i need help!!!!!!!!!!!!

i need help i had back surgery in april of 2000 and it has lleft me disabled and unable to excercise like i use to do and i have gone from140 lbs to 180 lbs which has caused more of a problem for me especially my back and neck. however i only have medicare insurance and i figure with this becoming a desprate health issue with me i'm looking for a dr. that would except this insurance to do liposuction or lapband surgery. i have tried weigh****chers,la weight loss but the have not helped well maybe 10 lbs but that is all!!! maybe it 's because i have entered menopause when i had a hysterectomy in 2003 .so if anyone can help please respond ASAP ..BY THE WAY I NEED A DR. LOCATED IN HOUSTON TX!!!!!

Well, first off, there's a big difference between liposuction & lapband. Unless you have at least 2 co-morbiditites, I highly doubt you'd qualify for lapband. You didn't say how tall you are but I'm assuming you're overweight at 180, not obese. You can't liposuction 40 lbs of fat off, either. I've heard of high voulme liposuction, but not that high. Plus, medicare wouldn't pay for that. You say you're disabled & can't exercise. What about regular walking? Have you seen a physical therapist since your surgery to help you with your mobility? Have you tried to eat less calories to compensate for you decreased activity? If you're unable to exercise, this may be your only other option. Have you made healthy lifestyle changes in order to achieve a healthy weight? Not quick "diet" types of things to lose "40 pounds in a month." Weight lost that way never stays off. The people on this board have been successful in various, non-surgical ways and will have plenty of advice to offer.

Kathleen First let me say that I am sorry that you are in going through this. I am not sure if you would qualify for lapband. Unless you are really short, you would probably not meet the bmi requirement. But I'm not a dr and that's just an opinion. I remember hearing on the discovery health channel during the body challenge show that you should decrease your calories by 500 ( i THINK he said that) when you are unable to exercise. There's a lady that comes on pbs (or she used to) that does exercises that are done entirely in a chair. My mom used to work at a nursing home and that's what they played for their patients. Good luck

Hi kathleen I feel extra badly for you. However, as a fellow menopausal lady here, I can testify that exercise is not the single solution to weight loss anyway, turns out. I am an exercise NUT and will still gain looking at food. This is not to say exercise is not important. I suggest you get into your local physical therapy gym - many have pools there and you can work up to doing aqua aerobics at a point. You definitly need should-neck exercises to help with pain management! If you are in a rural area outside of Houston, many times, the docs have an arrangement with local gyms for that physical therapy part! Now for the food part: I'd ask about any appetite suppressants at all to help you lose, even 10# loss will help you, don't discount that amount of loss! You have already heard your doctor say what 10# of additional weight translates into on your back. It's like tenfold... If not, get back into weigh****chers and stay there. Lots of doctors accept medi-care for wls, but as the others say, it does not sound like you will qualify. (like me - read my profile) Good luck - this is not easy when a person can exercise!