Weight minimum to have DS

Hi. I'm 5'3 " and weigh 212 lbs.  I have sleep apnea high bp, high cholesterol, anxiety, depression. I'm wondering if I'd meet the weight minimum in order to have a DS. 

I did...

I am 5'4", weighed 205 when I first saw my surgeon. My BMI was all of 35.2.

But getting a DS as a lightweight is MUCH harder...many surgeons will not recommend it for those under a 50 BMIbut are more than willing to recommend the RNY which is ALSO malabsorptive! The DS can be modified to suit. I have a 175 common channel. Got to normal BMI in 8 months.

That puts your BMI at 37.6 according to this BMI calculator:  https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/BMI/bmicalc.htm

Most insurance companies follow the ASBMS guidelines as to what situations qualify... According to #2, you qualify.  http://asmbs.org/obesity-and-surgery-learning-center/who-is- a-candidate/

• "Qualifications for bariatric surgery in most areas include:

  1. BMI ≥ 40, or more than 100 pounds overweight.
  2. BMI ≥35 and at least two obesity-related co-morbidities such as type II diabetes (T2DM), hypertension, sleep apnea and other respiratory disorders, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis, lipid abnormalities, gastrointestinal disorders, or heart disease.
  3. Inability to achieve a healthy weight loss sustained for a period of time with prior weight loss efforts."

Next you need to know if your insurance covers bariatric surgery and if so, what does your policy stipulate?  Some policies have a requirement of a BMI of 50 or greater for the duodenal switch for example.  You can probably find your policy online and read the exact language.  If you want to know right away, you can also call the number on the back of your insurance card and ask.  You can also ask for a link to your actual policy that you can look up yourself.  I highly recommend that.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

You meet the standards of the AMSBS, Medicare, and many other organizations involved with bariatric surgery, which is to say that they have no different criteria for medical necessity for the DS than for any other bariatric operation. However, some insurers create a higher bmi requirement for the DS, despite the fact that there is no evidence based medical reason for this. You will need to know your insurer's policy, and the best way to know this is to read the policy for yourself and NOT trust what some call center employee tells you over the phone. We have seen far too many people receive misinformation this way. Remember, no one cares about this more than you.

larra

Thanks for your help!

READ your insurance policy.  Don't call and listen to them.  Read for yourself.  Be prepared for a fight but it's a fight you will likely win if you want it bad enough!

Just curious as to why you want DS at your BMI.  

I've heard that weight gains are prevalent with gastric bypass and the sleeve. I  have the band and had to have all the fluid taken out of it cause I got food stuck in the band all the time and vomited. Gained all my weight back. I want something that will work with out having to have a third surgery. I figured this would be the most logical thing for me. 

She lists high cholesterol as a co-morb. The DS is the WLS for high cholesterol, since we absorb so little fat. Most of us eat bacon---and other fats---like it's going out of style, yet have cholesterol numbers of around 100.

It makes sense to get something that will do the best for you. I am so glad that my surgeon talked me out of the lapband.  I had RNY.  I did have regain after the second year and have to watch my diet carefully to keep from regaining.  I can also eat much less than people with DS.

From what I read on the VSG board, people with the sleeve seem to have to stay at 600-800 calories a day to lose and maintain.  With RNY I need to stay about 1400 to maintain and cut to 800 a day to lose a pound a week. 

I had RNY in 2007 before the sleeve was available.  I did not even know DS existed until after my surgery when I read about it on this board.