Since pursing this weight loss surgery as a self Pay patient I have learned that I have the following:
1) sleep apnea (got a CPAP);
2) hiatal hernia (they will repair during surgery);
3) borderline high blood pressure (placed on low dose med prior to surgery);
4) hyperinflated lungs indicative of COPD;
5) borderline EKG due to incomplete right bundle branch block. (Over 100ms is bad mine was 92ms).

When I complained about shortness of breath during exercise, pain under my rib and other things, my Dr. just told me I need to lose weight.

My cholesterol is awesome though. My labs all look good, co2 has been at the high end of normal. I quit smoking in 2013. But how did I pass my physicals?

I think my Dr. should have ordered some of these tests. Was I just dismissed because I am fat, or are all these problems just borderline issues that will resolve with weight loss.

I see the surgeon next Tuesday. I have not talked to them about the chest X-ray and EKG yet. Until then I will probably excessively google. ?

Everyone of my doctors for every problem I’ve ever had has always been like, lose weight. That’s the answer for everything being fat. ??

And obesity is a favorite scapegoat for the medical community. Hate your mother? Its obesity. Have a hangnail on you left big toe? Obesity caused it. Have a nosebleed? High blood pressure from obesity caused it. Requesting a sex change? You'd feel more satisfied with your gender if you weren't obese.
It's an easy excuse,so you don't have to devote much,thought Into diagnosis.
Which leads to my story of my favorite imaginary heroine Ida May.
Ida May went to her doctor one day.She said "Doctor I have pains,in my right leg" Doctor says"Ida May, you're 84 years old, of course you have pain in your right leg" Ida Mays says " Yes doctor, but my,next leg is also 84 years old and it doesn't hurt a bit."
Moral of story, don't give easy answers, do a little detectivevwork and find out what's really wrong.

10 minutes ago, Frustr8 said:

And obesity is a favorite scapegoat for the medical community. Hate your mother? Its obesity. Have a hangnail on you left big toe? Obesity caused it. Have a nosebleed? High blood pressure from obesity caused it. Requesting a sex change? You'd feel more satisfied with your gender if you weren't obese.
It's an easy excuse,so you don't have to devote much,thought Into diagnosis.

It's sad how right you are. BTW, I was once told I got ingrown toenails because my feet were too fat . I'm not disputing the fact that obesity is the gateway to a lot of health problems, but its not the reason for everything.

Between obesity and depression... why do we need medical professionals? It's one or the other right?

Edited May 25, 20188 yr by AshAsh1

Until you get closer to my age then they drag out new cast of characters
Menopause-No Doctor, that did not cause my bad breath, my favorite sandwich is limburger cheese on rye bread with sliced Vidalia Onions. That will drop a moose at 50 paces.
Cataracts- No that didn't cause the rash in my groin folds, I just need some Nystatin powder until,i can have a tummy tuck up. See I don't have to wait for more weight loss, I already have Dunlap disease, my tummy done laps over intomy upper thighs.
Poor eyesight, poor hearing or approaching senility.:
"Listen Doctor Junior, I still can see the smirk on your little face, I heard what you said, and if you come within range of my hand I will be tempted to either slap your little face or knock you into next Sunday. Now take your laptop on a stand, get out of here while the gettings good." Take your little hand and wave bye-bye. It might be your office but I've spent enough here I done bought THIS room!" LOL

Most of these issues are aggravated or appear by weight gain so weight loss is always the remedy. It may not be as simple as prejudice when a doctor gives you this advice ... It's annoying and it's just a hard pill to swallow when you're not ready to hear it (not you personally)
You could have been borderline and not qualified for some tests like the sleep study, personally although necessary for my surgery I am left paying for mine because insurance loves to play games.

I had such severe abdominal/chest pain that turned out to be a gallstone blockage. But I had it for 5 months on and off. At it's worst, I did not sleep for 4 days straight. I went to 3 different GPs and was told chest pains are common in people of my weight and will go away with better diet and exercise. Finally had an ultrasound on doctor number 4.

Edited May 26, 20188 yr by nicoleea

Ya'll go to some crappy arsed doctors. My doc is super attentive to everything. Sometimes, too attentive. LOL. Super thorough, and so is his PA who does my paps. He's been riding my butt for years to do weight loss surgery. I'm glad I finally followed through!

That said, I have had a mediocre doc in the past...so I get it. Picking an excellent fit doctor is important. If you don't have one, keep looking. As with any important relationship....you need good communication. Sometimes finding that person takes a couple of tries. Patient....be your own advocate. Also, whenever possible, take someone with you to the doctor so you can compare notes on what was said. Sometimes an extra set of ears helps when you're being poked and prodded.

Also....if you have questions for your doc, bring a written list with you...and write down the answers he gives in front of him. I'm not sure why this works so well....but doctors will often grab your list and write down the answers themselves.

My doc will take my list, talk about each item and ask if I understand his answers about each item... and check it with a check mark or make notes for me. I love this system. It's efficient, so I don't waste his time....but I also get solid answers to everything I'm concerned about.

Awesome advice. Thanks :)

I have never accepted the answer well your Heavy that’s your problem nope not a single time I will fire a doctor and find a different one because of how the American medical system is set up we are essentially buying a product their care if the product is insufficient than we’ll move on I do not have time for doctors that have been practicing medicine less than google has been around telling me how my fucking body works okay nope

Congratulations on it being your surgery time-- You Are going to do this just fine.

I have read that not all overweight (or obese) people are unhealthy. Myself, I knew that my weight was causing my high blood pressure, hiatal hernia, shortness of breath, bladder leakage and GERD. However, the sleep apnea is believed to have been in existence since I had my tonsils out at 15 and I was tiny at that time. The thing is that I listened when I was told that my weight was causing my health to fail because it made sense, after all, I am 4'11" tall. That doesn't mean I didn't drag my feet getting WLS. When I made the decision to have surgery, I knew I had no choice. My heart is in good shape but wouldn't be if I kept going the way I was. For a long time, I knew the truth but kept lying to myself. When I topped out of my last size range I said, "That's it."

What if the doctor is right and we take offense and choose to ignore them? Is it the doctor who suffers? Nope. Ask for what you think you need. Your health is in partnership with your doctor or doctors. I have waited for doctors to take the lead because I wanted to be taken care of. It still pisses me off when the doctor doesn't remember what you told them in your last appointment. But truth is, I am only one of their patients and they don't see me every day. I give TMI because I want them to have all the information they may need. I know my body very well and you never know what detail might make a difference. I just have to be careful not to self diagnose or push their diagnosis in the wrong direction which I do and have done.

You have to fight for your right to be healthy whether it is the doctor or the insurance company. You can bet that if Medicare approves your claim, you need the surgery. The surgery costs a lot as some of you have found out through paying it out of pocket. I jumped through every hoop willingly. Why? Because if they are willing to pay for it, I have to do my part to help them make that decision. The nice thing is that when you have secondary to Medicare's primary, the secondary will pick up the percentage that Medicare doesn't. On the flip side, if Medicare denies the claim, the secondary will not pay.

WLS is not a given, If it was, many people who don't need it would have it (for example: Models). It is a last resort tool for those of us who for whatever reason have failed over and over to lose and/or keep off the weight that we need to lose to be healthy and prolong or save our lives. After all, it is a life change and a decision not to be taken lightly.