Why have WLS if you only have 50 pounds to lose????

[jodiel]

So I don't really like to do this but I have to know if I'm alone in my thinking or if I'm right? Who agrees?

Someone on another support group I'm in that is for anyone who has had WLS had the sleeve done in April that didn't go well and she ended up having it converted to bypass. My question....why in the world would you want to get any kind of WLS if you only have 50 pounds to lose. She has lost 57 pounds now and now she's complaining that she has to start eating to gain weight. Apparently this person is tall and had a goal weight for 160. She started at 210.

I don't know if she was self pay or if she had it done here in the U.S. But should there be a code of ethics with doctors who say they won't do WLS unless they are like 100 pounds overweight or something? I mean if I only had 50 pounds to lose, I would have hit my goal a long time ago. And I'm only 3 1/2 months out.

I think too many doctors are doing WLS now and it may get a bad rap from just any doctors doing it willy nilly just for the money. What's your opinion?

[EarthAngel71]

she may have had health complications that were pressing

[TEACHn96]

I was at my pre-op appt. on Wed. and I was surprised at how many people were in the surgery clinic that I totally did not think needed surgery. I also assumed they must have had some serious co-mordidites(sp?). But still 50 lbs.....that seems kind of crazy, like you are asking for trouble in my opinion.

[pack89]

I look at it like this, at one point, I only had 50# to lose. Could I do it? Did I keep it off? Apparently not or I wouldn't have gotten to where I am now. If I could have had this surgery when I "only had 50# to lose" would I have done it? Damn right I would have!! Why should I have to wait until I got to the point where I was morbidly obese, instead of just obese? The 100# mark is more for the insurance than anything else. Luckily for me, I do not have many serious health issues, aside from breast cancer and high cholesterol. Could my breast cancer have be averted if I would have been able to have this surgery 50# ago? Maybe. Could I have saved my boobs, who knows.

My point is this... who's to gauge where our health becomes serious enough to have to have surgery, verses wanting to have surgery. Many people on here may have been able to avoid many of their serious health problems, joints, heart, diabetes, and so on, if they were able to have this surgery when they "only had 50#" to lose. Just my .02

[cloud1103]

50 pounds to her might seems like 100. We can't judge on how much is too little, bc we all know how hard it is too loose weight. This is a touchy subject and we all need to focus on getting healthy.

[B-rizzle]

Same here! I met with a nutritionist in a group and I was the biggest person there. There was this one girl there that kept on and on about how excited she was to have this surgery, and the girl up front already said they had a date available, and she was gonna get it first, and nobody had better take her date, blah blah blah. She was probably 50lbs over weight, and I'm sitting there at 150lbs over weight thinking "why is this wacko getting this done, and what makes her think that she needs or deserves it more than me." Yeah she was annoying. I'm not dissing people that get it that are only 50 lbs overweight, but to me for them it really is more cosmetic than anything.

[SECRETSLEEVE]

yeah maybe at 210 she had health problems, for me at over 200 pounds i'm pre diabetic, and have high blood pressure, so I would be considered a light weight for wls but you have to know the whole story before passing judgement. If you just looked at me you would have no idea of my medical conditions or would you know I have lost and gained 100 pounds 10 times. I personally as of 2 years ago thought I wasn't big enough to have wls but after gaining yet again 100 pounds which I had lost along with other health issues I seriously considered it. I don't regret it one bit.

[Holly]

It does not matter if you have 50 or 100 lbs to lose it isnt about the amount but the ability to keep the weight off, yo yo dieting is so hard on the body and heart, regain is usually more than the original weight and they need help keeping a balance on the scale and maintaing there lost weight, so restriction is a great tool

[BabyDoll]

Maybe you should ask her?

[5DogMa]

Loosing weight is hard and 50 lbs is a lot. I had 100 lbs to lose and I've lost 70 so far. 50 extra pounds on anyone can cause serious health problems. So why shouldn't they get WLS? It may not be as much as you or I need to lose, but it's still enough to cause most people health problems. Why shouldn't they get this tool to help them take off and keep of those extra lbs? Most people who have 50 lbs to lose probably have lost and gained that extra weight several times. Give them a break, you don't know their circumstances.

[Lupis]

Well, I am one of those that started with 162 pounds and wanted to do the surgery, there is no words that can describe how happy I am because I did this, all my entire life, have been suffering of ups and downs and at my age of 37 years, I was not able to keep going like this because I am sure that if I continued eating like I was, I was going to end up with 300 pounds over weight, my point is, it does not matter if is 50 pounds or 200 pounds to lose, when you don't feel comfortable with your body and your self stem is low, and you can have a tool that will help you feel better, why not to use it ? Right now I am at 116 pounds and I have NEVER been happier in my life ... by the way... I had the best doctor, my surgery lasted only 40 minutes and it has been the best decision of my life !!!

[jodiel]

Maybe you should ask her?

I thought about it. But this "support" group I'm in is....well....they aren't very nice when you have something negative to say. So I keep my mouth shut there. Yep, not much support comes my way out of that group.

[scgal21]

If I had this surgery when I was only 50 lbs overweight, I may not have knees and hip with very little cartilage left, or been on cholesterol, thyroid, anti-inflammation meds, pre-diabetic and high blood pressure. I wish I had the opportunity to have had this done much sooner. I think it would have prevented a multitude of health problems.

[cathyp357]

I wish I could have had the surgery when I was just 50 lbs overweight. I would have avoided knee surgery, years of blood pressure meds, and untold damage to my self esteem. I might have been promoted sooner and enjoyed life more fully. The only negative I can see is being judged by those that have more weight to lose than I did. Yep, I would have gladly done it then knowing what I know now.

[isandie]

whoa! i have to think a doctor WOULDN'T do the surgery unless it was necessary, so i'm guessing there had to be other health issues that were at stake here. i'm with you tho, 50 doesn't seem like enough for me to have the surgery (i'm looking at about a 120 total loss when all is said and done, fingers crossed!)...but like others have said, who are we to judge!