Not Sure What To Do

I had my consultation with Dr. Burpee, he says I'm a good canidate,but I have to lose 40lbs. before I can have the surgery. My BMI is over 60 and it should be 60 or below to have the surgery at Northwest in Tucson. I'm a little disapointed. I wonder if this is common? Does anyone have suggestions on what supervised diet I should try? I think it will look good to my insurance to be on a supervised plan? Any comments will help,I'm glad I can ask questions to my peers and not just doctors. thanks

Hi Kourtney, I have read that a lot of surgeons require a pre-surgery weightloss. Losing weight shrinks your liver some and makes it easier for the surgeon. You can do any diet you are comfortable with. Did he say how long you have to lose the 40 pounds? I know someone that sells a liquid diet that she is very happy with. She turned to that as she could not get approved for WLS. She does Medifast. The site is WWW.takeshapewithdarci.takeshapeforlife.com Take Care, Wendy T.

Hey Wendy T., thanks for your insight. He never told me how long I have to lose the weight he just said to come back to him when I've lost the weight. He did give me a referral to have my UGI done, I'm going this Thursday for that. So he has the confidence that I will lose the weight so I can follow thru with the surgery. I will look into Medifast,thanks! Have A Good Day! Kourtney

I have heard of this as well, not sure why it is ... after all you are going to him for help because most likely you haven't been able to lose this on your own!! But anyways how about weigh****chers? I did that for a while before my surgery and was able to lose 40+ pounds in a few months. It is easy to follow because you eat real food. Each food you eat has a point value and you will be given a point range to stay within during your day. You can either go to meetings in person or register on line and follow the program. I wish you the best of luck! Tina

Tina A., Thank you for that,I did try Weigh****chers years ago and lost some weight, it sounds like the program might be different now. I hope everything works out, I just wish I could have the surgery NOW! But I know the Doc is doing this for a good reason. Thanks again, Kourtney

Kourtney: Is Dr. Burpee the only Dr. that is covered by your insurance? You might want to check out others who can do the surgery and can get you approved. Did you already do your 6 months Dr. supervised Weight Loss plan? Deanne Dr. Blackstone

Hi Deanne, No I don't think Dr. Burpee is the only Doc covered,but I'm trying to stay in Tucson for the surgery. I probably should check out the other Doc's in Phoenix. At this point I just want the surgery so it shoud'nt matter where! I do have documentation of supervised plans, I'm not sure if they are acceptable for my insurance. Does it have to be the last 6 months? Thank You for your interest and help! Kourtney

Kourtney, I'm a visitor from the California board but I had a similar situation with my surgeon. Here's what happened: Jan 2003 ... started Weigh****chers ... weight 305 Feb 2003 ... saw surgeon at UCLA, he wants to do a different procedure than RNY, so I asked to see a new surgeon. July 2003 ... New surgeon at UCLA, I've lost 26 lbs and it is documented at the clinic (my records have transferred from one surgeon to the new surgeon). weight is 279 and BMI is almost 57 (I'm a shorty). Surgeon tells me that he wants me to lose 20 more lbs before surgery in 2 1/2 months. If I don't lose the weight, he will postpone my date. I am required to check in twice to confirm weight loss is on track and that I have met my goal. I switched to the South Beach Diet (moderate protein servings not unlimited/low carbs ---- no bread, pasta, rice, potatoes). November 2003 ... goals met, however family crisis so surgery is postponed. Feb 2004 ... surgery (open RNY) finally happens. I have lost and maintained a 50 lbs weight loss. I have open RNY and bounced back immediately. I was out shopping 5 days after surgery!!!! I'm now 52 years old and I couldn't believe the quick recovery. I really feel it is because of the high protein/low carb diet and lots of exercise. It made all the difference in the world to my recovery. The surgeon told me that the weight loss would help defat my liver. The liver if fatty is more rigid and they have to move it over during surgery so the more flexible it is the better (especially if having LAP RNY). So altho the weight loss was hard, it was not impossible. I kept reminding myself that it would help me during the surgery and recovery and it definitely did that. I'm 3 months out, down 34 lbs since surgery and 84 total. I feel great!!! Good luck to you in your journey. Mary

Kourtney, I've spoken with a rep at Barix Clinics of Arizona and they usually accept patients if they are qualified and if they have a really high BMI. I would contact them if I were you. I'm going to try and attend one of their seminars...they have one in Tucson on June 17th. The one closest to me isn't till July...but they have done hundreds of surgeries...from what they told me. I could find you their website if you wanted. the number I called was 1-800-282-0066.

My surgeon (who was located in Florida) routinely requires his patients to lose 10% of their pre-surgery weight before he'll operate. He's pretty strict, requiring you to lose weight every week. (I heard that he'll let you go one week without losing, but after that, no way.) I started with him at 279 pounds on July 1st 2003. By August 15, I'd lost my 10% and then some (30 pounds) and had my surgery on August 21st. I'm eternally grateful for my surgeon requiring the weight loss. I felt much more confident, much healthier, much stronger to deal with the post-surgical challenges. He also required me to walk 2 miles a day (I had to work up to it from 1/4 mile) and to breathe in a spirometer. Again, both assignments gave me the strength, endurance and health to basically breeze through the surgery. It's now about 9 months since my surgery, and I've lost a total of 112 pounds, down from a 26 to a 10. So if your doctor says you have to lose 40, look at it as a positive, not a negative. He's just preparing you for the rest of your life. As to how I lost it, my doctor put me on an 800 calorie a day diet. Here are the basics: a protein drink at breakfast (something with fewer carbs than SlimFast is a good idea. I use Nectar, which has 0 carbs.); a Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine or Weigh****chers or similar frozen dinner for lunch (less than 300 calories though!); same thing for dinner (again, less than 300 calories). You can also have a salad or broccolli at dinner if you want. And I treated myself at the end of a day with a Blue Bunny sugar free ice cream bar. It was actually easier than you might think if you're determined to get in shape before your surgery date. Best of luck to you! Cheryl