Question:
Few comorbidities, no supervised diets, and psych issues... should I bother trying?
Sorry this is REALLY long... I've been very excited about the option of weight loss surgery as a real potential aid in my hope to lose weight rather than just something "crazy celebrities" do ;) since a friend of mine (online friend, lives far away unfortunately) had the surgery two years ago. I spent a lot of time reading about the different forms of surgery, read some great success stories, some not so great stories, etc. I set up an appointment to meet with my PCP on March 27th to talk about WLS (as well as have an annual physical). Now I'm reading more about qualifying for surgery, and I'm worried I won't qualify. I know I've seen people say any of the things I mention have applied to them and been approved, but I worry all of them together will be too much. 1. I have few co-morbidities. I had a 2-month period of documented high blood pressure (a year ago), but after a slight weight loss (250 to 230 - I'm 5'0) achieved solely through eating less and exercising more, it resolved itself. Half that weight has come back, but the BP has been normal (although on the "high side" of normal - usually around 110-120/80-85 - the highest they recorded last year was 140/100) since. Not sure if I can even claim hypertension,then. I have problems with incontinence, but not to the extent mentioned on this site - I'll have to go frequently (every other hour+, can barely squeak by for 3.5 hours while at work), and it comes on suddenly and intensely (I have wet myself once because I decided to ignore one of these times for the 10 minutes it would take to talk home from work - I nearly died of embarassment and no one knew!). I do not get much exercise, but I am able to do a job that requires me to stand either in one place or running around (I'm a cashier & cahsier supervisor at a busy store) for 7 hours without a break, although by the end I'm in pain if I haven't had a chance to sit down at some point in the middle. I have had problems conceiving: long cycles, sometimes irregular, etc. But otherwise, I'm healthy so far. My main reason for wanting this surgery is because of that "for now." I know realistically that I'm 28 years old, and not going to lose weight on my own. It's only going to get worse - the weight AND the medical issues that go along with it. I have a 4 year old and a husband, neither of whom I want to leave anytime soon, and that's my biggest fear - I'll have a heart attack by the time I'm 35. It seems insane to make me wait until my body falls apart before doing something to reverse those issues, when I could do this now and prevent them. Anyhow, on to number 2: No doctor supervised diets. The longest I ever did at eating "reasonably" was the 4 month stint to lose 20 pounds last year - and honestly, the only thing that kept me going was the carrot dangled in front of my head... both that if I was 27 and having high blood pressure, death by heart disease was pretty much a given, and I wanted to delay that. But even more was that I could not get back to trying to conceive (doctor assisted, using Clomid at that point) until I'd lost the weight and the BP stabalized. Other than that, I've never lasted more than 2 weeks on a modified eating plan. I see myself as a food addict, where if I start eating something yummy but not good for me, I can't stop. And going cold turkey hasn't worked... I mean, if I were an alcoholic, I could avoid MOST situations where I would be expected to drink (and rely on willpower and resolve for the times I was), but food is such an essential part of our lives and in this culture, one cannot avoid junk food most of the time. This is why I'm looking at RNY surgery - I WANT the dumping syndrome as an extra slap of the wrist if I slide off the wagon (because I know at some point I will, the question is whether it is simply having a couple cookies or going on a binge), and the restricted stomach size to help get over the feeling of never being full until I've gorged myself (I figure my stomach has to be pretty large at this point). I do realize some of this is psychological, which is my part to work on, but I'm hoping the surgery would help with the phsyical. Anyhow, I never saw the point of Weight Watchers or the like - I know I could do it for the short term with much success, but I also know at the end I'd gain it back. I've watched both my parents and my father's relatives do this all my life. If I'd realized I would come to a point where going through all that first would have resulted in qualifying for surgery, I'd have done it, but now I dont' want to have to wait another year or two (how long do I have to go on then off to regain?) to prove it won't work. And, finally, probably the biggie: 3. Psych evaluation. I attempted suicide when I was 17, and went through an undiagnosed depression (looking back, how someone didn't ship me off to the shrink baffles my mind, guess my family didn't want to see the problem, and I left my friends before they would) in college. I also suffered form Post Partum Depression aftermy daughter was born, but that resolved itself within 6 months on Paxil. I worry because so many people mention "suicidal tendancies" as a reason for exclusion from the surgery, and worry that something I did 11 years ago will be my blacklisting. Now I consider myself normal - I have good days, bad days, but also have found outlets for those bad times, the big difference between then and now. So... I guess I'm terrified of what will happen. If they tell me I don't qualify for the one thing that I think could help me, I would be devestated (but not suicidal, mind you ;)! I have so much hope for this happening, but now I'm starting to doubt it will. Has ANYone had so many marks against them but been approved?? Thanks for reading this novel! Sorry again it was so long, can you tell I have a lot of questions? ;) — [Anonymous] (posted on February 13, 2002)
February 13, 2002
WOW, that was long. Here is my take on it, before you get devastated about
not being qualified- go see if you CAN get qualified- that is putting the
cart before the horse. There may be hurdles, but if you've read this site,
you'll find one of us has endured them! We all worried about getting the
surgery, we've been there. Your bouts with incontinence, joint pain etc.
just may be enough- your obesity alone may qualify you. Your Doctor will
write your referral, just give him the details pertaining to your need for
surgery- but do not offer information that is not requested. He will also
order some basic tests, you may even have issues that you are unaware of...
Does your family have any medical history of obesity/heart
disease/hypertension. Do you suffer from sleep apnea- I did and I didn't
know it! You will find out a lot about your physical health when you work
with a good PCP/ or Surgeon. My insurance required no psych evaluation, due
to the way I answered my Doctor's questionairre. Start with a visit to a
Doctor or Surgeon, and start by checking with your Insurance to see if the
proceedure you desire is covered.
— Karen R.
February 13, 2002
Find out what your insurance needs to qualify. And you're right, you won't
qualify if you don't try.
— Goldilauxx B.
February 13, 2002
hello!! I agree with what the other posters said..that ya gotta try!..I am
trying..and so far so good..everything is coming along..I dont have many co
morbs..and my structured diet..was documented about as much as yours...and
you've tried eating right...I'm sure youve tried atkins right?..and every
other diet..plus I would think maybe since you had to lose that weigh to
get rid of the high blood pressure maybe thats a sign..either ways...just
try..ya never know!!!..good luck..if ya need to talk ever drop me a
line!!!!
— Jessica L.
February 13, 2002
Cydnie has the best answer for your number 1 step. Find out if your
insurance covers the surgery, and if so, what qualifications you need to
meet. You can go from there. The best way to find out about insurance is
to get a copy of the policy from your Human Resources Department.
— garw
February 13, 2002
Hi there. I am by far very new to this board. But, if you had high blood
pressure at all last year your doctor can use that as documentation. Also,
check into why you are having trouble conceiving because that can be
considered a co-morbidity. Also, as far as the psych eval goes...not all
insurance make you get one...but if you do they will probably give you a
test like the MMPI. Just answer everything honestly. Don't worry so much
about it, because they may not even delve into something that happened 11
years ago. If you are not suicidal now, and haven't been for a long time,
then it wont show up. Good Luck
— Michelle H.
February 13, 2002
You Qualify!!!!!!! I qualified I am 1 inch shorter than you and weigh 20#
less than you, I qulaified in 24 hours!! Your BMI is your qualifier. If
it's 35+ co-morbids/40 MOST
insurance companies (if they pay for WLS) will qulaify you.
GO GIRL!!!!!
— Cindee A.
February 13, 2002
before going to the doctor to talk about weight loss surgery i wrote down
on paper so i wouldnt forget all the physical problems i am having due to
the weight and he put a lot of these in the letter to the insurance such
as: having to go to parents house to bathe because they have a walk in
shower with a chair being that i can not get up from ground level(bathtub)
rashes, can not drive due to not enough room between me and the steering
wheel and can not where seatbelts because they dont fit (saftey)- am not
able to do daily activities such as cooking and cleaning because i can not
stand for long periods due to back pain and foot pain- skin on feet is
cracking due to the weight - periods are very irregular due to the
weight-he also included medical problems but he said he included all of the
things i told him because then it is not just a bunch of medical terms but
a little look into what some of the miserys i have to deal with in my life
and he said to remember that the decisions are made by people and trying to
play on sympathys cant hurt- we are just about ready to send it alll in ,
just waiting on the psyciatric evaluation to send in with it- i feel like
it will go ok, i do have a lot of health problems from the weight but if i
were you i would sit down and write down all the problems your having- at
least give it a TRY- i had no idea i had sleep apnea(severe) i just thought
i had problems sleeping, staying asleep, and snoring, i didnt realize that
the reason i woke up so often was because i was having problems
breathing-,never know, write down everything and the doctor may see a
connection to the weight that you may not- good luck
april***
— APRIL H.
February 13, 2002
RE: Supervised diets... this includes every visit you ever made to a doctor
and got weighed. This makes it supervised by a doctor. This is ALL I had
going in to my surgery and I was worried... the coordinator told me, all
the insurance wants to see is the documented weights by a physician, they
consider this as your doctor supervising your weight, even though you were
not seeing him or her for that issue. My best to you!
— Pamela W.
February 13, 2002
Girl Friend!! You do have alot of questions! LOL! So did I when I first
started looking into WLS. First order of business - THINK THAT IT WILL
HAPPEN! I've waited two years but now the whole process is snowballing!
2nd - check your insurance! If possible try to sign up for a PPO type
(HMO's are a bear sometimes) 3rd - fill in the contact form here at AMOS;
you WILL be contacted! Think about this: do you knees, hips, joints ache?
There's a co-morbidity. Do you easily run out of breath? Bingo! You've
overcome your depression & "tendencies" - relax! Your family
has the gene for weight gain - another point to be considered for WLS.
Please don't discourage yourself before you've even begun. Remember,
"a journey begins with the first step." You deserve to be
healthy and happy. GO GIRL GO!!
— Lynn E.
Click Here to Return