New Here

[Guest guest]

Jes,

I have a 3yr old daughter..well, 2 1/2 at the time of surgery. I was

able to most of the stuff to care for her by about 1wk post op (and I

had open, not laproscopic) now, I couldnt lift her up, or bend over

the bathtub for several weeks so my husband took care of that sort of

thing when he got home from work but we did just fine. I was able to

get up and move around, get her food and stuff while hubby was at

work. I was tired by the end of the day, but it worked and she was

old enough to understand that mommy had an owie and couldnt lift her

up or do too much. You'll just want to have someone there the first

week or so and then someone available to help with baths for a few

weeks. Oh, and she also had to learn to climb into her car seat by

herself...I didnt lift her for about 6-8wks.

Shanna

> Thanks Laurie =) My first name is , but call me Jes, and im

in

> Southern California. San Diego area to be specific.

>

>

>

> No I haven't talked to my PCP about it yet. Truth is I've been off

> insurance for about 3 years, and just got back on it a few months

ago. I

> have an appointment to meet with my new doctor and get a " check up "

so I

> planned on asking them about it then.

>

>

>

> One of my major concerns is recovery time. I don't work, so that

isn't an

> issue, I'm currently living with my parents while I finish up my

last 3

> years of college. But I have a 3 year old son also. Do you, or

anyone else

> in this group have children?? What was recovery like. I have people

who

> would help me out with my son, but anyone who has kids, about how

long were

> you unable to take care of them after the surgery?

>

>

>

> _____

>

> From: Laurie Warner [mailto:grace44444@e...]

> Sent: Monday, September 13, 2004 3:05 AM

> To: gastric-bypass-support-kaiser-patients

> Subject: Re: New here

>

>

>

> Welcome, " Jesiluw " . What's your first name?

>

>

>

> You asked if " the surgery " is considered cosmetic. If you're

referring to

> RNY (roux-en-y gastric bypass) it absolutely is NOT considered

cosmetic. It

> is covered by Kaiser if you meet specific requirements. Your PCP

can give

> you those requirements, and probably so can people on this list.

>

>

>

> What geographical area are you in? Have you spoken to your Primary

Care doc

> (PCP) about the surgery and whether you qualify?

>

>

>

> The only downside, in my opinion, to getting the surgery with

Kaiser, is the

> wait time. BUT it has decreased significantly in recent months due

to the

> addition of new surgeons and new surgery locations. So that's good

news!

>

>

>

>

>

> Laurie W.

>

>

>

>

>

> New here

>

>

>

> Hello everyone. I'm a new member to this group, actually to any

> group here haha. =) Just wanted to say hi to everyone, i've been

> reading all your posts for a few days now, and it's encouraging to

> see how many people have successfuly gotten through the surgery,

and

> were successful after.

>

> I have been considering this surgery for about a year now. I'm

> about 120 lbs overweight, (260 when i should be around 140), and

> i've tried countless times to lose my extra weight, the number gets

> bigger each time. Lose 30 lbs, gain 50, lose 30, gain 70... ect

> ect. I'm afraid of what might happen if i dont get a handle on the

> situation while i'm still young. My father is also overweight, and

> has serious health issues from it. Having 2 heart attacks under

the

> age of 47. He's got heart disease, high blood pressure,

cholestoral

> problems, and now has developed type 2 diabeties. With the history

> of heart problems in my family, i really get scared when my weight

> rockets upward.

>

> So anyway, i joined this group because I wanted to hear from people

> who've actually HAD the surgery, instead of the opinions im getting

> from everyone i've mentioned it to. I know a few people who've had

> it, but one of them had serious health issues, a blood clot in her

> leg that developed 12ish hours post op, and led to 6 months of

> hospitalization. I understand there are risks involved, but i also

> wanted to hear some real life stories of people who've gotten

> through it without problems. I wanted to read about your

> experiences so i can try and decide if the surgery is right for me.

>

> Also does anyone know what insurance issues are like with it... is

> it considered cosmetic? or do some insurance company plans cover

the

> surgery. I personally am with Kiaser.

>

> Thanks for your help, and it's been wonderful reading your stories

=)

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi and welcome! I have a four year

old daughter (whose name is also !) I had my surgery this past May and

really the only time I had to be away from my daughter was the week that I was

down in San Diego for my surgery and immediate post-op recovery (I live in Northern CA, but

had surgery at Pacific Bariatric in San Diego with Dr. Tanaka – he is great by the way if you do end up

going through PB.) Anyway, I would agree with the other person who mentioned

that giving baths was difficult for a couple weeks after and I wasn’t

supposed to lift her for about 6 weeks, but she understood. My parents cared

for her while I was down in San Diego for surgery with my husband and my husband took care of baths

& stuff for the first couple weeks after we came home.

Regarding your other question about the

surgery itself – I had a very good experience with PB and Dr. Tanaka. I

had laparascopic (sp?) RNY on 5/17/04. I did develop a bacterial infection post surgery that kept me in

the hospital a few extra days, but I healed quickly after they got me on

antibiotics. The first couple weeks were kinda tough

just getting used to everything and the healing process itself. By about 1

month out I was feeling much better and by 2 months out, I felt totally fine.

I’ve lost about 80 lbs so far and

feel really good. I don’t even miss carbs (which is shocking) – although it’s

important to remember that as you get further out from surgery, it’s easy

for those old habits to try to “sneak” back in. The months prior to

surgery and the first year after surgery are your best time to really change

your habits and your outlook in general to have a healthier relationship with

food and with yourself. The simple joys that I have found since having WLS more

than confirm that I made the right decision for me in having WLS. I now have a

lap that my daughter can sit on, I travel in cars and planes so much more

comfortably, I was able to ride the rides at Lego Land with my daughter without

fear of “fitting”…the list goes on.

Take your time, do your research, talk to

your doctor…you will make the decision that is right for you. Take care.

Lesa

290/210/145

Re:

New here

Welcome, " Jesiluw " .

What's your first name?

You asked if " the surgery "

is considered cosmetic. If you're referring to RNY (roux-en-y gastric

bypass) it absolutely is NOT considered cosmetic. It is covered by Kaiser

if you meet specific requirements. Your PCP can give you those

requirements, and probably so can people on this list.

What geographical area are you

in? Have you spoken to your Primary Care doc (PCP) about the surgery and

whether you qualify?

The only downside, in my opinion, to

getting the surgery with Kaiser, is the wait time. BUT it has decreased

significantly in recent months due to the addition of new surgeons and new

surgery locations. So that's good news!

Laurie W.

New here

Hello everyone. I'm a new member to this group,

actually to any

group here haha. =) Just wanted to say hi to

everyone, i've been

reading all your posts for a few days now, and

it's encouraging to

see how many people have successfuly gotten

through the surgery, and

were successful after.

I have been considering this surgery for about a

year now. I'm

about 120 lbs overweight, (260 when i should be

around 140), and

i've tried countless times to lose my extra

weight, the number gets

bigger each time. Lose 30 lbs, gain 50, lose 30,

gain 70... ect

ect. I'm afraid of what might happen if i dont

get a handle on the

situation while i'm still young. My father

is also overweight, and

has serious health issues from it. Having 2

heart attacks under the

age of 47. He's got heart disease, high

blood pressure, cholestoral

problems, and now has developed type 2

diabeties. With the history

of heart problems in my family, i really get

scared when my weight

rockets upward.

So anyway, i joined this group because I wanted to

hear from people

who've actually HAD the surgery, instead of the

opinions im getting

from everyone i've mentioned it to. I know a

few people who've had

it, but one of them had serious health issues, a

blood clot in her

leg that developed 12ish hours post op, and led to

6 months of

hospitalization. I understand there are

risks involved, but i also

wanted to hear some real life stories of people

who've gotten

through it without problems. I wanted to

read about your

experiences so i can try and decide if the surgery

is right for me.

Also does anyone know what insurance issues are

like with it... is

it considered cosmetic? or do some insurance

company plans cover the

surgery. I personally am with Kiaser.

Thanks for your help, and it's been wonderful

reading your stories =)