U of I Hospital or Genesis?

Wow, I haven't been on this board in 4 years...lots of new faces! Back in 2004, I went to information sessions in Cedar Rapids (Dr. Keating) and Davenport (Dr. Christopherson). I never even pursued University of Iowa, and was leaning towards Davenport (Genesis Hospital) mostly because I had heard it was a year wait to get into the "U" here in Iowa City, and I had a better feeling about Genesis than the program in Cedar Rapids.

Well, here I am 4 years later and STILL haven't complely pursued this. (Read my profile if you want the whoooole story!)

So now I'm just curious about the program at the U....is the wait still really long? Genesis is doing lap now...they weren't when I looked into them before. Since I live in Iowa City, the U would certainly be closer, but I just worry about it being so BIG, and feeling like I won't get much personal attention from them. I'm sure they do a great job, but I've heard wonderful things about Genesis too.

Has anyone else struggled with deciding between these two?

 I submitted my original paperwork to get the 1st appt on Sept 2nd, and I had my first consult on Sept 12th at the U of I, then my pre-approval  paperwork was  submitted on Oct 17th to BC/BS, I got my approval letter on Oct 27th, it was dated the 24th, so really quick turnaround. 
Dec 16th is the earlist I can get for a surgery date now, since I had a delay on the psych paperwork(not my fault), but at least it's still this year! I'll have preop on Dec 5th, and start liquids on the 9th. 
Everyone at the U of I has been super supportive and more than willing to help me through this process.  I'm going to the support group meeting tonight, let me know if you need anything!

Hello Beyondthesea7 and Michelle,
Beyond....you need to just jump right in and get things started.  You can always back out at the last minute if things don't feel right but once you decide you want to move forward you will be happy that you started sooner than later.  I think that once you decide to do it everything feels like it is SOOOOO far away.

Michelle....how exciting that your date is coming up.  I know that seems like a long ways away.  I get my first fill on that date and it seems like forever!  I guess we just need to be patient.

Happy week ladies.

Thanks guys! You're right, Candi....I should start getting my ducks in a row here just in case! Right now I don't have insurance that will cover anything, but I'm hoping to early next year. I've been trying to figure out if the insurance plans at the company I'm temping for have any written exclusions, but I can't seem to find the information. I'm working in HR for heaven's sake....you'd think I could find that out, right? LOL....I can see that the surgeons I'm considering are "in network", and the BC/BS website link from our benefits site does show both hospitals as being Centers of Excellence, but I also know you can have all that and then still end up with a written exclusion in the policy itself. I went through that when we lived in Texas so now I'm a little gun shy.

Anyway, I will at least start compling my medical history and dieting efforts so I have them all in one place if and when the day comes!

Michelle--how was the support group? Were there a lot of people there? I see a lot of posts here from people who are a few years out and gaining again. Of course, with some of them, they admit they've been eating too many carbs, or snacking too much and stretching out their pouch. I also see a lot of profiles here where people stop updating, so I wonder if it's because they're doing so great that they forget all about us here, or because they're gaining and don't want to admit it! So I'm just curious what the support groups are like....are people really happy with their decision to have WLS? I have a friend from high school who had RNY two years ago, and he is thrilled with his results and wishes he had done it sooner.

Oh well....I'm rambling! It's just such a big decision to wrap my brain around!

Thanks for the replies!
Chris

Hey, the support group was great! There was about 15 people there, pre and post op, and everyone was very positive and supportive!  I'm really glad I went, and plan on becoming a regular there since I think it'll be nice to have people to bounce ideas off of and "see" weight loss in real life. I just finished my pre-op appt today and was cleared...I thought I was going to fall asleep today, we were there so long, but it's all worth it in the long run!

 Wow, sounds like a great support group AND a long day doing pre-op. I had a hysterectomy a couple years ago at Mercy, and I swear the pre-op day was more nerve wracking than the morning of surgery! 

OK, so you have to tell us all about pre-op now! Did you have to do the blood test that they take out of the artery in your wrist that hurts like heck? I guess it's a blood gas test or something like that. I've read about it on some people's journals, and I think I'd be more nervous about that than just about anything. I'm kind of a woos about blood tests anyway. :-) 

Well, I hope you got some rest after all that. Is your family taking your somewhere nice for dinner before you have to start that liquid diet? LOL....Hang in there! 

OK, this is my first time posting on these boards, but I just wanted to let you know about my experience with Genesis.

I just had my surgery on December 1 and it was done at Genesis in Davenport.  I was treated like a queen!  The nurses at Genesis were the best nurses I have ever dealt with.  They treated me with tender care and knew  all about my surgery and my limitations/expectations.  I only seen my doctor 2 times during my 2 night stay.  But it was the nurses who took the best care of me.

The Bariatric Center also has great staff to help you along your journey.  From the first day of my journey, back in May.. the staff has been there to answer any and all my questions and even went to bat up against my insurance company for me when I initially received a denial letter. 

I can't tell you anything about the other hospital, as I never considered a different one. 

I hope this helps you in your tough decision process!

Yeah, it was a long day, I came home and took a nap!
Pre-op wasn't that bad, they took 10 vials of blood using a butterfly needle(and not in my wrist), so that took maybe 5 minutes and then I got to pee in a cup, that was super fun!
Went then down to ultrasound to have my liver, pancreas, stomach and gallbladder looked at, took about 20 minutes, they take a LOT of pictures.
Got to go back upstairs to wait to meet with the surgeon and all the other peeps. Got my cool breathing toy and soap along with some more instructions for surgery, then got to go downstairs to meet with the people that put me to sleep and go over more stuff....I think I hit it all!

Hey Melladi! Thanks for the info on Genesis. I was really impressed with them when I went to an info session 4 years ago. Teresa Frakes was just SO helpful and sweet. At the time, they were just getting ready to do their first lap procedure! The more I think about it though, it just makes more sense for me to look into the "U", since I live near Iowa City and I'm an hour from Davenport. It would just make it a lot easier on my husband and daughter if I'm right here in town, especially if I have any problems and need to go back in for anything before I can drive myself. He's also kind of fascinated with the "U"...he loves the museum there and stuff, so I think he'll be a little more supportive here rather than at a hospital he knows nothing about. Keep us posted on how you're doing though, OK?!

Michelle....how is the liquid diet going? Are you ready to bite someone yet? Your pre-op sounds pretty tame compared to some I've heard! I love butterfly needles....well, not that I really "love" ANY needles, but compared to the other ones, the butterflys are much better. Your big day is less than a week away!!!!!!! How are you feeling?

The liquid diet SUCKS!! But I knew it would. It's making me super grumpy and tired, my hubby is loving it! He just ignores me when I threaten him.  As for the pre-op, from what I've heard from the staff at the U of I, the only things I didn't have to do is the EKG and a couple other tests, but nothing that would too tramatic anyways.  Personally, I'm not a big fan of the U of I based on the treatment of some of my friends while they were in the hospital, but I wanted the suregon, and to me that's more important, I can always morphine drip the nurses away! 5 more days....wahooo! I'll let you know how the stay goes!