Kaiser Northern Ca?

[kimikat3 150]

Hi Kim.

I havent logged in for a while but was pleased to see that things are moving ahead for you <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

Keep me posted on your progress. I was approved for surgery and placed on the waitlist as I am seeking a June surgery date and they dont book that far ahead. I am at the top of the list when that calendar opens in May' date=' so my orders are to maintain my preop weight goal and have my weight recorded again in April.

Im excited for you. You're in great hands with the Fremont staff![/quote']

Kari that is awesome!!! I'm so excited to hear of so many people having great experiences with Fremont. Who is your surgeon? I'm going with Dr Chu. She hosted the orientation and I just thought she seemed very honest and sincere in her words.

[Kimo. 24]

Re: choice of where to have the surgery. I'm down here in the Antelope Valley and went through 12 week course, which I am glad I did. When I finished my course I met with a Doctor to make sure everything was in balance. Blood, Vitamins etc. At that point I was given the option of having the surgery anywhere in the Kaiser network. The catch to where you / I choose is, you must have all your post checkups by same place/Doctor for the first year.

Me personally, I have done everything Kaiser has asked of me. Meet surgeon here in Palmdale, Ca. on Jan. 10th 2012. If everything is in order the surgery will be roughly a month to six weeks out. Several people in my class chose to go to Bakersfield (3 surgeons), Ventura, and other places down by Los Angeles. I chose Palmdale because it's home, but mainly because, Dr. Yadagar has an awesome reputation. He / his office sent me a packet which had his personal stats vs the nations. Plus, his website, Facebook, twitter etc.. The man is very personable. Extremely good bed side manner.

[mizzzliza 113]

Re: choice of where to have the surgery. I'm down here in the Antelope Valley and went through 12 week course' date=' which I am glad I did. When I finished my course I met with a Doctor to make sure everything was in balance. Blood, Vitamins etc. At that point I was given the option of having the surgery anywhere in the Kaiser network. The catch to where you / I choose is, you must have all your post checkups by same place/Doctor for the first year.

Me personally, I have done everything Kaiser has asked of me. Meet surgeon here in Palmdale, Ca. on Jan. 10th 2012. If everything is in order the surgery will be roughly a month to six weeks out. Several people in my class chose to go to Bakersfield (3 surgeons), Ventura, and other places down by Los Angeles. I chose Palmdale because it's home, but mainly because, Dr. Yadagar has an awesome reputation. He / his office sent me a packet which had his personal stats vs the nations. Plus, his website, Facebook, twitter etc.. The man is very personable. Extremely good bed side manner.[/quote']

So in SoCal all hospitals do bariatric surgery? Up in NorCal we have bariatric centers. One in Richmond one in ssc and one in the Central Valley I think. I wasn't aware there were so many choices down south. Good to know. I started going to Richmond but its about 2 hrs away from home so when they opened up the new center in ssc I started all over again to establish there. Only about 20 mins from my house so much more convenient.

[Kimo. 24]

Hi Mizzzliza,

Not sure about "all hospitals", but I was given multiple choices. South Bay, Ventura, L.A., Palmdale, Woodland Hills, Bakersfield and some down in Orange County. I chose Palmdale cause I live very close, plus Dr. Yadagars reputation is outstanding, along with his bedside manner.

They, Kaiser bariatric nurse told me if I went to Bakersfield they could get me in this month, because they have 3 surgeons. Some of the choices I was given get you in faster. However, I'm in a rush, but then again I am not. Reason....This is a life altering event and It's important for me to make sure it's done correctly and with someone (DR) I feel confident about.

Dr. Yadagar goes on annual vacation from mid Dec till second week in Jan. Which was fine by me. It also showed me that he's not in it just for the money. He isn't a workaholic, he is a person with a life outside of his job. That scored big points with me. Therefore, I had no problem waiting for my consult and then surgery.

Off topic.........Is your name really "Liza" <---love the spelling. Very cool!!

[just_kari 9]

My surgeon is Dr Dutta. I attended two of the orientations. One last Jan and again in Sept. After the first, just before my appt with the surgeon, I backed out. I decided I wasnt ready yet. When I went back to restart, I had to do another Orientation. The same NUT was there, but a different surgeon. What I noticed was that at both classes, the hosting Dr got a large number of requests for appts immediately afterward. That seemed reasonable as you get to know the Doc a bit during the session and want to choose someone that you are comfortable with. Dr Chu spoke at my first class. I liked her a lot. Another Dr whose name I cant recall at the moment spoke at the second one. When I scheduled my appt with the surgeon, I told them that I didnt have a preference and was scheduled with Dr Dutta. I met him at my appt and feel comfortable with him.

Please keep me posted on how your appt goes

[kimikat3 150]

I'm scheduled with Dr Chu. She hosted my orientations and I loved her vibe.

[mizzzliza 113]

Hi Mizzzliza' date='

Not sure about "all hospitals", but I was given multiple choices. South Bay, Ventura, L.A., Palmdale, Woodland Hills, Bakersfield and some down in Orange County. I chose Palmdale cause I live very close, plus Dr. Yadagars reputation is outstanding, along with his bedside manner.

They, Kaiser bariatric nurse told me if I went to Bakersfield they could get me in this month, because they have 3 surgeons. Some of the choices I was given get you in faster. However, I'm in a rush, but then again I am not. Reason....This is a life altering event and It's important for me to make sure it's done correctly and with someone (DR) I feel confident about.

Dr. Yadagar goes on annual vacation from mid Dec till second week in Jan. Which was fine by me. It also showed me that he's not in it just for the money. He isn't a workaholic, he is a person with a life outside of his job. That scored big points with me. Therefore, I had no problem waiting for my consult and then surgery.

Off topic.........Is your name really "Liza" <---love the spelling. Very cool!![/quote']

Kimo, no my name is just plain ordinary lisa lol. At work we started calling each other mizzzliza or mizzz Betsy, etc years ago and it kinda just stuck. Now my screen name is always the same. I'm very much a creature of habit.

[kimikat3 150]

Tomorrow is my consult with Dr. Chu, my dietitian and the Program Coordinator.

Super excited!!! And slightly nervous...

kimi

[jkl94597 34]

That's SO exciting Kimi! If its like my consult you will get your goal weight and you'll be on your way!

Keep me posted on how things are going

Happy New Year!

Jules

[kimikat3 150]

That's SO exciting Kimi! If its like my consult you will get your goal weight and you'll be on your way!

Keep me posted on how things are going

Happy New Year!

Jules <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

That's what I was told during my orientation. That my goal weight would be given at this appointment. In thinking it will be the normal 10% (less would be nice, but I'm preparing for 10%). If that is the case, I'll have about 12lbs to lose still. I'm down 11lbs or so from my original weigh in (highest weight). Fingers crossed!!!

kimi

[Kimo. 24]

Tomorrow is my consult with Dr. Chu, my dietitian and the Program Coordinator.

Super excited!!! And slightly nervous...

kimi

Good luck Kim!! We're all hoping you get great news.

Kimo

For me it's the 10th, which seems like forever away. lol.

[kimikat3 150]

So today's visit went pretty amazing! I have lost another 5 lbs (since my orientation). That is a total of 16lbs down. Dr Chu has asked hat I lose another 4 lbs. I can sooooo do that! She told me that I am a perfect candidate for this surgery. Dietitian meeting went great. The coordinator told me that I need to knock out my psych eval, lose my 4lbs, have my lab work and EKG done and then I'm good to go. He told me once those things are done I will be placed on the wait list. I was told Dr Chu's wait list is about a month to a month and half out.

I have my psych eval next Thursday morning.

So things are mouth right along! Words cannot describe how excited I am!!! ????

Does anyone know about the process for the EKG???

kimi

[mizzzliza 113]

So today's visit went pretty amazing! I have lost another 5 lbs (since my orientation). That is a total of 16lbs down. Dr Chu has asked hat I lose another 4 lbs. <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> I can sooooo do that! She told me that I am a perfect candidate for this surgery. Dietitian meeting went great. The coordinator told me that I need to knock out my psych eval' date=' lose my 4lbs, have my lab work and EKG done and then I'm good to go. He told me once those things are done I will be placed on the wait list. I was told Dr Chu's wait list is about a month to a month and half out.

I have my psych eval next Thursday morning.

So things are mouth right along! Words cannot describe how excited I am!!! dde09

Does anyone know about the process for the EKG???

kimi[/quote']

Kimi, EKG is walk in at my facility. I imagine most kaisers do it the same but you can always call cardio and ask them. Glad things went so well for you today. You will be in the operating room in no time!

[SeriouslyChange 319]

Hey!

Does anyone have a PCP who is use to dealing with Bariatric patients? It's a long story, but I am now looking for a new doctor.

[jkl94597 34]

Kimi

That's great news!! You can totally lose another 4lbs

My EKG was also walk in. Took about 15 mins start to finish

Keep us posted on your progress. So excited for you!!!

Jules