Question:
Do I deserve surgery? 5'6" 249 pounds BMI 40
Did anyone start out with stats like mine and get this surgery? I wonder if I am even "big enough" to deserve it. I have had consistent shoulder pain for 6 years with no medical reason other than arthritis, family history of diabetes, hypoglycemia, high cholesterol, asthma, and I have never been able to stick to a diet for more than 9 months. I just quit because I am so unhappy and desperate to eat "enough" food again. Exercise is so hard because I just start wheezing and I get embarrassed about all the jiggle going on. I have been trying to conceive for 9 months with no luck, irregular periods and several annovulatory cycles. Am I crazy for wanting wls? I can still walk, get around ok, and I don't feel like I'm going to die all that soon. So I am feeling like my concerns about my weight are not immediate enough for surgery. I want to be able to make a decision and be able to defend it to anyone who would ask. — Jenn K (posted on December 15, 2005)
December 15, 2005
I think if you have a bmi of 40 you qualify. It doesn't matter what your
weight is. A friend of mine is also 5'6" and she weighs 260 and she
is having gastric bypass.
— jengriggs01
December 15, 2005
We all deserve. I was about 41 and qualified. AND I deserved it too!
huuugzzz
— shoutjoy
December 15, 2005
I had my initial consult with my doc this past Monday. At 5' 3 1/2"
and 248 (yeah I am shorter). But, like you, other than the weight, I am
healthy. I wheeze, jiggle, and ache. The doc anticipates no problem with
the insurance. So if I deserve a chance at a healthier, happier life, you
do too!
Lois
— Twitterbug
December 15, 2005
hey, jennifer, i think you should go for it, doubt thats its going to get
any better m, my experience has been , it gets harder to lose as you get
older and if your trying to have a baby that may never happen with the
weight problem dont wait till its too late , you do deserve it good luck
jr
— janetrobinson
December 15, 2005
You deserve it!!!! Dieting is just as hard (if not harder) for a
lighterweight as it is a heavyweight like me (started at 411). You will
notice how unhealthy you are after you start to lose weight. Do it for
you. (By the way, we are neighbors...I'm in Lancaster, CA.) Email me if
you need to [email protected].
Angela Morfin
— ANGELAMORFIN
December 15, 2005
I am 58,245, and will have a ds, come check out the light weights forum,
and the DS forum, harder to get but easier to live with.
— walter A.
December 15, 2005
Jennifer,
I know LOTS of post-ops who started with your BMI range (and lower) who
have avoided so much of the damage that was done because of waiting to get
super, super morbidly obese.
My advice to you is to do your homework. Choose a surgery you're willing
to live with for the rest of your life. If it was me, I'd look into sleeve
gastrectomy or DS. Meet post-ops of all of the surgeries you are seriously
considering at all sorts of stages of post-op life. Eat meals with them,
get to know them, join the Grads list on Yahoo, know what post-op life is
all about. Then, make an informed decision - choosing the surgery that you
are sure you can commit to the post-op lifestyle of.
Here are some links that may prove to be helpful:
http://www.gr-ds.com/generalinformation/comparison.html
http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/information/wlsjourney/surgery+types.php
http://www.asbs.org/
http://www.duodenalswitch.com/
http://www.pacificsurgery.com/
Best of luck to you!
Blessings,
dina
— Dina McBride
December 15, 2005
Of course you "deserve", but deserving is only half the fun,
motivation gets the whole job done. What do I mean by that? Well after
durgery you will have some rock solid committment to keep up with, to make
your surgery work. You will have to commit to exercise daily, just a little
at first but as you get fitter it takes less calories to run a slimer body
so it will mean that you have to exercise more. You will need to watch what
you eat in the way of sugars and fats and measure your meals, in a cup as
your new stomach contains only 4 ounces and you will feel as hungry as
normal (after you have recovered from surgery,) but you will very quickly
feel full. Do get some good independent counselling, begin attending a
support group and get a Dr who is committed to a protocol that puts you in
the driver's seat and you can "hit the ground running" be on
program and in weight loss phase even before you have your surgery as it is
not without it's risks and the healthier you are the better you will
withstand your surgery and as a direct result be a success, look good and
feel good. GO FOR IT !!!!!!
I have been WLS counselling for 15 years, am 63 and know what it is all
about. I have maintained my weight for all those 15 years, but I have met
many who haven't. Why? the didn't follow the rules, didn't attend follow up
and worse, never went to support group.
— Lise K.
December 15, 2005
Hey Jennifer -- same height -- 50 pounds heavier w/BMi of 46 -- you dang
right we deserve the surgery. Go for it.
NaDine
— the7thdean
December 15, 2005
Jennifer, I was exactly your height and weight when I had surgery. What
you DESERVE is to have the healthiest and best life you can, without
potential complications of your family history. You deserve anything to
feel healthy. You have a very dangerous family history, I had the same, am
46 years old, and was heading straight on for all of those things and more.
I can only tell you this--I wish to God I had known about this surgery and
had this surgery 20 years ago, but it is the absolute best thing I could
ever do for myself and for those who love me. I can look at a future of
health and vitality instead of a future of cripling diseases. You are not
crazy, but there are many people who will make you feel as though you are.
Do all your research and make sure you are prepared to live the commitment
to the permanent changes you'll have to make. It isn't easy, but it beats
the heck out of losing and gaining back more weight, over and over again,
until you're so exausted you give up all together. I am 8 months out and
down 78 pounds. I had a fitness evaluation the other days and am 12 pounds
away from being at a healthy body fat ratio. That's just unbelievable to
me! You deserve all the blessings that this life saving surgery brings.
Whatever you do, please don't wait until your health concerns are
"immediate" enough. Time is precious, especially since you sound
like you're young and trying to conceive. I wish you all the best!
Merril
— lamerala
December 15, 2005
Check my profile. My height and weight were very similar to yours. I did
not have difficulty being approved, but that was 3 years ago. Your stats
are "approvable", but I guess it depends on your insurance
company. Best of luck!
— Fixnmyself
December 15, 2005
I don't think anybody "deserves" to have surgery. It is a
medical necessity for some of us. It has nothing to do with deserving it
any more than a person with clogged arteries needs to "deserve a
cardiac bypass. We don't ask if this person deserves an appendectomy,
insulin, antibiotics. They have tham because they need them. You are
morbidly obese. I would hope that you would get the medical care you need.
I would also hope that everyone who has a gastric bypass would follow thru
on the treatment plan as far as diet and exercise, Just as I would like to
see all diabetics do, but as with all medical problems, some do and some
don't. We dont treat diabetes based on whether or not we expect the
patient to be compliant and don't make them jump thru hoops to get the
insulin either. I would hope that some day we get to the point that
gastric bypass is treated like every other medical procedure. based on
medical necessity. period.
— **willow**
December 16, 2005
Hi there!
I think that if you want to have the surgery and qualify from a medical
perspective you should have it done. According to the ol saying "Your
business is your business and no one else's unless you chose to
share".
— Slimming Down
December 16, 2005
I sometimes think that the lower bmi you are the better. Since you only
lose probably 65% of your excess weight, and in all likelihood, your weight
will only escalate, why not address things earlier than later?
— [Deactivated Member]
December 17, 2005
YES YES YES YOU DESERVE IT!! First off, the word "deserve" is
not quite right - don't we all deserve good health and happiness? When I
went to the informational meeting I was clearly the smallest person in the
room. I, too, wondered if I deserved it. Heck yes I do!!! So do you!
Because if you don't, I can promise you that in two years you will 30
pounds heavier! And one last thing (and I don't want to get too personal
here) if/when you have surgery get some SERIOUS birth control.....a lot of
obese women w/ infertility problems get pregnant TOO SOON....losing weight
helps with getting pregnant!!! Good luck!!!!!!
— Mrs. Crabapple
December 18, 2005
Jennifer: Please, change your way of talking to yourself. If you need
this surgery to live a better quality of life, than it is necessary. I am
5'2" and weighed in at 238 lbs pre-surgery. I have approximately 100
lbs to lose. Was I sad and angry before surgery? Yes, indeed. Did I stay
in the house as to avoid other people due to being ashamed of how I looked.
Oh Yeh!!!! Did I try to diet and go up and down from the age of 13 until
55? You betcha !!! Did I think about suicide as the only way out? Did I
just plain accept that I was fat and would just have to live with it? Yep
to that, too.!!!! I have been called a "lightweight" by bitter,
jealous people who waited until they were 200-250 lbs overweight. Don't
you be one of them. Take the steps necessary to be healthy and happy.
Anyone who is morbidly obese has done and thought the same exact things I
have.......so just because I had "only" 100 pounds to lose, I
shouldn't be happy and healthy? I think not. My BMI was 42 and I was
realtively healthy, no diabetes, no sleep apnea, just hypertension and
aches and pains. I got approved on my diet-weight loss-weight gain history
that spanned 42 years. I got news for ya, girlie.......the surgeons like
it better when you are relatively healthy becasue your surgery will go
smoother. And one more thing, sweetie.....on your last sentence. YOU
DON'T HAVE TO DEFEND THIS DECISION TO ANYONE. THERE IS NO DEFENSE NEEDED.
My answer to anyone who asks is,.....if I didn't do something, I would die.
— kstonecorbett
December 19, 2005
You do deserve it I just had Rny on 12/7/05 and I am 5'6 and i was 257
before surgery. It was the best thing I ever did for my self I feel
great!!!!!!
— babygirl1229
December 19, 2005
Thank you for all your answers. You guys are all I've got right now.
Every person in my family is against my having surgery. So much so that I
am not on speaking terms with my father right now. i am going to a support
group tonight and I hope to learn more then.
— Jenn K
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