Kaiser pre-op diet?

Hi everyone! This may be So Cal specific (so I'll be posting in the Cali forum too) or ever surgeon specific, but can anyone tell me what the Kaiser pre-op diet is like? I've heard people throw around "2 week liquid diet" and I just want to be prepared for preparation. Haha. I am in week 9 of my classes so I assume we'll be covering this soon, but no idea. HELP!

From Diana Cox's thread/


www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/4362292/Mandated-Pre-Op-Weight-Loss-ASMBS-SAYS-NO/

Post Date: 3/26/11 4:08 pm
Dated March 23, 2011: http://www.asmbs.org/Newsite07/resources/ASMBS%20Position%20 Statement%20on%20Preoperative%20Supervised%20Weight%20Loss%2 0Requirements.pdf

PRE-OPS: YOU CAN FIGHT YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY'S REQUIREMENTS FOR PRE-OP WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMS! 

Summary and Recommendations

1. There are no Class I studies or evidence-based reports that document the benefits of, or the need for, a 6 to 12 month pre-operative dietary weight loss program before bariatric surgery. The current evidence supporting preoperative weight loss involves physician-mandated weight loss to improve surgical risk or to evaluate patient adherence. Although many believe there may be benefits to acute preoperative weight loss in the weeks before bariatric surgery, the available Class II-IV data regarding acute weight loss prior to bariatric surgery are indeterminate and provide conflicting results leading to no clear consensus at this time. Preoperative weight loss that is recommended by the surgeon and/or the multi-disciplinary bariatric treatment team due to an individual patient’s needs may have value for the purposes of improving surgical risk or evaluating patient adherence, but is supported only by low-level evidence in the literature at the present time.

2. One effect of mandated preoperative weight management prior to bariatric surgery is attrition of patients from bariatric surgery programs. This barrier to care is likely related to patient inconvenience, frustration, healthcare costs and lost income due to the requirement for repeated physician visits that are not covered by health insurance.

It is the position of the ASMBS that the requirement for documentation of prolonged preoperative diet efforts before health insurance carrier approval of bariatric surgery services is inappropriate, capricious, and counter-productive given the complete absence of a reasonable level of medical evidence to support this practice. Policies such as these that delay, impede or otherwise interfere with life-saving and cost-effective treatment, as have been proven to be true for bariatric surgery to treat morbid obesity, are unacceptable without supporting evidence. Individual surgeons and programs should be free to recommend preoperative weight loss based on the specific needs and cir****tances of the patient.

DSers: PAY IT FORWARD! High/low/current*/post-recon goal: 293/169/203/160 (*working on regain caused by medication side effects)
My posts disseminating information about the DS are intended for pre-ops and potential revision patients only.  If something I write offends you, in particular, if you are a post-op from a non-DS WLS that I am comparing unfavorably to the DS, remember your reaction is your choice.  Use the block button if my posts upset you.  7+years out, I eat 3000+ calories/day, absorb less than half of that (high protein, high fat.)  Learn more: DS Forum Message Board or www.DSFacts.com .

Thanks for the reply. I am aware of the issue with the weight loss requirement, I was just wondering what the pre-op meal plan is like. I'm doing the 1200 calorie plan right now and am going to incorporate my protein shakes soon.

I'll be switching to Kaiser on July 1st,
. I am hoping I will be able to revise to the sleeve. Do you mind sharing your experience from first appt to current time ?

Sorry I couldn't be of help.

Thank you for the input. Did you get the post-op eating schedule broekn down into 15-minute increments? That TOTALLY freaked me out!!! Gah!

As far as a timeline, I had my first appt with my PCP on October 22, 2010 and got referred to the options program that day. My orientation was sometime in December, if I remember correctly. My first Options class was March 8, 2011.  I am now in week 9 and was told that if we get all of our labs and seminar/support group requirements in by the graduation date (May 24), the timeline will look like this:

PCP signoff on labs and requirements: 10-20 days after graduation

Consultation with Surgeon: 2-3 weeks with Crown in Murrieta, 3-5 weeks with Pacific in San Diego, 3-5 weeks with Fadorka from time of PCP sign off

Surgery date: 3-5 weeks with Crown, 3-5 weeks with Fadorka, 4-5 MONTHS with Pacific from time of consultation.

Such a long process, but worth the wait. I need by band out ASAP because it's causing me too much pain UGH......

I did Options in L.A and will be having surgery in west LA. Nothing was mentioned in Options about a pre-op liquid diet, nor did my surgeon mention it at the consult, so I think any pre-op diet will be surgeon-specific.

Hi,
I completed my options program with Kaiser in August.  I just had my surgery 3 weeks ago.  I did not have to do any pre-op diet.  It is important to try to loose some weight for surgery and 2 days before surgery you must be on a liquid diet. 
Good luck

I have Kaiser insurance and we were told in Options that we have a choice between full liquid or full food. I chose full food but that was in 09, things may have changed since then. Good luck.

I went through the Options Program at Kaiser Sunset and am having my surgery done at Pacific Bariatric in San Diego.  I finished my Options in early December and went to the mandatory seminar January 27, 2011.  From there I had my three appointments with the surgeon, internist and psych evaluation on February 22.  I just received my surgery packet in the mail and I am only required to do a pre-op diet the day before surgery, which is this June. 

BTW:  My surgeon did ask me to drop 10 pounds before surgery when I saw him in February.  I have been able to drop 22 pounds and hope to lose maybe 10-15 more before my surgery. 

Good luck and I hope this helps