Low BMI desperately seeking surgeon

[middlegirl 0]

Hi everyone! feels weird because I have been following your threads for some time but never dared "come out".

I live in Europe (uk) and have decided to get banded. was initially accepted by a surgeon in Belgium but 2 weeks before surgery, his team decided i was not obese enough! as if being a little bit obese as opposed to very obese makes any difference to ones quality of life and self esteem. Anyway, wondering if anyone knows of any surgeon who would be ok with low BMI. have 29-30 but on the way up (as usual) and would like to end it right here and now.I am willing to travel anywhere.

please help me... I am sure you all know how I feel - on the brink of tears each and every day.

Middlegirl:frown:

[di1138 8]

I wish you luck. My understanding is most doctors in the US are looking around 40 (bmi) If you have other weight related problems they may go down to 38 or so. However if you are self pay I would think someone would do it.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Actually you're still in a healthy range with that BMI...considered overweight but not obese.

And while I love my band, to be honest if I were in that range there's no way I'd go through surgery to lose it.

Even though relatively problem free, surgery is a big deal.

I think you're going to be hard pressed to find a doctor who will operate on you and with your BMI there could be a case made for malpractice if they DO operate on you. Good luck; I hope you find a solution to your weight problem, whatever it may be!

I don't mean that in a judgmental way, either; we all grapple with our problems as best we can.

[CanadianBandster 0]

I too was a lower BMI when I had surgery. I went to the OCC in Tijuana Mexico and am 100% happy with my decision. If you need more info go to their site..

Lap Band Surgery in Tijuana, Mexico - Dr. Ariel Ortiz

on the lower right hand corner of that site is also another forum where its 99% of us patients who have been banded there

good luck! feel free to pm me any questions!

[itschoice 0]

I got banded here and they say you qualify with a BMI of 27 or greater. They are located in California, USA. I hope that helps. A number of years ago my BMI was much lower than it is now so I know how you feel. Good luck. If you want my name or have any other questions PM me.

Lap Band Laparoscopic | Gastric Bypass | Weight Loss and Obesity Surgery

Their phone number is 1(800) GET-SLIM

Edited February 22, 2009 by itschoice
Add phone number

[luluc 6]

hard to make a case for malpractice when a bariatric surgeon performs WLS on an obese person.....bmi of 30 puts you in that category.

while insurance companies may have their own specific guidelines for approval that might require a higher BMI, that's not to say it's a dead end....certainly if your self pay. they're are many dr's who prefer to stop the bleeding early rather than later.....

poke around a bit more, you should be able to find a fine surgeon to meet your needs.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I guess it's moot about malpractice if you go to Mexico since you would not be able to sue them anyway. Most US surgeons, as far as I've researched, don't really want to do the surgery on people with lower BMI's. Even the LOW BMI forum/thread here has people with LOW BMI's of 34, 33, etc. Not that I don't think people with a BMI of 29 or 30 don't suffer; I'm sure they do. Just that even the band makers don't recommend it for people with that amount to lose.

[luluc 6]

restless - it's not considered malpractice here in the states either. in fact - many surgeons are finding much more success in banding lower bmi patients - which is why many more clinical trials are in place....when ins. doesn't want to cough up the dough.

i don't advertise my surgeon because that's his practice's job - he's an aussie trained surgeon....only the US has these bogus bmi guidelines...if your bmi is 30 and considered obese, then WLS should be an option.

i hope you find a quality surgeon middlegirl!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

from the fda (who had to approve the use in the usa)

When is it used? The system is used for weight loss in severely obese adults who have been obese for at least five years and for whom non-surgical weight loss methods have not been successful. They must be willing to make major changes in their eating habits and lifestyle. Patients must have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 40, a BMI of at least 35 with one or more severe morbid (unhealthy) conditions, or be at least 100 pounds over their estimated ideal weight.

At any rate, I hope the OP gets what s/he needs to lose weight and if that's lap band surgery, i hope it happens!

And not a lawyer but if the situation arose, a 29 BMI and lap band surgery would sure help in a malpractice suit, if the surgeon were sueable.

Just because some physicians do something and get away with it doesn't make it right or safe.

I will say though I can understand how many overweight people (whether 'obese" or just "overweight"...and those are just labels) can be drawn to the band because it is a great tool. It should be available to anyone in whom it would be medically safe to implant it!

[Jachut 487]

Yes, you'd be able to be banded in Australia from a BMI of 30 depending on your circumstances.

Every single one of us here had a BMI of 30 at some point in time, that's what's so ridiculous about the feelings towards lower BMI bandsters - both from the medical profession and from some heavier people too.

When I had that sort of BMI, I already had fifteen years of dieting and failing, feeling desperate about my weight and how I looked behind me and I hadnt even hit the stage of life of having babies and middle age spread. I was ALWAYS going to get heavier, and I'm bloody glad I stopped it at a BMI of 35 because I've been able to regain my health very quickly and easily with a band. Not to mention I havent ruined my skin too much by having it fit around a BMI of 45 for 10 years.

You're right, Restless, it should be available to anyone in whom its safe - many people are normal weight but live very dysfunctional, difficult lives to stay that way. The band, when it works well, puts an end to the food obesession and habits that make people fat.

If you want to call obesity a disease, then our actual weight is merely a symptom of the disease - you have it whether you weigh 100lb or 500. You are not CURED when you lose weight and you may still be sick if you manage never to gain too much weight. BMI and weight is almost irrelevant, its the condition that's important. Anyone who has it has the right to an effective treatment when it exists!

[middlegirl 0]

Hi darling, thanks so so much, You got my hopes up. would you like to give me more info on where you got banded.

stay slim and happy!

[middlegirl 0]

Thank you so much for understanding me. I am afterall 34 yrs mum of three. i feel like i am constantly battling with food and exercise. (I walk everywhere!!!! in London, from home to work= 1hr45min) yet i am slowly creeping up. Just really want and end to it. I compare it with having diabetes, one could be constantly monitoring ones sugar intake but surely it is made easier with insulin injections. why cant people see over weight as a problem until it becomes deadly and has rid u of all your selfconfidence? Anyway, thanks again

[itschoice 0]

Lap Band Laparoscopic | Gastric Bypass | Weight Loss and Obesity Surgery go to this web site. They say they can help you if you have a BMI of 27 or greater. It says it on the right hand side of the page. Insurance is requiring the higher BMI but self pay is a different story. It use to be that you needed a BMI of 40 or greater but they are seeing the benefits of lower BMI. I would not normally advertise for the doctor but keep looking around where you live. See if you have been rejected because of insurance. Good luck.

[itschoice 0]

Restlessmonkey, plastic surgeons often do not follow the FDA guidelines. Breast implants are regularly if not most of the time filled with more cc's than the FDA has approved them for. If you were to get a 275 - 300cc breast implant it would most likely be filled to 315, 320, or 325. The FDA is conservative in its estimations. However, the doctors know that to get the desired fullness and to minimize the sloshing noises they need to over fill the implants. AND, this is a practice that has been done for decades.

Also, I have a question for you. Was your band sutured to your stomach? Most bands are AND it is one of the contraindications. It states, "WARNING: The band should not be sutured to the stomach. Suturing the band directly to the stomach may result in erosion." (http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/pdf/P000008b.pdf)

What the FDA says are guidelines. They are not always hard fast rules. It is up to middlegirl and her doctor to judge what is right for her.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Since her doctor won't do it, I guess there's her answer. And I wasn't discussing plastic surgeons. Most of their procedures are elective (as is banding) and they have a whole different MO.

Please understand I am not attacking her nor do I think she's wrong in her desire to lose weight, nor do I think she shouldn't get surgery because she isn't as fat as I am or was (lots of people aren't as fat as I am or was)

But she is obviously having a hard time finding a surgeon to band her. I offered a reason.

If she wants it that badly, I'm sure she can find a surgeon to perform the surgery at her lower BMI. I wished her well. That's it. I'll reiterate, however, that just because you can find a surgeon who WILL do it doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.