Brigham and women's?????

Well i need to ask a question but i'm a little afraid that i'm going to get lectures from everyone.... I started the program at catholic medical center and I'm in the proccess of changing to brigham and women's, i just cant lose 30 pounds before if i could i wouldnt need the surgery i tried and tried and was only able to lose 8 pounds. So i have read a few posts on here some people say brigham and womens requires you to lose weight some say they dont and alot of people say that they got a surgery date there first apt... i have all the tests done already thru cmc and i'm going to the info session in april. I feel guilty that i can't lose the weight and i know i should try but i am 23 an have been battling my weight my whole life i feel like i have waited long enough for something like this and i don't have another 6 months to wait around or a surgery date... so anyway if anyone has had some experience with b&w i was just wondering if you needed to lose preop weight and how long until you got a surgery date... sorry for all my babbling.

Hi, Losing is a tough battle. I have been doing it for over 30 yrs. Now at my age it is harder than ever. I am going to Portsmouth, they do all the pre op at Parkland in Derry but the surgery in Portsmouth. They require you to lose 10% of the weight you need to lose. So if you are at say 225 lbs and need to be a healthy weight of 125 then you need to lose 10% of a 100 lbs which would be 10 lbs. Hope this helps. I went to there last informational meeting last month. They were all there and very personable. LC

Honestly, at BWH it depends on which surgeon you choose. Some surgeons wait until you finish all your testing then book a surgery date, others book the surgery date, and all your testing within the time frame. Same issue with weight loss. Some of the surgeons require the 10% weight loss, others do not. The only thing that might hold you up with regard to a surgical date is if your insurance company requires the 6 month medically supervised weight loss prior to surgery, or if you have tufts, now its a year for them. BWH is a great program! Stella

I started out at B & W and I was told to lose 30 lbs prior to surgery. After 7 weeks I lost 7 lbs. Dr. Robinson was less than pleased. I left that program, and 3 years later I went to Lawrence Mem in Medford with Dr. Sheldon Randall. I went to my consultation and I asked him how much weight would I have to lose prior to surgery. He asked me if you could lose weight would you be here in my office talking about reconstructing your intestines? That question put everything in prosepctive for me. I maintained, gained and then lost prior to surgery. I was at my highest 380 lbs and when I had surgery I was 368 lbs. Today i am 230 lbs. So from my highest to lowest I have lost 150 lbs. Not bad. Look around. Do your homework. B & W isn't the only hospital around. Best of luck Stephanie

OK hun I am not trying to be negative here but am alittle worried with your questions. If you are not willing to go through the lifestyle changes to lose the required amount of weight, Why do you think it will be ok after the surgery? I am not trying to be mean, just worried. I had my surgery 17 months ago and I am currently 29 years old. I have been morbidly obese since I was 8 years old. After surgery the lifestyle changes you have to make are dramatic. If you are non compliant it could be dangerous for your future. I had my surgery done in California and was told to lose 20lbs. Almost all doctors will tell you to lose some weight as to it will decrease the fat in your liver and make the surgery safer for the surgeon to perform. Would you like the doctor to drop your liver because it was to heavy for the Laproscopic arm. Or to nick something because he could move around then you will be opened up with a 12 inch seam down the front. I am not trying to scare you at all but I am worried that if weight is the only thing youare thinking about it is the smallest part of the picture of your health when it comes to this procedure. I know the waiting period is hard. When I finally made my decisionI wanted my surgeyr like yesturday. But it also gave me time to prepare for my new life and get things ready for my new life. 6 months isnt verylong to wait when it comes to the next 40 to 50 years of your health. But as one woman said all doctors are different. I am not trying to be negative I am just get worried, a friend of mine wanted it done right away and she wasnt mentally prepared, even though she saw me go through it. When it came to her time to wake up. Reality hit and she was like " Amy I never thought it was like this" All I could say was " I know I have been here and I am here for you now, It is hard and we will go througgh it together" She has never regretted her mistake but she said she would have done a few things differently and took me more seriously. You hear of people all the time entering the hospital it is no joke, if you dont do what the Docs say that is where everyone will go. I am fortunate that I havent had those issues I was compliant. But it is heart breaking to see others that have to go that route. Sorry for the long..long...long reply.. There is a reason for all things hun, but also dont let them dink you around either fight for your right to have the surgery. Amy

At BWH it depends on which surgeon ( Dr Robinson , Dr Veron or Dr Lautz) and what surgery (lap/open RNY or lap band) you choose. I had Dr Lautz and went throught their program ( Lap RNY) at B&W. I was given a date for surgery at my first visit and had surgery 3 months later. I was a light weight (100 lbs over) and only needed a 2 week pre surgical diet which consisted of 2 shakes and 1 small meal / day. Marleen

Hi, I noticed that you live in NH, I do too. My surgeon is Dr. Shore at Lowell General. i am really confident in her and in everyone in her office. I really recommend them. Not only is their office staff friendly and helpful, but they are so convenient. I went to the first informational meeting on February 6, went through all my tests, support meetings, nutritional appts. etc. and have my surgery date for April 30th. They require a 5% weight loss, which for me is 14 lbs. It has been hard, but it will be hard after the surgery. That's what gets me through. The support groups are great too, and you need to go to them after the surgery too. I don't know if you've thought about it, but it may be hard to get to Boston to go to the support groups after the surgery. Good Luck and best wishes, Nicole

thanks so much for all the replys everyone was really helpfull i am going to try b&w for now but atleast now i am more aware of some of the other options... thanks again

Hi There, I just returned home today from having gastric bypass at B&W hospital. My surgery was on Monday at 7:30am. I had Dr. Lautz. I met with him on Feb 8th and was given my surgical date at that time. There was no mention of having to lose a certain amt. of weight prior to the surgery. There was a 2 week preop diet of two protein drinks, h2o and a small dinner with 4 oz of protein (meat fish etc). I did lose 10 pounds during those two weeks. My care on the 15th floor was great. Tonight is my first night home and other than feeling a little weak (and surprized it's over)things went smoothly. I am now on a liquid diet for the next couple of weeks and I will be adding a walking sched. I am happy with my decision to go to B&W. Good Luck!!!!! Carolann

I went to Dr. Lautz at Brigham & Women's. He is awesome. I was not required to lose any weight and there was no pre-op diet. I am thrilled with the entire experience. I live in NH but knew from the beginning I wanted to go to Boston, and I am very pleased. Carrie