Surgeons in San Francisco....

I've heard some great things about UCSF.  I'll definitely check him out, too.  Thanks for your reply!

Hi there I had my surgery at Kaiser SSF and they are amazing. My surgery was on 02/04/2008 and there is an intense program that you would need to go through in order to have your surgery with Kaiser there is a required 10% weight loss prior to surgery that is required and lots and lots of appointments with nutritionists/head doctors and classes. Good luck to you...believe me I was a freak about #'s and credentials and the program at Kaiser offered me a lot of insight during my decision making time. T

CONGRATZ on your surgery!  I hope to be where you are some day.  Who is your surgeon @ SSF?  Did you have to jump through a lot of hoops with your insurance?  I'll be getting Kaiser coverage in the next 2 months.  I'm freaking out so bad about digging up info on docs (particularly how many surgeried they've performed and their complication rates).  I'm excited aboout the possibility of really getting this surgery now that I have insurance, but I'm still very scared of being rejected. Thanks so much for your reply.

Hi Kami the process through Kaiser is fairly easy....I have some co-morbidities (diabetes, high blood pressure) which helped I guess if you can call it that. My PCP referred me to the Bariatric program at SSF and it took me 8 months from beginning the process to my surgery date. My surgeon was Dr. Li and he was great there are three surgeons there and the staff is amazing and knowledgeable.  They work not only with changing your body but your mind. They require you to lose 10% of your body weight before surgery...which in itself is a challenge. Dr. Li has been doing these surgeries for a very long time (from my research I believe he started doing them in 1999) and has never lost a patient and he has little to no complication rate. He was in private practice before coming to Kaiser I am not sure if that makes a difference to you or not. In fact he is the senior surgeon at Kaiser SSF....personally I think he ROCKS but I am a little biased since my recovery was awesome and I had very little to no pain after surgery. He is very straight forward to the point which is why I wanted him to be my surgeon I do not like things sugar coated. The only way I know that I have had this surgery was/is the six little scars on my stomach. Good Luck to ya and keep the faith you will be here before you know it..T

Thanx so much for the info, T.  This is EXACTLY the kind of stuff I'm looking for. I also have co-morbidiites (metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, joint pain, high cholesterol, high blood pressure...) and I weigh 350lbs.  I don't mean to keep bugging you, but did you have to present any sort of 1 to 2 yr. record of weightloss attempts to Kaiser?  I've heard so many talk about this being a precursor.  If I have to wait I guess I have no choice because I really want to have this surgery.  But it would be nice to think that it would all occur under 12 months.  Thanx again so much for the info.  I hope your week is getting off to a great start.

Hi Kami no I did not have to show any weight loss records they just knew that all these things could be helped by my losing weight I would advise you to be with your PCP for at least a few months before asking for a referral to the bariatric program it is really quick and they can do it while you are in the office. I was 311 when I was referred to the program and I am now 248...the weight is coming off slowly but I am happy....Feel free to e-mail me here on OH if you have any questions...T

Thank you so much for your help, T.  Congratz on your weight loss!  I hope to join you one day on the losing bench.

thanks for the compliment!!!

In your reasearch into UCSF, ask about their waiting list. When I looked into them (they were my first choice since all my primary docs belong to UCSF), the process with them took 2 years. I wasn't willing to wait that long, hence my going through Mills Penninsula.

2 years?  Jeez, i don't think I could wait that much longer.  I'm trying to prepare myself for the hoops Kaiser may have me jumping through once my coverage starts and I begin working with a new PCP.  I've heard that some insurance companies require a 6 month to 1 yr. monitored diet program so I'm trying to psyche myself up for that...but 2 years?  I am SO ready for my weight loss journey to begin as soon as it can.  I'll definitely ask about the waiting list and start checking out Mills.  Thanks so much for getting back to me.  I really appreciate it.  Keep cheering -- you look AWESOME!!

I used Dr. Husted. He was awsome. He is probably the best vsg surgeon in the area, maybe even in the country. He has even done a couple of surgerys for the Discovery Channel.  He pretty much uses the California Pacific Medical Center, but I think he also uses a couple of other hospitals depending on your insurance. Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions.............Carrie B