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

[Chellets 0]

I wouldn't go so far as to call this offensive, but I do have to ask- What is the point and what does it matter to you?:confused2: I may be way off here, but when I read this "rant" I got the impression the OP doesn't feel like lower BMI's deserve WLS. I am very unhappy with my weight as it is now and thank God every day for the fact I didn't wait to be 300 or 400 plus pounds. I am so excited for all of us here, this choice we have made and the opportunity we will hopefully all be given to make our lives better in some ways. Like someone else said before- Live and let live!

[Manatee 4]

The OP is indeed opposed to lower BMI banding -- she has stated such rather vehemently in the chatroom. The mere existence of this poll can be considered offensive to some. What would people say if I posted a poll asking "Should people over 400 lbs be allowed to have the lapband, or instead forced to have a bypass"? Same thing.

Fortunately, blocking in the chatroom is as simple as click on the name -> ignore

And here, just go to http://www.lapbandtalk.com/profile.php?do=ignorelist

[Nanook 2]

I think the OP is probably a bit stressed at the fact that she's still a bit in limbo about her insurance coverage of the surgery and seeing so many others who are getting approved or having the money to self pay and being at a weight to start at, for example 200 lbs or less, probably may seem a bit unfair to her or even crazy. She'd probably be kicking and screaming to be at 200 lbs right now so I can understand her frustration. Weight issues are all in the minds of the beholders and is a very relative situation.

She is after all in Rants and Raves but I don't see her as attacking people per se and only expressing her feelings through this post. I don't think a pouncing on the OP is really necessary. Nanook:smile:

[Froggi 4]

I didn't flat out say omg no one in their right mind at 200 or under shouldnt do it I said

"I don't understand why anyone at 200 or under would have surgery"

I didn't say OMG you don't need surgery wtf are you doing.

All in all it's an opinion

[ilse72 0]

I think the OP is probably a bit stressed at the fact that she's still a bit in limbo about her insurance coverage of the surgery and seeing so many others who are getting approved or having the money to self pay and being at a weight to start at, for example 200 lbs or less, probably may seem a bit unfair to her or even crazy.

Ok, let's clear up another POSSIBLE misconception. Just because some people are self-pay, that does not mean they have "the money to self pay". Most have gotten loans or financed the operation. We didn't just whip out money laden wallets. It means that they, like me, wanted help but didn't qualify for one reason or another...or their insurance policy excludes WLS.

The point is, fat is fat regardless of the amount. If you are fat, you are unhealthy. You are stressing your organs and shortening you life span. Why should I or anyone be denied the surgery just because we don't weight 300 or 400 pounds? We are still unhealthy if our BMI is above 30. I have tried every diet in the book with no success. My weight has been an issue for 15+ years. I even worked out with a personal trainer for a year and a half and lost nothing in pounds...though I had gone down one dress size!

I am short at 5'1" and though I "only" have 72 pounds to lose, I wear a size 18/20. Sorry, but that is quite a large size on a short person with a small frame. This is my choice, my money, my life so why does it matter that I, or others who are less than 200 pounds, want this surgery? Why are we not worthy of this surgery? Why is our need for health and happiness any less than that of others?

Edited June 30, 2008 by ilse72

[JamieNP 20]

Maybe I can help you understand why a person 200 lbs may want to have lap band surgery. I am at 220. I have hypertension and sleep apnea. My mother and father are diabetic and my father has had an Myocardial infarction. I have spent THOUSANDS of dollars in weight loss products...phenfen, phentermine, dexatrim, alli (xenical) etc etc. I have a membership to the YMCA AND Curves. I have painful joints and my doctor says I need to lose weight. I don't want to wait until I weigh 250, 300, 400 and end up having a stroke, becoming diabetic, having peripheral neuropathy, cellulitis, diabetic foot ulcers, coronary artery disease, a myocardial infarction...or dead! You don't see many 200+ 90 year olds running around.

It is like saying "I don't know why anyone under 300 lbs would want to have surgery". If my doctor/surgeon thinks I should have it, then I guess your opinion doesn't really matter.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

So let me give you some context...

I logged into the chat room two days after surgery. I was in a lot of pain from my port site and had a fever and was scared. I did not call the doctor because I did the day before since I had a fever and did not want to bother him unnecessarily.

After logging into chat, I asked a couple of general post surgery questions. Instead of getting answers I needed to settle my fears, I was greeted in a confrontational way from the original poster of this poll with something to the effect of "I don't understand why anyone under 200 lbs would ever have this surgery." It was really not what I was hoping to get from a support site. I was in pain and again, instead of getting needed answers I was put in a position of having to defend myself for getting the surgery in the first place. I went for support and a helping hand and instead, did not get any answers, just higher blood pressure. It was hurtful. And the chat room is not "Rants and Raves". When someone logs into chat they sometimes need help then and there instead of waiting for an appropriate thread to be answered. So, there is the context.

That said, I am sorry about the "drive by". I just think everyone is entitled to a better quality of life. For me personally, I am a lifetime member of Jenny Craig, have been a Weight Watchers member multiple times, Nurtisystem, you name it. Most recently, the only thing that worked some was a drug/physician assisted program in which I was taking Phentermine on a regular basis. In that case, although I did get 20 of the 70 pounds off that I needed to lose, I gained it all back after I came off the drug since it conflicted with my asthma medications. I also gained an additional five+ pounds and was up to 203.

That is why I got banded...that and because I have many pre-diabetic symptoms including gestational diabetes 4 1/2 years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter.

I guess my point with all of this is the fact that maybe we all need to be a bit more sensitive to one another since our plights are all the same. We should be "banding together" no pun intended.:biggrin2:

Froggie, peace to you my friend. That is where I was coming from though and it does not make my "drive by" okay. That was insensitive of me and for that I truly apologize. I feel you should know what triggered it and again, I was wrong, and I am sorry.

Kristin

Thank you Kristen, that was mighty nice of you. I'm glad things are working out for you. You are absolutely right about being more sensitive to one another. Note taken.

I don't know about what transpired between you and Froggi, nor do I have any business to know - I'm just glad you are trying to make it right.

I wish you all the best, and as long as you feel you did the banding in the best interest for yourself, then you did the right thing.

Good luck!

[RFS 0]

No it's not bad at all. Good luck.

Ann

[Froggi 4]

And it was my mom's idea to post this and see what other people thought, I don't care if people that weigh 100 find a way to get surgery, don't understand it but I don't care.

I didn't post this because I was jealous of others, or felt stressed or angry.

[Froggi 4]

And also if you read my VERY first post in here I said people who are completely healthy I did forget to mention people under 35 bmi only though :|

[ilse72 0]

And it was my mom's idea to post this and see what other people thought, I don't care if people that weigh 100 find a way to get surgery, don't understand it but I don't care.

I didn't post this because I was jealous of others, or felt stressed or angry.

And, I think most of us, aren't angry about it being asked but we are trying to explain why we have the right to have the surgery too. After all, obese is obese, there are just different degrees of it. Many years ago, there were no real options so you lived, rather died, with obesity. Today, there are options so why shouldn't we (regardless of how overweight we are) have the right to use those options and the sooner the better? After all, the sooner the problem is taken in hand, the less stress done to the body and self-esteem. I hope everyone who has an issue and wants help finds a way to make it happen.

[hopelives124 0]

I have to agree with MacMadame on the issue of how incredibly stupid our healthcare system is to make people wait till they get sick of get to a certain BMI for weight loss surgery to be approved. Further, there is such an incredible predjudice against us for being fat. If only, we had made better life-style choices, if only we were no so addicted to food. Well, I have been struggling on my own for soooooooo long that this is the first thing that has ever come along that I feel takes obesity seriously and treats it as a medical condition which it is as opposed to some kind of laziness/character flaw.

So, of course, someone with a lower BMI should do all they can without an intervention, but through the years, my BMI has steadily risen, and it hasn't been until recently (past few years) that it has consistently been over 40....but it was on it's way up for all of those years that I thought I could control it. Finally, I realize I am not just some undisciplined lazy person who can't get it together as most people who have never had a weight problem may feel. But, I am someone with a real medical condition (eating disorder/obesity) that needs to be treated seriously.

So there it is.

[luluc 6]

And also if you read my VERY first post in here I said people who are completely healthy I did forget to mention people under 35 bmi only though :|

froggi - i read your original post & it still has the same impact, as “obese individuals” are we going to categorize who should / should not be afforded the opportunity to WLS.?? BECAUSE i was a healthy overweight person & my insurance would not cover me - that's a consideration to take in. I spent many months dealing with my Ins Company trying to get mine and DH’s lap band approved…..which they cover. After month 6 and BCBSTX changing the requirements on the fly - I threw a fit, was fortunate enough to go to cash and was done & scheduled in 10 days.

This IS a health insurance issue IMO. The fact that our health system is OK to give another "pill" for the next comorbid that we encounter VS having a surgery that can tackle obesity grates my last nerve. I am very active politically - to an annoyance of some (mostly inlaws) - WLS & it's results can yield a world of health unto an idividual .... we shouldn't be the judge or jury of "who's able" to get the surgery of choice - it should be "as policy holders" our right to determine what's best for our health. not board room members.

[Froggi 4]

im healthy but over 400 lbs and my insurance is being butts about it.

[*JASMINE* 1]

Yes, I think we should all have this option. Like others have said, why wait? It was a preventive measure for me. I paid for the surgery and have been paying for all of my complications. It would be great if my insurance would have covered it, but I was not about to gain any more weight to make that happen. I'm very happy that I had the choice.