[Cindilu]

I was just wondering if there is a certain age when a surgeon will refuse to perform bariatric surgery. My mother-in-law is 75, and has been battling her weight since I met her. I know she meets the parameters for surgery. Her Mom just turned 97, so she's got a lot of living left to do. She's convinced that a doc. would think she's too old.
thanks
cindy

[Queen]

I don't have an answer to that but I would think it fairly easy to find out. My sugical group has free seminars with open question period after it but I imagine you could call the office. I am sure it would be a combination of age plus health plus mental attitude and so on. Probably varies from one doctor to another and one patient to another. Let us know what you find out. I have a 70 year old bother in law that is in a wheelchair and diabetic, everytime we visit he starts to wonder if this is not the answer for him as well.

[midsomermaven]

I do not know about all surgeons but the Surgical Group that did my WLS had an age cutoff, it was over 65. The only reason I know this is because there was a lady at the informational seminar who was right at the cutoff and they told her she had to actually have the surgery before she turned 66 or they wouldn't do it, I am not sure if it was the Hospital, their insurance etc. on their own rule.

[Debora]

Most docs have a 65 year old cut off for rny, some are up to 67 for lapband. But that may just be my own little part of the world. It is a simple question that could be answered over the phone.

[GayleTX]

There are so few surgeons left who are accepting Medicare for wls that it may not be that easy to find one......I believe Medicare requires the surgery be done at a Center of Excellence.

I hope she can get it done if it's right for her.....I was 62 when I had mine, but I'm 20 years younger now than I was then!!

[CHELLE20]

I am almost postive that my surgeons office had a patient that was 72.......

[PDsmile]

Some offices do have a "cut off" but most of the time if a patient is over the limit, their case will be looked at individually. There are some 50 yr old patients that are older than 70 yr olds!! If a 70 yr old who is active and motivated comes in, and their health is reasonably good, then they would be considered a candidate.

i agree with the others, she needs to go to a seminar or go to an office and inquire.

[Susan Maria]

Some doctors have cut offs as they have to keep track of stats and essentially avoid higher risk patients. As we age, as we have larger BMI's, as we have more serious comorbidities, we present higher risks.

I would encourage her to find a confident surgeon who is open minded enough to look at her REAL AGE, rather than numerical age... and use that as the determining factor as to whether she is a good candidate for surgery.

Remember that bariatric surgery is only performed on people for whom the risk of NOT having surgery is great than the risk of the surgery itself.

Some docs have iron clad cutoffs for age 60, under 350 pounds, and avoid operating on the most sick from heart and lung disease. While others look at these folks on an individual basis as to whether the risk of the surgery is worth what it would do for quality of life.

My friend Joanne was 68 when she had gastric bypass, and that was ground breaking 6 years ago... now it is more common as docs realize that 68 is not old!

[pinkie]

My Grandma, wheel chair bound from horrible osteoarthritis, said, "well, if I had KNOWN I'd live to be 97, I'd have had me some new knees ten years ago when I still young and only 87"!

[IamSheila]

That's a good question! I'm sure every center is different, so she'd have to call around to find out if there is an age limit. Age is just a number. She could be healthier than some 50 year olds, you never know!

[ikagram]

On Feb 21,2006 CMS which is the governing board for Medicare wrote the following

This decision expands coverage beyond a proposal published late last year that would have excluded coverage for bariatric surgery over the age of 65 years. CMS reviewed new data and analyses which demonstrate that surgeons with more experience have similar outcomes for patients of all ages. After reviewing the evidence and considering recommendations of professional societies and other experts in the field, the Agency determined that of the various bariatric surgeries currently available, the evidence indicates that only three types of bariatric surgeries benefit Medicare beneficiaries. Prior to today’s decision, CMS’ only nationally-covered bariatric surgery procedure was gastric bypass surgery. Effective today, the list of nationally-covered procedures now includes open and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, and open and laparoscopic biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch. Until other evidence is available, all other bariatric surgical procedures will be nationally non-covered.

The surgery must be done at a Center of Excellence and to my knowledge as far as medicare is concerned they put no upper age limit on the surgery because of the overwhelming results.
Before I had my surgery (because I am disabled and on medicare) I researched this throughly. In fact that is how I found Susan's book and this site.

I have found with the government it always helps to be forearmed.
And it did come in handy when I was arguing with the insurance companies. I quoted the above and the next day I was approved.

I should put the link in here on the edit

http://search.cms.hhs.gov/search?q=bariatr...nd&oe=UTF-8

This post has been edited by ikagram: 17 January 2009 - 03:06 PM

[Carole60]

tHANKS FOR THE INFO. mY DOCTOR WOULDNT TAKE MEDICARE BUT i WAS WONDERING ABOUT PLASTIC SURGERY AFTER. jUST FOR THE RASHY HANGING SKIN. dID YOU EVER GET INFO ON THAT? i CALLED AND ASKED AND THEY WERE HESITANT TO TELL ME ANYTHING.

hUGS
cAROLE

oh so sorry about the caps but too tired to redo please understand

[gramm]

My surgeons had a cut off of 65 preferring they did not have a history of severe medical problems. At one time this surgery was not done for people over 55 but the techniques have improved making it safer today for the older people. I was 61 last summer without any health problems. As we age undergoing any procedure makes becomes riskier for the patient. Even being healthy I felt I had to go through more preliminary tests than others who were much younger.

[mycattaz]

I know of a man that is 75 plus now, his son and co worker did the surgery a few years back, he is doing wonderful.... I am sure they have to look at heath risk... it can be done, just have to find a doctor that wants to do it....

this same doctor is the one that denined me when I went to him to do the gastric bypass... he told me I was not a canidate.. because I had gastric stampling years ago and had put all my weight back on.... I waited a year before getting a second opinion and so glad I went for a second opinion... cause this doctor agree to doing the surgery... and I am doing wonderful....

[Kathe]

The dr and hospital I where I had my surgery cuts it off at 65. But that might just be their suggested age, maybe the dr has some say in this.

[GayleTX]

Carole60....about the only plastics that any insurance will pay for is the 'reconstructive' kind and that includes the hangydowny belly that covers the fun parts of the body (apparently a MAN wrote the rules and said HECK YES, THAT'S necessary surgery). My panniculectomy was covered because it covered that part and it, according to the PS who wrote the request for me that it caused my back ache and imbalance issues.

When I saw my wls surgeon last week, he patted my very ample muffin top and said "you need to get rid of that so you can see just what a good job you've done on losing the weight." And I'm almost 65 so he apparently didn't think I was too old to has PS. It'll come out of my pocket but my DH says "go for it!" Maybe later.....