Question:
i have been diagnosed as bi polar which may be the cause of obesity does anyone know

i have bi polar,enlarged liver,diabetes,obsesssive behavior disorder, too many little things to elaborate on my paperwork stack at social security office is about 6 inches thick with medical info and i just was approved for disability for all these things combined does anyone know if this will help?    — MARILYN H. (posted on April 9, 2000)

April 10, 2000
I have bipolar as well and I know several others who also have it. The surgery will not make this disappear. You will always have bipolar and the obsessive disorder. However your diabetes may go. I was diagnoised with bipolar two years before my surgery. I had my surgery Aug 97 and I still take meds for my surgery. Yes I feel better about my weight and health. But my mental illness will always be there. I have gone through a few bouts of depression since my surgery. Our brain activity has nothing to do with our physical health. Our weight is just a symtom that we have treated when it comes to the bipolar. I feel so much better about myself but it does not stop from my brain waves from going "haywire" for a lack of a better word. I am still on disability, and probably will be for a long time if not forever. I am still taking meds and seeing a psychiatrists and a case worker. I am managing for the most part. My weight is not what sets me off now it is other things now. As I said the weight is just one symptom that I have fixed. Physical things like diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, arthritis and several other things will be affected dramatically from the weight loss. So long as you maintain with meds, counseling or whatever you are doing to stay in control you should be okay. For me it was very hard to find out I had bipolar and I thought it was a temorary condition, but found out it is not but is controlable with proper care. The surgery is a very important part in keeping it under control because it gives one less thing to go over the deep end with. I would do the surgery again in a heart beat. I have medicaid with the disability and they approved the surgery the first time, I was never denied, They even payed for the panniculectomy (tummy tuck) because the dr. said it was medically necessary. Good luck to you.
   — chris M.

April 10, 2000
Being bi-polar probably did not count as a "plus" for me in getting approved for the surgery. In fact, my condition required one more step for me in the pre-approval process. My very great surgeon requested that my psychiatrist write him a letter stating that after surgery, I would continue to seek psychiatric help to deal with medications for my illness and issues with obesity. So, one more visit to the shrink to tell him about my surgery, which he was against at first) and then the long process of talking him into why I wanted this surgery and NEEDED it. The letter did get sent to the surgeon. By requesting this letter, I feel that the surgeon was covering all the bases in making HIS decision about whether or not I was a good candidate. I am now almost one month post-op. Yes, I feel better physically. Yes, I continue to take my meds for bi-polar. Yes, I see my therapist every few weeks. I think it will be your physical ailments that will help you win approval for the surgery. Here's hoping that you will continue to gain valuable information on this surgery. Remember, we all speak from our own experience and everyone is different!~Good luck!
   — f M.