Kaiser Richmond Pre-op

[livinliz112 0]

Got ya Candra....Thanx for the heads up... Me and my twin are all over it... u should see Nicole she is OCD about the food and has all these plans of what she will do... it cracks me up... she is a planner to the max...killin me.hahahah.... i am being lazy and letting her take the lead. lmao... ok Nicole we will regroup tonite and partay this last time/////// as chunka dunks......lmao////

[roseyyyd1 0]

Where's the party? hehehe U girls are gonna do great...say Nicolie...teach a class on the plannin? I am up for Vallejo on Sat, not sure to Petaluma, but I wanna go with majority vote, will the north bay babes meet us in the V town?

By the way...Pat, YES, we have all went thru it...I did i.e. the nite before and morning of...but I am sooo glad I did it...ready to go to the next level...it's been my jumpstart! Can't wait to meet u on the 14th!

[livinliz112 0]

I agree I prefer Vallejo too... but whatever is clever....

[livinliz112 0]

Goodnite ladies I am signing off.... Gonna have my last meal with Nicolie. hahahhaha.....

[skiingj 0]

Hello Ladies! I hope everyone is having a great week!

Liz and Canolie - Please let us know if they present the Sleeve procedure during orientation. Thanks! Have fun! Don't be late!

Candra & Jes- Thanks for the words of encouragement! Trying to get back on track...

Heather - Yes having a February surgery date would be great. Keep up the work!

Hope everyone is having a great night!

[riley4183 0]

Hi ladies, hi John! Just checking in :-) Pat I sent you a PM Liz and Nicolie, orientation tomorrow??? WOO-WEE!!! It is on NOW!

I had no carbs today, well whatever is in spaghetti squash but that's about it. I stayed under 20 grams for sure. Got to bust through this carb craving thingy again! OH I do SO bad when I am not on plan, makes sense but it's SO hard to be good all the time!!!

Time change is messin' me up - going to go to bed early so I can get up early & go to the gym . . . I have heavy-duty contentiousd public hearing items at the Board of Supes tomorrow, will need exercise to deal with the stress that brings. Wish me luck!

Tina where are you??

G'night all

[MamaAsh 1]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new here. I just had my Weight Loss Surgery Class at my local Kaiser and then sent a message to my PCP to send my referal to Richmond Surgery Center for Orientation. I am excited and ready to go but Kaiser's process can be a bit dounting! I have sent 2 emails to my PCP last week as well as put a call into the message center for her to call me ASAP for the referal and still no answer. My hight is 5'4" and I am 243 lbs. So my BMI is right at 41. Last month it was 235 which is 39.5 BMI and my weight has been fluctuation for the past 6 months between those two weights. So I need to maintain my weight untill orientation in order to be at 40 BMI to qualify. Anyone else have this issue? Also I know everyone's Kaiser plans are different, but what was you typical co payments for each apointment prior to surgery and for the actual surgery as well as fills post op?

Thanks,

Ash

Ps. I look foward to talking to each of you!

[singand_dance 8]

Welcome Ash!

My copayments are $15 for each appt. I think the surgery copay is $15 too. Not too shabby.

That stinks that your pcp hasn't responded yet, I can't stand that!

[wantshealth 0]

Hi Ash - welcome. This is a great group. People who are long term bandsters and newbie just banded and those of us who are in the pre-surgery process. It is a wealth of info - especially if you go back and read some old posts.

I was right around 40 -41 BMI when I started and it was almost 2 months before I got my orientation (did the overview class in July and orientation 9/8). I didn't try to lose any weight before because I knew I was on the line since I didn't have any other medical conditions that require weight loss. Before the orientation, I did alot of research online (Mayo clinic, etc.) and thats how I found this site. Also the Kaiser Richmond Bariatric site has the full orientation handbook on it so you can read up before you go.

I think the costs really do vary by plan. I called member services and then was referred to the business office to get my questions answered. Some people on here have said they paid nothing for their surgery. I have a deductible plan, which means some services I have to pay for until my deductible is met. My plan has a $1,500.00 out of pocket max so the most I will pay for my surgery is 1500. I have paid my regular office visit co-pay for my surgeon consult ($20) and my psych appt. There is no charge for the support group meetings.

Hope this helps.

[Desperate1 1]

Hey Ash - Nice to see ya here!

so the co-pay for the surgery is the same as your doctor visits!

I had the same BMI issues - not to worry though, once you get the referral from your PCP you are in. I was worried that I would be kicked out after I lost my pre op weight but was told that once you're in, you're in!

I say get a new PCP - mine responds within the hour - always!!

Good luck to you and look forward to chatting with ya

[MoniqueD 8]

Good Morning ladies and gent!!!!

Today is a new day! Let's do this!

[MamaAsh 1]

Thank you ladies for the input. Im kinda scared to change PCP's in the middle of this process. I don't want to have to reexplain to a new PCP why I need this surgery! But we will see how that gose. My curent PCP has untill today to get back to me before I throw a fit LOL :thumbup:. To Pat & Candra, What are some things that you did to maintain the 40 BMI while you waited for the Orientation?

[swrktp 1]

Hey Ladies and John

I am around. Reading and keeping up with the posts!!:-)

Been really busy at work and with my daughter Volleyball Team. Worked late Friday night and didn't get home until 9pm.

Not much going on. I am losing. Now officiall down 60 pounds. This band is to tight but I am losing like crazy so I know it is gonna loosen up here anyday............

I think I am like 14 down since the end of September. So isn't that enough for things to loosen up a bit?? By the next fill I will be down 20 easy...........

So things are going well. Just wish I could eat some salad but give me a couple of weeks and I will be able to again!!

[riley4183 0]

Welcome Ash!! I would try to stay at BMI 40 unless you have 2 comorbidities, like diabetes and apnea.

I have a very expensive Kaiser plan, so I probably pay the least . . . . My appointments are $10 when I see Dr. Baggs (before and after), nothing if I see the NP or dietician or other non-doc. Surgery was $10.

[riley4183 0]

Tina yay you are back! And losing like crazy!! I keep losing, gaining it back, band tightens up and I lose it again, then get careless and gain it back, band tightens up . . . . good band. I need to be more with the program, that's all. I'm not physically hungry between meals; I just eat because I want to. The sweet spot is actually really difficult, because it does nothing for head hunger!!! I need to make sure I am down 8-10 from my last fill before I go for another, but that's not until the 2nd half of December. Tight enough for right now , , , ,