Too "small" for surgery?

[bettyboo 18]

Looking for your opinions. My BMI hovers around 40, no comorbids, although family history of all them. I'm going through all the pre-op steps. This morning at upper GI the radiology tech said he didn't think I was big enough to go through "all that", meaning wls. My surgeon, who is obviously on board with me getting surgery, also mentioned that I was "skinny" which was very weird to hear. Maybe he meant in relation to other patients? He was talking about how that makes me a good candidate for easier recovery, I think.

I feel very fat. Can't walk more than a couple of blocks. Wear 2x clothes. I don't feel small by any stretch of the imagination. I have at least 80 lbs to lose to be in the "normal" range. I know I could do it through diet/exercise. Well, maybe not all of it, but probably 40-50, and I'd still be pretty overweight. I've done it many times. I've been on phentermine four times, each time for about a year. Even that isnt' working anymore. Whatever weight I get to -it's not sustainable. My mother died last year from so many things related to/made worse by her obesity I know where I am headed and don't want that life.

I've done a lot of research and know what is involved with surgery. I want the sleeve because I want this tool to help me get to and stay at a good weight. I know that most of the work will be mine (not the sleeve's) and that psychologically it's a big change as well. But now that I've heard these two comments I am questioning my judgement.

No one in my life knows I am going to do this. I think I know what the general public thinks of weight loss surgery. I want to ask this generally pro-sleeve community what it thinks. Are some people "too small" for everything involved in the sleeve surgery to be worth it? Is there a chance this is a bad idea and I'll regret it in the long term? Knowing what you know, are there people in your life who are very overweight that you think should not do surgery even if they want to? What is your opinion? Any input welcome!

Thank you in advance.

[BellaHugz 331]

Isnt funny how everyone wants to tell us how small we are and that we dont need it. Yet we have family that has gone down this road of obesity and bad health so the history is there and by all means you do not want to repeat it. I say do what is right for you! Continue to see your doctor and go through all the hoops to get the surgery! Good luck to ya.

[No game 14,437]

I started at a 40 BMI. On my admitting paperwork to the hospital for surgery it said 40 BMI "morbidly obese" enough said

[lsereno 2,525]

I started right around 40 too. I simply couldn't get under 200 lbs after years of trying, including Weight Watchers in person, Weight Watchers online, hypnotherapy, cognitive behavior therapy, 3x per week with a personal trainer, and a brief stint with Alli pills. This surgery was my "hail mary" to regain my health.

Lots of people told me I was too small. I told them "My doctor and I have decided this is the best option for my health."

This surgery forces you to change the way you eat for a while. It carries very real risks. It can be expensive. Only you can decide if it is the right option for you.

Lynda

[mylero 13]

I am also a 40 BMI with family history of all the co- morbids. I was approaching that same fate. I tried diets, pills, training but nothing stuck. Do it for YOUR health....not what others think.

[SerendipityHappens 1,594]

My highest BMI was 60 and I'm ALMOST down to a 40 BMI... Personally YES I would definitely get this done at a 40 BMI,... Even when my BMI was 40 in the past I was still yo-yo'ing up and down and eventually went all the way up to 360! Also, everyone has a different tolerance for their weight. At my current weight I can work on my feet all day, do an hour Zumba class and then 30 minutes on the elliptical... but for others they can't make it a few blocks.. and still others can climb mountains at 400 pounds. The point is.. when you reach the point where your weight feels like too large of a burden and you recognize that you need a little extra help to lose it, then it's time to consider WLS.. It doesn't matter if that is at 80pounds over weight or 300 pounds overweight!

[clk 3,519]

Search out the low BMIers we have here. A lot of folks self-pay for BMI as low as 35 - some even lower than that!

I was 45 day of surgery, so I was larger but heard many of the same things you are hearing. Is it possible you'll regret surgery? Sure. It's possible that could happen if your BMI was higher or lower, too. Most regrets don't stem from actual complications or problems - they stem from your mindset.

Have you tried to diet and failed? I'm not sure about you but I didn't go from skinny one night to being morbidly obese the next morning. I struggled with my weight for more than a decade before having surgery.

Dieting wasn't cutting it. If it worked for me, the first one I tried as a teen would have been the miracle cure and I'd still have a whole stomach. Even with a sleeve I've had to fight for most of my pounds to come off. It has not been easy.

People that shouldn't get a sleeve:

Are unwilling or unable to change disordered eating behaviors that have contributed to their obesity

Are expecting a fast, effortless trip from fat to goal in just a few months

Expect to see loss every single time on the scale

Plan to treat the sleeve like part two of a special diet

Aren't prepared for the real possibility (though remote) of complications or the accompanying pain and expense

Are not able to tolerate pain or discomfort for the brief healing period

Are not able to accept lifestyle changes as necessary for success

Are unwilling to follow doctor or surgeon's orders post op, or adhere to the special post op dietary guidelines

The sleeve will change your life. I would do mine again in a heartbeat. Had the opportunity and knowledge come to me at 41 or 40 or even in the high 30s BMI range I would have done it then, too. I regret that I waited until I was diabetic and had so much more weight to shed.

But that's just my experience. You'll need to think on this and if you're ready for the changes it entails. If you are prepared, this process is much easier.

~Cheri

[inarakatra 51]

I'm 40 BMI. I gain weight evenly and because of it, people think I don't need the surgery. I feel I do because I know that my body is starting to suffer from my weight. It's a choice that I'm making. You have to make the choice or the tool that it is will fail you. I think everyone here would say that it's a great choice. I'm doing it because I feel the same, but it is your choice.

[Tiny One 223]

My BMI was between 35-40. 97 lbs overweight. When I went for my sleep study & preadmission bloodwork, the folks there thought I was too small for WLS. What's funny was, neither of them were the doctors, nor did they know my medical history. One of the main reasons I didn't tell too many folks. Everyone didn't need to know I had GERD, had sleep apnea since i was a kid but progressed as i got older & heavier. borderline diabetic for the past 3 yrs along with elevating HP & cholesterol levels, low back pain from being rear ended in car accidents 3x.

I didn't tell my family because I was certain they'd say I was too small & didn't need it.

8 mons post op & so glad for my sleeve. No longer in obesity category & other medical concerns gone.

[gaijingal 62]

I self-paid in Mexico. The actual day of the surgery, my BMI was 29.75. It was 32 when I decided to do the surgery, after 6 months of painstakingly chasing the same 10 lbs up and down. (I guess my highest BMI ever was 37.)

The cardiologist who cleared me for surgery told me I "wasn't that big" -- 45 minutes before I went to the OR! Not a helpful time to be planting doubt.

You have to decide for you if it's worth it. There are risks to any surgery, and it is a hard adjustment to make...every once in a while, I suddenly realize how permanently and profoundly I have changed my eating habits. It's great on a Tuesday when you're losing weight hanging out by yourself drinking Protein shakes, but I'm guessing Christmas dinner is going to suck, or my birthday when I really truly do not have room left for a piece of cake, and everyone around me is trying to force me to eat it, because they think I'm just being coy, instead of actually being afraid of vomiting.

But, on the other hand, I watch people struggle every day with both the big and little repercussions of being obese: heart disease, cancers, leg cellulitis and edema, not being able to fit in a booth at a restaurant, not being able to enjoy a day out with your family because you know you walk so slow that it will hold them back. I could see exactly where my weight gain journey was going, and I decided to head it off at the pass.

And, as a doc said to me, you so often see people wait till they're old and super-obese before they get surgery, and then the damage is done, and they don't get the full enjoyment of being skinny, because theirs knees and feet etc. are permanently damaged. (Please don't flame me for this...it may be the particularly Canadian viewpoint, where you have to be SO obese to qualify for surgery...and then you have to wait 6 more years to get in the OR. And in the meantime, socialized medicine lets the rest of you go to pot too.)

And, just a note, a radiology tech could lose their job and their license for expressing such a medical opinion to you. Totally inappropriate.

[AngelNP 40]

Looking for your opinions. My BMI hovers around 40' date=' no comorbids, although family history of all them. I'm going through all the pre-op steps. This morning at upper GI the radiology tech said he didn't think I was big enough to go through "all that", meaning wls. My surgeon, who is obviously on board with me getting surgery, also mentioned that I was "skinny" which was very weird to hear. Maybe he meant in relation to other patients? He was talking about how that makes me a good candidate for easier recovery, I think.

I feel very fat. Can't walk more than a couple of blocks. Wear 2x clothes. I don't feel small by any stretch of the imagination. I have at least 80 lbs to lose to be in the "normal" range. I know I could do it through diet/exercise. Well, maybe not all of it, but probably 40-50, and I'd still be pretty overweight. I've done it many times. I've been on phentermine four times, each time for about a year. Even that isnt' working anymore. Whatever weight I get to -it's not sustainable. My mother died last year from so many things related to/made worse by her obesity I know where I am headed and don't want that life.

I've done a lot of research and know what is involved with surgery. I want the sleeve because I want this tool to help me get to and stay at a good weight. I know that most of the work will be mine (not the sleeve's) and that psychologically it's a big change as well. But now that I've heard these two comments I am questioning my judgement.

No one in my life knows I am going to do this. I think I know what the general public thinks of weight loss surgery. I want to ask this generally pro-sleeve community what it thinks. Are some people "too small" for everything involved in the sleeve surgery to be worth it? Is there a chance this is a bad idea and I'll regret it in the long term? Knowing what you know, are there people in your life who are very overweight that you think should not do surgery even if they want to? What is your opinion? Any input welcome!

Thank you in advance.[/quote']

It will depend on your insurance if you qualify. For ex. Atena will pay for BMI 35 with comorbidites. It's not about being skinny, it 's about being healthy like you mentioned. My BMI was 33 and had three comorbidites plus my eyesight changing rapidly. I was not willing to gain weight intentionally to qualify. I went to Mexico and would do it again in a heartbeat. Good luck.

[swimmom 124]

I was at a 40 BMI going into surgery. My surgeon's office said that, relatively speaking, I was one of their smallest patients. However, they still felt it was a good idea and I was a great fit. My PCP totally agreed that it was a great option. I told myself for years that I was too small for surgery. I thought you had to be 500 pounds and on your death bed to make WLS worth the risk. However, after much research, and many more attempts to lose - and keep off - the weight, I finally realized that 40 BMI (along with my sleep apnea and high blood pressure) was NOT healthy, and I was not able to lose the weight on my own. I realized that the surgery was less risky than my remaining at 40 BMI. Best decision ever. Wish I would have done it sooner.

[NoneYa 380]

I was under 40 on surgery day. I was told by the ultrasound tech and several nurses I didn't seem large enough to go, through the surgery. I knew they were wrong. I have lived in my own blubbery world all of my life. The undertones of the comment is

"you could do this on your own" but I know I can't. I could lose a few but I can not keep it off. They were welcome to their opinion but it held no weight with me. I will take the opinion of the surgeons and the insurance companies over all of them.

[AngelNP 40]

It will depend on your insurance if you qualify. For ex. Atena will pay for BMI 35 with comorbidites. It's not about being skinny' date=' it 's about being healthy like you mentioned. My BMI was 33 and had three comorbidites plus my eyesight changing rapidly. I was not willing to gain weight intentionally to qualify. I went to Mexico and would do it again in a heartbeat. I am 7 months postop...two of three comorbidites have resolved 100%, eyesight slowly improving however I'll need glasses to read-normal, and will need to only need to lose about. 23 lbs to resolve my diabetes. Good luck.[/quote']

[taylokat 180]

My BMI was 36-37. I'm 5'10" and weighed 252. Diagnosed with sleep apnea. My insurance covered it so that's my proof that I was big enough!! Surgery was 4/12 and today I am down to 202.8. I only told immediate family. No friends, no co-workers. Tired of the negativity from them!