Newbie & Question

Hi...I am new to this site & I'm really interested in finding out if weightloss surgery is right for me...I am a 38 year old female who has a BMI of 49.1 I know this is probably not enough information but since im kinda new to all this i really just wanted to start off by asking for help...How does a person know if they should take the weightloss surgery route?

Hi Soccermom,

I'd start by asking my doctor(s) what they think about weight loss surgery in general and for you in particular.  If you don't see a doctor regularly, ask friends and family about a good family doctor and make an appointment for a checkup. 

Good luck in your journey,

Jan

Thanks for your reply Jan...I am currently seeing a good family doctor and i will take your advice and ask her what she thinks about the weightloss surgery when i go for my next appt Jan 20th. Please if you or anyone else who happens to read my posts thinks of any important question i should ask please let me know.

Jennifer

Welcome to the OH family.

My advice is to research all the surgeries with an open mind. Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies is recommended often. Only you can decide wich surgery is best for you. You must understand your eating habits and what you need to overcome them.

Once you understand the surgeries you can find a surgeon that does the surgery you want and talk to them about it. It took me years to decide to get the Band.

Good luck and see you around. Crystal

Hello and welcome to OH,

for myself I have experienced a lot of different diets and have lost and gained back plus more. I finally hit my "low point" this past fall and decided to get help. I think it was the hardest admitting to myself that I had a problem with my weight and needed help. A coworker of mine had the lapband procedure with Dr Shin in Charleston and he said it was the best decision he ever made.
Dr Shin is a wonderful doctor and his whole staff is very caring and passionate with what they do.  I have to do 6 months of supervised weight loss for insurance approval and I am starting my 3rd month today. They walk you through everything that you need to do to prepare for the surgery.
I decided to go with lapband because it is less invasive and my husband and I want to have  children one day and I want to be healthy.  I know with lapband your body still keeps all of the vitamins and nutrients from the food. That is one of the reasons why I chose lapband.

Good luck with your decision.

Well, being on this site is a great start.  Read, read, read all you can.  Any weight loss surgery is going to bring a life long change to you and your body and you have to make sure you kow what you are getting in to.  The deciding factor for me was when I had to start taking four meds a day just to live.  Losing the weight will probably get me off of all of them.  Everyone has a different reason for making the decision and if its right for you then you will know.

Hello and welcome to OH!!

I Spoke to my primary care physician and I researched my options for 2 years because making a decision.   The best thing to do is ask your doctor like the others have suggested.  But please make sure to research everything until you know exactly what are all the options. Find different surgeons go to their information sessions and have a consult. See what that surgeon suggest of what type of surgery is best for you. 

I chose to have surgery to try and get rid off of my diabetes and of ofcourse losign the weight was a added bonus my bmi was 44.3.  I am happy to report that my diabetes is resolved and I have lost a total of 105.5 since surgery.

Wishing you all the best in your journey.

Make sure to call your insurance and find out what surgeries they cover so you know what options you have.