Question:
Are there anyone who is or who knows someone who is HIV+ and had WLS

   — Mz. I. (posted on February 4, 2005)

February 4, 2005
I have worked in the medical field since 1999. I have encountered many HIV and AIDS patients and I believe that none of them actually worried about weight loss mostly because they tended to lose massive amounts of weight in a short period of time due to meds or complications with other inflictions. I even had two HIV+ patients that come in pregnant and were ecstatic to actually be gaining weight for the pregnancy and on a positive note they both had healthy babies with no signs of HIV. So I guess I not really any help for your question except to say that if you know someone who just recently got diagnosed HIV+ and is obese then they probably don't need to worry about the surgery anymore and just concentrate on their advice from their doctors and their med regimen. Good Luck.
   — Kelly MzKelz Valdez

February 4, 2005
Hi there! Let me start by disagreeing with the last poster regarding obesity in persons with HIV. I am a Social Worker who works exclusively with persons with HIV and AIDS. This diagnosis does not preclude those who are obese. And it is not a diagnosis that is an "instant weightloss tool". There are thousands of indivuals who are HIV positive that are overweight/obese. If the person has AIDS, of course, it is far more likly that they will weigh less, if they have endured an AIDS defining opportunistic infection. Okay, that being said.... I have a client that was going to have WLS. She has Medicaid/Medi-cal and she went through the authorization process. I beleive she was approved....but then fear led her to change her mind (she has 5 children). I think the determining factor for any surgeon would be whether the diagnosis is AIDS or HIV, how high their T-cells are, what their Viral Load is, and how thier general health is. Some one with T-cell below 200 would not be a candidate (in my opinion) because the possibility of infection in the surgery site and the body not being able to fight an infection could prove deadly. I know most surgeons do everything possible to avoid opening the body if the immune system is THAT compromised. On the other hand, if someone has been positive for years, has t-cells in the 500-800 range and is generally healthy, I would think they would have little problem getting the surgery. If their immune system is that healthy - but they are severly obese - the obesity is a greater risk for health problems. Anyway, that's my two cents. Hope this helps.
   — MissKimberly