Weight Loss before surgery

[nraeh 23]

I was wondering how many had to lose a great deal of weight before the surgeon would do the surgery? I called the office the other day and the gal said that if I have not lost the full 30 lbs before the surgery the surgeon would cancel my surgery. I find that hard to believe. Has anyone else had any experience in this area?

[kellyw74 258]

my dr. wanted me to lose 25lbs. and i have lost 50lbs. the process has been really drawn out and i have been going at this since last october. i just keep going because the pre-op diet works and i have heard that kaiser will turn you away if you are not at pre-surgery goal. they will cancel your surgery and ARE that strict. i do not know who you are insured with or who your dr. is, but if you have kaiser, know that they do that!

good luck!

kelly

[Shanny 70]

I was really close to not being able to get my surgery because my BMI was 40, and you have to be 40 or over to qualify, so I could only lose 20 lbs. But, I had to lose something to prove to the insurance that I could lose or maintain my weight. I ended up losing 20 pounds before by my surgery day. I do know there were a few people who had to lose weight before he would do it though.

[Used2b575lbs 29]

I was wondering how many had to lose a great deal of weight before the surgeon would do the surgery? I called the office the other day and the gal said that if I have not lost the full 30 lbs before the surgery the surgeon would cancel my surgery. I find that hard to believe. Has anyone else had any experience in this area?

Believe it or not I was too heavy for surgery, I was 575 lbs, I got approved for Gastric Bypass 10/19/10... One week before my doctor told me they couldn't do the surgery as I was 498 lbs and the CAT scan at the hospital would only handle 400 lbs... I then went to another office and they started the sleeve process, I had 3 appeals with Cigna and finally got approved... Problem was I started working a new job and was on a strict 90 day probation period.

In short I think all of this made me stronger and better after the surgery, I have been chasing WLS since 2003 and never could get insurance approval. I started losing weight July '09 when this run at surgery started by the time I could get the surgery I was 375 and down 200 lbs. It made the recovery easier and the fact that I had already changed my lifestyle a great deal made the diet my nutritionist and surgeon prescribed a lot easier to handle.

Don't get me wrong I did have a last hurrah dinner, and I still do indulge from time to time since surgery but losing weight upfront beforehand made this whole process more effective.

I did have a lot to lose though so it was a different situation everyones journey is different good luck on the weight loss and think of the 30 lbs as a great jump start to the new you!!!

[Bryn 3]

My doctor wanted me to lose 15 lbs in one month. I have failed miserably. I will lose 5 lbs, then gain it all back w/in a week. while working out and dieting I don't know what's going to happen. I go in for my follow up on monday. she's gonna be disappointed but i don't know what to say. I haven't cheated, i've even changed my diet drastically, i cut out red meat and started eating vegetarian "meats", elminated a ton of carbs, no soda, no snacking etc. substituted one meal for a Protein Shake etc. Been hitting the gym 5-6 times a week and nothing. My insurance company does not require me to lose weight, but my doctor does. my surgery isn't schedule til april 26th so i don't know what's gonna happen

[Go Kart Mozart 44]

My doctor/insurance didn't require a certain amount of weight loss or nutrition classes, but if you gained weight from any one pre-op appointment to the next, you'd be cancelled. As such, I didn't really lose a lot of weight beforehand (15 lbs. in two months), just enough to not be kicked out.

[Nikki_D 28]

In my initial appt I was told it was mandatory for me to loose 20% of my excess weight which would have been 20 lbs. At my 2nd weigh-in with the nutritionist, I lost 1lb, at my third and final weigh-in (the day my info was being sent in for approval), I lost a total of 3lbs. I was still approved. The final weigh-in with surgeon (two days before surgery) I lost 13lbs altogether. Surgeon performed surgery without a problem.

[singand_dance 8]

My first surgeon (when I wanted the band) wanted me to lose 85 lbs before surgery. I started at 335, and lost 50 lbs, and he still didn't want to schedule surgery. I got discouraged and gained about 30 lbs back over the course of 18 months. I got a new surgeon who only wants me to lose 20-25 lbs before surgery. Unfortunately it's so much harder to lose weight this time around. I'll get there soon though!

[Roseib 13]

Another example of widely varying practices. I weighed 385.5 when I went for consultation. Just had to go on two week preop but no specific amount of weight to lose(lost 19). I was self pay so had surgery within a month of consultation.