[firegirl7]

hi i am just wondering whats the weight a person has to be at to get surgery? i really dont know anything about it. my sisters friend got it done and lost one hundred pounds and i have considered it before. i weight 260 lbs and am 5'6 and 19 years old. im doing my best right now to lose weight so i can be healthy and for once in my life i did, i lost 7 pounds but then i gained it all back but 2 so im really wondering about this surgery idea. what kind of questions should i ask when i go talk to a dr? thanks!

[magi]

Hi Firegirl,
WLS is for people at least 100 lbs over weight or a BMI of 40 or over. People less than a 100 lbs if they have medical problems. Read all the threads in this forum and any others you can find. Do a lot of research before deciding if it is for you. Talk to everybody you can who has had the surgery. And ask whatever question comes to your mind. I had the gastric bypass about a year and a half ago. I'd do it again in a heart beat. There was a time I would never have thought I'd do such a thing. But..when the time was right I knew that's exactly what I needed to do and nothing anybody could say would change my mind. I was that sure. And trust me ..some people tried. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[LeopardMom]

firegirl- There are lots of pros and cons and well as before and after pictures over at obesityhelp. That's where I started my research. WLS is usually considered a last resort. Many insurance companies want to see document attempts to lose weight before they will even consider approving it. And they still might give you a big hassle about it (mine sure did-whew!).

If you think you might want to do this in the future, keep really good records of your weight loss attempts and make sure the docs are noting your weight on your chart every time you come in so that you have a clear record.

I think it's great that you want to take good care of yourself. I second Magi in encouraging you to make yourself a total expert about WLS. Good luck to you!