momcof3

I also live in Elk Grove and was banded at Richmond Kaiser on 8/26

I assume you are talking about your primary care physician when you say your doctor. I know someone who had the same issue, but her BMI was 38. She contacted Kaiser Fremont directly and spoke to them and they accepted her. My PCP doesn't really believe in bariatric surgery, but I sent him an e-mail requesting he send a referral over for me and my BMI was 42 and he did. If your PCP is not cooperative, you could try switching PCPs. I don't know why they have to make it so difficult to get referred. I had my surgery at Kaiser Richmond.

I had my surgery done at Kaiser Richmond - you had to have a BMI of 40 or 35 if you had co-morbities. I know all of the northern CA Kaisers are in the process of becoming more consistent with their bariatric surgery guidelines. You can always appeal their decision.

At the end of the orientation in Richmond, they will give you either a surgeon appointment or a psychiatrist appointment - you have to do both but some people see on or the other first. After those two appointments and you have lost the required weight, you see your case manager and they will schedule your surgery. So the faster you lose required weight, the faster you get your surgery. Your surgeon will tell you how much you have to lose. I was banded in Richmond on Aug 26

I am down 1 lb this week.

I also had my surgery at Kaiser and had the same food plan you described. I had diarrhea a couple of times a day for the first couple of weeks and then the opposite started happening. My doctor said the diarrhea comes from all the fluids during surgery and the stress your body has gone through. I wasn't allowed protein drinks either.

I told my parents and two good friends - one was at work. I ended up telling the other 6 people in my unit and a few others who I work with frequently as they were worried that something was wrong. I have not heard any negative remarks - I don't really care what they think as long as they keep negativity to themselves. I can't lie openly to someone who asks me how I lost 55 lbs - I also see it as an educational moment. Two women at work didn't even know Kaiser did lap-band and now they are looking into it. It is up to you to decide who to tell, but you will need someone to talk to when you need support.

I have gone to Curves for about a year now and really like it. The trainers at my Curves are knowledgable on the correct way to use the machines. I waited until my 6 wk post op appointment to go back full time and I have not had any port pain so far. I am working on getting back to the level I was before surgery. My Curves has the "smart" machines that track your progress and then you can see on the computer how many calories you have burned, etc.

I had lapband at Kaiser Richmond (Northern Calif) on Aug. 26 and I did not have any problems with the staff or the program. My BMI was 42 when I started on May 9 - but all that was required was a referral from my PCP and a BMI of 40 - or 35 if you had co-morbidities - although I didn't have any. I started with orientation on May 9 and had surgery Aug 26. All of my appointments and surgery were my $15 co-pay. I don't think the process is any different if you are on Medi-Cal - however your co-pays may be different - you would need to check with Member Services.

Starting weight 5/9/08 - 285 Surgery date weight 8/26/08 - 255 Weight now - 230 I have lost 55 lbs and have had one fill.

Last Friday - 232 This a.m. - 230 So that's 2 lbs this week for me. I don't get another fill until January and am not feeling much in the form of restriction - I may have to call my doctor to see if I can get my 2nd fill before January. I had the first fill Oct. 6.

My program says no snacks. But I have had a snack occasionally - like 3 Wheat Thins or a No Sugar Added Fudgesicle. The hard part is stopping at just that snack - so most of the time I try not to have a snack.

I had my first post-op appointments with my dietician and surgeon yesterday in Richmond. I had to bring my food diary with me for the dietician to look over. I knew I had made a couple of poor food choices - which she pointed out and then she said she wasn't going to scold me. I had eaten a Protein bar on a couple of occasions which she didn't like, plus I had eaten a hotdog bun and chow mein and fried rice. Then I saw my surgeon - the dietician had already filled him in on my food diary. So although she didn't scold me, he did. I told him I had lost 17 lbs since the surgery. I did get a fill - wasn't bad at all. He said I had 1 cc in the band already and he added 3 cc - so now I have a total of 4 cc in my 10cc band. I don't go back to see them for 3 months, but I have to have some blood work before then. I am on Clear liquids until this afternoon and then on soft food for another 24 hours.

I also had bumps where the instruments were inserted. I was feeling one one day and pushed on it and heard a noise like a bubble bursting and the bump went flat. I tried it on the other 2 and the same thing happened so now they are all flat. I don't know if it was just air trapped in there or what. Not sure when you had your surgery though - I did this about 6 weeks after my surgery.

Weight last Friday 233 Weight today 232 So I am down 1 pound. Guess that is okay since I lost 4 last week.

I measure out my food and put it in a little bowl or on a little plate and that is all I eat. I had my first fill on Oct 6 and I get hungry about 3 hours after I eat, but I try to stay busy and ignore it. If it gets too much to handle I will have a No sugar added Fudgesicle - which is 40 calories. I think alot of this comes down to mentally telling myself to stay within my portions allowed if I want to get to my goal. It is really hard sometimes though.

How long after your referral before you get your orientation appt. with Richmond? It was about 3 weeks- they have orientations every Tuesday. What appointments did you have to have in Richmond, and what could you do locally? The only thing I could do locally is the blood work, chest x-ray, and EKG. What kind of test did they want? I had to have blood work, EKG, chest x-ray- no upper GI, no sleep apnea Upper GI? Apnea? Did you have a liver-shrinking diet right before? no you start their 1200 calorie food plan (they give you a list of food) and continue that up to the evening before your surgery Did you have to take a series of classes at home or in Richmond? I had the orientation in Richmond which consisted of two classes on one day - the only other class was the pre-op class and the post-op nutrition class that were given on the same day (before surgery). No other classes anywhere.

I have a 10 cc band - I was told the opening was about the size of a dime before I got any restriction.

I only have to take one complete multi-vitamin a day - I take chewable Flinstones Complete.

I was also glued shut instead of stitches. I did not have any problem. Just let the glue residue come off by itself - don't pick it off. I tried that and started seeping on one incision.

I had 1 cc in my band from surgery and he added 3 cc at my first fill so now I have 4 cc in a 10 cc band. I don't go back to see him until January. I can definitely tell when I am full, but the only time it has been painful is if I have eaten too fast or not chewed well enough.

Which Kaiser are you going to? The process is not exactly the same at all of the Kaisers. I went to Richmond Kaiser in CA and it took me 3 1/2 months from orientation to surgery.

I have had the same problem. I put Benefiber in my water and take stool softeners. I was also told to eat some cooked carrots or broccoli. I bought some canned carrots as they are soft. She said I should be having a BM about every two days, but that just isn't happening.

I am almost 7 weeks post op and I am getting my protein in but I am still tired. I asked my dietician about it on Monday and she said that is a good sign - that means my body is burning fat.

My surgeon also said to strive for 64 oz of water a day - which I meet most days and I have been losing.