Interested in Weight loss surgery- new comer

Good Afternoon All: My name is Grace, 26 years old and interested in the Weight Loss surgery. I currently weigh 256lbs at 5'5, i have tried everything to reduce my weight, work outs, dieting, pills etc. Nothing seems to keep my weight off. I watch what i eat and rarely if ever eat junkfood. I come from a family that has a history of diabetes and High Blood pressure along with Heart problems. I am worried about my weight as i have been heavy all of my life. I have been having issues sleeping and shortness of breath etc. I am seeking a doctor for a consultation and sucsess stories from anyone who has actually had the surgery done. I want to know what the after effects are from the surgery, what to expect etc. Thank you, Grace

Hi Grace! Congratulations on wanting to get yourself fit and healthy and wanting to do it while you are young! I am 11 months out - well a year on the 22nd and I weighed 256lbs when I started out. I am now down 96lbs. If you want to ask me any questions feel free to email me at [email protected] and I will be happy to talk to you about my experience and I am sure many others here will be happy to help too. Good luck Jackie

Grace- You've come to the right place! Welcome! Read lots of profiles because everyone has a slightly different experience with this journey we call Weight Loss Surgery (WLS). I've been fortunate to have very few complications thus far (I'm 6.5 months out and lost 101 pounds!). Feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions or concerns. Christina S

Well, it seems like my excitement has been cut short. I am certainly a health risk as my doctor has stated it many many times. We have worked together on diets and ways to try and help me get healthy...thing seems to keep the weight off. I contacted my insurance company United Health Care, it seems that my employer did not select Weight Loss surgery as a procedure to be covered under our group insurance. Where does one go from here? i cannot afford this all on my own.

Well there are a couple of things you could try... you could go to your employer and talk with them about having it covered - many employers choose this as a waiver but some can alter their policies to cover it. But please don't get your hopes built up that they will help. Many will not do anything about it because they have to pay more.... If your employer has a choice of health care providers at renewal season you might want to find out in advance who they might be and then see who covers WLS - but it will still be dependent on whether your employer wants to cover it. Last resort may be to self finance it but that can get expensive...... I had to change over to my husband's insurance because the helath care provider I had had a rider on it so it wasn't covered. I could have chosen a different one from my own employer but I knew that my husband's BCBS Fed definately covered it... Jackie