Does anyone have advice for dealing with medical professionals that are anti- WLS? I've run across two now. Today I had a cardiac stress test and the technician (or nurse??) spent three hours trying to talk me out of it. The doctor she works for who ordered the tests is a huge supporter of the surgery by the way.

So, any advice on how to deal with people like this? I don't want to have to listen to more lectures.

A tech who works for your surgeon tried to talk you out of surgery? Wow!! I'd be on the phone to the office manager ASAP.

If you run into that again, just tell the person you are comfortable with your decision for your health! Then change the subject.

Lissa

I personally would have shut her down within the first 20 minutes. Say something like, "I understand and respect your opinion, but I've already made the decision about what's right for my life. Thanks in advance for concluding this conversation!"

Ive learned to tune people out. I just say "Oh ok thank you" and move on to the next subject. People are entitled to their opinion but only you know what's best for you, you know.

OOps, I should clarify, this was a the cardiologist's office, not the WLS office.

Funny thing, the technician didn't say anything to me until the other one congratulated me on my decision and told me that I would have to come back in a year and show her how much I lost.

Thanks for the quick response & advice everyone!

A tech who works for your surgeon tried to talk you out of surgery? Wow!! I'd be on the phone to the office manager ASAP. If you run into that again, just tell the person you are comfortable with your decision for your health! Then change the subject. Lissa

The guy that did my endoscopy pointedly called my surgery "elective." I guess technically it is as this is the treatment I asked for. Still, this is the most medically necessary treatment I've ever had.

I need to know this information too. I'm about to go for cardiac clearance and I fear that will happen as well. I am generally a calm and patient, soft spoken person until someone starts nattering at me about my decisions for my own health. I may lose it! I think I would ask for either a new technician or new appointment. (if time permitted) Or just say, "thank you, you've made your point, now STOP!"

I guess I had the opposite. When I was getting my final pre-op bloodwork done, the tech was going on and on about how jealous she was that I was having surgery and how much she wished she could afford to do it, etc. I just tried to encourage her to look for all avenues available to her. I felt bad for her!

It is highly inappropriate for a technician to be trying to convince you to ignore the medical advice of your physicians. There are a lot of ignorant people out there, who believe, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary, that obese people suffer from a moral flaw they call a "lack of willpower." When they rail against bariatric surgery, what they are really saying is: you deserve to suffer for your moral flaw and you shouldn't avail yourself of the evidence-based medical therapy that can make your life longer in duration and better in quality.

Luckily, doctors like these are few and far between, because doctors are trained to look at evidence objectively and act in the best interest of their patients. Other health professionals do not have this high degree of training, and as a result there is a higher prevalence of this ignorant thought pattern among them. They are extra infuriating to deal with, because they have decided that evidence doesn't matter. There is really nothing you can really do to change someone's mind when they have decided that they are unwilling to look at evidence. Just try to keep your cool, and make them aware that you are not interested in receiving armchair medical advice from people who are not your physicians.