brw Posted June 28, 2008 Report Share Posted June 28, 2008 How overweight does someone have to be to get the lap band. The benefits for diabetes, blood pressure and general health are huge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittycat Posted June 28, 2008 Report Share Posted June 28, 2008 I am not entirely sure, I know my clinic requires a BMI in the morbid obesity range. The OCC may not require this, I would contact them to find out. I have seen people with as little as 50 lbs to lose and as much as 200 lbs...so do some research and you may find you are a candidate. Good Luck! Cathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sdejong Posted June 28, 2008 Report Share Posted June 28, 2008 BRW The lap band does not keep you from getting diabetes, high blood pressure and other general health issues. The reason people that have the lap band have less of a chance of getting these is because they loose enough weight to help their bodies work more efficiently. My mother was banded 2 years ago and she no longer has high blood pressure, sleep apnea, acid reflux, and a multitude of other health related issues but that is because she has dropped about 150lbs. I hope this makes sense... shy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann Posted June 29, 2008 Report Share Posted June 29, 2008 I am not entirely sure, I know my clinic requires a BMI in the morbid obesity range. The OCC may not require this, I would contact them to find out.I have seen people with as little as 50 lbs to lose and as much as 200 lbs...so do some research and you may find you are a candidate. Good Luck! Cathy I think the OCC BMI standard is lower. I qualified and I am classified as obese not morbidly obese and there was a lady from England there, really sweet gal, that I could not for the life of me figure out what she was doing there. She looked like possibly she could drop 20, 30 pounds maximum and that's stretching it! I know she was done on the day after me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittycat Posted June 29, 2008 Report Share Posted June 29, 2008 BRWThe lap band does not keep you from getting diabetes, high blood pressure and other general health issues. The reason people that have the lap band have less of a chance of getting these is because they loose enough weight to help their bodies work more efficiently. My mother was banded 2 years ago and she no longer has high blood pressure, sleep apnea, acid reflux, and a multitude of other health related issues but that is because she has dropped about 150lbs. I hope this makes sense... shy Wow, congrats to you Mom, that's amazing....what an inspiration for you! Best of luck on your big day! Cathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1jmk Posted June 29, 2008 Report Share Posted June 29, 2008 How overweight does someone have to be to get the lap band. The benefits for diabetes, blood pressure and general health are huge. I believe if a person has a BMI over 40 that getting the lap band isn't a problem. Anyone that has a BMI over 35, but not over 40 can still get a lap band, provided they have other major health problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. I've also known several people who have had low BMI's, but due to their potentially life threatening conditions, they received a lap band as it was important that they lose their excess weight. Most of these people, in my experience, are self-pay clients, as they don't qualify for coverage under their medical plans given the current guidelines for reimbursement. I'm not sure, but I think the above BMI recommendations have more to do with patient diagnosis and treatment, as well as who qualifies for coverage under medical insurance. - 1jmk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmarie Posted June 29, 2008 Report Share Posted June 29, 2008 I was told that at OCC so long as you had a BMI over 30 you qualified. Mine was 39 so I was "good". A friend of mine had the surgery same day. Her BMI was not that high but it had been in the past. They didn't think twice about banding her. It's all about what works for you and if you feel you need this as a tool and are willing to pay for it, someone will band you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesuse Posted July 4, 2008 Report Share Posted July 4, 2008 Yep, the minimum BMI at the OCC is 30 (obese). Here's a link to a BMI calculator: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted July 4, 2008 Report Share Posted July 4, 2008 Depends mostly on insurance. My policy excludes weight loss surgery specifically. If you're self pay, BMI at 3 of the 4 consults I had was 30. No co-morbity requirements. If you're jumping thru the insurance hoops, BMI of 35 with a co-morbidity was generally the threshhold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colleena123 Posted July 5, 2008 Report Share Posted July 5, 2008 How overweight does someone have to be to get the lap band. The benefits for diabetes, blood pressure and general health are huge. I asked the same question. I was 5'2" 153 lb and 147lb when I actually went in for surgery! that was last week. My body fat percentage was 38% and my bmi was 28! I was getting some strange looks from some of the other patients waitng to get their surgery ... but when we all chatted together they saw that just because you are not obese doesnt mean that we arent struggling with the same issues. I have been on a constant diet for 21 years? perhaps I have won most of my battles duen to being a hard nosed dieter, but it isnt what I want to do for the rest of my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GirlBarb Posted September 13, 2008 Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 I think the OCC BMI standard is lower. I qualified and I am classified as obese not morbidly obese and there was a lady from England there, really sweet gal, that I could not for the life of me figure out what she was doing there. She looked like possibly she could drop 20, 30 pounds maximum and that's stretching it! I know she was done on the day after me. I met that same lady as I was leaving TJ. She was with her husband and had heard about OCC on Oprah. She was in the back of the van with here legs tucked and her knees under her chin. I would have loved to be thin enough to that. Your right, she is a lovely lady and her hubby was very nice too. I got banded on June 6th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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