Boopie

Gabs with your co-morbs you should be ok, even though your BMI is a lil lower than 40. Is it that your PCP wont give you a referral or is it a different reason? When is your next appt? Is there anyway that you can change your PCP? I promise they do cover the lap band. I have my orientation date for October the 20th @ the Panorama City Kaiser, out here in the Valley. Now mind you, I just went to my PCP doctor 8 days ago and got my referral, then had my labs this past Tuesday, and I called the Bariatric Dept myself, and he gave me my orientation date. I know its like a month and a half away, but at least I do have a date. He also said I can call periodically to see if anybody cancelled in order for me to get into the September class. From what I gather they have only 1 class a month and it seats only 60 people. Hope this helps... Boopie (your Pasadena friend) :tongue2:

CurvesinCali, Wowwww a two month process huh, if Im not mistaken, you have Kaiser right?? And it only took two months start to finish. No 6 month pre-op diet etc??? If so Id like to say dang I wish I had your doctor :~).Did you do some double-up classes or something? Im out here in Tarzana, attending the orientation on October 20th at Panorama City Kaiser. They said that was the earliest class. I guess I otta be happy since this whole journey just started exactly one week ago.Thursday 8/28 with my PCP referral and labs done yesterday morning and they called me this afternoon with my "orientation" date. They said I want able to do my psych/nutr classes until after orient. Sorry for my whole WL process, I just wanted to say I hope Im as lucky and Blessed as you are... Boopie

Just a shout out, Im not from Rancho, Pasadena native here,:crying: but I did live in DA I.E. "holla" Colton/San Bernadino.

Ok baby step #2 Ive gotten my orientation date... Drumroll please!!! October 20th!!! is my date, and today is only September 4th!!! Could it have been any further:cursing: But hey whatever, at least I got one:smile2:. Now you know Ill be callin in every week to see if they have any cancellations,but when I asked, that too had a waiting list. Go figure. Boop

Ok baby step #2 Ive gotten my orientation date... Drumroll please!!! October 20th!!! is my date, and today is only September 4th!!! Could it have been any further:cursing: But hey whatever, at least I got one:smile2:. Now you know Ill be callin in every week to see if they have any cancellations,but when I asked, that too had a waiting list. Go figure. Boop

NOpe no banding just yet, it looks as if I may have a long road ahead of me. My insurance is through Kaiser, and they require this long drawn out 6 month pre op diet and extras. So Im waiting now to be called for the seminar/orientation. I did all labs yesterday, so its just a matter of time. Time that Ill be taking into my own hands by the end of the day(Im gonna call them myself). And then I guess Im off for the race yay...:crying:. Step by step, baby steps at that..... Boopie

So i just assume to wait- only 1 or 2 days only though... :~) Not trynna strong arm them so early in the game, Im gonna save that "life-line" for a later hurddle Im sure will be there later. Trying the "soft" approach for now :~)

Ok so I did my labs this morning and now am wondering , what the next steps are. I read the threads and they said that a Psych and Nutr appt is needed. Well my PCP has to set the appt up for the nutr, but Im able to set an appt up for the psych myself. My question is, what am I supposed to do once there:confused: Should I just wait till I get my orientation finished. Am I jumping the gun too early. Im just trynna get the steps/wheel in motion. Also what is done at this seminar/orientation? Any feedback will surely help. Thanks Boopie

I am from Altadena a lil ubove Pasadena so does that count, later on I moved to Pasadena attended school and just plain oh hung out in Pasadena I love it!!!

Im not having my "Band" perforrmed there, but I can tell you that Huntington Rocks!!!! Big time.... I had my baby there, Ive had my back sugery there my leg surgery and anything other surgery I can think of. As you can tell Im a Altadena/Pasadena native. Born and breed. BUt currently I live in the "Valey" Tarzana to be exact. But my folks are still there and Im there every other weekend to visit family and friends.... Boopie

Excuse me, but your PCP is full of sssshhh ut my mouth:blushing:. Anyways what is your BMI cause anything over 40 should qualify you, even with out co-morbs. Change your PCP ASAP!!! Can I ask how tall you are? You gave your weight earlier... Yes Im on the longest journey, but at least Im on it. Yes its like 6 months of classes once a week,, but at least they do cover it. Lord knows I cant afford it outta pocket. But I feel like 6 months of waiting is nothing compared to a life time of being weight challenged (what I like to call it) Keep your head up Gabs and get a lil persitant. Hell I did, and it worked!!!!

Ok so this is the deal, I had a PCP appt last Thursday @ Kaiser Woodland Hills, I made him send a referral to Health Education (hes cool like that) . Anyways so I waited this long holiday weekend and made my calls this morning. I called the Health Education Dept, made sure that they received my referral and had them set me up for labs, Im having that done first thing in the morning, and then they (Hlth Edu Dept) Will call the Panorama City (The Valley) Kaiser and have my orientation set up. Which is 6 looooooonnnnnggggg months!!!!They also said that they do cover Gastric Bypass (Hell To The Naw) Lap Banding, and the Gastric Sleeve. So thats where I am in this long journey, even though they are little bitty baby steps :blushing: I believe South Bay Kaiser is the other place where classes are held. The bottom line is, Yes Kaiser does cover the Banding, you just gotta stay on them and it will be at least 6 month I guess give or take a few days... Hope this helps Ill give the play by play as I get it Boopie

Ok so this is the deal, I had a PCP appt last Thursday @ Kaiser Woodland Hills, I made him send a referral to Health Education (hes cool like that) . Anyways so I waited this long holiday weekend and made my calls this morning. I called the Health Education Dept, made sure that they received my referral and had them set me up for labs, Im having that done first thing in the morning, and then they (Hlth Edu Dept) Will call the Panorama City (The Valley) Kaiser and have my orientation set up. Which is 6 looooooonnnnnggggg months!!!!They also said that they do cover Gastric Bypass (Hell To The Naw) Lap Banding, and the Gastric Sleeve. So thats where I am in this long journey, even though they are little bitty baby steps :blushing: I believe South Bay Kaiser is the other place where classes are held. The bottom line is, Yes Kaiser does cover the Banding, you just gotta stay on them and it will be at least 6 month I guess give or take a few days... Hope this helps Ill give the play by play as I get it Boopie

Ok so this is the deal, I had a PCP appt last Thursday @ Kaiser Woodland Hills, I made him send a referral to Health Education (hes cool like that) . Anyways so I waited this long holiday weekend and made my calls this morning. I called the Health Education Dept, made sure that they received my referral and had them set me up for labs, Im having that done first thing in the morning, and then they (Hlth Edu Dept) Will call the Panorama City (The Valley) Kaiser and have my orientation set up. Which is 6 looooooonnnnnggggg months!!!!They also said that they do cover Gastric Bypass (Hell To The Naw) Lap Banding, and the Gastric Sleeve. So thats where I am in this long journey, even though they are little bitty baby steps :blushing: I believe South Bay Kaiser is the other place where classes are held. The bottom line is, Yes Kaiser does cover the Banding, you just gotta stay on them and it will be at least 6 month I guess give or take a few days... Hope this helps Ill give the play by play as I get it Boopie

Ok so this is the deal, I had a PCP appt last Thursday @ Kaiser Woodland Hills, I made him send a referral to Health Education (hes cool like that) . Anyways so I waited this long holiday weekend and made my calls this morning. I called the Health Education Dept, made sure that they received my referral and had them set me up for labs, Im having that done first thing in the morning, and then they (Hlth Edu Dept) Will call the Panorama City (The Valley) Kaiser and have my orientation set up. Which is 6 looooooonnnnnggggg months!!!!They also said that they do cover Gastric Bypass (Hell To The Naw) Lap Banding, and the Gastric Sleeve. So thats where I am in this long journey, even though they are little bitty baby steps :blushing: I believe South Bay Kaiser is the other place where classes are held. The bottom line is, Yes Kaiser does cover the Banding, you just gotta stay on them and it will be at least 6 month I guess give or take a few days... Hope this helps Ill give the play by play as I get it Boopie

Ok so this is the deal, I had a PCP appt last Thursday @ Kaiser Woodland Hills, I made him send a referral to Health Education (hes cool like that) . Anyways so I waited this long holiday weekend and made my calls this morning. I called the Health Education Dept, made sure that they received my referral and had them set me up for labs, Im having that done first thing in the morning, and then they (Hlth Edu Dept) Will call the Panorama City (The Valley) Kaiser and have my orientation set up. Which is 6 looooooonnnnnggggg months!!!!They also said that they do cover Gastric Bypass (Hell To The Naw) Lap Banding, and the Gastric Sleeve. So thats where I am in this long journey, even though they are little bitty baby steps :blushing: I believe South Bay Kaiser is the other place where classes are held. The bottom line is, Yes Kaiser does cover the Banding, you just gotta stay on them and it will be at least 6 month I guess give or take a few days... Hope this helps Ill give the play by play as I get it Boopie

Ok so this is the deal, I had a PCP appt last Thursday @ Kaiser Woodland Hills, I made him send a referral to Health Education (hes cool like that) :blushing:. Anyways so I waited this long holiday weekend and made my calls this morning. I called the Health Education Dept, made sure that they received my referral and had them set me up for labs, Im having that done first thing in the morning, and then they (Hlth Edu Dept) Will call the Panorama City (The Valley) Kaiser and have my orientation set up. Which is 6 looooooonnnnnggggg months!!!!They also said that they do cover Gastric Bypass (Hell To The Naw) Lap Banding, and the Gastric Sleeve. So thats where I am in this long journey, even though they are little bitty baby steps :biggrin: I believe South Bay Kaiser is the other place where classes are held. The bottom line is, Yes Kaiser does cover the Banding, you just gotta stay on them and it will be at least 6 month I guess give or take a few days... Hope this helps Ill give the play by play as I get it Boopie

What do you mean you dont qualify. What was your BMI? And did she say that Kaiser did cover the Lap Band? Im totally confussed, and dont understand why you were turned down. And 50 weeks of classes WTF??? Thats a life time....:tt2: I really need a concreete answer if it accepted or not because the folks at Kaiser, I believe think Im referring to gastric, which I am totally not!!! Yes I definetely will keep in touch. Boopie:regular_smile:

Gabs, Well my appt went ok I guess. My doctor was not familliar with the Bariatric Dept and the Lap Band procedure, but he did set me up an appt with the Bariatric Dept. So Im waiting on them to call me so I can ask further questions. I really dont think that they cover the Banding down here in So Cal. (Kaiser) only gastric. But hey its a try, and as far as BMI I asked about that, the nurse said when you get weighed they put your BMI in the computer as well, mines was like 43 so Im well over .Um Ive heard different stories about the weight vs. BMI documentation. But like I said your BMI should be on your weight history charts or at least in the computer. Regardless if Kaiser accepts this or not, Im gonna go to UHC if they dont and try that route, I cant afford it outta pocket, not during theses days and times PS did you call member services yesterday, if so what was the outcome? Lake/Villa Kaiser RULES!!!!

Gabi311b Im actually from Altadena a little bit above Pasadena. Iwent To Eliot Jr High John Muir High And Pasadena CIty College. Ive been there for nearly my whole life. Parents still reside there, But now Im in the Valley, Tarzana. Um, I called Member Services @800 464-4000 and they were able to fax me a form that gave them permission to fax/mail me back my records, which Im gonna pick up today, I think after 10 pages its like 10 cents each or something like that. I actually have a dr's appt this afternoon, I thought I would be Band covered, but no. Its only for the folks who have Kaiser in No. Cal. So what Im gonna do is just shoot the breeze with my PCP and make sure all my records are up to par for transferring making sure I have my weight /bmi recorded as well as co-morbs and what ever else I can think of. Then as soon as open enrollment rolls around next month Im goin for UHC. Hope I was informative. Any more questions just let me know, and even though memb serv said they dont cover banding just gastric Im still gonna ask my dr one more time when I see him this afternoon. Ill keep you updated.

KingsFan So you have United Health Care? I have Kaiser and Im waiting for open enrollment next month, with my wonderful employer, (AT&T) yellow pages formally Pac bell Yellow pages oooopps getting off subject, anyways I just found out 1 hour ago that Kaiser doesnt cover the Band so Im gonna switch to UHC, what is the procedure and how long does it take???

Well I guess Im SO, cause the member services rep said they only cover Gastric Bypas which is a no-no for me... So what Ill do is keep my dr's appt tomorrow and just make sure all my history and records are up to date and i's are dotted and t's are crossed, so when I switch to United Health Care next month, everything will be up to par. Because by the grace of God all ends well with them.... I'd love to stay with Kaiser but I cant if they dont cover the procedure. Any body can feel free to comment :~)

First of all I want to say hello fellow Pasadenian, anyways well my dr's appt @ Kaiser Woodland Hills is tomorrow and now since I found out that Kaiser doesnt cover the Banding procedure ( I just called memb serv 45 min ago) I guess Ill just be shootin the breeze until next month when I try to switch to United Health Care. No need to waste time. I guess Ill just make sure my records and history are up to date. I wish I could just stay with Kaiser since Ive had them for dang near my whole life.... Im just so tired of the yes no's and maybe so's with Kaiser providing the Lap Band or not. :~)

KATHERINEM200 so they do cover lap banding in So. cal with a referal???? Im confussed because no more than 30 minutes ago I just called member services at my Kaiser, Woodland Hills (out here in the San Fernando Valley) and they told me they dont cover it, but as stated earlier I have a PCP appt tomorrow and should I demand that he refer me to a Bariatric Dept out in San Bernadino? Which is no problem, I used to live out there :~) if not somewhere closer. It could be at the moon for all I care, so long as they cover it:biggrin2:

Im "LIVID" I just got off the phone with member services and Kaiser So. Cal only covers gastic bypass!!! WTF !!!! . Now here we go with the run around, I guess Ill keep my PCP appt tomorrow and just shoot the breeze and wait until open enrollment next month and switch to UHC. This "ish" is for the birds!!!! I cant get a concrete answer for the life of me!!!! At least one that Im satisfied with!!!!! Its like Kaiser So. Cal. is stuck in the stone ages or something or they are afraid that these superficial folks who only will use it for cosmetic reasons, is gonna abuse it. And in the meanwhile folks like me who need it for serios health reasons, well I guess we are "assed out"!!!! UUGGHH!!! Okay Im calm.... MUSAHHHHHH!!!! :~)