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

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I agree that obese people with co-morbidities and morbidly obese people with or without co-morbidities need the availability of WLS. However, when a tool such as WLS becomes approved & available for use...there are unethical doctors who advertise for patients outside the defined perimeters (Outpatient Band Surgery in US 30 Pounds Or More Overweight,,,Gastric Band Research for BMI of 30-35...ad from the top of LapBand.com) . This is why insurance co. set perimeters for coverage, the potential for abuse is high.

The US is probably the only country that refuses to treat obesity. We will treat seriously obese and morbidly obese in some situations, but not obese. The rest of the world bands and does various WLS at a BMI of 30.

WE are the folks that are wrong IMO, not everyone else. It's not abuse, it's smart thinking.

I would hope someone would band a 30BMI person vs. waiting for joint damage, etc. Seriously, at a BMI of 30 someone already IS obese. What's wrong with treating it before it gets as bad as we were?

[sandee 0]

I think your friend should go some where else. There are many options. Save money, finance, whatever, but to be 300# and be turned down, thats just not right. Was it the insurance or the doctor? If either, change if possible.

[luluc 6]

I agree that obese people with co-morbidities and morbidly obese people with or without co-morbidities need the availability of WLS. However, when a tool such as WLS becomes approved & available for use...there are unethical doctors who advertise for patients outside the defined perimeters (Outpatient Band Surgery in US 30 Pounds Or More Overweight,,,Gastric Band Research for BMI of 30-35...ad from the top of LapBand.com) . This is why insurance co. set perimeters for coverage, the potential for abuse is high.

a BMI of 30 IS obese & i've really yet to read anyone here (and there may be some) that have been banded below that - but so what? 28/29 is just around the corner from obesity and if insurance wont' cover - why shouldn't someone who is able to self pay not do so?

more than one person here has mentioned putting on ankle weights for weigh in's to be over a 40 BMI - so insurance will pay. is that not fair too? quite frankly whoever can get this paid for the more power to them....irregardless of the BMI.

what strain is the low BMI self payers on the Insurance companies? they certainly don't set parameters for coverage because the potential for abuse, they are in business, and as such - to keep from "paying" affects their bottom line - in a GOOD way. i've read more individuals declined for the band w/a BMI in the 40 range, more so than in the 30's. many w/bmi of 45+ that have to do a six month diet....that's just plain cruel.

the insurance companies here in the US are off the mark as how to handle WLS & be proactive in ones health. it's all money to them, period. i have decent ins - but to have gone through my insurance hoops & appeals, i'd still be waiting for a band to this day. at a BMI of 35, i was done waiting & done being obese....i took control of my health because no one else would.

[drh0729 1]

This is a very interesting thread. I am 5" and was 200lbs at the time of my band. I also had a list of medical problems which within a little over a month they were gone and getting better. I have only lost 27 pounds so far but my back doesn't hurt and I have very much more energy. I probably would not of thought about being banded until I was sent to the ER for high blood pressure. That was a big wake up for me.. I was lucky that insurance paid for me after I did about 9 months of hoops.. A lot of people couldn't believe I was having surgery because they didn't know I weighed that much and didn't know I was doing it for my health, the weigh loss is an added bonus.

[Playful Psychic 0]

I did it. I was 196 in January. 5'6". Today I weight 155. I couldn't be happier about it. It wasn't happening (at least it wasn't STAYING OFF) on my own and this way I have discovered a new way of eating and it has made a tremendous change in my life and the way I feel.

I am part of the clinical trial being done in the U.S. on BMI's between 30-35. My BMI today is 25, which they tell me is normal. I feel great. I could lose another 20 pounds and still be normal, but if I don't, I am happy as I am. Before it hurt to walk around and carry all that weight. I have a bad back from a car accident. Today I am off of all my meds for blood pressure, pain and cholesterol! No more meds! Does it get better than that? So my answer is YES people at or under 200 pounds should do it if they cannot get lasting results on their own.

Cindy

Banded 01/27/08, Memphis Bariatrics, Dr. Woodman

[AMYA 1]

I think it's a personal preference. I am 35 years old, 5"4' and was up to 222, but perfectly healthy. I am "big-boned" and hid my weight pretty well. My family has battled these issues and the yo-yo dieting all my life. I have watched it control their lives, and now the diseases have started for them. Like someone else said, diets only mean more weight gain in the long run. Every time I tried to lose, I would gain it back and then some. It was a battle every single day for me.......and I was just tired of fighting.

I went through my closet yesterday and got rid of all of my size 14's. I was literally saying "buh-bye, I never have to see you again"!! And it's true, I no longer have to worry about getting back up anywhere near 200lbs. I will win the battle now.....$17,000 later, but worth every penny. And just think, in 6 years I will be done paying for it and still enjoying the rewards of it for years to come.

I am so happy I made the decision to do this. It has changed my life tremendously. Now when I go to Dunkin Donuts FOR coffee, I don't even drool over the donuts, cuz they kill going down. That's a great thing, because my eating habits were becoming so unhealthy that I knew it would just snowball. Before having this surgery, had I walked into Dunkin Donuts hungry? I would have bought a dozen and ate most of them in my car and threw the box in a dumpster somewhere so no one would know.

So really every circumstance is different. I think most people know whether the road they are on will eventually lead to destruction, and whether this is a solution to a very "LARGE" problem for them. So, to each their own. Whatever works!!!!!

[JoJoBanana 0]

Anyone who wants it should be allowed.i remember being 50#overweight and being disgusted with myself.i have bad knees and am older and just was out of control.i will never forget how happy and hopeful i was to be approved. It was a lifesaver.

.....it is a tool for a better life.and we all need tools in every day life.

[nina874 48]

Is there ANYONE on here who doesnt wish that they had the band fitted before things got out of control?? Are you seriously saying that it is a GOOD thing that people get to 3/400lbs before they get a band and then have a huge mountain of weight to lose?

If people who are only 200lbs should do it by dieting then how did we all get so fat? All of us were 200lbs or less at some stage.

Its just a ridiculous statement/argument.

[kbottt 0]

and then there's me. this question hits close to home for me because it is something that i've had to ask myself many many times in the past 5 months. i am 5'5" and 200 lbs. average height, and a bmi of 33.3. i am 22 years old. i realize to some of you that this might seem laughable, and i honestly dont even know how i feel about that.

with that said: I have been overweight my whole life. I carry nearly all of my weight around my stomach. my waist circumference is 45". I have PCOS and am "pre-diabetic". this is not a vanity thing, its a quality of life thing. i am scared to death of full blown diabetes and the thought of never being able to have children terrifies me. ive been dieting since i was eight years old..

I will be self-pay.. was this post pointless? i dont know.. but please don't judge. everyone has a story, and whether 200lbs or 500lbs, we're all here for the same reason.. to try to live our lives in the best way possible. good luck

[JamieNP 20]

Kbott,

This poll means nothing, except to give people a topic to talk about. The opinions here mean nothing. WLS is an individual thing, and the fact that there is a poll that is "judging" whether or not you are "fat enough" to have surgery is ridiculous. One of the choices listed (and some people actually agreed with!) is "no it is a waste of money" for someone 200lbs. What!! If wls keeps someone from being 250, 300, 400 lbs, then do it NOW before they have any permanent damage to their major organs!

Do what you need to do for yourself so that you can live a healthier, longer life...and don't worry about what these poll takers think!

[*susan* 1,709]

kbott, I think it is wonderful that you are planning to get the surgery now. I wish I had known about the lapband before my weight got so far out of control and escalated my health problems. Good for you!!

[lisafitz 18]

I think it is something you should do. If you can be approved for Lapband then do it. Your health is at risk, that's is what maters. This will help you in the long run forever. I see nothing wrong with it at all weight isn't the issue. Your health is important.

Lisa

[Melolo 0]

Hey!

Just my opinion...But I know how it feels for someone to think that you can do it yourself. People would judge me and say that you're just being lazy, or you're not trying hard enough. For years I had people telling me that I needed to stop watching tv and get off my lazy fat ass (of course they didn't say these exact words to my face). I was told to eat less and exercise more. By the way I'm 5'8. But little did they know that I have Thyroid issues and that I'm a twice cancer survivor. I've been through radiation once and chemo twice. Do you know the toll that takes on your body? I was literally too tired to do anything after work. No matter how hard I tried to psych myself out. My body just wasn't having it. But I do understand your question and I use to be like why do you need the band. You're not morbidly obese. You have less then 60lbs to lose. But I've change my way of thinking. Plus I would hope that no person would elect to have sugery when deep in their heart they know there was a less invasive alternative to losing weight that they could have tried but instead chose what they thought would be a easy way out. Now that's just crazy. Just my opinion.:smile2:

Edited August 21, 2008 by Melolo

[Lowbmier 0]

I have a lower bmi and I am looking forward to getting this procedure done. Sure I could really put the effort in and loose some of the weight but I have never really gotten to my so called healthy weight and once the weight is off its very hard to keep it off. I always end up going up/down/up/down. Its crazy. I know it hasn't been good on my body. I haven't been this heavy in many years and I know that I am unhealthy. Like the person who said they don't understand how a lower bmi person could have the surgery, well me being a lower bmi person cannot imagine waiting to get to a higher weight before considering getting it. Its a struggle for us all and I personally am glad we all have this tool as an option.

Good luck to all! :smile2:

[Jachut 487]

Could you *really* put the effort in though? Statistically its pretty much a given that nobody loses large amounts of weight and keeps it off. Those that do are very very unusual. It just is unlikely to happen. Its not as if any of us dont have motivation and willpower, none of us wanted to be fat. But we couldnt Just Do It.

I'm a real stickler for not being lazy, being honest with yourself and well, just getting on with it. But to a degree thats hypocritical because I couldnt just do it either. I'd tried many many times to lose weight.

That's if you count starting ANOTHER diet as just doing it. Me, I chose to view it as STOP, take a good hard look at what you're doing, its NOT working so why are you persisting in this destructive behaviour?

Really, the definition of insanity is to do what you've always done and expect a different result.