Hey Im New!!

HEY EVERYONE, My name is Brittany and I'm turning 16 in march. I am 5'11 and 238 pounds. I'm considering weight loss surgery and my first apointment with the doctor is this week. I'm excited and scared! my AIM sn is- XdumBlondeDitzX I would really appreciate some support, or even just someone to talk to who understands Thankyou! Brittany

Hey Brittany! My name is Stephanie, I'm 19 and My BMI is 41. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think your BMI has to be at least 40 for WLS. I know it it here in NY. It may be differant other places. Feel free to IM me at Burr234....Bye!

the majority of surgeons will not do someone under 40 BMI if they do not have very severe illness due to weight such as diabetes, insulin rejection, and the list goes on. Also the majority of medical insurance will not cover those that are under 40 BMI with out comorbidities. Plus the age is an added variable. Like I said all hope is not lost but certain surgeons and medical insurance have requirements for WLS.

I was approved for surgery with a BMI of 36.7 and no major co-morbidities. By the time surgery came around I had a BMI of 38.9 and there still wasn't a problem with my BMI being under 40. It's usually required to have a BMI of 35-39.9 with a documented major co-morbidity that isn't responding to medical treatments or if you have a BMI of 40 or higher, it's basically a shoe in. Also, some insurance companies tend to take into account your surgeons recomendations, that's how I was approved, they took the doctors discretion and I was approved the next day after my insurance company recieved my case. There's only two things I can think of right now that they won't approve you for surgery and they are your age of being 16 might be a factor, you might have to wait until you're 18. You may find some surgeons though who are willing to go through with it with you being under the age of 18. Also, your BMI is only about 33, so as bad as this sounds, you'd have to gain more weight in order to even qualify for surgery which is the biggest factor, regardless of your age. You'd have to weigh atleast 251 to reach a BMI of 35 for your height. Hope this helps! Good luck with your appointment! Feel free to e-mail me with any questions/concerns, etc.