Hi all. I had VSG in Jun 2012. I have to say I am very pleased overall. I have had very little appetite, now at 10 months post op. Although I have only lost 60 lbs, I am still losing and have not gained any weight back.

My dilemma is this....I recently obtained good insurance coverage, after not having any insurance for several years. I was excited to be accepted at the Mayo Clinic for my primary care, considering the good reputation the clinic has.

I went to see my new doctor last week, and she was very condescending and mentally sabotaging regarding my weightloss surgery. Here are some of the things she said to me~

"The VSG is the least successful wls out of the three (traditional bypass, lapband, and vsg, bypass being the most effective, then the band, and vs coming in last). She said I can only expect to lose 30 percent of my total excess weight with the sleeve, and that I "need to be realistic" in my weightloss goals. She also said the appetite would come back, and that many people learn to "eat around" the surgery.

What horrible things to say to a patient.

When I tried to speak, she talked over me, and wouldn't let me finish speaking. I finally was able to utter "Well, I met a lady with my hiking meetup group who lost 150 lbs with this surgery, which is why I became interested in this procedure", and the doctor said, "Well she is hiking a lot, correct?" As if to say, she was one of the few success stories because she hikes often.

Can someone tell me why a physician would be so negative? She is an Asian woman with no weight problem herself. And she is an internal medicine doctor, but not a weightloss specialist.

I have been feeling so depressed since I had to endure her negativity, and I think I have gained 2 pounds after being "fed" her toxic words. I am so upset about this, that I plan to call the office tomorrow and insist on seeing someone else at the clinic, or that I will go elsewhere. How do you all deal with negative people who seem to want to sabotage you?

Might as well make lemonade out of lemons and profit from the situation. Sue her for damages. Make her know that her behavior is not acceptable to you or any other patient. In no professional environment is this behavior acceptable between service provider and client. I am a little over the top in my response, but think about it...

Suing a physician is a very difficult thing to do, every case has to have merit. While I agree that the doctor lacked compassion, isn't grounds for a lawsuit. I would send the doctor a letter and address your concerns.

What an awful experience for you. You should change doctors. Doyou really want this person to be the one offering you medical opinions about other things you would be seeing her for? I would change doctors, THEN write her and the practice why you have changed providers.

I was in medical practice management for 24 years, and if I ever received a letter regardng a physician's mistreatment of a patient -without hesitation I addressed it with the partners and the offending doc.

Just because she had an MD after her name does not mean she is caring or compassionate or even learned in WLS.

You know what they call the person who graduates last in their medical class????? Doctor!!!!

You have done so amazingly well - don't let this doctor derail your efforts. You've seen her once, get a new doc and get away from this one. Keep your chin up girl and rock that sleeve.

Obviously, doctors are not immune to being dumb

First of all, this so-called Doctor is ignorant. She makes definitive statements to a patient about something she knows little about and has clearly not made an effort to research. She has no compassion, empathy or care for your feelings. I would not tolerate her as my auto mechanic, never mind doctor. Get us her email or mailing address and we can bombard her with the proof of her lack of knowledge and the truth about this surgery. Wonder where she went to medical school? She could have been better educated about gastric sleeve surgery by spending a couple hours on the internet! At a minimum she owes you an apology for throwing cold Water in your face when you were expecting her support for your considerable efforts to improve your health. Sorry you had to experience this.

She's a ****** nozzle

Look for another doctor and put this nightmare behind you.

I agree! Get another doctor pronto. Some are so narrow minded in their beliefs that they refuse to accept anyone's opinions or research. The national institutes of health (NIH) has done research and actually frowns on the lap band because so many people are unsuccessful. The article actually recommended the sleeve or RNY over the band. I don't have access to the report but when I find it again I will post it or you can google it. With all the healthcare changes happening today, providers are increasingly evaluated on satisfaction of their patients. You should definitely let someone know about how you were treated. That was completely uncalled for!

Let me start by saying, misery loves company, dont let what that one negative doctor said hinder ur success.

I know ppl who have had gastic bypass and they gained all the weight back which im sure could happen in any of these surgeries, obviously they are all a tool to get us jump started into being active and productive ppl who want to live the life we have been longing for. Secondly, my friend told me her doctor never suggested surgery and frowned upon it but had no problem prescribing her diabetes, or high blood pressure meds. Since her dr wouldn't help her or refer her, she went to Mexico to get the surgery. Wen she came back and went for a check up, her dr was so negative and demeaning that she left and never returned. Ur life is ur life and that includes ur health....be strong and trust ur decision. As my friend says....you'll always have haters....let them hate...lol! Switch doctors....but report her 1st...lol

You should complain to the director and include medical information from actual medical journals so they educate the nasty witch.

Dont let this pass you by. We fat folks need to advocate for ourselves. Even if we get smaller there will be others after us who get treated just as bad.

There were a lot of lap band converts in my group, a lot! And my doctors are preferring to do sleeve on most patients they calculated what my weight loss would be between RYN and sleeve. It was a 17lb difference. I think because they make more money from RYN she could be pushing that. But they are phasing out lap band sooooooo many compilations. Maybe you should request a new doctor. Don't led one bad seed ruin it for you. Exercise is a big player in all wls. So hike away. Do what's best for you!