Question:
My BMI is 35 and I have sever back pain and depression
because of my weight and im only 18, do you think these co-morbs are enough? — Alicia P. (posted on January 2, 2005)
January 2, 2005
I am not sure what the "required" number of co-morbs is, if there
are any. I had severe ankle problems, sleep apnea, and mild hypertension
and that was enough. I would just suggest that you have tried other avenues
if you haven't already. You will be asked what other attempts or plans have
you tried to lose weight. Best wishes!
— trentmorse88
January 2, 2005
First of all a big hug..Then I must say..This surgery will not cure
depression...With a BMI of only 35 I seriously doubt you would qualify..My
suggestion, get some professinal help with the depression,see a
nutrionalist if you feel you need to lose and work with that instead of
hoping for surgery..Best of luck to you..
— Kathy S.
January 2, 2005
While I agree that your depression should be dealth with before you
consider surgery I don't think it should be ruled out. If I were you, I
ould see a doctor about the depression. second of all, exercise has been
shown to be as effective as medication in mild to moderate depression. An
exercise program that you are very committed to may help you with your
depression and help you be in better physical condition. Exercise may or
may not help you lose weight, but it will make you feel better physically
and mentally. It may also help with your back pain. While you are seeing
yor doctor about the depression, talk to them aboutthe back pain and ask
for a referral for physical therapy. the physical therapist a can help you
to get into a safe exercise program. Then When you are feeling a little
better you can check into surgery. I wish I had surgery much younger and
avoided the pain of being so morbidly obese for so long. A bmi of 35 can
sometinmes qualify you for surgery.
— **willow**
January 2, 2005
I understand your frustration at being an overweight teen and I know it is
hard on you. That being said, back pain and depression are not even
considered co-morbs. A co-morb is an illness that is caused from your
obesity that you could die from. Morb means death. The former poster that
had the back pain also had sleep apnea and high blood pressure. Both of
which are very serious co-morbs. You are very young and should and really
should try all other options before seeking this very serious surgery.
Good luck.
— Delores S.
January 3, 2005
Alicia-- another big hug for you. I also have to agree with the rest of the
posters. What I can also tell you is that WLS is not a quick fix for
anythin, including depression-- in many cases, post-ops have issues with
depression, anxiety, etc. Those issues do not go away without a lot of work
and many times professional help. I think the best thing for you to do is
to get help for your depression NOW-- whether that means talk therapy, meds
or both. Best of luck to you.
— lizinPA
January 3, 2005
i must correct a former post - Morbidity according to my Encyclopedia and
Dictionary of Mediicine Nursing and Allied Health means, "the
condition of being diseased" morbid means "pertaining to or
affected with or Inducing disease, unhealthy or unwholesome." If a
back problem is diagnosed such as sciatica or a damaged disk that indeed
is a co-morbidity if it is related to your obesity. I do know someone who
was referred for gastric bypass (by her back doctor) due to back problems.
Her ortho surgeon would only agree to operate on her back after gastric
bypass because he felt due to her weight that her back would never heal
properly. Again, I think this young woman should seek treatment for her
depression so she could be more compliant post op. and exercise to improve
her general health. I have a problem with the attitude that I
"DESERVED" surgery because I tried and failed and you dont
deserve it because you haven't tried hard enough. who judges who has tried
hard enough and long enough? Diet and exercise will work for the severly
obese about 5% of the time as we all know. If we had all followed that
advice when our BMI was 35 maybe we didn't need surgery either. But
obviously we did, we all had surgery because we knew the other options just
didn't work. I don't know why people who have already had surgery and are
losing like crazy etc. want to tell others no, don't have the surgery diet
and exercise. It is very double standard. I have heard that more and more
people are able to have surgery at a BMI of 35 because the health risks are
so high at that weight too. The rate of diabetes, hypertensinion etc in
young people is soaring. We need to be supportive of helping others get the
chance we have had.
— **willow**
January 3, 2005
Willow--But by the same token, I always resented it when a doctor told me
that every little physical problem was caused by my weight. If I had a
hangnail, it was because I needed to lose weight. I don't think any of the
posters here were giving the impression that someone at a BMI of 35 somehow
doesn't "deserve" WLS. I think we were all trying to get the
point across that WLS is not a cure-all, especially for emotional and
psychological problems, and that if they are not addressed pre-op, then
post-op there can be serious consequences. I repeated hear from post-ops
(new and old) that had issues with depression, etc, that were there pre-op,
and somehow they magically thought that WLS would make that go away. Maybe
this will get me flamed but I think when the BMI is under the usual cut-off
(and co-morbs are either minimal or absent), you have to be VERY careful as
to who has the surgery and why they are having it.
— lizinPA
January 3, 2005
Yikes, I didn't mean to sound so strident in my last post. I'm all for
people having the surgery-- it's just that it's a big step to take,
especially for someone so young. I just encourage everyone considering WLS
to do theri research and not think that it's the easy way out.
— lizinPA
January 3, 2005
Alicia, the insurance companies cover the surgery (and not all do) when you
have a BMI of 40 or more or 35-40 with co-morbidities and yes, back pain
can be counted as a co-morbidity. While I had a BMI over 40, the pain in
my lower back from the weight was severe, and that was counted as a
co-morbidity for me. With that said, usually the insurance companies want
to see a history of you having tried to lose the weight yourself,
especially documented proof that you have sought/participated in a weight
loss program or a doctors support to do so. Very few, if any, insurance
companies will approve you without a history of repeatedly trying on your
own to lose. As for the depression, I considered myself depressed (though
not officially diagnosed), in fact, severely depressed, because I was fat
and hated myself because of it. I refused social invitations, didn't want
to be seen in public with my body builder husband, avoided mirrors and
cameras, dressed in black, and tried to hide in corners at meetings at
work. Since surgery and now at goal, any trace of depression is totally
gone. I like me now. So if your depression is because of your body image
and self-esteem, losing weight may help. If you are depressed and there
are other causes, though, I agree with the others, seek some help for that
first. Good luck.
— Cindy R.
January 7, 2005
Hi there. Let me first say I applaude you for looking into something like
this. I was 24 when I had my surgery done. I wish I had looked into it a
lot sooner. When I had my surgery my BMI was 33.3. Insurance covered it
because I had many doctors saying that they thought it was necessary. When
I was 18 I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease and had my spine
fused and my surgeon said the extra weight was horrible for my back.
Another thing you might mot even think of, how are your menstral cycles?
Mine were always very heavy, very painful, and never on schedule. They
attributed that to my weight. Another test to have your doctors do, is
check for Pre-diabetes.
If you have any questions please let me know,
Bridget
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