I am running in to a brick wall . I am 5'8 , 245 pounds , short of breath , lack of energy . My son

had it done here in Birmingham Alabama with great success . They tell me I am not large enough

but I fell my health slipping away ... I don't mind going out of the country if the medical laws / rules

are too strict here ..

Any help would be greatly appreciated .

Phil

Birmingham Alabama

pgn6228@aol.com

205-862-1935

Have you checked your BMI and insurance, etc?

There are non surgical weight loss clinics that can help you.

By my calculations that puts your BMI at just over 37, which means a lot of insurance companies will cover your surgery if you have co-morbidities such as diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. So be very sure that you are not covered before you decide to go elsewhere.

If you are truly not able to get insurance coverage, there are many excellent surgeons in Mexico who will happily do this surgery for you. Check out the self-pay/Mexico subforum and perhaps ask for recommendations and prices there - there are many forum members at your BMI or lower who go to Mexico and will be happy to share their experiences and recommendations, plus you can get a good idea of how it works by reading back threads in that forum for a few weeks. Good luck!

I had a BMI of 39 with no comorbidities. My insurance doesn't cover WLS, so it really didn't matter anyways. I went to Obesity Control Center in Tijuana. Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Dr. Martinez were my surgeons. I can't recommend them enough. You can check out this thread... .http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/261806-dr-ariel-ortiz-and-obesity-control-center/

It's super long, but There's not much left unsaid! Or PM me.

First, yes you ARE heavy enough to benefit from and "deserve" VSG surgery.

If you're willing to commit to the education and lifestyle associated with successful VSG treatment of obesity, you will do great.

Keep searching. You will find your solution.

ALIGHTERME.COM it's in mexico. $4600. I am doing it in Sept!

Did you check into the options? Have you based that on price or the quality of the surgeons and aftercare?

My bmi was just under 35 and I was sleeved in Dallas. I was Self pay as Insurance wouldn't cover it.

I am running in to a brick wall . I am 5'8 , 245 pounds , short of breath , lack of energy . My son had it done here in Birmingham Alabama with great success . They tell me I am not large enough but I fell my health slipping away ... I don't mind going out of the country if the medical laws / rules are too strict here .. Any help would be greatly appreciated . Phil Birmingham Alabama pgn6228@aol.com 205-862-1935

Phil I am in Birmingham too. I am using Dr. Schmitt and I think his website says your BMI should be over 35 and have comorbidities for insurance in this area to pay. You should call his office and talk to them...they knew exactly what I needed to get approved. If you need their number you can find it at www.alabamawls.com and ask to talk to Ashley.

I am running in to a brick wall . I am 5'8 , 245 pounds , short of breath , lack of energy . My son had it done here in Birmingham Alabama with great success . They tell me I am not large enough but I fell my health slipping away ... I don't mind going out of the country if the medical laws / rules are too strict here .. Any help would be greatly appreciated . Phil Birmingham Alabama pgn6228@aol.com 205-862-1935

Phil I am in Birmingham too. I am using Dr. Schmitt and I think his website says your BMI should be over 35 and have comorbidities for insurance in this area to pay. You should call his office and talk to them...they knew exactly what I needed to get approved. If you need their number you can find it at www.alabamawls.com and ask to talk to Ashley.

Edited to add...here is what their website says:

Generally, a person must have a BMI of 40 or greater for insurance to pay for their surgery if that person does not have serious health problems related to obesity. If a person suffers from one or more serious health problems related to obesity (comorbidities), such as hypertension (high blood pressure), coronary artery disease, diabetes (must be on insulin or oral medication), pulmonary hypertension or severe sleep apnea, then the required BMI is lowered to 35. Insurance companies also require that you have been morbidly obese for at least three years. Furthermore, many usually require that you participate in a doctor supervised weight loss program (but Medicare does not). This requires once monthly visits to a doctor for seven consecutive months. Insurance will not pay for surgery of patients under age 18. Please note that these are insurance company requirements and are of importance only if you want your insurance company to pay for your surgery.

Many patients pay for their own surgery and therefore these insurance criteria do not apply. The surgeons at Alabama Weight Loss Surgery will perform surgery on carefully screened patients with a BMI of 30 or greater. Furthermore, if a patient has already made several weight loss attempts, another pre-op weight loss program is not required. Finally, the benefits of surgical weight loss are well documented among adolescents and we do operate on patients under age 18.

Edited August 7, 201411 yr by Amyly2n

I am currently 5'5 and 245lbs. I have been approved for my surgery through Amy Johnson at pikeville medical center in pikeville ky.