Hello fellow neighbors!!!

Dr. Chang is a very young woman. While asking about her history, she told me she started doing surgeries in 2001, she did have someone die on her once because of a leak in the pouch...for the RNY.... I could not tell what kind of surgery you were expecting, You'll have to tell me more about that. She basically said all the risks involved in the surgery.... she would ask you questions why you wanted the surgery such as co morbidities. She asked me about my insurance and I told her that they were already approved for the bariatric surgery, that is, if she were to go for it. So, I basically skipped a step here. Also, that same day, I had the nutritional consult and the psych consult, which Dr. Chang  wanted to have all the information before approving surgery. My insurances did not cover the nutritional consult, but Virginia Mason did a charity case for me to cover the fees of the nut. consult. My insurances did cover the psych consult. Dr. Chang said that she's booked until April and that's when she hoped to do the surgery.  I got the call later that afternoon and got the surgery date! When I first came in, she looked into how I became overweight and how I tried to lose the weight but was struggling....    It was medically induced by the migraine meds and then I got arthritis. When I got to the highest weight ever, I had lost 50 pounds in one year, but only to be faced with worsening GERD which would not let me regulate my dieting as it is pretty severe as meds for that would not help, and the nausea would make everything unpredictable. So, my pounds started going up as I had a hard time exercising with the GERD...  I better stop... and let you ask me anymore questions pertaining to Dr. Chang. It may look like that she may need to write a letter to your insurance if it hasn't been approved.   So, Good Luck!!

Hi Kelly:  Thanks for the information.  My insurance has already approved the surgery.  They gave me the referral.  I have Uniform for my insurance.  I will be getting an RNY but am not sure if it will be laproscopic or not.  I am 58 and have been on a diet since birth so dieting has not worked form me.  :)   I chose Chang because she seemed to have the earliest schedule openings...however mid April seems a long ways off! Did you feel comfortable with the good doctor?  Did you see her on February 14th?  They almost gave me that appointment until they realized it was already booked.   Was the leaky pouch and death recent or early in her career?  Did she say how that affected her?  How does she keep that from happening now?   Do they make us go on a liquid diet pre-op?  What happened at the NUT appointment and the psych appointment? I'm sure I'll be thinking of more questions along the way.  Thanks so much for being a fount of information.

She wanted me to lose 10 lbs before the surgery     "each pound" counts  so it's easier for Dr. Chang to do the laproscopic.    the Nutritional consult  basically gave me information for phase 1 and phase 2 and what vitamins and supplements to take.... she said  that for phase one   one ounce of clear liquids every 15 mins (sip slowly) in the hospital    and to record everything in the food diary form    She explained about how to get maximum amounts of protein by having enriched milk (gave me recipes for that)  to mix with other products   and  talked about how IMPORTANT it is to take B12 vitamins and IRON!!  otherwise you basically screw up and GET SICK!!! ....and PLUS DRINK WATER !!!! She gave me some protein shake recipes. For the psych consult, he asked alot of questions about why I needed the surgery, and my history, and since "I" was pretty complicated, he scheduled another appt  for an MMPI a questionnaire to make sure you are ready for surgery....  Dr. Chang didn't say when it happened.... but she said it's all part of the risks of surgery.... the anesthesia and the  pouch....    and the strictures that may come later  after surgery   that can happen 1 or 3 or 6 months later....  

Thanks, Kelly.  Please keep me posted.  I'm interested in how it all goes.  nan

Nan, I'm glad to see that Uniform Medical has finally gotten their act together. When I had surgery Feb of 2005 they had added a clause in their contract that read, get this: "Even if MEDICALLY NECESSARY we won't cover weight loss surgery!" I weighed 377 lbs and had many co morbidities.  I think they finally about had to start covering it when Medicare did.  Wish there was something I could do retroactively but I've been told that there is not. Karen C

Welcome Kelly.  I am up north in Marysville.  This is a great place to be, the support here is amazing.  Even though I personally know one of the memebers I know that everyone here supports me.  Please come to the chats, it gives each of us a chance to know each other better and have fun.  Hope to talk to you soon.

Welcome, Kelly!!  And congratulations on the surgery date...  You'll be amazed how quickly the next several weeks will go by for you.  I live in NE Tacoma so we're not too far from each other.  There is a good support group in Auburn that meets the second Tuesday of the month as well...  I think you'll find lots of support on this site as well.  I get on here most weekday evenings, but not too much on the weekends.  I wish you all the best on this journey - you'll be on that loser's bench before you know it!

Hi, Kelly.  Congrats on getting your date!  It'll certainly be here before you know it -- or are completely ready, lol! I don't tend to call anyone because I hate talking on the phone ~ but that doesn't mean I don't care about you or your journey! I wish you the best on your upcoming surgery! Lori