Brigham and Women/Faulker Hospital

[nomadem 1]

Hello my long lost banded friends! There is a support meeting tomorrow Wed March 21st 6p-8p at Faulkner for all WLS patients.

I am thinking of going. Has anyone been to one since they merged the groups?

[Tova 0]

How are you doing Mel?

Let me know how the meeting goes. I have not been too motivated to go since the merge.

Tova

[nomadem 1]

Hi Tova and everyone

I did attend the merged Faulkner group last night. Had a bit of a hard time finding the location ( I was walking by Central Sterile) but the meeting itself wasn’t much different than our old LB meetings. There were 3 banded people (including myself), three bypass (2 newbies), and one sleeve person.

Most of the issues are the same for all WLS people, and I think the biggest difference is usually between the post-ops and the newbies. After a few years we are usually all in the same place. I always seem to get something out of these meetings even if its just a refocusing of my commitment to being healthier.

The next Faulkner meeting will be Wed April 18th, 2012.

[Missy281 2]

Hi there!

I'm planning on getting a lap band and I'm considering going to Brigham and Women's to get the surgery done. I've heard great things about Dr. Vernon, so I think I'd like to see her (if possible). Could anyone please tell me how the screening/pre-op process goes at Brigham and Women's? I am hoping to get the surgery done before the end of the summer, because I go back to college in the Fall. After talking to my insurance company about my plan, I learned that it's not supposed to take that long for me to be accepted (after or if I am screened/accepted at Brigham and Women's). Does anyone know or have an idea of how long it takes to get an appointment for screening and then how long it takes from then until I can get the surgery scheduled (and eventually done)? Is it mandatory for patients to go to support groups before the surgery or anything like that? Any help you could offer would be very much appreciated!

I hope you are all doing very well! Have a great day and THANK YOU!!!!

[Gracious 3]

Hey guys I was banded on 12/29/2011 by Dr. Shiroka at the Brigham!!!!

[nomadem 1]

Hi Missy281. I am a patient of Dr V and I really like her. Its been a long time since I first got banded but I would suggest you call the number for the program and start there.

You will want to start making your appointments now as it could take some time. have you seen your primary Dr? I do know you will have to go to a general information session the first one I see is 5/22/12. After that they dont require meetings. But check with the program. You can read more information on their website The Center for Metabloic Health and Bariatric Surgery.

http://www.brighamandwomens.org/Departments_and_Services/surgery/services/generalsurg/WeightLossSurgery/default.aspx

Contact Information:

Center for Metabolic Health and Bariatric Surgery @ BWH/F

weightlosssurgery (at) partners.org

617-732-8500

Best of luck and if you have anyother questions, please feel free to post.

[nomadem 1]

Hey all the next WLS support meeting at the Faulkner is TONIGHT (5/16/12) !!! Unfortunately I cannot make it but I plan on going to the meeting next month. Actually I just had my third fill yesterday after the big unfill this past fall. Love the post-fill not hungry feeling that I get even if it wont last.

Mel

[Missy281 2]

Hi tinywishes123! Thanks for all the great info! That was very nice of you

I did actually call the BWH about 30 minutes ago and spoke to Kaitlin (Dr. Vernon's assistant). She was so nice and super helpful. She too told me that I need to attend an information session, so I signed up for the one you mentioned (on 5/22). She even set me up for an appointment with Dr. Vernon for June 7th! I'm excited that it's coming together so nicely! I've been reading old posts (in this thread) and some said they were able to clump some of their appointments together and sort of rush the process a little bit, which would be good if I could try to do that. I'm only a little anxious about it because I'm going back to school full time in September I thought it'd be helpful if I could get the surgery done earlier so I can have more recovery time (like hopefully late July or early August).

Anyway, I know that it's gonna be a long process, but I'm really excited about it!

Thanks for helping out!!!

[nomadem 1]

Exellent! Glad you got your first appt with Dr V. . I'm not sure who books the psych eval, is it your surgeon or the program co-ord? For some reason I think you may need your PCP approval. Not sure. The insurance clearance is much easier these days and not as huge anissue.

Not sure if it will work out to get your surgery before school starts but its worth a shot. Dont give up even if you dont get a surgery date before summers over. The recovery time isnt too bad.

Granted everyone is different and if you ask 15 people you will get 15 different answers. For me I was down and out about 4 days total. Had surgery on a Tuesday and went back to work on a Monday. I wasnt at 100%for about 2 weeks. Then, I hear about people who took weeks off from work. Or like someone I know, they went back to work two days later.

[Missy281 2]

Hi again!

Yeah, I think you're right about the PCP approval, but it shouldn't be a problem. I talked to my insurance company and they told me it would only take a day or two for them to approve it, so that's one less thing I have to worry about, which is nice. And I'll definitely try not to get my hopes up about getting surgery before school, but I'll still keep my fingers crossed anyway

It's good to know that the recovery period might not be as awful as I thought it woud be, but we'll have to see!

Thanks for your help!

[JenniferInBoston 0]

Hi there Missy,

Though I have totally been pleased with my treatment at Brigham & Woman's, you may want to explore other programs if you are looking for a speedy process. In all honesty, I would be highly surprised if you got the surgery before school starts up. I had Dr. Robinson, so I am not sure if the process is different with each Surgeon. But for me, my first appointment with Dr. Robinson was in January 2010 (after the info session) and my actual surgery wasn't until June 2010 (and that was without any delays due to insurance, evals, or lack of progress with the initial weight loss he wanted to see). That being said, like Mel said above, the recovery process isn't bad at all. When I got the Lap Band, I took 2 weeks off of work but honestly could have gone back after a week. What I will say is, the Lap Band is not a quick fix.

Going to the support groups is very helpful in seeing what life is like after surgery. I found them helpful and am mad that the group got switched to Wednesdays (when I can't go)!

[Missy281 2]

Hi Jennifer!

Thanks for the response! Yeah I totally get that the lap band isn't a quick fix -- I've been researching it like crazy and I'm trying to plan it out so that I can have time to adjust to the lapband lifestyle and all it entails. before the hectic school year begins. I talked to Dr. Vernon's secretary about when she though it might be likely for me to have the surgery done by, and she told me that if after I have my first appointment with Dr. Vernon (on June 7th) and can get all of the appointments/tests done that are needed before the surgery within the 2 weeks following my appointment on June 7th-- that I'll most likely be able to get my surgery done sometime in July. She didn't know for sure though, but I'm hopeful that it'll work out that way. If it doesn't, I'll do my best to adjust (I could possibly get the surgery done during a school vacation in the Fall or something similar -- school is about 2 hours from home, otherwise I wouldn't be too worried about any of it). I'm actually really interested in attending any support groups that the BWH weight loss center has going on this summer (both pre-op and post-op). Do you know if they have any support groups for pre-op patients? Or is anyone welcome to the post-op sessions? I'd like to learn more and hear from other people about their experiences as much as I can

Thanks for your help!!!

[JenniferInBoston 0]

Yes, anyone is welcome to the Post-Op groups. And actually, when I was able to attend the support group (at the Faulkner, back when it was on Tuesdays), there usually was always at least one person there exploring their options (LB vs Gastric).

[LBWannabe 1]

Hey Missy.

I too am going to be at the Info Session at BWH on 5/22. I have not decided for sure I want to do this, but I want to explore my options so I am planning on going. Perhaps I will see you there!

I saw in one of the REALLY early posts on this thread something about a $500 program fee. Is this still the case? The website did not say anything about it.

Thanks!

[Missy281 2]

Hey LBWannabe!

I actually talked to the assistant of the doctor I'm going to see (Dr. Vernon) in early June and she said that I had to pay a $100 fee -- but I'm really not sure if that's the fee for everybody or if different patients (w/ different doctors) get different fees, etc. Glad to hear that you'll be at the info session!