I am 51, 5'4" and weigh 220 lbs, most of my weight is right on my belly. I am a nurse and on my feet all day. I have controlled asthma, plantar fasciitis, arthritis in my ankles, yeast infections, abcesses and a bum left knee. I was skinny and athletic all my life even after 3 kids. However, at age 37, I left a bad marriage and was put on Paxil to help deal with anxiety and depression. In 6 months I ballooned to 170 lbs and then 4 years of university, while going through a 10 year expensive divorce battle, brought me up to 235 lbs.

I have always been able to control my weight with diet and exercise prior to this weight gain, but nothing is working now. I have tried every type of diet and exercise program and yes, I might lose weight (one time up to 50 lbs) but immediately gain it back. Everybody in my family is obese. My mother has 12 siblings, my father 5 and everyone of them has metabolic syndrome so I know its just a matter of time. The writing is on the wall.

After almost 15 years of yo-yo dieting, I have reached to point of giving up. I don't even see the point of watching what I eat and going to the gym anymore. Then after going to a surgeon who is connected to a weight loss practice, I started to get excited again. My BMI of 37 and lack of recognized comorbid conditions might not let me qualify for anything other than the band unless I am willing to pay out of pocket and even then I am not sure. I am tired of everyone telling me I look great, I carry my weight well, I could do it on my own and not have surgery etc.

I attend a WLS presentation on Tuesday and can't wait.

For a BMI of 35 - 40, you need one or two co-morbid conditions. At BMI of 40 or over, there is no such requirement.

I understand the feeling of wanting to give up. I just want to clear something up that you mentioned. If you qualify for weight loss surgery, all of the surgery options are available to you, not just lap band.

Goodness, run to Tijuana and have a sleeve done, then you're in control and not jumping threw all the hoops for others. Your decission and opinion is important, do what you need to do to have a quality of life that you enjoy. Just my opinion.

Goodness, run to Tijuana and have a sleeve done, then you're in control and not jumping threw all the hoops for others. Your decission and opinion is important, do what you need to do to have a quality of life that you enjoy. Just my opinion.

That's what I did. BMI 39, lots of pains and minor health issues but no "recognized" comorbidities. I researched my options, asked a zillion questions, and scheduled my surgery with Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Dr. Martinez at OCC in Tijuana. I used my "new truck down payment" fund I had been saving for 2 years. No psychiatrist, no nutritionist, no 6 month supervised diet, no hoops....just 100 pounds down from this time last year. There's no reason you can't take control of your life, too.

Today I finally got an apt with the doc, Dec 22! Presentation tomorrow.

Here in Texas if your insurance won't cover the WLS but will cover the hiatal hernia, the out of pocket is anywhere from $3500 to $10000.

U.S. Doctors and they do out of town patients. I paid $8200 oop total.

I was the same. Sure I could lose some but the gains were more than the losses.

I had sleeve with no issue. I thought I would have to have a band because of low BMI but sleeve was acceptable for me and my surgeon.

Winter in the UP, presentation cancelled due to bad weather! But the Dr apt still stands.