I have a date!
I have Kaiser of Souther California, and my PCP referred me right away -- from the exam room -- last Feb. 8th. He has asked me to consider surgery 2 years before that, but I wasn't ready. After I was referred, and essentially approved, I got a packet from the bariatrics dept. of my local Kaiser. I had to fill that out, then call for an oriention. After orientation, I had to wait 2 weeks to be notified of my presurgery classes. Kaiser S. California requires that you attend 24 weeks of classes that cover nutrition, psychology, emotions, exercise, lifestyle and family relations post surgery. During those 24 weeks, I also completed all of the labs required by my surgeon. When my classes finished on November 22, my official referral was sent to the surgeon, who contracts with Kaiser. I met with the surgeon Dec. 7th, and saw a psychologist and internist as well. I've been waiting to receive final approval from the surgeon and get a date since Dec. 7th. I could have surgery next week or the week after, but I'm out of town the 20th - 27th so I had to wait until I got back.
Kaiser is very pro WLS for those patients who need it, but the whole process is about 1 year. They want you to be educated and have a very good understanding of what you are getting into. I found everyone to be very helpful in getting things through the system. My biggest frustration was waiting for the surgeon to get back to me with a date.
Jennie
Most Active
Recent Topics
