Question:
I have chronic kidney disease, have medicare and medicaid A,B

I have to be at a certain bmi for the transplant list , and a certain weight for live donor, does medicaid and medicare A&b approve the procedure, and what do I have to do. Also I take dialysis 3 times a week @ 3 hrs 15 minutes each treatment. Please help!    — llhale (posted on August 21, 2006)

August 21, 2006
i would check with your doctor first , but chances are not good for most types of wls because of your kidney disease. the high protein requirements post-op will be very tough on your already failed kidneys along with the minimun fluid requirements which are higher than most ckd people are allowed.
   — dorothy S.

August 21, 2006
I would suggest that you check into this ASAP, however that being said...Protein is so very important after WLS and for what little I do know, It is very hard for you to comsume protein. Are you limited to what type of protein you can have? I have a friend that is on Dialosis and he takes a minum amout of soy isolate 3 times daily. Check with your doctor. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers! 4.25 years, it is a journey! With that said, WLS is just a tool for the first year. It is up to you to change an obese mind... Many prayers lifted up to you. You are amazing! Just never quit and do not give up on life! Blessings, Celeste
   — shakeyourweight

August 21, 2006
not from personal experience, but there was a lady in my preop workshop who was approved and she was a dialysis pt with medicare and i've seen posts here before about medicaid pts having wls. i suggest starting with your case or social worker and inquiring with bariatric centers in your area, they may have a coordinator with insurance answers for you. good luck! (my brother is also a dialysis pt and as previous poster mentioned, he does have to watch his protein intake, get high quality proteins.)
   — Fluffy W.

August 22, 2006
Hi Lisa! I know for a fact that Medicare part A/B will approve the procedure as long as it is deemed a medical necessity with at least one comorbidity. I had already had my renal transplant (live donor) in 2003. The transplant meds are what caused my weight gain. It was my transplant doctor who told me I had to have the WLS in order to keep the strain off the kidney. I'm sure many people on here will tell you to beware of the protein factor because of the kidney disease. They are saying it out of concern I know but most of these people don't understand the whole situation. I assure you that WLS is a great path to take and especially if it means you can get to transplant weight. You can email if you like if you have any questions. ~~~Pamela~~~
   — Pamela B.

August 24, 2006
hi i also have medicate and medicare a&b i was told there were no problems getting approved as for going through dialysis and wls maybe you should talk to you dr. about that i don't know to much about that. debbie
   — DEBBIE C.