of sleep then surgery. Oh well. I have lost 23 over this 6 month wait to have a date for surgery. Ten of that in the last month and 5 in the last 3 days- even though my doctor said the same.... just do not gain. Oh an hi friend CreCre... see you in the hospital in a few days glad you found your way on here.

Hi CreCre, I am in So. Cal and my date is one day before you -Aug.1st

Way to go - what a great result from your hard work. I get my sleeve Aug. 1st and examples like you make me so excited!

Just found out today that I am August first too.... wow 5 days until we are there!

Name- Sheila Surgery August 1st and just found out today- so 5 days until the big one St. Bernardines with Dr. Chin Age-) 50 (4 days ago) Location-So California highest weight/current weight/ goal weight- 309/289/159 (I am 5"10) Anything else you'd like to share? 25 years married, 3 children 11-16 & 21 I spent 2 years of talking about WLS unaccepting the complications of bypass to hear benefits of the sleeve and realize I was willing to do it ....then a 6 month process to be approved by Kaiser for Surgery. Was skinny until I had babies then just kept adding on pounds. Taking a 1 yr. radical sabatical to focus on establishing this new lifestyle and to take care of myself instead of everyone else. I have been very active in my church, love fun, friends, family, photos and am so excited for this adventure to freedom!

The best news on this journey so far at my surgery consult this morning! Surgery is in 5 days.... Aug. 1st (same day as Nina88 but different hospital) Dr. Chin had a surgery cancel right before my appointment today and gave the date to me so I do not have to wait until September. SO EXCITED! Thanks all for your support... now to pack my hospital bag, stock the house with food for the family and my post op diet, finish up laundry and house work and get ready to be a big looser....

Wow! You are doing so good, look amazing and I love the cute hair.

Love your honesty.... thanks for the video!

Super!

Thought about your question all night.... I have said it myself it for years.... tried crazy and healthy diets only to gain all the weight lost back and more. So at this point about a month from my surgery, I honestly have said... ""If I could do that, don't you think I would?" Add to that if there was a surgical procedure that could help an alcoholic or drug addict would I tell them to keep trying to resist without it? That is what people are doing to tell me to try to do this diet/weight loss with out the help/tool the sleeve offers. Another thing I have done is, as I told the few I have told about my decision to get the sleeve, I have stated first, "I am not asking for your opinion or approval, I have made a decision and you are one of the few people I trust enough to tell about it....."

was on vacation for 6 days so not as down as I desired but did not gain so back home and onto the low carb plan again. Have my surgery consult in a week and also my birthday this week so want to be really good about what I eat when it is not a b-day celebration meal.

Yes finally got one for next Friday, only a week sooner but better then nothing. I will probably call again tomorrow as it seems Fridays are consult days and see if there is a same day. Also heard from a friend from my Options class who is assigned to Dr. Fudorka at St. B's and had her pre- Op Wed. and got a surgery date of Aug. 8th so the wait at St. B's is much less then we were told!

I did find out that others from my Options were referred to Saint B's also and assigned to one of the 2 doctors. Just another change in procedure I guess. I pressed to see if I could get any info on the possible wait time for surgery and was told it was not available until after the Aug. 3rd surgery consult "that is what the consult is for". I have looked for an office number to the Redlands location and have not located it. All I can do is keep calling the surgical center for a cancelation. Good news is I am finally motivated to do some serious weight loss as I get closer so I have been eating low carb and it is working. Excited for how close you are getting (Nina88) and looking forward to my day being here before tooooooo long!

So Cal Kaiser and My Journey so far with Kaiser have both been good threads on this site to help answer that question. It varies so much depending on location. I am in Fontana and it was a 2 month wait for the mental health appointment alone and another 1 1/2 months after that for my surgery consult... where in Grand Terrace it was one week out to get the mental health appointment. Read through the 2 threads I mentioned and you will hopefully find someone who is from Corona and would know specifically. Hope that helps. We also have a local So Cal meeting this Saturday if you join that support group on here you may meet someone there that could answer your question.

Kaiser is so crazy... completed Options April 25th and then the long Fontana wait for a Mental Health exam, that was June 25th, today I got the call for my Surgery Consult and I was for Dr. Philip Lou Chin at St. Bernardine's specifically. No Hub referral -with a choice of West LA or Torrance. Dr. Chins first available consult date is Aug. 3rd. Trying to be glad I have that..... but will call his office tomorrow to see how far out his surgery schedule is and if I need to figure out why I was specifically assigned to him and how if possible to transfer to West LA or Torrance.

thanks.... that is the most detailed first few days I have read and I feel like it helps me to prepare for what's ahead

You should have got a call by now contact the Dr. who did your mental health exam 5/30 by e-mail. I finished all requirements with Fontana yesterday, and because of your post asked at my mental health exam about your month long wait. She told me that if I had not been contacted by the Kaiser Hub with a date in 2 1/2 weeks to contact her by e-mail, so she could see what was wrong.

Called this morning and was able to get an appointment for next week. Called to cancel mine in Fontana and they said I would still need to have it. Only the 2 Fontana MFT's can clear me. ...... Thanks for trying

with getting a sooner appt...can u travel to another kaiser to get a sooner appt??? I have asked my PCP and the Bariatrician that gave me approval last week and both said... you can not switch. 4 months ago when I began the 12 weeks of OPTIONS the only surgery location offered was St. Bernadine's- now they are sending all approvals for surgery to a central scheduler and you receive a call to select from one of 3 surgery centers to try and speed things up. I just keep telling myself.... God is in control not me... it will be ok. Then I pick up the phone and call again LOL

If it makes you feel any better.... I started process with Kaiser the end of Jan. and have called daily for appointments, jumped through every hoop that was even mentioned as quick as possible and am currently held up by the mental health exam that is over a month out because one of the 3 MFT's was transferred to another location- so they are way behind! The first available is June 25th, then I have to wait to be referred to one of 3 hospitals for surgery. May have been longer then you thought, but I was told going in to expect a year, so I guess we can not complain too much. I am hoping for end of August which would be 7 months or before if possible. I just keep calling and calling and calling .....

I live in So. Calif. and am attending the Options Program in Fontana. My referral to first Options class took 12days. I saw my PCP on Friday for the referral to the Bariatric department. The referral was accepted that Wed. and I was called to schedule my Orientation class offered only on Fridays 1-4pm. This had to be completed before I could register for Options. I attended Orientation that Friday one week from my PCP referral and then was told to call the following Monday morning to register for the next Options class. That class began on Wed. Tomorrow will be #4 of the 12 required Options classes. All surgeries except lap-band are now done in-house at St. Bernadine's by one of 2 Kaiser Bariatric Surgeons Dr. Peter Fedorka or Dr Phillip Chin. The labs are all done following class #2. Class #3 is considered your surgeons seminar. At the conclusion of the 12 classes you will need clearance from your PCP, Bariatriction and Psyc/MFT. Then you will be scheduled for surgery. My last class is April2 25th so I am hoping for surgery in May. FAQ/Answers for Kaiser Fontana 10% of excess weight loss recommended Missed Options classes must be made up and only 2 made up misses allowed. if you gain before surgery it may be postponed There is no limit to how much you can loose or how low BMI, one person lost 110lbs and still wanted to go ahead with surgery so they did. Approval for class is approval for surgery if you do all labs etc. You must attend a support group once before the end of the 12 Options classes Liquid diet only required day before surgery but can be done to boost weight loss average stay in hospital is 2-3 days Have to go to Redlands for an Initial Operation meeting, a Pre-Op meeting and 2 post-op visits then 2-3 more visits in Fontana over the 12 months After Options program is completed you have one year to decide if you want to have the surgery and you will not have to repeat the Options classes Great TOPIC! I looked all over for this info a few months ago when I wanted to know the Kaiser details and it was so difficult to find.