What does your surgeon require?

While getting ready for my first consult with my surgeon, I have ordered many books online about weight loss surgery so that I could get a better understanding of everything and feel comfortable in my decision to have the surgery. So far, I have learned a lot and enjoyed most of the books. However, I just finished reading a book called, "Weight Loss Surgery , Understanding and Overcoming Morbid Obesity" by Michelle Boasten. In her book in chapter Five, she lists what HER surgeon required of his patients for surgery. Some of the criteria bothered me and got me to wonder and ask questions. ARE these requirements normal for all surgeons, most surgeons, or just a few? Are all surgeons different in what their criteria is? Please read below, and please let me know what your surgeon expected from you that is different or the same. Thank you so much! SOME OF WHAT HER SURGEON REQUIRES FOR YOU TO GET THE SURGERY: 1) A well-functioning email address that can accept attatchments. (Wouldn't a telephone or regular mailing address be sufficient enough? Now you have to have a computer in order to get the surgery? I have one of course, but why should it be a requirement?) 2)A body weight of no more than 350 lbs. ( I know operating on people with higher weights than this can be more dangerous, but aren't these the individuals who need it most? A BMI is not listed here..just the weight. So, it is ok to operate on a 5'2 woman who weighs 350lbs, but not a 6'0 man who weighs 355lbs?) 3)Patient's must be presently working..in or out of the home( Why should this matter at all??? What about stay at home mom's or wives? So what if you are unemployed...what does that have to do with your health status and your need for surgery? If you have the means to pay for this surgery without being employed personally...I think NOT being employed can make things actually easier. NO scheduleing time off work, chance of losing your job etc.) 4)No history of any previous obesity surgery ( why not? what if the surgery you had failed and you needed a revision?) 5)No history of any major abdominal surgery (Does this include removal of the appendix or gallbladder? Why should this exclude you from having the surgery? It is like saying that if you already had your uterus removed, we cannot operate on your kidneys if you need it! This makes NO sense to me!) 6)Patient must have evidence of a stable family structure, AND have the doccumented support of their immediate family ( this really gets me! If you needed life saving heart surgery, would you be expected to get written support from your family in order to get it? And even if you need plastic surgery to get a breast job or face lift...you are usually not required to get permission from a family member to get it. This surgery is a medical necessity and to me is considered a very personal decision. Although most of us tell our loved ones and usually get their support, it should not be a requirement! So, if you are going through a divorce, you can't have the surgery? That is just insane!) 7)No history of major psychiatric illness (I was hospitilized as a child for clinical depression. So does this mean that I wouldn't be eligible for this surgery under this surgeons rules? I am perfectly and mentally fine now) Gee..under these guidlines I might as well forget having the surgery! Sometimes my email doesn't always work right, I had my gall bladder removed when I was 16 yrs old,I am not technically employed although I do have full coverage health insurance, I weigh almost 350lbs, I had a history of depression as a kid, My very skinny husband is not 100% for the surgery, and I do not think he would let the surgeon actually doccument his support....hmmmm... I know surgeons have to have guidelines...but this sure excludes me! How bout you guys?

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