Wow...as I read through all of this, it sounds so much like what I have to follow with medicaid.  But it is 6 months with the pcp and dietitian instead of 9.  I have what all Medicaid requirements are at the bottom of my profile.

I am supportive and am glad we made some new friends here.  My step-father worked for Boeing and retired by the way.  Worked there for many years in Renton.

Oh, I met Dr. Lauter in Bellevue a few years ago when my family and I met and visited a friend from OH who had her surgery with him.  Seemed to be a very nice man.  It was nice to met a friend from here, her daughter...and even her doctor that so many people on her have gone to!

Let me know how today went for you in a email.  Thinking of you and hope it all went good for you!!!

Hugs,

Debbie

   

Good for you!  I am glad to here someone start something like this.  Wish I had one in my area!  I am proud of you.  I wish you all the luck in getting it going off to a great start!

Debbie...

I have NO Regrets!!!!   I had RNY on Aug 18, 2008... and I have lost about 135#.  I wear about a 12-14 down from a sz 26-28 and I am 5'10" and 54 y o.

Now I will admit... RIGHT after surgery... when I was healing from surgery and still on the liquid diet.... I had a couple of moments of ...WHAT HAVE I DONE????  But thankfully those thoughts   passed quickly.

I am more active today than I ever thought possible!

Helen

I'm doing great! I'm down 105 pounds since 5/26/09. Also, I had 3 surgeries, not 2. 4 months after getting my lap band, it slipped, and I had to have emergency surgery to correct it. Dr. Alperovich did my band when he was at Valley, and 3 weeks after my surgery, they closed their bariatric center. I was not happy with the way things were handled, seems they would have known this in advance. I don't blame Dr. Alperovich, it was a Valley Medical Center decision. I was told that with the economy and people losing their jobs, there were more people who did not have insurance and were self pay. Since it is an expensive surgery, fewer people could pay fro the surgery. In addition, there is a lot of competition out there, many surgeons to choose from. In summary, I guess they weren't making money on their bariatric center. It took Dr. Alperovich some time to get re-established, and I needed a surgeon for my fills. I found Dr. Lauter, and I think he is awesome. Even though he didn't put my band in, he did the emergency surgery when my band slipped.

The slipped band was very painful, and I was beginning to realize that it was not the right choice for me. I spoke with Dr. Lauter about a revision, and he told me that I would most likely have better weight loss with RNY. He was right, the RNY is way more effective. As someone who has experienced both, I can attest to that. I would never recommend the band to anyone. Just my opinion! Everyone has to make their own choice.

Dr. Lauter submitted the paperwork for a revision, and it was approved. So in a period of 10 months I had three surgeries: July 2008 - lapband, November 08 - emergency surgery, May 09 - revision to RNY. I'm thrilled with my RNY, it is the best decision I have every made. That being said, the recovery was a doozy. It wasn't painful, but I had trouble with fatigue, low energy, and no appetite. I had a hard time getting in my calories and water each day. It took me about 4 months to feel like my old self, and now, 7 months later, I feel like a million bucks! Those difficult early months were worth it, and seem like a distant memory.

Good Luck!

Hi Christine,
My hubby works at the Renton plant. One thing I thought was interesting was fro the co-mobilities Sleep apnea was not one of them but hypothyroidism is.