Question:
can pre-op weightloss cause surgery Cancelation??
My surgery is Jan 2001, because of a long waitlist. I want to start a balanced eating program now, as I am terrified of gaining weight during this time. If I successfuly loose weight during the next 1.5 years and find myself conciderably below the 100 lb overweight cut-off, am I still elegable for wls?? I have lost 130 lbs in one year twice before. I just cannot keep it off. Karen — Kaushia (posted on May 17, 1999)
May 17, 1999
I would be seeking the surgery from some other doctor if the waiting list
is that long!!!! My doctor is one of only 9 in the USA that do my kind of
surgery and yet i had a surgery date within 3 weeks of approval..i am set
to go in on June 1st! I first saw the doctor on april 8th and got approval
on May 14th. As for the weight loss, i have no idea but i would venture to
say that yes it would make a difference cause your BMI will be lower..
— BARBARA R.
May 17, 1999
If they are making you wait till 2001 for your surgery then they are being
sadistic! I would definetly get a different surgeon. I have done the
WHOLE procedure from my referral, consultation, approval and surgery date
in less than 3months! God has blessed me very much because I prayed to Him
from the beginning that if He wanted me to have this surgery that He would
make a way! Praise God!!!!
— Lynn D.
May 17, 1999
If they are making you wait till 2001 for your surgery then they are being
sadistic! I would definetly get a different surgeon. I have done the
WHOLE procedure from my referral, consultation, approval and surgery date
in less than 3months! God has blessed me very much because I prayed to Him
from the beginning that if He wanted me to have this surgery that He would
make a way! Praise God!!!!
— Lynn D.
May 17, 1999
I was scheduled for surgery on May 10th, after going through all the pre-op
tests such as having blood drawn, chest x-rays, an upper GI, EKG, ect. the
doctor decided to weigh me. I had told him the day before I knew I had
lost some weight because I had been sick with the stomache flu for about a
week. Well, I had lost 10 pounds, and was no longer qualified for surgery.
I was still 100 pounds over the ideal weight but not my 200% over the
ideal weight so my surgery was cancalled because my doctor/surgeon said
that the insurance company would not pay. So now I am stuck with all those
test to pay for, while I wait to either gain the weight back or just forget
about the surgery.
— Sherry H.
May 17, 1999
I doubt they would cancel you but why in the world are they making you wait
that long? There are other surgeons who can do this without waiting this
long. I would ask my surgeon to refer me to someone else........
— JAN C.
May 17, 1999
Why do you have to wait 1.5 years? Surely you can find some
one else who can do this surgery before that! I would not be able to do
that. I had trouble waiting 2 months once I had made up my mind to do it.
Where are you located? I know we can find someone who can do it sooner.
Let me know.
Proastro
— Veronica M. B.
May 17, 1999
This sounds like a question for your doctor. In my experience,
I found that my surgeon required a minimum of 100 lbs.
excess weight in order to do the surgery so if you happened
to lose 75 lbs. and only needed to lose another 25 or so
by surgery time, you may not be considered "Morbidly Obese"
which is the criteria necessary to qualify for the surgery.
I also remember, that "you have to have tried everything
else and it not work" in order to qualify. In my opinion,
if you can lose the weight but cannot keep it off, you
may have a psychologist or the surgeon question your
discipline and commitment to losing and keeping off the
weight. You can gain back weight even with the surgery,
if you're not committed to keeping it off. Please don't
feel I'm being harsh .. I had to go thru an extensive
psychological work up in order to be considered for the
surgery, as did everyone who had surgery thru my dr.
Hope this answers your question.
— Sherrie G.
May 17, 1999
Hi All...
I guess I should clarify my situation.
I am Canadian and at the mercy of our Provincial Gov't.
who pays for our surgery.
We only have one Bariatric surgeon in our province of
Saskatchewan which has 1 million people.
I cannot go elsewhere in Canada and have the Provincial
Government pick up the tab because my "surgery of
choice" is available here, even if it means a 24 month
wait list !!
I cannot afford to self pay either in another Province
or Stateside. This is not an option.
I am already okayed for the Bilopancreatic Diversion
with Duodenal Switch ( Distal Gastric Bypass with Duodenal
Switch)
<http://www.surgery.usc.edu/divisions/cr/obesity-distalgastricbypass.html>
I have been on the waitlist since Jan 1999 and my aprox
surgery date is now Jan 2001.
I am afraid of gaining weight in the next 2 years, but I
am also afraid of loosing weight on my own because of
possibly becoming too "light" for surgery even though
my weightloss history shows an inability to maintain
a weightloss.
On the occassions that I lost a lot of weight, they were
controlled situations.
My problem is not loosing weight, but keeping it off, that
is why a wls with bypass that offers malabsorption is the
key for my success at keeping the weight off.
I guess that about covers all the questions that have
come through
Hugs Karen
— Kaushia
May 17, 1999
Dear Karen,
Should you go below 100lb above ideal body weight, we would no longer be a
candidate for WLS.
But just remember - 95% of all non-surgical methods do not result in
significant long term weight loss.
Elliot R Goodman MD,
www.shedweight.com
— Elliot G.
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