Newbie Here...First meeting with surgeon scheduled

Hi Everyone!  I have been lurking for a few weeks now not sure if I was going to go through with making the appointment.  Well I did it today.  I have my first appointment scheduled for July 12th.  I was unsure whether to go through with it or not because I have a lower BMI.  As I sit right  now I am at 34.7.  The funny thing is about 3 years ago I weighed 294lbs!  I have lost 90lbs and gained back 23 of it. I was only able to get 50lbs off by myself with diet and exercise and then proceeded to take Phentermine for the additional.  Well.....the Phentermine is not as effective anymore and I can't keep taking it forever....so here I am.  I would like to lose an additional 80lbs to put me where I need to be. I do have higher bp and diabetes runs rampant in my family.  Not sure the insurance or surgeon will go for any of it. My PCP is ALL for it!  I do not have a lot of health issues since I lost the first portion of my weight.  Anyone else in the same boat as myself?  Any advice would be great!  Thanks!  I am 5'7.5 and weigh 227lbs.

I would eat like crazy between now and your appointment. You need to be 35BMI minimum. I was very much in your shoes with blowing my metabolism with diets and diet pills, etc. You name it, I did it.  You will likely need more than high blood pressure and family history to get you through insurance. You might want to start looking at getting a sleep study done to determine if you have sleep apnea and need a CPAP machine. Also, if you can start the process of getting your medical records from your time taking diet pills and any official weigh-ins when you lost your weight and started regaining. I found the book "Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies" really helpful getting me through all the wickets.

Welcome aboard and keep asking questions!

--gina
  

Thanks for the response!  My insurance right now states that I need 1 comorbidity (sp) to qualify for surgery.  I have a documented case of high bp and take a low dose of bp medication.  I don't know if this will be enough alone to qualify.  I am going to see what the surgeon has to say and was hoping to get the sleep test done. I will definately go get the book you talked about.  Thanks for the advice!  :)

Hey congrats. have a blessed journey.

I hate to encourage anyone to gain weight, but please be advised that your initial consult weight is what they submit to your insurance company. I would make sure to really ENJOY the 4th of July!!!! Seriously. Just to be on the safe side.

My BMI was a little under 37, and I was eligible. I did have sleep apnea, but that is it. Good luck!!!

Kim

Good luck at your appt......like Gina said we all have been in this struggle for awhile!

With a comorbidity you should be okay IF you are BMI of 35 or higher....I would seriously make sure that you do not lose weight and would actually gain a few pounds to make sure you are above the 35 BMI.  One hates to say this but I have seen people post on OH who were denied if they were under a BMI of 35....again, one shouldnt have WLS unless they need it but there are guidelines and for many of us, we have ONE chance with insurance to get this surgery.....

Good luck!

~~Jennifer 

Good luck with your appointment.  I think alot of us could lose weight for a little while, but couldn't stick with it.
Welcome to the LW Board.  Be sure to keep us updated on your progress.
Linda

Thanks for the great advice.  As of this morning, I have hit my 35bmi.  I will keep my fingers crossed that everything goes well on the 12th. 

I needed a BMI of 35. I had to gain weight before my  first appointment. My official weigh-in had me at a BMI of 35.1. I barely made it. 

P.S. I'm not suggesting you do this, but some people wear weights or put rolls of coins in their pockets for that first, all-important weigh-in. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do....