It's taken at minimum 12 years of consideration and research and not being able to keep the weight off to come to the conclusion I need weight loss surgery. I'm 51 years old and have had my weight be the front runner of emotions my entire adult life. I've decided, for me, Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy is the way I'm going. This isn't a light hearted, you're weak, lazy or easy way out decision. On the contrary it's the most contemplated, bravest, hardest thing I have had to decide so far. My pre-op/consult appointments are on February 18th. I am 5' 4" and weigh 230 pounds. I have high cholesterol and osteo arthritis. I'm pre-diabetic and borderline high blood pressure which I know insurance companies don't take into account but I think they should. My primary insurance does not cover ANY weight loss ANYTHING. Medicare however started for me this year and they do cover 80% of WLS with co-morbidities. Hopefully the co-morbidities that I have is on "their" list. ???? This is my last resort. Do or die. I've struggled for years and years. Diets failed me, maybe I failed them. I did have great success with the RX drug Belviq. I lost 33 pounds last year. For the first time in my life I wasn't hungry all the time. But as soon as the prescription ended so did my weight loss. I've gained 20 pounds back in 3 months. So here I go my WLS Journey. I'm blessed to have found this site. Everyone on here is so supportive and kind. And we all need a little kindness in our lives. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
An endoscopic sleeve Gastroplasty is one of many weight loss options. Make sure you go to a comprehensive practice that offers all weight loss options so you can get the procedure that best fits your needs
Hello Bobmarie. The typical insurance criteria to qualify for Bariatric surgery is:Bmi 35-39.9 with at least one associated medical problem like diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, hyperlipidemia ORBmi 40 or above. Based off of your information your BMI is 38.9. I would advise you to check with your insurance carrier to first see if they cover Bariatric surgery as a benefit and then find out the criteria to qualify. Best of luck on your journey to better health through weight loss.Best, Brian Sung, MD, FACS, FASMBS
Hello alwaysprettyontheinside. Congratulations on your quest for better health through weight loss. There is no standard of care in regards to sleeve size and there are lots of variation amongst surgeons and practices. It also depends on the shape of your stomach. So the sleeve gastrectomy can be ‘customized’ based on patient request to a certain extent. The key to the sleeve is to resect the area of the stomach where the hunger hormone gherlin is produced. Hope this helps. Best,Brian Sung, MD, FACS, FASMBS
