Anyone in the Albany area and/or have CDPHP

:wave: 'ello everyone. I'm officially the newbie here. I've been contemplating WLS for almost a decade and I guess I'm finally done, trying to "do it myself". So I guess I'm looking for answers...where did you start? who did you see? how difficult was it to be approved? and how much did it really hurt? BTW...nice to meet ya :-)

Hi sonya! My name is Jamie, I do not have CDPHP but i live in the albany area. I go see Dr. Clarke in schenectady. they are affiliated with ellis hospital. My surgery date is 7/15/07. Currently I am doing medifast. The first step of the process is to pick a surgreon that is right for you. Albany med does Gastric bypass as well, I know that dr. rosario preforms there. After you choose your MD you need to schedule to goto one of there conferences. this is mandatory. After that they will guide your way. in this conference they will let you know what the insurance companies require and what is expected of you. This site is a wonderful resource of information and I am always willing to lend a ear! Jamie

I had my surgery done at albany Med. They are a great group and have been certified as a Center of Excellence. Below is the link to the site. There is a support group every Thursday Night at Albany Med....Lots of pre and post op patients. Good place to go to get info and ask questions. Best wshes to you as you begin your journey. Lori http://www.amc.edu/Patient/services/Surgery/Bariatric/bariatric_home.html

HI! SONYA!! I Too am having Surgery at Elis hospital. My surgery is 6/11/07!! Dr Clark is my Surgeron and he so... Super nice! I chose Ellis because my insurance Company suggested, my Primary Doc's asst also had surgery with him and she loved him and she looks and feels great, and also because Dr clarks office sets up all your appts for you incl your psych appoint, so everything is basically easy. I started this process in feb. I went t mandatory seminar, then a month later went to meet Dr Clark and had my initial appt. I already have had my ultrasound, upper gi,& chest Xrays' (today as a matter of fact) and now, I next have my medifast appointment monday,( thats 50 buck aweek, but thank god I've got a whole cabinet full of medifast 55 already!) and my Nutrition appt tues, & Friday I have my pulm lab, ekg, & wellness appointment. And then of course I get weighed in when ever they tell me to come in, I also have to meet with endocrinologist at the end of the month & then meet W/ Dr Clark again (he meets with us again to make sure were sure about the surgery and to ask any final questions ~~~~ And lastly Pre-op! which will be about 7-10 days before my surgery date. I had to have a letter of medical necessity written for me before I went to the seminar and MY PRIMARY DOCTOR was all on board for me having surgery that the letter was not a problem for him... I've done tons and tons of research, I've read the good, the bad, and also all the boards, I've read about the complications, deaths and continuing issues some have. I'm not going into this blind, & I suggest you really, really read up and become well informed. The more we know the better off we are. I know that this surgery is going to improve my health & that it is a risk, but It's worth it. I cannot afford whats yet to come if I don't get this weight off. It's scary knowing my family history. Good luck on your Journey... If you have any questions feel free to ask. Take care, Good nite! want2bfatfree

Hiya Sonya! Sorry to say, I'm not in the Albany area, though have a training there tomorrow. I began the process about 2 yrs ago, but like you, have been trying to lose weight for some time. I was so sick of the diets I tried, I did great on them all, at the time I was on them, but gained the weight I lost soon after going off the diets. After researching my options, I made the decision to have lap band. I know I have had battles with RNY'ers, who defend their surgery over the lap band. I just felt this was best for me. Because Blue Cross Blue Shield ~ Excellus, hadn't approved the procedure until 11/06, I went through a long period with no hope. Once my doc's office was made aware of the approval for the procedure, things went sooo fast. I was to have my weight in to BXBS by 4/9. It was submitted on 3/30. On 4/12 I was approved and have a surgery date for 5/8. Now, every doc and hospital is different, so your situation will certainly be it's own regardless of which procedure you choose. Just make sure you learn all you can about each procedure! Best of luck on your road to WLS! ~ Cheri

I too am a newbie. I have just begun the process with Albany Medical Center. I am going with the lap RNY with Dr. Singh. There is another doctor that he works with but he only performs the open surgeries. If you want to go through Albany Med you need to call and leave your name, address, phone number etc. and they will maiy you a packet to fill out. Once you fill it out and either mail or fax it back to them they will contact you to schedule you for the mandatory seminar. I had to wait a month for an opening. They require that you lose 10% of your weight prior to surgery, a sleep study, attendance at at least 2 support groups, 2 educational seminars and 6 months of weigh ins done by either a doctors office or a certified weight loss group (weigh****chers, jenny craig etc.) You also have to go to a nutritionist ( I go on 5/3) and have a psych eval. They have a very strict progrm but they state that it meets the strictest insurance's criteria. Once you meet the 10% weight loss they work on scheduling you(after the 6 months of course) They are very good and walk you through all of the steps. Good luck and keep us posted Crystal