Am i a good candidate

Hi my name is Kristen Tallon, i am 17 years old. i have battled obesity all of my life. it really has been bothering more and more lately. i always have lower back pain, shortness of breath from even just walking, and my knees constantly hurt. do you think i would be a good candidate for surgery. i really need help. i have tried every diet out there since i was about nine. i am running out of options, maybe even life.

Kristen, I know how you feel I was the same at 17 but you have alot to check into. Of course you BMI is high but you need to check insurance coverage. My surgeon does no operate on anyone less that 18 years of age. What does your family say? You will need a lot of support. You need to sit down make a list of all diet attempts and ask yourself are you sure you want to do this at such a young age? I would do it again in a heart beat but I walked a lot of miles to get here. This is a life commitment. Good Luck in your choice. Jane

Hello Kristen, Welcome to the boards! I have been fat all my life. I don't ever remember a time in my life when I wasn't fat and suffering from the effects of being overweight. I remember being in high school and not being able to fully participate in PE. I wanted to, but just didn't have the stamina or courage to be that active infront of my peers. Dieting was my middle name; I tried just about every diet fad out there and I never had any real success. It can be real depressing when you're trying your hardest to lose weight, but not succeeding. It can soooo mess with your mind, at least it did mine. I believe my surgeon also doesn't do surgeries on people under the age of 18. ( if he does do it on underage kids, it's probably with parental consent) I think this is a serious venture to take part in and you will definitely need your families support. Have you tried talking to your mom and dad about what you are contemplating? I think that if they support you in this decision, it will help you all the more in heading this direction. (toward surgery that is) I wish you success on your journey and let me say now, welcome to the boards! Dee