OT Rant - Pissed Off About Hearing People Need To Lose Weight To Have Surgery To Lose...

I'm over it now, no need to post any further comments. Sorry.

I have read so many posts where doctors require people to lose weight and a mandatory amount too. What the heck is up with that? We are having WLS because we have a hard time losing weight!! Has the doctor never had a patient over XX pounds? Is this an insurance thing? I just simply don't understand it. There is such a wide variation in doctor/insurance requirements it's so hard to believe. I didn't have to lose any weight and I didn't have to do any pre-op diets. I just had to show up. I consider myself lucky.

What was in between these two heads was a bad decision on my part and should not have been posted and I apologize. I have removed it in hopes that it will not influence others to make a similar mistake whether there are any consequences or not. 

I just cannot wrap my head around this crazy requirement whether it's insurance or surgeon. Can anyone shed any light on WHY this is a requirement?

 

I had to go through a six month "weight loss program" which consisted of meeting with my NUT every month.  I lost just a few pounds during that time but learned a lot working with her.  My insurance company required that I do that but did not require that I actually lose any weight (go figure).  Maybe the 6 months weeds out those who aren't committed.

I have no problem with a 6 month diet program really. I believe it would be helpful. It also gives people time to figure out is this really right for them. What I don't like is that some are required to lose a SPECIFIC amount of weight "or else". I think that's wrong! Very wrong!

I was told that insurance required me to lose 10 percent of my body weight to be authorized for surgery. Did not question it...just lost it, always could lose but couldn't keep it off. Once I hit 10 percent, they went to next steps...

I ate a large meat lovers pizza the night before my first appointment. Sadly, it wasn't because I wanted to weigh more. I can only hope to have the tools and the fortitude and the take things one day at a time attitude that I need to continue what I have started. I also hope the same for you as I both enjoy your posts and know how much this means to you.

Stay well...

So insurance for you as well. Oh and as far as the pizza goes, I had the big meals before hand and it was partly to gain the weight, but don't think for a second that part of that wasn't just an excuse to do what I loved: EAT. I can just imagine how frustrated I would have been if I went for this surgery and my doctor told me I have to lose 10% or whatever. I could do about 3-4 weeks of a diet reasonably well as long as the weight loss continued. Once the stall happens, all bets are off.

I'm glad you enjoy my posts and definitely this surgery means so much to me. I would like to see more guys on the men's forum. Have you ever checked it out? I sometimes forget it's there. They do a Sunday Weigh in that I just participated in this week.

 

I was supposed to go to 6 months of classes , but got around it , because I had been seeing pain management every months. It still took 4 months to have my band removal/RNY ...I wanted it sooner of course.

My doc wanted me to loose weight before surgery , I told I would if he did...he just laughed , I showed up at the hospital the day of surgery and he said "did you loose weight for me?" I said "sure did" he felt my already tummy tucked tummy and said "good girl" bla bla I didn't loose anything on the 2 weeks of liquids...he didn't care.

I don't get it either , I know that even loosing 10 lbs help to shrink our livers , and it makes surgery safer and easier , so I am sure that has  something to do with it

Yep the liver thing is definitely a good reason for weight loss and of course that's surgeon and surgery type dependent too. But is there a specific amount to be lost for that? I guess the specific amount is tied to the other post about an insurance requirement of X% of body weight whereas the liquid diet is tied to shrinking the liver with no exact amount of loss maybe?

I dunno. I guess I just read one too many posts about having to lose 45.13567 pounds to have surgery. It just makes me mad.

I don't understand the anger part.  The person with the experience is your doctor unless he is really poorly educated.  The idea is to lose weight and you will be losing weight on a pre op diet.  It is giving people a chance to change their mind, get used to what is in store, think about what comes after the weight loss, living on supplements for the rest of their life, and a host of more issues that are good or not so good.  I'm grateful for a well educated doctor that put me on a 3 month pre-op diet.  You are entitled to your opinion but I don't agree.

It's not the diets it is the "precise" amount that one has to lose. If my doctor told me he would like for me to lose weight on a 3 month supervised diet but did not base my entire surgery on the fact that it had to be at least 15 pounds or else no surgery then I would be upset. If it were please follow this diet, document, and let's see if we can get you to lose a little bit of weight and retrain your brain a little that would be cool. Why the requirement for a specific amount of weight? That's what I am ranting about. I just don't get it. It's not like the doctor cannot do the surgery if you don't lose at least 15 pounds. So what's the hold up. I just don't get it.

My insurance didn't require any loss for band or for RNY but both my surgeons said it mad the surgery much easier for THEM if the liver was smaller.

I think some programs just want to see if a patent will be compliant with their program.

I told my doc I have proven over the last 40 years that I can loose weight , I just can't keep it off over 5 years , I lost 160lbs n my own , I told him hell no , I'm not doing it , he said the surgery will be easier, but I knew he was good enough to do a good job , I was a "light weight" by then but I did stay on the two weeks of liquids ( didn't loos ONE pound on it )

 

Sometimes I think that some programs just want to torture fat people , I think the 2 weeks is bad enough !!!!