Question:
I HAVE A BMI OF 71. NO ONE WILL HELP E UNLESS I LOSE 100 LBS,
I have not been able to lose the weight. if i could lose the weight i would not be in this condition. IS THERE ANY SURGEON WHO WILL HELP ME. I AM DESPARATE!..THANK YOU — MARC B. (posted on November 12, 2002)
November 12, 2002
Relax, My surgeon Dr Philip Schauer in Pittsburgh does NOT require pre op
weight loss. You a lightweight, his heaviest patient was around 1,100
pounds. Pittsburghj is only 2.5 hours from cleveland. He does LAP on really
heavy patients as well. He has on line support group meetrings archived
here<P> http://www.upmc.edu/obesitysurgery/monthlySupportGroup.htm
<P> Feel free to email me for futher info. Now relax, he ius a great
surgeon who can help and has NO blanket requirement to loose weight before
surgery...:)
— bob-haller
November 12, 2002
Marc- I just saw a show featuring Dr. Champion out of Atlanta, Ga. He
performed surgery on a gentleman who was 600lbs. I know that Dr. Champion
also has a web page. I'm not sure of the web address, but do a search. He
is one of the best with the surgery.
— Cheryl S.
November 12, 2002
Marc, my starting BMI was 73.5 and I had an open RNY in July with no pre-op
weight loss requirements.
<p>
It's a long haul for you, but the surgeons at the Hospital of the
University of Pennsylvania have operated on patients weighing as much as
710 pounds (and that guy had a lap VBG). If you want more information,
please e-mail me through my profile...JR (open RNY 07/17 -108 lbs)
— John Rushton
November 12, 2002
Marc, my starting BMI was 73.5 and I had an open RNY in July with no pre-op
weight loss requirements.
<p>
It's a long haul for you, but the surgeons at the Hospital of the
University of Pennsylvania have operated on patients weighing as much as
710 pounds (and that guy had a lap VBG). If you want more information,
please e-mail me through my profile...JR (open RNY 07/17 -108 lbs)
— John Rushton
November 12, 2002
Dear Marc, Keep looking. I assure you there are surgeons out there who'll
do it for you. My bro-in-law had the surgery with a BMI of 72 almost two
years ago and he is doing wonderfully - more active now than even when he
was a teenager. If you have to, make an appointment with every surgeon in
your plan, or surgeon who is geographically desireable to you until you
find one that you feel is best for you. It CAN happen for you. Good luck.
— PaulaM
November 12, 2002
Marc, if there is any way you get get to a large city, say NYC or Atlanta,
there are top-notch surgeons who have operated on people larger than you
quite successfully. As a previous poster said, there's Dr. Champion in
Atlanta or Dr. Gagner and the Mt. Sinai team in NYC. There are other
highly qualified surgeons who will not make you lose weight prior to
surgery, but definitely do NOT got to a surgeon who has been doing
bariatric surgery for less than 5 years and does not have a full aftercare
program in place.
— Leslie F.
November 12, 2002
I started with a BMI of 71 and didn't have any problems getting my surgeon
to do the surgery. He's Dr. Charles Bollman in Junction City, Kansas and
works with the Liv-Lite program. He's operated on people heavier than me.
The only reason for not performing surgery on you that I could think of is
if you are in a wheel chair or aren't able to ambulate well. Look around
for different surgeons... I know there are tons of them on the east coast.
Good luck! =)
— Tanya B.
November 12, 2002
Marc, there are now five of us in our family who have had lap RNY surgery
with Dr. J.K. Champion of Atlanta. He is one of the pioneers in the field
of laparascopic WLS, and is internationally known for his expertise. The
Discovery Health channel recently featured a program about him and one of
his patients who weighed in at over 600 lbs. My daughter's BMI was almost
72 and she had a very successful lap RNY with no problems whatsoever. Dr.
Champion does not require pre-op weight loss, and has the
experience/expertise/and surgical instruments required to perform WLS on
the very morbidly obese patient. His web site is www.drchampion.com and a
packet of information can be obtained from his office by calling
(770)425-5525. Best wishes!
— Diana T.
November 12, 2002
You can also try Dr. Overcash in Ocala FL. he is great no pre op weight
lost.
— Tracey H.
November 12, 2002
I suggest looking into the Bariatric Treatment Centers. I know they can
deal with extremely overweight people and as far as I know have done
surgeries for those with BMI's greater than yours. Their number is
1-800-282-0066. They have hospitals in PA, TX, IL, MI, OH, and one other
state too I believe but can't remember which one it is. Good luck! Their
website is http://www.bariatric.com
— Rebekah A.
November 12, 2002
marc -- I am pretty sure that Dr. Frantzides in Chicago could help you. I
am DEFINITELY sure that there are surgeons in Chicago, even if Frantzides
isn't one of them (although I think he is). Best of luck to you, honey.
— Tamara K.
November 12, 2002
Contact Dr. Elmer Valin or Dr. Reinhold in New Haven Connecticut. I know
they have done the surgery on people bigger than you with great results.
They would probably also make yo a priority. Check out the profile of
Peter Heridia, these doctors performed his surgery and he started out at
803 pounds. He has pictures on his website and looks great. I have spoken
to him many times I am sure he would not mind you contacting him. If you
have any trouble finding any of these people email me and I will put you in
touch with them.
— Linda A.
November 12, 2002
Dr. James Sapala, co inventor of the Micro pouch has an office in Jackson,
Michigan and performs his surgeries in Detroit, which, I beleive is only
about a 3 hour drive from where you are at.
When I was in his office with my sister, who had surgery by him, I noticed
a signed photograph of Richard Simmons on his wall. I asked his nurse about
it and she said that they were friends and that Richard sends people to Dr.
Sapala that need more help than he can give.
Good Luck
— Missy M.
November 12, 2002
My BMI was 61 when I started my journey 19 months ago. At 407 lbs., some
surgeons wouldn't touch me with a 10-foot pole. My surgeon, Dr. Chad
Halverson, in Salt Lake City, UT was WONDERFUL. Didn't make me lose even 1
lb. before operating. Did the operation open rather than lap (safer for
larger patients), but it was worth it to lose the weight. Good luck.
— Terissa R.
November 12, 2002
Hi Marc,
Wow, I really feel sad for your situation. I know my surgeon has
successfully completed a lap RNY on a man who weighed over 650 lbs. I don't
know what this fellow's was BMI was, tho. However, the surgeon is Dr. Wayne
English, 4900 West Oakland Park Blvd, Ste 306, Lauderdale Lakes, FL 33313,
(954) 739-5531. You would want to talk to Becky.
My heart goes out to you, my friend, and I wish you the best of luck.
--Lisa
— Lisa L.
November 13, 2002
Don't give up Marc. My BMI is 71. The first few surgeons I investigated
all said that I was too big for this, which is just stupid. This surgery
was designed for people our size I frankly don't understand why someone
who's barely 100 pounds over "normal weight" gets this done.
Anyway, I almost decided to go to California to Dr. Fobi's(famous for his
Fobi pouch) . But his office gave me the number to someone in my state who
performs this operation. One place wanted to charge me$18,500 upfront in
addition to what my insurance was paying and they wanted me to lose 100
pounds. I'm glad I kept looking, I'm waiting for insurance approval right
now. But this doctor said I was perfect fr this operation. Keep looking:).
— Kimmie C.
November 13, 2002
Marc- my surgeon recently did surgery on someone with a BMI in the 80's.
Granted, it was more dangerous, but she didn't have much chance at life at
that weight anyway. I think everything went good. My surgeon was Dr. Todd
in Anchorage Alaska.
— Shawnie S.
November 13, 2002
If you are interested in coming to St. Louis for wls, there is a surgeon at
a top hospital that specializes in people who are super MO. He is listed in
the find a surgeon section and only operated at Barnes hospital. He was
NOT my surgeon, but I have heard nothing but good about him. He has a
rather long waiting list though.
— cherokey55
November 13, 2002
Marc,
Please don't give up. Keep looking for another surgeon.
I'm far away in Tucson, AZ but, I know that surgeons in Phoenix take
patient's up to 800# and don't require weight loss before the surgery.
— LLinderman
November 14, 2002
Check out Drs. Hess and Oakley in Bowling Green. They do the DS surgery
(which has better statistics in the longterm for the SMO) but I know they
have on occasion done the RNY if that is what you really have your heart
set on. When I had my surgery last year the nurses said Dr. Hess has
operating on several patients who were over 600 pounds.
If you have any questions about the Ds let me know I"ll be happy to
answer them.
Stephanie
— Stephanie Z.
November 15, 2002
marc i just wanted to let you know that i hope everything goes your way and
you are able to find a good surgeon to help you. you are in my thoughts and
prayers and please let us know the exciting news when you do :)
— carrie M.
November 16, 2002
Marc, you are lucky to live in Ohio and be near Dr. Doug HESS, who
developed the wonderful Duodenal Switch ~15 years ago! His # is
419-352-1452. I live in CA but have talked to him on the phone and found
him to be a very kind, caring man. He also trained my surgeon, Ara
Keshishian, who is the same. You might also like the Yahoo group for Ohio
DSers, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DS_Ohio/ Good luck!
— Chris T.
November 19, 2002
Check out Dr. J.K. Champion in Atlanta or as Bob said Dr. Schauer in
Pennsylvania. They both are excellant and HIGHLY skilled in Lap RNY. Call
Dr. Champion's office for more information at 770-425-5525 and follow the
prompts. I agree, one of the reasons why we chose the surgeons we did is
because it was difficult for us to lose the weight on our own~however,
whatever weight we are able to lose BEFORE going into the actual surgery,
would be of tremendous benefit; especially where breathing and cardiac
functions are concerned. Your healing process would benefit as well.
— yourdivaness
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