Dr Costa Karihaloo - newcastle area!

First topic message reminder :

Just had sleeve surgery with Dr Costa Karihaloo at lake macquarie private hospital and he and his staff have been fantastic!

any questions ask away.......

Hi ladies,

Re: seeing a Psychologist (most likely a Psychologist rather than a Psychiatrist)

Cost can be offset with an Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) Plan from your GP which means you can claim a refund from Medicare provided the Psychologist is registered with Medicare! An EPC gives you 5 visits with a Psychologist or you can it divide between dietitian and Psychologist (eg 3 visits dietitian and 2 with Psych)

Just call your surgeon's rooms and check that the Psychologist they send you to is registered with Medicare then arrange the EPC with your GP with the Psychologist's details.

Hope this helps.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!!!
I Rang Apra and they are going to look at it ,so i hope they will top me up with all the extras. You girls have been so great to me.

Hi Jacqueline,

Don't panic, you will get there. I have dug out my paperwork, however I am a terrible record keeper so I am not sure how much I got back on everything. This is what I do know.

Item 30511 is for Dr Karihaloo and I paid $4500 and got $613.05 back from medicare. I also had to pay $500 excess plus a $25 incidentals fee for the Hospital. I also paid $1000 for the anaesthetist, Dr Peter Allsop ( item #s 20791 & 23112)but can't work out what I got back on it. I also had to pay for some labs on the removed stomach. I think they were about $150. I know I did get some back from medicare for the labs and the anaesthetist but I can't remember how much and I have gone through my records but can't find them. Sorry I can't be more helpful. I don't recall having to pay for anything else.

Since the surgery with every check-up I get blood tests that cost about $300 each time and I think I get about half back.

It seemed like a lot of money at the time but after I realised how much money I saved on food alone it has well and truely paid for itself over the past year. A very good investment - I will have made myself money in the long term.....not to mention having my life back! Yes - the best investment I have ever made.

Try not to let it overwhelm you. I will try and look up my NIB and medicare records. If I find anymore details I will let you know. Best of luck!

Yes please, I can't find the bloody thing anywhere! :(

My email is breebuckley@gmail.com

I can email it to you???

Don't stress yet Jacqualine, I'll run out to my study now and see if I can find the letter they gave me. Give me a tick :)

ENVIOUS!!!!
The only item number on this paper work is 30511. I have rang Apra and they said to send this paper work to them and they said they will try and help. so unhappy at the moment and scared that i will never get this done so i can have a normal life. I have already had to cancel once.Thank you for taking the time out to help me.xx

Jacqualine, you will have fees for the anesthetist, assistant surgeon and a pathology bill for testing of the removed stomach ON TOP of Costa's $4800 (of which you will get back $833.70 from medicare & health fund) so you will have to come up with the extra or apply to APRA for more money :(

My anesthetist was about $1800 but it appears he bulk billed me as there is a transaction for him on my health fund account but he has never sent me a bill, so you MIGHT be lucky there if you get the same guy. Assistant surgeon was $500 and pathology was $220 or something from memory.

On the sheet of paper Costa's office gave you, does it have the medicare item numbers on it? (I think it does if my memory is correct) Call medicare and ask what the schedule fee is for each of those numbers - medicare pay 75% of the schedule fee and your health fund pays the other 25%. Problem being that the fees they each charge are usually MUCH higher than what the schedule fee is which is where your out of pocket expenses come from. Does all that make sense?

If you're still confused, give me the item numbers off your sheet and I will work it all out for you :)

PLEASE HELP ME PEOPLE!!!
I got my date YAY,30TH of April.So scared but anyway I need help to work out JUST how much money I need???? I got the paper from the office the other day
''The Approximate cost of obesity surgery"with all the Anaesthettist fees,hospial,theatre,assistant surgeon AND SO ON,and Dr Costa cost$4800 which has to go into his bank a week before the op.How the hell do i work out just how much money do I need before the op? The girls from the office told me when going though Apra and told Apra $4800 so thats what Apra have given me and now they have given me this paper,Dose my health fund cover all the other bits. Rang both HCF AND MEDI-CARE and still do not understand how much money ?? Anyone that has just been though this could you please help me to work it all out?? Just to hard for me
THANK YOU!!!!

When i booked in for my first appointment back in 0ct2011 my referral was for Dr Ghani, but the receptionist said he wasn't doing weightloss surgeries anymore and put me in with Dr Costa. I know people that have had surgeries with both though and they are both highly recommended.

Hi Furioustinkerbell - it used to be that he had everyone see the psychologist and then just some - but am not sure what his current policy is! He sent me to a psychologist in at the Junction who just ran through a few questionnaires / checklists with me. I can't remember the specifics but it was pretty general and I did not find it was anything too invasive. He told me he thought I was an excellent candidate for the surgery and was quite realistic about it. He then sent a letter to Costa recommending me as an excellent candidate. Taking 3 hrs to get your appointment with Costa is pretty standard in my experience but it is worth it!

Hi Nessie - this thread seems to be in reverse order to all the other threads so the ones on page 1 are really old. Sandy-lou had her surgery back in 2010. It used to be that only Costa did the sleeve but Dr Gani was learning to do it last year and had done it with a couple of people that I know of last year. I presume he still does them but couldn't really say for sure but Costa has done many, many more of them than Dr Gani. I had mine done by Costa and couldn't be any happier with him to be honest - even with the long hours in his waiting room!

sandy_lou wrote:

I have an appointment with Dr Karihaloo (well, I think, she said she'll book me in with who can see me first out of this Dr or Dr Gani) My appointment is on the 30th March and I'm going to the 4th March seminar. I'm so nervous. My BMI is 39 and the website says you have to have a BMI of 40+. Do you think 1 point will matter?

hello sandy, i was at the surgery centeral last week and i overheard that Dr garni doenst do barriatric surgery only costa does, but ring an find out though.

costa is good, i had my surgery on the 23rd of jan, i also went to the seminar it was ok..but the info from costa and the nurse was great. Not sure about the BMI:)

if you want to know anything ask:) im only a newbie but if i can help i will:)

take care

nesssie

Hi All,

Just new to the site. I had my first appointment with Dr Costa yesterday. He seems really lovely although next time i'll allow 3hrs. He seems to think i'm a good candidate and now i just need bloods, dietitian, psychologist and a bone density scan before my next appointment in a month.

This has been years in the making. I'm excited but also nervous at the same time.

I wonder why some ppl have to see the pysch and some don't. What should i expect??

Thanx..
Tink.

Hi guys!!!
Josie2- I had a few problems with money But all fine now and waiting in my bank now and also Dr Costa wanted me to have the camera down my throat which all went well on the 1.12.11,so i will get my new date on the 28th of feb as thats when i go back to see him.(Just can not wait for all this to be over).
Risky- so glad you have found us on here!! I have tried to get a group together BUT its so hard because we are all spread over the place, so I thought maybe make a Lake Macquarie area group as that's where our Doctor is ??? I am happy to meet and get together for coffee.It would be great to get us all together .
envious-so happy for you that all went well and you are going great.
BubblyBear-Wish I had the op the same time as you but ''oh well'' they say- All things good happen to those who wait lol(I am waiting)hehehe.You have done so well already and I am glad your hospital stay went well. You have made me feel a little better about the pain thing and I hope I go as well as you have.
So till 28th of feb I will be waiting and reading and watching all you lovely people on here do so well.xxx Oh and try to get some extra Christmas love off. lol Dr Costa is going to love meeee.lol

Congratulations Bubbly Bear!!! I am so pleased to hear that you finally got done and are on the other side without any complications. Congratulations to you too Envious and I hope all is going well for you and your new sleeve also. I could not agree more regarding the Hospital staff, they were terrific when I was there also.

Hey Jacqueline - sorry to hear your date got put back, what happened? Don't worry though it is worth the wait. Mine got put back much later than I would have hoped but in the end I think I was much better mentally prepared as a result. I am not back to see him til April.

Best of luck everyone!!!

Risky, I was sleeved on the 18th by Dr Costa and he has been absolutely wonderful! I just want to hug him, he has given me back my life! :) I cannot fault the care of the hospital either, they were wonderful, there was a lovely nurse by the name of Con, I think he may have been irish, he was just the best!

I'm booked in for the 22nd Feb to see Costa. Hopefully everything will be fine. Maybe we could start a group anyway if there isn't one already? Anyone interested?

Back to see Costa on the 28.2.12 at 3. Any one going to be there then???
Starting all over again!!!Wont be long this time i hope.

I AM BACK!!!! I will see Dr Costa soon to get my new date(can not wait).Bubblybear soooooo happy for you,just wish i was with you :-(
Oh well new year new life is what i am looking at.
To all the new people on here Dr costa and his staff are great!!!
Dr costa told me that he has now done well over 100 sleeve ops now.

Hi Bubblybear,

I can't believe your great results already. Well done to you, and to be off insulin... you are a champion!

Hi Bubblybear

Can I say that is awesome result to see you off insulin so quickly and only having just started the process.

How did that all come about if I may ask?

Thanks.

Hi risky I just got done 2 weeks ago today and the doctor the staff and the hospital were absolutely awesome.....

I'm from Newcastle too and new to this group and just wondered if anyone ended up starting that support group in Newcastle?

I have an appointment with Dr Costa at the end of Feb and hope to have my sleeve done in July. There doesn't seem to be many people currently writing on Dr Costa's thread, so maybe not many people are getting it done with him?

I have still not decided whether or not to tell family and friends about my decision, but after reading other posts, might just wait until I have a date and decide then as I might need some help with my children.

I wish everyone lots of hugs on their journey.

Thx everyone xo

I am so glad they have not changed the date on you Bubbly Bear - not after everything else you have been through!

Wow Jacqualine - 5kg is fantastic. Good on you for starting now. I was hopeless until just 1 month before my surgery and then I got serious and really stuck to it. I hope you are the same date as Bubbly although it sounds like they may be overbooked on that day. Good-luck on the 1st anyway.

They rang me back as I cracked it politely that I can't change my date blah blah so they have kept my date for the 9th and moved someone else. Did they definitely book u in for the 9th