"Aren't you too YOUNG for WLS?"

Here's a thought about "feeling that I might be doing this too early in my life"....I think that maybe I would have considered WLS sooner if not for this.  For me, it took serious physical problems to get me to start seriously considering WLS. I came down with diabetes, sleep apnea, hyper-lypidimia, COPD, but the worst was debilitating herniated discs in my back - which will never fully heal.  Now my only regret is waiting until I did irreversable damage to my back before effectively addressing my problem with obesity.  This is just something you might consider when you're feeling those pre-op jitters and doubts, or something to consider when making your decision about WLS or explaining it to family and freinds... How did you guys deal with that question of to wait or not to wait?

NOTHING related to WLS makes me angerier - NOTHING.  This is one of the reasons I have backed off the Main Board.  Even post-ops cop and attitude about younger people having WLS.  Even post-ops who know what it is to morbidly obese - the limits, the illnesses, the judgement - think that a person needs to suffer for X number of years before they have toiled long enough to deserve a way out with WLS.  That is bull-honkey. Frankly my age didn't even enter my mind until one of the Bariatric centers I looked into said on their website that they wouldn't consider patients younger than 21.  So I just kept looking until I found several centers that didn't have age limits posted and when I felt confident with one I moved forward with that center.  I was their second youngest patient at age 19, but Dr. Boe also told me that I was probably one of the most knowledgeable and dedicated patients he had worked with (and that means something coming from a surgeon who had done 1500 lap-rny's by the time he did my surgery).  The surgeon who has helped me through my complications has remarked more than once that he has a hard time remembering that I am only 21 because I know what I'm talking about and am pro-active in my own health and medical care. The only negative responses I have really ever gotten about my WLS are from people who think I was too young (the other negative responses are almost soley from my morbidly obese grandma who doesn't understand how someone would choose to eat smaller portions and lay off of junk food for the rest of their life, but she also cannot walk more than 1/2 a block at a time and has had a quadruple bypass - so if I have to choose between health and chili cheese dogs, it is a no brainer...).   By age 18 I was already type 2 diabetic and barely able to climb one flight of stairs.  My first year of college was very difficult and I didn't do nearly as well as I could have because I skipped classes since I couldn't fit in the desks or because I just didn't have it in me to walk to class.  I had spent 1/3 of my life on one diet or another, with very limited, short term success and my primary care doctor told me that because of my hypothyroidism and metabolic syndrome I was not going to be able to lose weight long term on my own.  I hated myself already.  And ya know, by doing it at 19 instead of 29 I had only 19 years of bad habits to unlearn and only 19 years worth of damage to my body to deal with.  That was enough for me - and if I feel like responding to whomever it is saying I was too young, that is what I tell them - otherwise something like "Thanks for your concern, but this was a decision I made myself with the help of my doctors, and I am so glad I did it." Anyway...I wasn't too young to make RNY work.  If you look on the Main Board there are plenty of people who screw this surgery up by making non-compliant choices (like eating hot dogs 3 weeks out - I actually read a thread about someone asking if they could eat a hot dog at 3 weeks out  - not taking vitamins, not drinking enough water, not exercising, indulging in alcohol to excess and so on) and they are mostly 2 times my age.  Aside from a complication I couldn't have done anything to prevent, you could call me a WLS poster-CHILD. *End Rant*

Word up, Amy.  You know what's worse than hearing you're too young?  Hearing you're too young AND you're not "big" enough to consider surgery.  That just steams my clams.  Luckily it's only been one person who's said that to me thus far, but she is a Nutrisystem-a-holic and thinks surgery is way too drastic. I go on the main boards from time to time but they have so many repeat, stupid questions and LAME-ASS in-fighting between the RNY's and the DS'ers that it may as well be high school.  These people are twice my age!!!  I've seen so many people who just fail to put it in perspective that they may have lost the same PERCENTAGE of weight as everyone else but their numbers are lower so they get all depressed.  Or like Amy said, trying to eat stuff their bodies are just not ready for. I love this board because people are so educated about their surgeries and are willing to help each others.  We have people representing nearly every WLS type and we all get along just fine.  I guess I sort of got off-topic. I, like many of you, researched my options and chose my surgery based on what I knew would benefit me best.  I spend my entire childhood and adult life being the fat kid/chick and 24 years is long enough.  I was starting to develop sleep apnea and based on family history I knew diabetes was a step away.  I also had my gallbladder out in 2002, and had a scary time with sudden dizzy spells around August of 2007.  No one could tell me what was going on.  But as soon as I started working out, they were alleviated and I haven't had them since October (yay!)  We are done growing by ages 18-22 and I think by that time it's obvious we aren't going to "grow into" our bodies.  We are adults, and quite educated enough to make our own decisions about our weight.  We want to live full, healthy lives, not wait until it's too late and we may have 30 good years left.  I'm shooting for 60!

You are absolutely right - 24 years is definately long enough and you deserve to have the tools to get yourself healthy and fit.  Just a few more days and Jennifer is going to be a LOSER!

Welp, I am stil 19, and I will be 20 in July but my insurance Anthem, BC/BS tells me that I am too young for surgery and have to be 21, unless I can get the consent of 2 surgeons.  I Havn't had my surgery yet, but I already have my surgeon and another surgeon from the same hospital on my side.  I never really put my age as a factor, I have been looking into WLS since I was 16.  Ever since I've been in college it has been a constant struggle with not only my weight but my health issues, such as my hypertension and sleep apnea.  So, I definately won't let anyone hold me down about feeling better about myself.  I will win this battle one way or another.

That's a wonderful attitude!  Best of luck to you on your journey

Go for it. Keep fighting the insurance company. They put up stupid hurdles to overcome assuming that most people will just give up. If my health insurance policy didn't have an air-tight exclusion, you better believe I would be battling until I got my way!!! Best wishes and good luck to you!!!

"I will win this battle one way or another."   Keep that attitude!  Young people can succeed with WLS and benefit emensly from it.  I hope your struggle isn't long or very difficult.  Make sure to let us know WHEN you get approval and a date for surgery. 

Thanks guys for posting such nice comments!  That helps me out alot!

I was asked that question just the other day!  I thought it was important to let my new boss know a little about me.  (Well, we were celebrating someones birthday and I was commenting about if I had more than  two fork fulls of this chocolate cake, I'd be in a coma he he). I told her about my surgery and the tummy tuck.  She's like aren't you awfully young?  I then went on to explain that if I didn't have my surgery at 21, I'd be dead by 25- wether it was self inflicted or my body just gave out.  She didn't have much more to say... so its kinda weird regarding that. But mostly, I've gotten positive comments...