Kim_in_SF

Thank you Podna, that makes me feel a little better. I just want everything to go as smoothly as possible!

So cool that you SoCal'ers got together! Looks like it was fun!!! Any NorCal people around here? I'm not banded yet, but have started the process... oh, and I live in San Francisco. :-)

HI Margie, Welcome! I too am in the process of (hopefully) being banded around Sept. or Oct., I meet requirements, etc. etc., and now I'm going through the classes and appointments that my insurance requires before I'm 100% approved. Anyway, reading your post, you sound like my twin! haha 5"10", (310 pounds for me), size 11 foot, want to comfortably sit in an airplane seat, and want to say good-bye to those darned relaxed fit jeans! I've been visiting this site for a couple of months now, and it's awesome! I feel so prepared going in to all of this (well, as prepared as I CAN be anyway!) because of the posts that I read on here. I currently live in San Francisco and I absolutely love it here, but I'm an east coast girl at heart... grew up in NY! Anyway, welcome and keep in touch! :-) -Kim

Hi Pookie, I have Kaiser in California and I'm just starting the process as well. I asked my PCP about the Lap-Band and she referred me to the bariatric department. I received a letter from the bariatric dept. within 2 weeks stating that I'm scheduled for an orientation on May 22. It also said that I'd need to go to my PCP beforehand for some blood work, a urine sample, chest xray and an ekg. I had all of that done last friday, so now I'm waiting to attend orientation. I can't wait! I'm not sure what to expect with any of this, but I want to get the ball rolling as soon as possible! I'll let you know how orientation goes after next tuesday...

Hi mammatee, Glad to hear that you received a date for your orientation! I'll be going in this Friday for my EKG, chest x-ray, and lab work. Then it's more waiting until my orientation on the 22nd. I don't really know what to expect at that point. I'm hoping to get things going soon... I'm so ready to start losing weight! I'll post my progress and each step required by Kaiser so you all know what you can expect. :-)

Hi all... I'm a newbie here and I'm not sure if this is the right forum to post my question, but here goes! I'm just in the very beginning stages of talking to my Dr. about having the Lap Band procedure and so far things are looking up. I've been admitted into the Bariatric surgery program and if all goes well, I'm hoping that I'll have approval for surgery! yay! Anyway, my question is... I know I'll have to go in for a psych consultation, and I'm wondering what to expect with that? Is there anything I could say that would "red flag" the Dr.'s into denying the procedure for me? I'm not overly worried about it, just suffer from the same low self-esteem issues that most overweight people do. I just want everything to go as smoothly as possible in hopes that I can have the Lap Band "installed" as soon as I can. Any thoughts, suggestions, and/or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! :-)

Thanks to everyone for the input. I honestly feel that the Lap Band would be a great tool in helping me to maintain a healthier lifestyle. I know I'll have to overcome the "head hunger", but as long as the stomach hunger isn't as strong, I'll be able to build up a better defense! The psych consultation is definitely making me nervous because I just don't want to say the "wrong" thing and be denied. I have a pretty good case as to why I'd like the surgery though, both of my parents are overweight with adult onset diabetes, and I've certainly had my own struggle with weight. I'm 31 years old, a nanny, and it's harder and harder for me to do well at my job with all these extra pounds. :-( Anyway, thanks again for your input everyone! I feel at home here already and I'm not even close to being banded yet!

Vicki, does that mean that you'll be coming to SSF for the procedure, too? I got my referral letter about two weeks ago stating that I'd be getting instructions for an orientation in about 12 weeks... but low and behold, I received my instructions on saturday! (So it only took 2 weeks to start receiving information.) I'm scheduled for orientation on May 22, so I'm really hoping that things will start to move after that. The instruction letter that I received Saturday said that I need to go to my Primary Care Physician for an EKG, Chest X-ray, and some lab work (urine sample, blood work, etc.). So that's all I know at the moment. I'll definitely keep you posted though if anything new comes up. Socalgal, I believe that Kaiser has only just started doing Gastric Banding in the last year or so. I researched it a bit and that's what I came to find. I think that I may need to see a nutritionist through Kaiser, as well. It seems that there is quite a process, but that's fine with me. I like to know that I'm being well-cared for! :-)

Hi Vicki, I too have just received my letter in the mail from Kaiser. I'm new to this site (this is my first post) and I'm hoping all will come through for me! Where are you located? I'll be attending the orientation on May 22nd in South San Francisco. Are we anywhere near each other? Now this may seem like a silly question, but I'm wondering what the psych consultation will be like? I'm wondering if there is anything I could say that would red flag them and tell me no to the procedure? I'm not overly worried about not passing it, LOL, I just suffer from the same low self-esteem issues that most overweight people do, etc. Anyway, I just want everything to go right for me so I can get the ball rolling in the right direction. I think I may post that question in another forum, as well. At any rate, glad to know of someone else starting the Kaiser Lap Band procedure. Good luck to you and maybe we can chat soon? :-) -Kim