Gaining weight to so insurance will pay for Lap Band

[mondk 0]

Hey everyone. I'm 5'2 and weigh 184. My BMI is 34. I'm on Medicare; you have to have a BMI of 35 for Medicare to pay. Any suggestions for me? Paying out of pocket is not an option. I loaded up on cookie dough last week...I've almost polished off one package but it is killing me and I have to gag it down. I stepped on the scales today hoping for 190 or close, and I've lost 4 lbs!!!!!! This is driving me nuts!

Anyone know of something heavy I can stick in my bra when I meet my surgeon????? j/k....MAYBE! ARGH!

Blessings, Michelle

[Mimilou2004 13]

One might say it is not meant to be if you are already losing wt!!! How much do you have to weigh to qualify?

Mimi

[SwanGal 0]

Sorry if this sounds rude but you are really acting foolish. That is absurd. You aren't big enough for the surgery. Why would you want to go through it at your size? Instead of pushing cookie dough down your throat to gain weight, try watching carbs and watch the weight fly off.

If I was your weight no way would I consider WLS. I am your same height!

[lageil 0]

I have to agree with Swangirl. I would love to be 184! I have to lose weight for my insurance to even cover me and I continue to gain. I have to be on a 6mon diet 1st, I have 3 months left and not lost ANY wt, so you trying to gain is crazy and sounds like a unnessecary surgery that tax payers will end up paying for.

[Kristen80 0]

I know it's so frustrating to be so close..but not quite there..

It happend to me in 2008 and I was told that I didn't make the requirements to get insur. to cover it.

I lived life and unfortunatly gained more weight.. fast forward to Oct 2009 and I'm qualified to start the process..

I wouldn't try to shove lots of food in your face.. that can't feel good.. but I know I tipped the scale in my favor at the very end to make sure I was 1-2lbs over what I needed to be.. just incase.

Good luck!!

[Jachut 487]

Ooooh, those not big enough comments make me so mad. I hate that attitude. Sorry ladies to take issue, but YOU were that size once and you just kept right on going, getting bigger until you did "deserve" surgery, didnt you?

Every single one of us has at one time, even for five minutes been not big enough to qualify for the surgery.

What right does you have to say that a surgery is unnecessary based simply on someone's weight?. How on earth do YOU know what she goes through to be that weight? . My BMI is only 21 now but could I maintain that without a lapband? Probably not! I just think its amazingly arrogant to pass judgement on someone else's circumstances simply because in YOUR opininion, they are a low weight and ought to be happy with it. When you've never been fatter, having a BMI of 34 is the fattest you can imagine, and it IS obese and it DOES have health risks.

People with a BMI of 30 can struggle just as much with their weight, be just as desperate about it and sorry, but fat is fat is fat. Really serious obesity down the track is very highly likely. Having surgery now saves the taxpayer much more money later.

But I agree, trying to gain hardly seems sensible or functional, which perhaps is simply a measure of the need for surgery. Knowing what this surgery has done for my quality of life and happiness starting from a BMI of 36, I'm not sure I wouldnt be doing the same.

Edited December 9, 2009 by Jachut

[mondk 0]

You know, I get asked all the time how far along I am pregnant wise which is a cruel joke as I've also been an infertility patient for 9 years, with several miscarriages and poor ovulation. Don't judge me until you've walked a day in my shoes!

Perhaps it is silly that I'm eating to gain; I've been told I still qualify for the surgery but is it a crime to want my insurance to pay for it?

184 is not my desired weight and getting asked if I'm pg all the time is just plain cruel. My desired weight is 110, which is what I was most of my life until I was diagnosed bipolar and schizoaffective and had to go on psychotropic meds which ballooned me weight wise and now I can't get it to stay off.

I didn't come here to be judged, I came for support. Thanks be to the posters who were supportive.

Blessings, Michelle

[bostonmomma 1]

Oh mondk....don't let them get you down. I was exactly where you are a mere few months ago. I was within 5 pounds of having a bmi of 40.....I, too, also did "something" to make sure I would be a candidate for surgery. I got the idea here. Search around or PM me. LOL:thumbup: I cleared bmi by 2 pounds! (I didn't have any co-morbidities to qualify me at 35-40) Imagine the frustration I would have felt not to qualify by a measely 2 pounds.

All you nay sayers....poo poo on you! You were once in our positions....We are still fat....regardless of the number. I am not waiting another 50 pounds or 5 years to do this. Sorry!:scared2:

[Just-Ice 1]

Interesting double standard here.

In THIS post, the original poster is acting foolish.. however in ANOTHER post.. that poster is being told what to do to accomplish more weight to qualify for surgery.

Very odd indeed.

I don't think it's right to have to gain weight to have surgery - MY PERSONAL OPINION, however, I'm not going to down you if you decide to do that. I know my first doctor told me to go eat and come back, personally that didn't sit right with me. Asking me to gain weight so he could do surgery sounded odd. I DID go in with every set of keys in my pockets, two cell phones, etc just trying to get my bmi to 40 instead of 38.

Ok.. hopping off my soapbox now... NEXT!

[nkara 0]

Your kidding me right!? Who are you to decide if this person is "big" enough to have surgery. Don't you recall the co-morbidities associated as well? I'm sure if her doctor agrees with her needing the surgery and medicare is willing to pay for it they know more than us non medical people correct? :scared2:

Anyway back onto the question the poor poster asked. Yes I did have to gain weight to qualify. I was just under 40 BMI and I had to put on 20 lbs to qualify. Now mind you I had been heavier in the past and had lost weight with W/W but I couldn't keep it off. I tried for years. I have been overweight for 30 years. Just because your able to loose weight it doesn't mean you are going to keep it off. The constantly loosing and gaining is what puts strain on your body.

I would suggest not to eat just cookie dough. Eat healthy foods.. Proteins .. just eat large quantities and more often. :thumbup:

[btrieger 21]

The poster is looking to scam an insurance company but it is not an insurance company at all. It is the American tax payer. Please get your hand out my pocket!!

[SwanGal 0]

You know, I get asked all the time how far along I am pregnant wise which is a cruel joke as I've also been an infertility patient for 9 years, with several miscarriages and poor ovulation. Don't judge me until you've walked a day in my shoes!

Perhaps it is silly that I'm eating to gain; I've been told I still qualify for the surgery but is it a crime to want my insurance to pay for it?

184 is not my desired weight and getting asked if I'm pg all the time is just plain cruel. My desired weight is 110, which is what I was most of my life until I was diagnosed bipolar and schizoaffective and had to go on psychotropic meds which ballooned me weight wise and now I can't get it to stay off.

I didn't come here to be judged, I came for support. Thanks be to the posters who were supportive.

Blessings, Michelle

I would have packed my bags had I known you were going to put on us on a guilt trip.

Come on, it's not INSURANCE. It's MEDICAID! It's our tax dollars. Darn skippy I think it's illegal to do what you are doing - so does the government.

Don't start throwing this pregnant and miscarriage thing up because I guarantee you you don't want to know what all I've been through in that dept. Try burying a child and then come back to me on that one, mmkay.

I'm sorry you have mental issues, but we all have our own share of problems. How are you gonna get pregnant and carry a child and then take care of a child with all your issues anyways? I am sorry that seems terriblty selfish in my opinion.

I am sorry you can't get your surgery paid for with our tax dollars. Maybe you can pay 600 a month for insurance like I do and then cram some cookie dough in your mouth and get them to pay for it.

[SwanGal 0]

Excuse me, it's medicare not medicaid. Either way, it's tax dollars.

[SwanGal 0]

Your kidding me right!? Who are you to decide if this person is "big" enough to have surgery. Don't you recall the co-morbidities associated as well? I'm sure if her doctor agrees with her needing the surgery and medicare is willing to pay for it they know more than us non medical people correct? :scared2:

Anyway back onto the question the poor poster asked. Yes I did have to gain weight to qualify. I was just under 40 BMI and I had to put on 20 lbs to qualify. Now mind you I had been heavier in the past and had lost weight with W/W but I couldn't keep it off. I tried for years. I have been overweight for 30 years. Just because your able to loose weight it doesn't mean you are going to keep it off. The constantly loosing and gaining is what puts strain on your body.

I would suggest not to eat just cookie dough. Eat healthy foods.. Proteins .. just eat large quantities and more often. :thumbup:

I am her same height and at 184 I looked and felt great. I would never ever had even thought about surgery at that size. She's actually losing weight and upset about it? What? Come on, this is ridiculous and you have to see that.

[SwanGal 0]

Perhaps it is silly that I'm eating to gain; I've been told I still qualify for the surgery but is it a crime to want my insurance to pay for it?

Yes it's silly.

Yes it's a crime.

No you don't have insurance - what you have is Medicare, aka tax dollars.