I went to my PCP today for a pre op check up for some eye surgery Im having next week, and mentioned to her that Im seriously considering Lap Band WLS. She asked why the band, and not bypass. I told her my reasons, she started to tell me that she hadnt read or heard of many good results from the band, just really started bashing the band. I told her that I needed this surgery if for no other reasons but to have a tool to make my self more accountable, and to help me get to a point that i havent been able to get to on my own. Now the best part, she then stated "WELL WHY NOT JUST DO IT THE OLD FASHIONED WAY, EXERCISE AND DIET". ARGHHHHHHHH :) After I had just told her i had tried every diet under the sun, and then some . Im just hoping now that I dont have to get a referral from her. Just had to vent.

This is not a useful person. Talk to useful people like us. We've been there and done that and it works. I have lost 37 pounds since May which is amazing because I was just gaining weight before the band. Screw that person.

Thanks. I was thinking the same thing. Screw her. I was just surprised that someone in her position was so negative. I love your name by the way!! Its great!

Now the best part, she then stated "WELL WHY NOT JUST DO IT THE OLD FASHIONED WAY, EXERCISE AND DIET". ARGHHHHHHHH :) After I had just told her i had tried every diet under the sun, and then some . Im just hoping now that I dont have to get a referral from her. Just had to vent.

I am SOOOOOO tired of that line. Do people think that we could lose that way if we chose to, we just prefer being big or something!?!?:yell: :yell:

This is going to sound dumb but what is a PCP? I see this on a lot of the American posts and I have been curious for quite sometime now as to what a PCP actually is.

PCP is Primary Care Physician. Insurance companies make you pick your primary doctor.

There is lots of research to say that lapband is successful for the majority of patients, it has a signifcantly lower risk particularly in the immedate post op period.

Do your own research- search for stuff through databases like pubmed, medline if possible-these should give you reliable information from medical & nursing journals-don't overlook research from europe, mexicao and Austrlalia- they have all been doing lap band for longer than the US and have more long term stats

There is also a book titled "Lap Band for life" (sorry i don't have the author at present but you will find it easily on amazon)

Ask questions in places like this forum, give your PCP a kick in the pants for being so unsupportive (Do it the hard way!!!!!! even if she thinks this she should not say it to the patient!!)

Once you have found all the info from as many different sources, make the decision that is right for you- you are the person that has to live with your choice, which everway you chose

I am an RN and I get so angry when I hear of health professionals pushing there own biased personal thoughts onto patients- they are supposed to be your health advocate, someone who helps you make decisions rather than dictate. All surgical procedures require informed consent and I do not believe a patient can make an informed choice/consent if they do not have the information about all the options

You might want to change your PCP. If yours is so dead set against the band, and she actually gave you the "do it on your own" line of crap - she probably isn't the best PCP for you.

Good luck!

You might want to change your PCP.

Good luck!

I totally agree. If your PCP doesn't know of many favorable results with the band, perhaps she doesn't keep up to date with other advances in medicine... I'd request a new physicians directory from your insurance company... soon! LOL

Good luck to you!

I am a RN, a critical care RN, with bariatric nursing experience as well. So I am doing and have done ALOT of research, and I know that the band is the right thing for me. Maybe she was just testing me, I dont know, but she just gave me another reason to request another PCP. I havent really liked her since I started seeing her a year ago. She was going on and on about how several of her patients had the RNY surgery and how great they were doing. BLAH BLAH BLAH. Anyway, thanks for all the supportive comments.

I had a similar experience with my PCP.....only in the office he pretended to think it was a good idea. Then when he wrote the letter my insurance co. required, he stabbed me in the back and said he didn't think I was a good candidate and thought I should try Weight Watchers. Like I'd NOT tried WW and every other damn diet in the world for the past 40 years!! I was FURIOUS!!! He'd only known me a few months, was not interested in me or my history. I went to my Cardiologist with the situation (he's the one who suggestion wls in the first place) and he wrote me a wonderful letter of support. Then I changed PCP's. If you are going to have surgery, you need to have a PCP who understands wls or is at least willing to learn and be suppotive. Aftercare is the key to long-term success with the LapBand.

Let me tell you how to lead your life, what to do, where to go, how to raise your kids, how to have faith.... People who look down on you make it hard to respect them.

PCP is Primary Care Physician. Insurance companies make you pick your primary doctor.

Big thanx from Green to Ousooner for clearing this up!:biggrin1:

It occurs to the sneaky Green that you Americans could both protect and assist each other against judgemental and obstructive PCPs by taking the following approach: The individual who wishes to be approved for surgery posts his/her home area on the home state site and requests fellow members for assistance in locating a, well, fat issues sensitive PCP in the local neighbourhood. This information can be communicated to the individual in need either in the form of a PM or a public post. (The home state site, by the way, can be found by looking under USA on this site.)

As we all know, medicine is still an amalgam of art and science and thus we are subjected to the personal biases of the individuals who treat us. We are often helped by our medical practioners but sometimes we find that we are both humiliated and blocked from treatment.

This site permits us to help each other and it is a really fabulous resource on oh so many levels. Nevertheless, I would urge anyone who is receiving grief from their local PCP to post on their state site about this and as a corrollary I would urge all American posters to periodically take the time to visit their local state sites. Who knows? There maybe someone in your neighbourhood who is looking for your PCP.

By the way, up here in Canada we still call 'em family docs or General Practioners. This does not narrow our chances of having bad ones, however.:phanvan Neither kindness nor humiliation carry passports, eh.:think

I told my PCP AFTER I got the band, and his only response was "I lost 40 pounds by eating 6 small meals a day." Then he showed me his drivers license with a picture of him 40 pounds heavier. He's an idiot. My care mostly happens through my rheumatologist anyway. I just need him to write a couple of scripts for me.

Try the online doctors, they write scrips, cheap. No hard core drugs.

BTW Lap Band for Life is written by Dr.Ariel Ortiz....just thought I would mention that because it was mentioned earlier

~Liz~

03/10/06

241/156/160

5'8''