Should people barely over 200 lbs or below 200 get Lapband or any WLS...?

[Froggi 4]

I know it may be wrong of me but this is the R&R board. I have been hearing more and more stories of people just barely over 200 or under 200 getting lapband...do you think this is normal or needed etc. Let me know YOUR opinion.

The results are private in the poll...feel free to be truthful.

Voicing your opinion is allowed too.

And I am talking people completely healthy and average height or more.

Edited June 29, 2008 by Froggi

[Pix 4]

Well I can't honestly answer that poll. I mean what is this person height? Are they short? Tall? what? Do they have health related issues due to the extra weight?

Honestly, if the person is healthy and of average height I would lean towards saying no, it is not necessary for that person to get it. BUT I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV.

This is something that should be discussed by the doctor and the patient. So honestly I can't answer the poll and feel comfortable with my answer because there are so many variables that would make it so the person that wants it would benefit amazingly or something else.

Sorry hun

[Froggi 4]

What if they have NO health problems and are 5'5 or taller...

[Pix 4]

What if they have NO health problems and are 5'5 or taller...

I would have to say then that no, they don't need it (just personal opinion) but insurance wont pay for someone 5'5" @ a low BMI with out comorbidities (read as diabetes, arthritis etc) and even then its a battle royal to get it done.

But who am I to say they can or can't or should or shouldn't? If they have the money and want to do it, that is there bag to carry.

[vegwannabe 1]

Anyone who wants to have the surgery should be allowed to "attempt" to have the surgery. As someone earlier stated, not all insurance carriers, or even surgeons, for that matter, will perform the surgery on someone who doesn't need it. (Maybe I'm just naive.)

There are too many variables to answer the question with any accuracy. At first glance, who are we to say what other people can and cannot do with their lives and bodies. Live and let live.

What does "average" mean, anyway? I hope it's not what we should be striving for. I sure as heck don't want to be "average". I want to be freakin' OUTSTANDING!

[MicheleK 8]

I think if their BMI is considered unhealthy and they are having weigh related issues, then by all means...they should be able to have Lap Band surgery just as I am.

However, if someone is like...20lbs overweight and wants to have it done, I would think that's pretty silly. I can imagine in today's society that people might try and have the procedure just to STAY thin...of course, I would hope a surgeon wouldn't even consider doing WLS on someone that didn't NEED it...but, I'm sure those surgeons are out there that just want a fast buck.

I know I feel a little "twinge" when someone wants WLS and they have about half to lose that I do....mostly from jealousy or surprise that I let myself go this far. It's not against the person, I know that regardless of how many pounds you are, if you're considered "obese" you are at a health risk.

Everyone should have a shot at improving their health.

[green 6]

My stats when I was banded: 5'6", 195 lbs, 57 years old. I paid for my own operation. My weight gain was post menopausal and getting worse every year. I am glad I was able to get banded when I did and the band worked really well for me as my problem was simple Portion Control. Exercise just made me firmer but I was still apple-type chubby and we all know that dieting is just a yo-yo trip.

[Ariel 1]

I think they should be able to have it. Personally I think if you need to lose more than 50 lbs you should be able to get it. We all know diets don't work so why make someone wait until they are 100lbs overweight to get something that will work. I wish I could have gotten my band before I got so big, it would have helped me not only physically but emotionally, it's is just so hard being fat in today's world.

[pearlygirl 1]

Being overweight is different for everybody. Some people who are just a "little" overweight have diabetes, high bp, high cholesterol, heart disease etc. There are some obese people who are as healthy as a horse, have high energy, are active and doing well. Of course, their chances of developing the above disease processes are increased. Height obviously plays a big role here too. I am 5' 9" and have a muscular build(under the flab that is). At 190lbs , my stomach is flat and I wear a size 12...to me, that's perfetly acceptable. For someone who is 5' 1", their BMI will be much higher and they'll be more affected by being at that weight.

I think ANYONE who battles with weight and wants the surgery should be able to get it. I yo-yo'd between 175-210 for several years before I finally started packing it on(and keeping it on). It would have been wonderful to have surgery 5-6 years ago before things got so out of hand.

For someone who is slightly overweight, 10-25lbs or so, I don't think surgery is the best option but if it's what they want and their doc approves, heck, go for it. Who couldn't use a little help with Portion Control? The thing is, I don't know many people and/or octors who would feel surgery is a good option in that situation.

[luluc 6]

Absolutely. If your still in an unhealthy BMI range, why should one have to diet vs WLS? Because being 200lbs is marginal to some? I've said this in another thread (200+lbs to loose) - I guarantee "most" would have wished they took it upon themselves to deal w/their weight, sooner rather than later.

My stats were: 38yr / 200lbs / 5'1. This put my BMI at 36.8 and well into obesity mode. Now my Insurance wouldn't pay - but I did & paid for my husband to be banded the same day w/a BMI of 35. I feel there is absolutely no reason to feel a tinge of jealousy for those who wish to deal with their weight on their own dime & nip it in the bud before it gets way out of hand, and comorbitities take over.

[lotzasunshine 2]

Being overweight is different for everybody. Some people who are just a "little" overweight have diabetes, high bp, high cholesterol, heart disease etc. There are some obese people who are as healthy as a horse, have high energy, are active and doing well.

HAH!! You just described me and ALL of my Fathers family! I'm healthy as a horse and weigh about as much lol!

I do agree that if a person is more than 50lbs overweight and NEEDS the surgery that they should be able to utilize this tool. Not for thin people to stay thin, but to improve health.

[ilse72 0]

Each situation is different. I am short and though I do not weigh over 200 pounds, I do have a borderline BMI. I have only been obese since my 40s but that has been more than 15 years! I also have high blood pressure.

Why should I be denied the surgery just because I don't weigh 200 pounds? What is wrong with seeking help before my health is endangered more than it already is? This weight puts a strain on all my major organs...just like excess weight does to everyone.

And for the record I am not using insurance so no one has the right to deny me the surgery! I am paying for it out of my own pocket. And, I do have a lot of weight to lose...we are not talking 20 pounds here!

[strikeuptheband 16]

I was banded this month. I tipped the scales at a whopping 201 right before surgery but had lost 20 pre-op. I am 5'3" and had (I say...HAD) problems with high BP, joint pain, and reflux. Now in less than a month, thats all gone! My insurance denied, not because I was such a little bit of fluff, but because my empoyer put in an exclusion. Was it worth it for me? YES! I still haven't lost a lot and havent even had a fill yet, but the other aches and pains have gone away...presumably replaced by port pain...sigh. But that too will go away eventually. I have steadily gained every year and I am now 56 and finally figured out that if I keep doing what I always did...diet, I would always get what I always got....more weight gain. I am now committed to eating healthier and in smaller portions and I need my band to remind me when I have had a healthy portion. My docs office figured out that to be successful, I only needed to lose 60 lbs. I doubt if I could have ever done that on my own. My own personal goal is to get down to 120 or a loss of 80 lbs.

It saddens me that the insurance industry is so screwed up with their restrictions and hoops you have to jump through. I mean how crazy is it when you read on these boards of people adding weight in their pockets to weigh enough to qualify or those that wonder if its worth it to gain x number of lbs just so their insurance will approve them.

I would never judge another person's desire to get to and maintain a healthy weight. I say good luck to us all on our journey.

[MacMadame 81]

Just asking this question pisses me off. I really hate it when people try to grade "need" like this. I hate it when people moan that they are so heavy that they really *need* this surgery because they are 200 lbs. overweight while other people are "only" 100 lb. overweight and don't deserve it as much as them. That's just as ridiculous as this question.

ANYONE WHO IS OBESE DESERVES AND NEEDS WLS!

Once you are obese, dieting doesn't work and your risk of dying from obesity increases dramatically from being "just" overweight. I hate, hate, hate that in the US you have to wait until you are morbidly obese to get this surgery. It should be available to everyone who has a BMI of 30 or more.

Would you ask if a diabetic needs insulin even if their numbers weren't as bad as some other diabetic? No. It's recognized that they have a disease and insulin is an excellent treatment for it and the doctor just prescribes it without the patient having to jump through hoops to prove they are worthy of it.

Obesity is a disease too and WLS is the only treatment we have that works. Asking if obese people deserve WLS is treating obesity like a lifestyle choice and you earn the treatment by how much you've suffered. Most of the insurance requirements are like this... you have to be obese or morbidly obese for so many years, you have to do a 6 month diet even though there is no clinical evidence to support this requirement, etc., etc.

It's stupid and wrong.

[Froggi 4]

I hope you guys aren't getting mad...no one said I was against smaller people getting it, it's just a poll lol