Considering Lap-Band

Papahemi · July 14, 2008

Hi MissLynn23,

I am also from Roseville and just received my orientation appt at the South San Francisco Kaiser on August 5, 2008. I too expected a negative result from my PCP but was pleasantly suprised when he said that it was a reasonable request. It is not just being over-weight that the band helps overcome its all the other problems it helps alliviate that I hope will benefit me the most. I also won't have to answer "Why is your belly so fat" to my 4 yr. old granddaughter again. Good luck on your journey.

Edited July 15, 2008 by Papahemi

MissLynn23 · July 14, 2008

Papahemi,

I am curious...how long did it take from seeing your PCP to the Baratrics Dept. calling you? I was refered last Thursday...I was going to wait until this Thursday before I call and "harass":biggrin2: if they don't call by then.

Papahemi · July 14, 2008

It took about 10 days for them to schedule my orientation appt. I emailed my PCP after 7 days to ask how long it would take and he had his MA look into my referral. I say call and ask. Everyone knows that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I find that being proactive (but nice) with Kaiser gets better results. Kaiser is so overloaded with patients that you sometimes get lost in the system. IMHO

Edited July 14, 2008 by Papahemi

Papahemi · July 14, 2008

I do most of my requesting online through the Kaiser website. I find this more efficient than face to face for questions and answers. I actually requested the referral by email. Although my PCP has treated me for all my "co-morbidies" and is well aware of my health concerns.

Vicki J · July 14, 2008

Papahemi - You are SO right about being proactive. During the initial phase they don't check the schedule for canceled appointments. They just go to the next available at the end of the line and fill that one. So should an appt need to be rescheduled, call and check for cancelations every couple of days. You might even be able to get some of the original appointments sooner but I'm not sure on that one.

The other thing is to jump into your weight loss as soon as you get through orientation. If they see that you're applying yourself, they make sure your surgery happens as soon as your turn comes up. I have seen them delay people's surgery for what would seem a small amount of weight. Also, I checked with them and you can't loose too much weight. They go by the beginning weight to qualify you and that's all you need. I believed that I was getting a head start by continuing to loose weight and that the band would help me loose the remainder of the weight and keep it off.

Good luck to all of you.

Vicki

Papahemi · July 15, 2008

I have already started a weight loss program on my own trying to prepare for what I believe to be coming in the future on my Lapband journey. I hope this won't be a problem when I weigh in at the orientation class. I do believe they have on record pretty close to my max weight. I guess I will find out on August 5th.

Thanks again Vicki

Vicki J · July 15, 2008

When I started my BMI was around 46+ so it wouldn't have hurt me to loose a little before orientation. I would hope they would look at your records to find out if you were above 40 BMI should you go below that.

Papahemi · July 15, 2008

My BMI at its peak was 43.1 and is now 40.2 and falling slowly as I adjust to different way of eating. I have mostly cut the alcohol and sweets completely out for now. My wife is a great cook and I love her cooking so I know I am in for a battle over Portion Control. I hope to use the band as a tool to help with my major health issues that being overweight aggravates. Not completely sure where this will all lead but with expert help from everyone I know I can lead myself to a better life.