Newbie in need of Advise

Hey everyone I am new to these boards and I just wanted to know if I could get a little info/advise. I have recently decided that the lap-band is for me. I even called my insurance and they said they would cover it pending a clinical evaluation. But I am kind of clueless as to what to do, I don't know anyone that has had WLS, so I don't really have any experience. I have thought about it for about a year but I finally decided that I am gonna go for it. I am planning on going to a WLS seminar on December 7th (it was the next available seminar) put on by Emma Patterson, and I was going to wait until then to get all my information, until i found this wonderful website while I was searching the web the other night. I was just wondering if I should wait until then to start pursuing this, or should find a good PCP and start things now? I don't even have a PCP right now, I haven't been to a Doctor in over a year, and I have since changed insurance companies. Can anyone please recommend a good PCP that is pro Lap-Band? And how long did it take everyone to get their surgery date, like from first apt. to the surgery day? Any advise or information would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks everyone, Beth

Hi Beth, I am 2 weeks Post-Op and am in the Portland area. I had Emma Patterson as my surgeon and loved her! There are only 6 Centers of Excellence in the USA and we are lucky to have one in Portland at Legacy Good Samaratian Hospital. If you are going to the Seminar put on by Dr Patterson's practice then that is wonderful. At the seminar they will give you a notebook of information. At the end of the seminar you will be given an application to fill out which will be taken back to the Oregon Weight Loss center which is right next door to the Surgeons office. They work together to evaluate and get you ready for the process. It takes a couple of weeks for them to go thru all their applications and then they call you and start to scheudule all the appointments needed to evaluate you. My seminar was the end of June. My first appointment with the clinic was July 12th. My surgeon appointment was August 31st and my surgery date was October 18th. So the entire process took me 4 months. However I did stay on top of things and when I didn't get a phone call or follow-up I kept calling. As far at the PCP provider, I had Kaiser who does not cover Lap-Band so I switched my insurance to United Health Care. I never did select a PCP with United as all my testing was done thru the Oregon Weight Loss Clinic. I did have to go thru Kaiser and get 5 years of documentation showing my BMI. So I didn't do any preparation other than reseach online before the seminar. Congrats and good luck.

Hi Beth, congratulations on your decision! When I made up my mind I was going to do this it took me 2 1/2 months from beginning to surgery. But I am having my surgery in Las Vegas and the pre-op certification is different that what is needed by Emma Patterson. I would say it might be good to look for a dr. now, just so you can get your records transferred over from Kaiser. It takes quite a while to get records transferred from there. At least it did for me. If you get a dr. now, you can make your initial appointment and go over your health history, medicine review, etc. And depending on what insurance you have, you may have to go on a six-month supervised diet. I would check with your insurance company and find out the particulars. Also, if you find a doc now, you can start building a relationship, which will be important for follow up care. It would also give you time to find one you like if the first one didn't turn out to be the kind of person you want.

Hi Beth, You are going to love your band, consider it your new twin. I have a great primary care Dr. but it down here in McMinnville, I dont think that will be much help to you. But I wanted to say hello and welcome. Gail

Hi Gail! Well my friend and I finally went to the support group meeting on Thursday night.... Very disappointing for sure....only one person there. Hopefully it will be better next time?

I hd Dr. Stephen Tersigni of coos Bay, Or. He took care of everything to get my approval in 6 weeks. He has never had a fatality. Patterson has. Kind of further than Portland, but Bay Area Hospital was great. Had the greatest amount of nurses fer patient than anyone I have seen. Nurses were there before I even pushed the call button!! lolWas totally satisfie with my RNY. But, closeness does count for something I guess, especially for follow ups and such.

Not trying to be rude, but Dr. Patterson has performed surgery on over 1000 morbidly obese patients. On top of that she is affiliated with the only Center of Excellence in Oregon. She takes on the most difficult patients. The individual who passed, did not pass from surgery, but rather a pnemonia after the fact. Please know the facts before you post. Thankyou

My PCP is in Portland -- in the Gateway area. If you're interested, e-mail me and I'll give you more info. I was banded by Dr. Jan Oct. 2005. I really like the whole office and haven't had any problems. I do think having a PCP lined up would be a good idea. You could check with the clinic and see if they have anyone they might recommend (but if they do, they'll probably be over in Portland, anyway). Lori