Hello, I’m New!!
ound your board today. I have a few questions
and if anyone has any answers I am thanking you in
advance. I am in early stages of "thinking" about having
weight loss surgery. I have a doctors appointment for
Thursday to see what all I am up against. I weight 240
pounds and am only 5′2" or 5′1" depending on whose
measuring! That puts my BMI up above that 40 level I see
mentioned everywhere. As all of you know this weight can
not in any way be healthy. However at this time I do
not have high blood pressure, or diabetes, or any
known illness. What I do have is lots of aches and
pains for which I never go to the doctor because I know
what their magic prescription would be…tell me to
lose some weight. My feet kill me, my legs hurt, my
back hurts…You get the picture here? So I guess my
main question here will be do any of you know of a
person/s that was approved for weight loss surgery on the
fact of simply being over weight by at least 100
pounds and full of aches and pains? I will be dealing
with Tri-care Prime if anyone is familar with them.
Its thru the military. At this time I am very
concerned and hopeful to be able to become healthy and fit
before I am too old to get thru such a surgery.I will be
checking back soon! For all of you that have gone thru
this already or about to…Best of luck…I know it
took lots of bravery!!! I’ve read so much over the
internet that the main thing I get is that no matter how
bad it seemed…most everyone said they’d do it
again. For me…thats very very promising!!
February 13th, 2003 at 2:44 pm
i, I know exactly what you mean about not
knowing if you would get approved without co-morbidities
(related health problems) I have Tri Care as our only
health insurance (DH is retired Air Force). My decision
to have this surgery was made one day in Feb. while
being fitted for eyeglasses at the base optical shop. I
just happen to get a look at myself in a full length
mirror while I was waiting and couldn’t believe what a
huge blob I was just sitting there. The sudden and
instant feeling of being ashamed of myself for even going
out in public just overwhelmed me! I never went to a
doctor because I didn’t want to hear the "if you lost
weight you’d feel better" from the medical profession.
So I went years with high blood pressure and didn’t
even know it. I too, had the bad back aches, legs
swelled horribley. I almost couldn’t find clothes to fit
even in the Lane Bryant catalogs…now that’s bad! So
that day at the optical shop changed my life forever!
I made an appointment with my primary doctor at the
local military hospital in hopes he would get me a
referral to an obesity surgeon. Thankfully my primary
doctor was considerate of my problems and got Tri Care
to get me the referral to an obesity surgeon that
was a provider to Tri Care. My primary doctor also
noted for the first time I had even realized, that I
had indeed high blood pressure, headaches brought on
by my weight (stress from the excess weight causing
strain on my neck, thus headahces) adema (sp) in my feet
and legs was weight related, abnormal EKG, I don’t
sleep well at night, again weight related.<br>Boy I
could just keep going on and on. The point I’m trying
to make is that the things you don’t think can be
weight related usually are! I didn’t have anything
medically documented until this one visit with my primary
doctor!<br>Well I didn’t mean to go on for so long. Let me cut to
the chase here…. I got my referral and on March
13th saw my surgeon for the first consultation. the
paperwork went into the insurance company and I was
approved on the 22nd of March! Now my surgery is on the
14th of April. pretty fast huh!! So don’t just give up
and think you don’t have the co morbidities and not
at least give it a try. If you need more info just
let me know, I have the guide lines for Champus and
Tri Care..Good luck!<br>Wendy