Adolescent wls

This may be an ignorant question, but with proper education and action, can a 16 year old get wls? I'm in Missouri. She's on Medicaid-Healthcare USA. Please don't be rude, I'm at my wits end with her health. Thank you!

I know in Canada they have done some on children with health issues. You would probably be best to do some research about programs n your local children's hospital.

If I were you I would start by contacting Medicaid-Healthcare USA to see if they first cover WLS and then see if they cover 16 year olds.  Most will go to 18, but not younger. 

Has she been to a PCP and have they suggested she get WLS? 

Yes, her insurance covers 13 year old female (15 years for males)meeting criteria and her pcp has just written the referral letter today.

Yes, she can, but is she ready to make the commitment to all the WLS rules?  

She will have to take a lot of vitamins, daily, for  the rest of her life.  If she doesn't, she will be vitamin deficient and can get VERY sick.

She will have to eliminate simple carbs like bread, chips, crackers, pasta, sugar, rice, potatoes, etc.  Even too much fruit will cause weight gain because the body reads fruit as sugar.  These carbs are the reason so many of us are fat.  They are yummy, and we can still eat a ton of them even after surgery.  She has to be able to say NO to these foods and eat healthy.  You can eat around any surgery and gain weight.  

She will have to measure her portion sizes out so she doesn't over eat.  Successful patients do this FOREVER.

She will not be able to drink with her meals, or for 30 minutes after she eats... EVER.  

She will have to drink at least 64 ounce of calorie free, fluid, daily.  Most of us drink closer to 100 ounces.

Surgery is just a tool to help her eat less volume.  It's not a magic.  She will have to be VERY compliant to be successful.  She will have to give up a lot of her comfort foods and work on the mental reasons why she over eats.  It's hard work for an adult.  I have not met a 16 year old in my life that would be able to stick with the program.  They get out with their friends, and all bets are off.  

Weight loss surgery should be her decision, not yours, and it should come when she's ready, old enough to handle the hard work and commitment.

It was her idea, honestly, soon after I had the surgery. She knows all the rules and how important following every little and big guidelines are detrimental. She knows it's a commitment for the rest of her life. She's a fighter like her mother, and if I'm doing it, she's doing it (it's how her attitude had always been). I've been putting it off, not pushing her into it. It's weird, ppl who post on here seem like the person w the question hasn't the slightest clue about morality or how wls works....we are all authorities in our own right. Unless we've wasted our tool and gained the weight back.

Maybe I'm missing something, but what does morality have to do with your question?, or with the people who post questions?, & yes there are some who don't know how wls works, that's why they post. Some know a little, some know a lot, & some think they know something but really they don't. There are all kinds on the forums.

The suggestion that I would make her get the surgery.

There were a LOT of things I "knew" I wanted to do when I was 16, some of which would have impacted my life down the road quite a bit.

I'm all in favor of owning your body and being in charge of your own health, but major medical decisions for minors are a bit of a grey area.

You can certainly be an authority on your opinions, but in a case like this, the "authority" is best left to scientific research and qualified medical professionals.

Agreed on all counts.