Slowly but surely losing all hope

Well i have been calling ever surgeon i know of in north part of FL. Not one accepts anyone under 18! . I cant travel down south because both parents have full time jobs. I only have about 7 months. As of 1/5/05 my insurance is not going to cover the surgery. Im screwed. Does anyone know of any surgeons in north florida that accepts under the age of 18. Please help. Thank you Michelle

How old are you?

16

Hmm...well I suggest that you look around the surgeon listings on this site for Fl. You can access the list by going to the main page, and under WLS member resources there is a link that says "Find a Surgeon." I found one surgeon whose minimum age is 13 in the largo area. I'm not sure where that is. Good luck!

I am sorry you are having so much trouble, I wish you all the luck. I know their is a doctor in Virginia that does patients when they are 16. My mother actually had her surgery done their and liked him alot. Good Luck on your journey and don't give up.

Hi Michelle, First of all dont lose all hope. This is probably not what you want to hear but there are a few things you should consider. Im sure youve done your research and realize how big of a decision you are making. I just had mine done last month at 18. When I first set out I was so excited and I wanted it done right away. Youve got to remember it is more important to wait and do it when your ready and with the Right doctor, than to rush. This is for the rest of your life. Once its done there no going back. Do you think that a 13 year old girl is mature enough and even capable of going through this surgery? Any doctor that has a 13 year old age minnimum is out for money and not for the welfare of the patient. Now I know how frustrating it can be becuase when i started calling doctors I was only 17, and most wouldnt do it. I decided to have a amjor psych evalutaion done, that outlines how mature I was and that fact6 that I had gtraduated and supported my self, and that I was emotionally capable of dealing with the surgery. You could always try that and submit it to yourt doctor of choice. ANother option you may want to look at is having the procedure done out of state and flying right back to where you live for post op recovery. If you need some one to talk to pleas efele free to email me, since I know I had a lot of questions Im sure you do to. My email is [email protected]. GOod Luck