What if?

[modelinthemaking 0]

My name is Ashley and I'm 21. I am 5'10" and weigh 240. I have been struggling with my weight since 3rd Grade. I've always been the odd one out. Not only with my weight, but being tall doesn't help to blend into the crowd. I have 2 sisters and 2 brothers and they are all thin. As well as all of my cousins. I feel so uncomfortable in my own skin and get emotional on a daily basis because I can't fit into anything and have absolutely no energy. I've been researching the sleeve since Christmas after finding out that my boyfriend's sister had GB and has lost 100 lbs! She's so much happier and I ask her for advice. My boyfriend is very supportive! The few people I have told aren't so supportive. My sisters and parents don't seem to have much to say and the 2 drs I've asked have advised me against it due to people they've known either have awful reflux or gaining the weight back. I'll admit I love food! It's kind of a given in the situation I'm in. I am constantly hungry! We'll be out and about and have just eaten and we'll leave the restaurant and I'll be like "I'm hungry". I know my boyfriend gets annoyed with my eating habits, but he has no idea how hard it is to go through being heavy. I've told him this and he wants to understand, but until you've gone through it there's really no way to explain the toll it takes on you, especially mentally. I'm about to start Radiology school and I want people to take me seriously, I want to feel good and confident. I had lost 35 lbs on a previous diet I did in 2009 and felt amazing! Then some family things happened and I went off the deep end...gaining over 60 lbs in less than 2 yrs! I'm so scared that I'll do this surgery and then it'll happen again! I'm afraid that I won't be able to enjoy the tastes and textures of the foods I love....especially pastas! I'm scared! Someone please give me some advice on whether or not to go through with this! I'm confident if the feeling of constant hunger subsided I'd be much more likely to succeed on a long term scale.< /p>

[thinoneday 445]

Well you definately DONT want to give up food, and with this surgery that is one thing you might have to consider in order to be successful. You said you did it once before and were successful which says you can do it by yourself. Its hard with the sleeve too you know, it's not the easy way out. The sleeve is only a restrictive tool and you are the one to make it work. . . you won't just lose weight like that. . you have to do the work, diet and exercise just like normal, only in this case you can't eat huge amounts like what your used to. . you limit it. . . but you know, you are the one who has to make the decision, good luck and sorry i'm not much of any help or what you want to hear. . .

[Fat4now 7]

I think the decision is ultimately up to you but your BMI is not high at all. I'm a little surprised that you want to do something this drastic with not a lot of weight to lose. You should read some stories "POST OP" and see if this is something you really want to do. That might help you make your decision. Will your insurance cover you with your BMI?

[modelinthemaking 0]

Thank you both for your responses. This is kind of what I mean though by people around me not being supportive. My BMI is 34.6. To be obese it needs to be 35 which is 4 lbs away...I am wanting to do the surgery to "fix" my problems before they become too bad to fix. I'm trying to be proactive. I do not want to wait until I have sleep apnea or diabetes. I am already on high BP meds and have high cholesterol. I go back and forth with the decision to go through with it or just wait. The thing that keeps making me want to have it is that fact that even if I wait 5, 10, 15 years SOMEDAY I will NEED it. I'm just trying to prevent that. I want to enjoy my youth and not let weight interrupt it any longer. I used to love playing volleyball and golf and singing, but I can't even do any of those now. I'm a hermit. I hate going out into public and having my picture taken. Being overweight has mentally crippled me. Isn't that reason enough?

I think the decision is ultimately up to you but your BMI is not high at all. I'm a little surprised that you want to do something this drastic with not a lot of weight to lose. You should read some stories "POST OP" and see if this is something you really want to do. That might help you make your decision. Will your insurance cover you with your BMI?

[StacyS 20]

Like the others have said, this surgery is not a miracle cure! It's a lot of hard work and dedication! The sleeve is only a tool to assist us in losing weight and keeping it off. With that said, I encourage you to do some research and see if this surgery is right for you! I have a friend who had a low BMI like you and she had it done. She is so happy and satisfied with herself since she had the sleeve done! She's actually one of the people who inspired me away from the band and directed me toward the sleeve! Even though we might think you (and she) arent really "heavy" enough to have the surgery, it's not our decision and who cares if you're not FAT?! If you've struggled all your life and you think the sleeve will help you, then by all means check into it!!

The only roadblock I can see is insurance. If you're not going to use your insurance and will be a self pay, then your all good!! But if you have to use your insurance, you may have to "gain" those 4lbs to qualify if you have co-morbidities. You already have High Blood pressure but you require 2.

Good luck to you and keep researching!! You'll find what's right for you!

[lsereno 2,525]

I'm confident if the feeling of constant hunger subsided I'd be much more likely to succeed on a long term scale.

You cannot count on not being hungry after the operation. While many lose their appetite, others are just as hungry as ever. Please search on "hungry" and "hunger."

As for your BMI, there are others with lower BMIs who have had the operation. I think that is more a personal decision.

Lynda

[anonynurse 13]

Even if you gain the four pounds to have a BMI of 35, most insurance plans require a two to five year history of a BMI of at least 40 or of 35 with two comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, etc. These things have to be proven through medical records that show both the weight and that you are being currently treated for whatever health conditions are present. At your age and with your health status it is pretty unlikely you will get insurance coverage for this unless you are on a plan that happens to be very proactive (rare), even if you gain those four pounds.

That being said, a BMI of 30 or over has been found to benefit from weight loss surgery from a health standpoint. That means the surgeons generally are willing to do the surgery on people with a BMI of 30 or higher, not that insurance will pay for it. So you likely could have it as a self pay patient. In the United States this surgery can cost anywhere from $10K to $25K depending on who you see and where they do their surgery. Some here have gone to Mexico and done it for far less than those numbers. Most doctors will not finance the surgery, so you will need to have that much cash on hand or be able to get a credit card or line of credit through someone like www.carecredit.com and find a surgeon who accepts that.

It sounds to me like you are feeling a little down on yourself and desperate right now, and I think most of us here have been there. Some of the things you are saying are concerning for a mental aspect to this that you definitely will have to figure out and solve for even this kind of solution to succeed for you long term. Given how young you are, if you don't have the insurance to pay for this, the cash or the credit, perhaps you could simply start with a consultation from a therapist.

I am sorry you are feeling bad about yourself. Your weight is perhaps a smidge higher than ideal, but from where I sit, you are quite lovely. I hope you find the answers you seek.

[Wheetsin 714]

This is kind of what I mean though by people around me not being supportive.

Let's clarify that support is going to look more like "here are some things to help youi make a decision" and "whatever decision you make, we will do what we can to answer your questions and help." Support is not going to look like, "You should have the surgery." That's called affirmation, not support.

In some ways I'm a similar story, and in others I am not at all. We are the same height, and I am considering VSG. But I had, and have, much more weight to lose than you.

I currently have AGB and lost about 175 lbs since my surgery in 2006. I got pregnant in 2008 and gained back about 60. I have since been able to maintain, and even lose a few lbs here and there, but I still need to lose another 80 - 100 lbs.

Keep in mind that BMI is not everything. Well, from an insurance perspective it is, but it is not a definitive measure of health nor body fat composition.

I was really fat before I had my AGB but I did not have any comorbodities. I didn't want any, and that was one of my top 3 drivers -- keeping the health I had somehow maintained. Call it luck, but I should have had them. And I knew I would if I didn't change something. And I knew I could not change it on my own. I can lose weight well -- almost as well as I can put it right back on.

Are you currently at the highest weight you've ever been?

If I were in your shoes, assuming you're currently at your highest weight, I think I would err more on the side of "doing it myself." It sounds like you aren't "out of control" as a lot of WLS patients are. From what you've said, you are an emotional eater and a volume eater. That's a dangerous combination, but you aren't really obese -- so something's working right. I think you might have a different degree of luck with diet if you didn't diet so much as watched what you ate, and combined your weightloss effort with some therapy for the emotional side of your eating. How was your weightloss experience then? Was it a struggle? Did it eventually become "just how things are"? What did the eating do for you as you started to gain weight back? (You were eating for some cause... was it comfort? Control?)

BTW, in your attached pic you look hippy, but not fat. I got into the low 200s just before I got pregnant, and stayed there most of my first trimester. Coming out of my first trimester I hit 241 (for some reason I very clearly remember that weigh in at the OBGYN). I did not look _anywhere_ near as great/normal/shapely/whatever you want to call it as you do. What size are you wearing? Because I'm also wondering if you're focusing too much on a scale number or BMI, and not enough on overall health and body composition. You, like me, are a big girl. We're taller than most guys, let alone girls. And don't even get me started on what happens when I wear heels. That's a large frame, and a lot of bone. Remember to take things like weight & BMI with a grain of salt. (Umm, I'm not trying to sound all "I'm not fat, I'm big-boned" but it IS part of your body mass).

BTW, what I said above was me putting myself in your situation, not what I think you should do. Here are a few more thoughts to consider:

1. Many people with lower BMIs get WLS, though they likely have to pay for it on their own.

2. Look at revisions done here, or any other WLS board, and you'll likely see a good number of "normal" or "near normal" people getting another WLS. I know people having WLS who are below their goal, because they have 0 confidence in their ability to do it alone.

3. Most people who are significantly overweight, or have been overweight for a long period of time, fail at independent weightloss attempts. They have more success with a full spectrum approach (diet AND exercise AND therapy AND lifestyle modification AND...). Those who are successful usually succeed in migrating their food or eating addiction to another addiction. Is one more healthy than another?