I am caught in a loop. I have chronic back pain(3spinal surgeies in pas 4 years) and still suffer. Have put on 50lbs because of lack of exercise bu cant excercise because of the pain and cant lose weight because I cant exercise. My primary recommended Gastric Sleeve and use it as a tool, and not a cure. NEuroloist cant do anything more.

......................any suggesions? Oh. almost forgot. Harvard/Pilgrim will not cover Chronic Back Pain AS A CO-MORBID CONDITION

Hi, and welcome. Sorry for your chronic back pain. I was in the same boat when I started this journey. I have a back condition where one vertebrae slips over the other and makes it painful to walk. I received an injection which helped. I qualified for gastric bypass and had surgery 2 weeks ago. Do you need any comorbidities or do you qualify without them? So far I pleased I had the surgery, and believe that losing weight will help my back problems. Best wishes to you!

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Losing weight will probably help with your back problems. Good luck.

You don't provide any stats, but I have Harvard Pilgrim. Please go to their web site and take a good look at the requirements (you don't say where you are BMI wise) - this is from their site:

The following age-specific criteria are met: i. Adults: Medical record documentation confirms EITHER a or b below: a.Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more; OR

b.BMI above 35 and ANY of the following high-risk comorbid conditions confirmed by a PCP and/or a specialist:

• Type II Diabetes, with documentation of diabetes diagnosis consistent with the American Diabetic Association (diagnosis must be confirmed by an endocrinologist or primary care physician/provider)

• Documented confirmation of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) within the last 12 months

• Coronary artery disease • Significant obesity-related cardiopulmonary conditions (e.g., Hypoventilation Syndrome, Cardiomyopathy, Pulmonary Hypertension)

• Pseudotumor cerebri (diagnosis confirmed, and treatment plan supported by neurologist)

• Pickwickian Syndrome

• Severe, weight-bearing back or joint disease evaluated by an orthopedic or neurosurgeon

• Severe arthropathy of spine and/or weight-bearing joints (when obesity prohibits appropriate surgical management of joint dysfunction treatable but for the obesity; (diagnosis must be confirmed by an orthopedic surgeon)

• Continued hypertension requiring pharmacological treatment (i.e. blood pressure 140 mmHg systolic and/or 90 mmHg diastolic, despite use of 3 anti-hypertensive agents of different classes, unless contraindicated

• Obesity induced cardiomyopathy (diagnosis must be confirmed by a cardiologist)

• Obesity-related hypoventilation (diagnosis must be confirmed by a pulmonologist)

The medical conditions need not be immediately life-threatening, but must be of sufficient severity as to pose considerable short-or long-term risk to function and/or survival, and must not be trivial or easily controlled with non-invasive intervention (e.g., medication). Consideration of the risk-benefit for each individual patient must be used to determine that surgery is the best option for treatment for the individual patient, and no contraindications to bariatric surgery may exist..

Of all the carriers - they are the fastest to deal with approvals and do not have a 6 month waiting period. It would seem from what you say that you fit into one of the two I bolded.

My BMI was over 40, so I was pretty clear-cut.