Kaiser Fremont Bariatric patients

Hello all, I have just been invited to the orientation this Sunday at Kaiser Fremont. I have a question: My BMI was 45 last year and I lost 20 lbs on my own and now it’s between 39.9-40. The paper I received said that I need to be 40 to just qualify with my weight and in parenthesis it says (or you must be documented with that BMI, its ok to have lost a few pounds). Do you know if that is true? Will I still get the surgery if I am border lining at 40 BMI? As I read all around the internet about Kaiser Fremont, I hear horror stories of being denied the surgery after orientation. I am happy to hear your positive experience and stay hopeful that mine will be as well.

Hi, my name is Joyce and I am a Fremont patient of Dr. Hahn's. I have been in the program for 4 years. I lost my insurance due to my husbands change in jobs. We had did everything except loose our 10 percent.
After having no insurance for a year, we of course gained weight. My husband new job offered Kaiser so we went with it. I told him lets see what it would take to get back in the program. Well it only took our doctor saying that we still need the surgery and why we discontinued the program.
Dr. Hahn looked at our records and saw we had done everything except loose the weight but it had showed weight loss during the time we were in the program the first time, he quickley accepted us back.
We were afraid we were going to have to start all over, but he said no, just work on loosing our 10 percent.
My husband ended up with medicare and they did his surgery on Jan 6 of this year. He has lost 90 pounds and looks great. He has been off all his meds since the first week of surgery.
On the day of his surgery they called me and said my file was on Dr. Hahn's desk for review since I had reached my goal weight.
I finally got an email from him last week saying due to my illness in Oct-Nov he had to make sure I was clear and he needed to test me for cancer since I sudddenly became anemic.
My test is Thursday, April 9th, and if all is clear of cancer and my blood is built up he will give me my surgery date.
Sunnyray is in the same support group that I am in and they all has been praying for me to get a date. It's been a year now since the reinstatement. If I had not gotten sick I would have had the surgery already.
Dr. Hahn, I met him during orientation.  He looks very young. He has this relaxed, take it easy spirit about himself. He is very mannerable and he responds to emails very promptly. You can only email him once he put you in and send an email.
I will keep you posted as time goes on.
Anyone can email me at my personal email address: [email protected]
I never can seem to check this site and then I get confused on how to get to the area that I want and I can never find the people that I found the last time. My yahoo is checked several times a day.
Thanks  Joyce  Im almost at the loosers bench!  :)

Hi Sharon!

I too was in the program for about a year and a half, and I dropped out last summer, with only 6 lbs to go.  I had plantar fasciitis on my left foot and had to spend 3 months in a cast last summer, so I pretty much gave up.  Plus I was in school Full-Time, as well as working Part-Time, and married with 3 kids at home. Whew!  So now it's been a year, I'm somewhat done with school, and with all the dieting and walking I've done I haven't lost a pound, only gained.  Last year, I was only 6 lbs away from reaching my surgery goal weight, so close!!
    So last week I just had my PCP referr me again into the program and can't wait to see if I have to do everything over again, like Orientation, meeting with Nutritionist, Surgewn, etc.  And now I'm trying to lost the 25 pounds all over again, since I know the sooner I get that down, the sooner surgery can happen for me.  I did meet with Dr. Hahn, and thought he was very smart, witty, and intelligent.  Very nice and courteous, too!  I just hope that going back into the program, I'll get to see him still.

Let me know how things are going for you and where you're at in the process??

Thanks,

Cheryl
[email protected]

Hi!  Nice to hear from you.  I am still struggling.  I keep trying to convince myself that I can lose the weight naturally.  I have a great week and then a couple of bad ones.  I think part of my problem is my husband needs to lose weight and just isn't trying.  He almost gets excited when I cheat and then I just give up.  It is depressing.  But at 62 I had better get my rear in gear.

When I restarted they sent me to a small group of people restarting.  I did not see Dr. Hahn or anyone else.  I think that is a part of my problem.  I am thinking about trying to get a psych appointment.  I need some encouragement.  The first group I went back to they had a speaker that talked about the horrible things that happened to her a few years down the road from having her BP.  It was depressing and I think it pushed me away again.  I am still trying and am going to try to get to the meeting at Kaiser Modesto this month.

I wish you luck in your journey and I hope you do a lot better than I have.

Hi Karen and all,

It's been 2 months since my referral and I finally got my letter of acceptance back in to the program at Kaiser Fremont.  I have Orientation on Oct. 25th, and I am working very hard on losing as much weight as I possibly can before it.  I have a husband that does all the cooking, and he cooks pretty healthy, but most of his eating is done at night, and I have to sit by and watch him eat ice cream and other treats and so I usually grab an apple or orange.

I've been riding my exercise bike an hour everyday, usually 16-20 miles a day.  Then I stretch afterwards and do sit-ups.  I also lift 3 lb. weights every other day.  I'm struggling to make the scale move, but I am feeling thinner.  I have not gone to any meetings yet, but I did sign up on the Kaiser website for online weight loss help.  I also use the FULL bars that are advertised on TV by a bariatric surgeon, where you eat a bar and full glass of water which fills you up so you eat less at lunch and dinner.  It does work, I do eat less.  I have 16 more lbs. to lose.  I find that the Biggest Loser on TV this season is really giving me encouragement and inspiration.

Let me know how you are doing and what you're up to!

Thanks,

Cher

Hi Cher!   I am glad to hear you are doing so well.  I am going to have to look into the full bars.  where do you get them?  I love the Biggest Loser.  Those people have a lot of courage or they are nuts.  :D

Weight wise I am not doing well.  I just can't keep on a healthy eating program.  Maybe I don't want it bad enough.  I am miserable though.  To add to it, I fell last week and my leg is badly bruised and swollen.  I am having to stay off of it a lot and keep it up.  I keep hoping something will hit me in the head and get my motivated.  Of course, falling and not being able to get up by myself was a big motivator.  Once I can move more again, I will try again, still.  I don't give up easily.

Thanks for responding to me.

Sharon

Hi Everyone!

I just went to my orrientation at Fremont Kaiser today!  I am looking for anyone who has been sleeved by a Dr. at Fremont Kaiser.  Today the Dr. that was there said that he has done 7.  Not alot so I need more information on them!

Ash

Hi Sharon, I just had the gastric sleeve done on Feb 22/10 by Dr. Hahn, he was great. I started the program in March of 09 & took me until Nov 09 to loose my 10%, (actually lost more than the 10%)then it was just a matter of getting the test the surgeon ordered completed & waiting for a surgery date. The worst thing I can say about Fremont is the ride to & from, I also live in Modesto. The  hospital staff was very caring.
I attend the Modesto Kaiser support group (the third wed of every month at the Kaiser Hospital)

dottie

Hi!  Thank you for writing to me.  I haven't been on the site in a long time.  I gave up.  I haven't been able to get the 10% off.  I know it is mental and I am getting some counseling.  I don't know if they would let me back in the program.  It would be my third try.

Congratulations for getting your GS done.  I didn't think he would do them.  When I talked to him a couple of years back the only thing he would do was the bypass.  How are you doing?  I so would like to lose the weight.

It was nice hearing from you.  Good luck.  I would love to hear more from you.

Sharon

Hello Dottie
I will be attending my first orientation Dec 22 2010. I dont know why I have to wait so long to attend but that is the date the girl gave me. I have been working toward this surgery for some time. We had to switch Ins so I have to start all over with Kaiser. I live in Modesto as well and would love to hear more about your experience. Hope to talk to you soon!
JoAnn