Question:
Will a newly diagnosed seizure disorder mean that I won't be approved for WLS?

I was recently diagnosed w/ seizure disorder (Grand Mal). My 1st seizure was end of Oct.'00. I went to ER & stayed in hospital 2 days (needless to say, the wheelchair experience was very humiliating). No cause was found and I was not Rx'd any meds b/c they said it was probably a 1X occurence. Well 2 mo. later (end of Dec.'00) I had another one & stayed in hospital 6 days. Again, no cause could be found, but this time, I went home w/ meds - Dilantin, 100mg/day, which I'm still on. So far, so good; no seizures. I'm also on Zoloft, 100mg/day for depression/anxiety along w/ weekly counselling. Will any of this preclude me from having the surgery? Could these seizures be a result of my weight (370+/5'7", BMI:58 I think)? I read somewhere about brain swelling being one complication of morbid obesity? I have my 1st consult w/ Dr E. Goodman on 3/12/01 (and I'm scared to death about having the surgery!). Any other fellow New Jerseans out there who are also patients of Dr Goodman? Sorry this was so long.    — lalasmommy (posted on March 2, 2001)

March 2, 2001
I got "the drops" too. Also on anti-sz meds. It didn't matter. BTW, although my co-morbities disappeared post-op, my szs got worse. After dropping almost 200 lbs, with the increased energy level, (I can't seem to sit still and got to keep moooving), I had to up my meds and now take them very seriously. PS, don't listen to the drug advice here. It's terrible.
   — [Anonymous]