Got Kaiser? What should I expect?

Hi All,
I live in The O.C. & i have Kaiser, so I was wondering if anyone else out there has recently gone through the process of WLS, through Kaiser? And if so, could you please let me know what to expect? I'm desperate for some guidance   
I'm at the beginning of the journey. I've attended the 2 required orientations. I know that I'll have to attend a 20-24 week class. But I'm just not sure what the timeframe will be now that my referral is in? So my PCP submitted a referral to the WLS clinic on May 15^th. I know Kaiser works slow, but what should I expect? Is there anything I can do to speed this along?  It’s only been a week but I've yet to hear anything from them. All you can do is call & leave a message on some voice mail for a woman named Janet w/ Kaiser's bariatric Options program stating to leave your info & she'll call you back within 24-48 hrs... well it's been 4 days since I called & I'm still waiting. Does anyone have an actual phone # to a human that I could speak to? Any advice? Any suggestions? All comments welcome. Thank you for your support
Renee

I have Kaiser and went through RNY some 3 years ago. You have to get approval from Kaiser for the surgery, and I assume you may have it since you say you've attended 2 orientations.  I don't know if these are through the Kaiser or a surgeon. I live in Riverside County, and Kaiser splits these surgeries up, for reasons unknown to me. Some patients have surgery at Harbor Cities Hospital, and others go through an experienced "outside of Kaiser" surgeon, as was my expereince. No, there's not a lot you can do to speed things along. You may have to wait for an opening in a upcoming class. Sometimes thes 24 week classes get filled up. I know they recently hired more staff for these classes local to me to help speed up the process. Call the bariatric coordinator nurse again. I had to do multiple calls in my case. Out here there is ONE nurse that handles bariatric patients. I personally think the job should require more than a one person staff, as calls come in from pre ops and post ops in regards to RNY and lapband surgeries. Patience is needed in this whole process. It may take a couple of months to start a class if the demand for RNY is high at this time. Dave

Hi Renee,

I fininshed my Kaiser classes the first Friday of March, this year.  You said you attended the orientations.  Now you have to wait for them to call you with an opening for the Options classes.  You just have to wait.  As you will have to do several times throughout this journey.  I know first hand how difficult it is to wait for a phone call, or to place many calls to them and get a call back 4-5 weeks later.  After I started my first two classes I called and made my first appointment with my doctor from the WLS program.  Then I made another appointment with her about 4 weeks before my class was scheduled to end so that she could order all the required tests.  There are many tests you have to have done and they take time to make appointments for as well.  You can attend the surgeon's seminar and support group anytime while you are attending the Options classes.  After all the classes and tests are completed your WLS program doctor will turn your file in to the bariatric nurse and she will prepare it and turn it in for final approval.  That takes 3-4 weeks.  But once they call and tell you you've been approved then you can call the surgeon's office and schedule your consultation.  If you go with a contracted doctor outside of Kaiser it moves MUCH faster.  If you go with a Kaiser doctor then it will probably be much slower.  I went with an outside doctor and they scheduled me for surgery within two weeks after I saw the surgeon.  I had to change it, but they were quick and always there to answer the phone and any questions I may have.  Good Luck to you on your journey. 

I'll give you my time line.  I had my first orientation in January 2007, I wanted an evening class and after 2 months they would be starting one on 4/1/07.  I finished the 24 weeks in October.  I went to see my doctor at Harbor for my VSG in early November he had a cancellation and I was operated on 11/26/07.

Since then I understand the opening for classes is a little quicker but having surgery after class depending on where you do has grown.  But I also hear that there are more choices of where to have surgery as well.

Right now it's a waiting game to get to the 24 weeks of class.  Also several birdies have told me that they are "considering" letting those who are "serious" and loose the 10% QUICKLY be cleared for surgery sooner then the whole 24 weeks.

Good luck to you.

Ms Shell

Thank you everyone so much for all this helpful info... So it sounds like i just have to wait now for them to call me. I guess i don't have much choice in the matter  
Thanks again... I'll keep you posted
Renee

Here's my blog from Jan 08- right after I finished my Kaiser Panorama City Classes...maybe this will help you?

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TIME FLIES
I was told that time would fly- that my Kaiser Options Classes were going to be over sooner then I thought and as I entered the classroom on the first day I sarcastically thought- "Wow...only 23 more classes to go. Great."

So now I find myself with 6 months behind me, only 1 class left, my paperwork on it's way to the surgeons office and a host of pre-op tests right around the corner. Could I possibly be on the edge of the Pre-OP ledge teetering toward a fall into post-op? It sure looks that way! I can't begin to tell you how excited I am!

My review of Kaiser's Options Classes? They were ok.
Were the useful? Absolutely!
Did they go on about 4 months too long? Education wise, yes. If you NEED the time to think, then no.
Did I learn anything? 
Yes, I learned alot about how to eat Post-op. I also learned that for ME, it is an absolute NECESSITY that I exercise AT LEAST 4 times a week. If I didn't spent the actually 6 months of TIME in the Kaiser Classroom, I wouldn't have had the chance to see how quickly I could slide back into old habits if I'm not careful. That lesson alone was worth the whole six months and trust me- I would have rather learned my lesson NOW as opposed to 6 months from now when I'm stalled or making myself sick after surgery and wondering why I did this to myself!

I also was extremely intrigued by the others in my class. Some were compliant, others still haven't lost more than a few pounds. 1 or 2 are on the fence about the whole thing, one found out she is actually pregnant after spending 23 weeks in the program, one complains about having to eat things she doesn't like after the surgery, a few discovered they have marital problems, 1 found out she was bi-polar...the list goes on.

The 6 months bought them time as well. You would think that by the time you'd even MAKE it into these classes, that you'd be REALLY gung-ho about the whole thing (at least, that's what I thought) but that's not really the case at all. I guarantee that a few of them are either not going to do this by choice or the Doctor is going to recommend that they wait a bit.

So what is  my conclusion regarding the Options Program?
It's not just about education, it's about TIME. This is a smart Corporation...they know that people have a tendency to want to jump into things. SO they make you wait...and wait...and wait.. They provide you with classes to educate you and then let the facts sway your decision. I know of 2 in my class that are NOT having surgery- one being pregnant, one by choice. Kaiser just saved themselves $90,000 on those two alone- just by offering them some time to think and educate themselves about this whole proceedure. Stall tactic? Maybe. Smart business sense? Definitely. Good for the patient who can physically wait for 6 month without keeling over? Absolutely.

The INSTRUCTORS were (are) well educated, friendly, patient, sweet and extremely helpful when you have questions. The received an A+ in my book.

SO...here's my personal score card:
Since March 2007 (beginning of classes)
1) I lost my 10% goal weight (required by Kaiser) and I'm down a total of 115lbs since Nov. 2006.
2) I discovered that EXERCISE is good and had it SO drilled in my head that I have to do it just about everyday.
3) Being compliant and following instructions is a MUST. Doing your own thing is NOT going to work
4) Continuing to work on my HEAD is extremely important to my success
5) Reaching out for help is one of the most important things I could possibly do during this whole "journey" thingy

SO there you go...not much of a Dragon Slayer- but I finally figured out that the Options Classes were good for me Yup- I said it!  I figured that since I had to take them, I'd try to find the good in them and surprisingly, I did!

Wow thank you for all the great input

Do not avoid the classes. Take them, LEARN from them. I don't care how much you read here online. You learn tons in the classes. Do not file some report or something to avoid classes.

That is just my two cent. And YES!! I had 24 weeks of classes over 4 years ago. I lost over 200 pounds and I am keeping it off.

Lu

I agree with Lu. Take the classes. I went through 24 weeks of Options classes and am sooo glad that I did. Sometimes it did get repetitious, but it's all worth it and it's for YOUR benefit. Other than that, I don't have much to add to what the other poster have written. Good luck on your weightloss journey. =)

~Katt~

I have no doubt that the Options classes will be helpful & I'm waiting patiently to begin them. I'm very interested in other's experiences w/ Kaiser (especially those who live in The O.C) & the process & how they managed to get through all the hurdles...
Thank you everyone for all your helpful advice