bmi too low

hi guys, i have been following this forum for a long time and did not join until yesterday. i was referrred by my md on wednesday to dr. andrew. i have a bmi of 35 however have had hypertension since i was 25. ie 10 yrs. anyway, i phoned julie to ensure my referrral was recieved and she said she thinks the bottom end bmi to meet the criteria for mb health is 37 but she is not positive. does anyone know what the low end of the bmi criteria. i think this is terrible because 2 months ago, i was 10 lbs heavier as i am yo yo dieter, and fluctuate 10-15 lbs every other month. so had i seen my md then, i would of met the criteria.

Hi there,
Here is what the letter says that went out to doctors:

Standard indications for bariatric surgery include:
1.Body Mass Index >40, or
2.BMI >35 with obesity-related comorbidities, and
3.Failure of a physician-supervised diet and excercise program.

Contradictions include:
1.Eating disorder (eg.bulimia) or untreated psychiatric disorder
2.Substance abuse
3.Non-compliance
4.Significant coronary artery disease or pulmonary hypertension
5.Immobility.

Initially, while we are gaining experience, patients must meet the following criteria:
1.Female
2.Age <55
3.BMI <47
4.Minimal comorbidities

When we are satisfied that the bariatric treatment team has garnered sufficient experience, we will extend these criteria to encompass a greater proportion of patients.

I hope this helps. When I met with Dr. Andrews on Thursday, he said that he hopes by spring they can broaden the criteria. My referral has been in since the end of February and I will sleeved in November or early December.

Dean

im sooooooo excited for you. my best friend was sleeved in mexico on sept 1 and she has lost almost 30 lbs already, since the 2 week preop diet. i wish i was aware of this procedure 6 months ago when i  was a lot heavier cuz i wouldve been probably on the waiting list and closer to the surgery date. anyway, that is some pretty friggin good news you are giving me, i hope the criteria has not changed cuz julie thought 37 may be the lowest but my doc said well we will send it anyway. so i guess i will just have to wait and see. i cant imagine how anxious, excited, and consumed you must feel. it will be well worth the wait.  i have only been referred and i am totally consumed by it.  i cant stop thinking about it, i hope hope hope hope i get accepted cuz i certainly cant afford it. it fees like my only hope. anyway,all i can do is wait and see. thank you kindly for the info, you have given me a glimmer of hope have a good night

I am excited too! I know exactly how you feel, I would phone Julie every couple of months apologizing to her for calling all the time but she was sooo nice and was always great and gave me as much information as she could. When did it get sent in, I waited for a couple of months and then phoned because I didn't hear anything, Apparently NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS!!!! They only notify you if you don't meet the criteria. My referral was sent in February, so you probably have a bit of a wait anyway. At least if your on the list then your in. I know that they had 2 doctors doing the surgery and they will have 4, plus with summer it slowed down a bit, so it might pick up a bit. I will have my fingers crossed for you and I truly believe if you think something hard enough to happen it will! So think hard girlfriend!!! Keep in touch!

Dean

thanks for the words of encouragement. my referral was just sent in on wednesday, sept 15. the worst part is i have gained 4 lbs since then. i have a funny feeling that if i am declined it will be only because of a couple of lbs. and by the time i find out i was declined my bmi will probably be toooooo high......hehehehe. im a terrible yoyo. anyway, wait and see. i will keep you updated, and again, i cant imagine how excited you are, excellent....... this will be life changing. talk to ya soon