Hi everyone!

I have recently decided to make a change in my life. I just got married and I was looking back on wedding pictures and in a sense it kind of upset me. I have struggled with my weight my whole life. Needless to say I have tried everything. I was not the weight I wanted to be on my wedding day I am 20 years old with a BMI of 45 and a weight of 300. I have recently made the decision to go ahead and talk to someone about the procedure. My husband and I discussed what I had researched and we both think it would change my life for the better! I need all and any advice I can get. Where do I begin? Who do I talk to? I also have a heart condition which was brought on by my sufficient weight gain. I played rugby in high school and even conditioning 4 days a week I was still heavier set. My husband and I would love to start a family in about 3 years after I finish my degree and being this weight it's just not a possibility. Any knowledge would help tremendously! I really appreciate it and look forward to hearing from you!

where are you located? Do you have insurance or self pay? If you have health insurance you need to look up and see what kind of hoops you have to go through to get approved.

I found a local surgeon and went to his question and answer seminar. Thats how I got started.

Thanks for the reply! I live in Ohio I do have insurance. I'm just not sure after sorting everything out with insurance who I go to see or talk to.. I am really struggling!

Hi everyone!

I have recently decided to make a change in my life. I just got married and I was looking back on wedding pictures and in a sense it kind of upset me. I have struggled with my weight my whole life. Needless to say I have tried everything. I was not the weight I wanted to be on my wedding day I am 20 years old with a BMI of 45 and a weight of 300. I have recently made the decision to go ahead and talk to someone about the procedure. My husband and I discussed what I had researched and we both think it would change my life for the better! I need all and any advice I can get. Where do I begin? Who do I talk to? I also have a heart condition which was brought on by my sufficient weight gain. I played rugby in high school and even conditioning 4 days a week I was still heavier set. My husband and I would love to start a family in about 3 years after I finish my degree and being this weight it's just not a possibility. Any knowledge would help tremendously! I really appreciate it and look forward to hearing from you!

@Redredreba: First, congrats on making the decision to change your life for the better. If I were where you are now I would first look at my medical insurance. They all have different qualifications for bariatric surgery, IF they cover it. Find out what the specific requirements for bariatric surgery are for your insurance. That is the most important thing at this point if you are using medical insurance to pay for it.

Goggle, Bariatric Surgeons or you could go to Lap band site and look for a doctor in your area. You could check out the area hospitals in your area and see if they have a bariatric program. I would suggest to find a group that has the pre-surgey class that explains the procedures and can answer your questions. I also strongly recommend that you take your husband to this class with you. This surgery or any WLS will not only impact your life but also his. A lot of people go into this thinking that things will not change that much, they will have the surgery, they will have a band, eat less and loss weight. Honestly it is not that simple, it changes you and your life, most changes are for the good but there are ups and downs along the trail. I always tell people to walk into this with your eyes wide open realizing this is not a one stop shop fix all procedure for everyone. I am a lap band success, I have lost my weight and living very happily with lap band. What I stated above is what I did before making my decision.

You maybe able to call your insurance company and ask for names of surgeons in your area that they will cover or go to your insurance web site and check out f there is a preferred provider on there site. A lot of insurance companies like Centers of Excellence.

Good Luck

Hi Redredreba, since you are in Ohio and depending where you are located, Dr. Curry is pretty good and experienced. That is who I had my surgery with. They have free seminars you can sign up and get information as a starting point. They have an office in Columbus and Evandale. I went to Evandale as I'm in Northern Kentucky and it was closer.

You can call your insurance carrier and ask them if they cover weight loss surgery. Also, ask them what the requirements are for it to be covered. Some require you have a minimum BMI of a certain #, others require very minimum or not at all. So until you do that, it is hard to say. My BMI was around 49 I believe and that was enough to get it covered. However, often if your BMI is lower, they will still cover it if you have other comorbidities (high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes, etc).

And they also have an insurance specialist that can go over all of the hurdles with you, pretty helpful group.

I would go to the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and look for a surgeon in your area. Most have programs that offer a seminar of some sort where you can ask questions. My Dr. office figured out what I needed to do for my insurance prior to my first appointment. At the seminar I filled out a questionaire that they used to look up my insurance etc. Each office is different but they will or should help you along the way. We also have local support groups that I went and visited so ask people questions face to face even before I went for my first appointment.

Good Luck in your search.

Thanks for the reply! I live in Ohio I do have insurance. I'm just not sure after sorting everything out with insurance who I go to see or talk to.. I am really struggling!

Most Surgeons will require you to go to their q&a sessions. The two surgeons I decided to work with came highly recommended thru word of mouth. Both were "in network" with my insurance. I made my choice due to the "Center of Excellence" requirement my insurance had. I went to q&a seminars sponsored by both surgeons. Alot of hospitals now have Bariatric Departments. You can also get names there. If you don't know of anyone who had this surgery, between LBT and your insurance carrier you will find several surgeons to choose from.

Talk to your primary care doctor. Mine was able to get me the referral to get me started. I have an H M O insurance so with mine everything must go through the primary. It took about a year after my first doctor's appointment to get the surgery so dont give up

Congrats on your decision to look into WLS surgery, this is a huge step and it shows that you are ready. I read in your post that you are newlyweds(congrats) and are considering starting your family building after you loose and are closer to an acceptable goal weight.

Some wommen with obesity suffer from fertility problems in relation to their excess weight, and oddly enough this endocrine disorder can bring on ecess weight as well. I would look into getting your thyroid function tested along with asessment of your menstral cycles(are they to long, to much blood, to little, or extra painful). Also you should be tested for PCOS(polycysticovarian syndroe) as that can lead to hormonal imbalance that leads to an incrase in male hormone and weight gain. This syndrome is characterized by male patterened growth of hair along the body(darker then normal hair on the legs, armpit, groin, and face) A red ringed rash along the chest and abdomen that is not dermatitis related. A over zellous craving for sweets and carbs and weight gain that does not respond to diet. Your suggars (AlC) is also effected.

You can see an endocrinologist who specializes in reproductive medicine and have them do an infertility diagnosis(check with your health insurance to see if it is covered). Some will do the workup on you just to make a diagnosis. The treatment for this is Insulin sensitisers such as metformin and weightloss and a low carb diet.

I wish you all the best in restoring your body to proper health.

I have pcos and struggled with my weight since i was ten years old. I was not diagnosed with pcos until 2008 and i was put on a almost vegan diet and addtion of metformin and blood glucose monitoring did help. But what set me off with the weightloss was regular exercise and getting the lapband. I've lost around seventy two pounds in almost a year. I have another 80 or so to go. My symptoms of pcos are less and I don't feel as crappy. Lapband is a good decision if you have the disorder and are looking for pregnancy.