IM NEW

HELLO EVERYONE!! WELL YES I'M NEW TO THE SITE, BUT VERY HAPPY I FOUND IT BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE I FOUND SOMEWHERE WHERE I CAN JUST BE MYSELF AND SPEAK OF HOW I FEEL ABOUT MY WEIGHT. WELL I'VE BEEN OVER WEIGHT MOST OF MY LIFE. I AM CURRENTLY 16 BUT WILL TURN 17 IN A WEEK ;-D...WELL AS I WAS RESEARCHIN JUST RANDOM THINGS I RAN INTO THIS SITE, AND IT REALLY INTEREST ME. I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT SO MUCH ABOUT SURGERY TO JUST A BIT OF TIME BACK. I'VE TRIED NUMEROUS DIETS BUT NONE OF THEM REALLY SEEM TO WORK, WELL THEY WORK FOR A LITTLE WHILE BUT I ALWAYS SEEM TO GAIN THE WEIGHT BACK! I DONT HAVE ANY MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEMS YET THANK GOD, BUT I KNOW I AM AT HIGH RISK OF GETTIN HEALTH PROBLEMS, IM NOT REALLY SURE HOW TO GET STARTED ON EVEN STARTING A PROCESS OF SURGERY BUT IF ANYONE CAN HELP WITH A LITTLE INFO OR ADVISE I WOULD REALLY APPRICIATE IT!!!

Hi Karina, My name is Leann and im 18. I had bariatric surgery when i was 17. My mom had it 2 years before that so i knew a lot about it. The first thing i would do to go a bout having the surgery is do your research. There are many different types of bariatric surgery and they are all different. And like any other surgery...there are risks. After you do your research, and make sure you do plenty of it, Find out if any of the hospitals near you have a bariatric center. Make n appointment for a conciltation. Thats the first part, meet the doctors and find out about the surgeries they perform and if you are elegable....some doctors dont like to perform on teens, but it is becomming more and more popular. if you are elegable, make sure its something you really want to do. Its a big change and its not only physical but mental and emotional too. There are a lot of tests you have to go through before the surgery and it takes a lot out of you. Find out about insurance coverage. They may cover the surgery if you are at risk for health issues. The surgery is very expensive and risks include revision and other surgeries in the future. well...thats about it...but if you have any more questions you are welcome to e-mail me at [email protected]... Good Luck ~Leann

Hi Karina,
I like the fact that you are asking alot of questions, and not entering into the weight loss surgery topic casually!

Since you are in Indiana, you might also consider coming with your mom or dad to an information session at our hospital. Either I or one of the other docs who work with us here at the Surgical Weight Loss Program for Teens hosts these sessions monthly. Visit our site for details (www.cchmc.org/weight).

Warmest regards,

Tom Inge, MD

One of my best friends daughter is 285lb and age 16 will insurance plans cover WLS for teens.