If your under 18...

Dont give up! I am 17 and was approved in 4 days! Make sure to look and see what they say about being underage in your insurance requirement. Aetna has an inclusion that if you are under 18 you will need proof of full growth! I did that with X-RAYS! Good luck to everyone!

hi Jane congrats on getting approved. Im Dawn not only am I obese but so is my 10 year old beautiful daughter. Ive been looking for info on lap bands etc for kids what ages etc. Im not done trying other options though. going to an obesity clinic for children at the end of july.  i want so much for her to be successful. i think her self esteem is a big issue i have a 17 year old who doesnt have a weight problem varsity cheeleader etc and the youngest has really started to realize weight can keep you down. so when you get around to this just let me know what you know. take care. dawn

My 17 year old is trying to get approval for RNY through Columbus Childrens.  We were told the LapBand was only approved for people over 18.  The FDA has not approved it for under 18.  Cincinnati and Columbus both had FDA Studies, but they are both closed.  They will do an RNY on a 14 year old.

Hi Maureen,
Congratulations on your decision to work with our colleagues in Columbus! You are correct about the band and the current FDA restrictions.

Your daughter is certainly eligible for the Teen-LABS study (just featured on the Today show recently!) and we would welcome her to participate.

Warmest regards,
Tom Inge, MD

Yeah. The same thing happened to me. The place where I plan on having the surgery faxed it in to my insurance at 8:00 am and by noon my dad had sent me a date saying my surgery was approved. I was extremely shocked.