So one of my next steps is getting my letter of medical necessity from my PCP. (keep in mind i'm self-pay so its more surgeon requires it vs insurance required) Well my doctor don't really believe in gastric bypass b/c in the past when i've mentioned it he said no and wants to slap me on more diet pills (which work for a bit but not long term). I'm worried he will say no. Has anyone else had this happen? What did you do? And did the surgeon go ahead and do the surgery anyways?

Can you reach out to your cardio and endo docs to both write letters just incase?

13 hours ago, GreenTealael said:

Can you reach out to your cardio and endo docs to both write letters just incase?

I’m going to ask them to. Especially with my heart doc recommending it

On 8/16/2018 at 3:27 PM, sleevegirl88 said:

So one of my next steps is getting my letter of medical necessity from my PCP. (keep in mind i'm self-pay so its more surgeon requires it vs insurance required) Well my doctor don't really believe in gastric bypass b/c in the past when i've mentioned it he said no and wants to slap me on more diet pills (which work for a bit but not long term). I'm worried he will say no. Has anyone else had this happen? What did you do? And did the surgeon go ahead and do the surgery anyways?

Your doctor is a Healthcare Provider. Emphasis on the PROVIDER. My PCP wasn't convinced that surgery was the way to go for me either but I insisted on it. I didn't want to take diet pills - I didn't want the potential side effects and they aren't effective long term. Go in with an arsenal of information about how WLS is the most effective weight loss solution, how it is a safe procedure, how you are informed about the sacrifices that you'll have to make when you get it (no more binging, gulping, no NSAIDS, limited caffeine and alcohol)

This is what I had to do. It was a 45 minutes appointment of him telling me what to do to lose weight followed by me telling him that I've done all that in the past and continued to get heavier and heavier. I told him that I had no indication that my future would look any different than my past because I'd DONE all that. I didn't want to try again only to be 10 years older and 50 pounds heavier and back to looking at weight loss surgery.

He is to provide healthcare for you. He WORKS for you. Be determined. Let him know you are well informed about the healthcare choice you are wanting to make and that you need his help. Tell him straight up if he isn't going to help you with the healthcare choices you've made that you will find another healthcare provider to fit your needs better. Good luck!

You would think so, wouldn't you? Let me tell you what happened in my town, this is kind of of a Peyton Place thing. Certain. doctor here was affiliated with a managed care system, not our local hospital as many in my town are. He committed a serious breach of ethics, he had an affair with a member of his office staff, yes he should not have done this, but facts remain he and she did. When they broke it off , he went to his priest, stated he had repented and asked forgiveness, after much consul, his priest did forgive him, of course told him never to do it again at the risk of his immortal soul, but he forgave him. He then went to his wife as did his lover her husband, if course they were,both upset at the breach of their marital vows but each was forgiven after the promise this would never happen again. Doctor then went to the managed care system, told them what had happened, asked for forgiveness, forgiveness was not granted. They fired him, legally barred him from medical practice within a 45 mile radius of this town. The final blow , he was informed,his patients were not his patients, they belonged to the healthcare system, he was to have no contact with them, let alone provide medical services to them. And he had practiced here for many many years. Sound impossible? No Baby, it happened, it really happened! And I have reported factually to you, not my own doctor but many of my friends were his patients. Not hearsay, documented in my local newspaper.

Change your doctor.

On 8/18/2018 at 9:41 AM, KCgirl061 said:

Your doctor is a Healthcare Provider. Emphasis on the PROVIDER. My PCP wasn't convinced that surgery was the way to go for me either but I insisted on it. I didn't want to take diet pills - I didn't want the potential side effects and they aren't effective long term. Go in with an arsenal of information about how WLS is the most effective weight loss solution, how it is a safe procedure, how you are informed about the sacrifices that you'll have to make when you get it (no more binging, gulping, no NSAIDS, limited caffeine and alcohol)

This is what I had to do. It was a 45 minutes appointment of him telling me what to do to lose weight followed by me telling him that I've done all that in the past and continued to get heavier and heavier. I told him that I had no indication that my future would look any different than my past because I'd DONE all that. I didn't want to try again only to be 10 years older and 50 pounds heavier and back to looking at weight loss surgery.

He is to provide healthcare for you. He WORKS for you. Be determined. Let him know you are well informed about the healthcare choice you are wanting to make and that you need his help. Tell him straight up if he isn't going to help you with the healthcare choices you've made that you will find another healthcare provider to fit your needs better. Good luck!

Thank you! This actually helps a good bit! I got some of my sheets of my past diets..(i.e weight watchers etc) to show my checked in weights that were recorded by someone else as well as all the diet pills ive tried and when. I wrote a letter to bring with me to read to him to kind of keep my facts straight so ill hope he says yes!

Good luck, let us know how it goes!

THANKS EVERYONE for the advice!!! I ended up getting my Cardiologist to sign as my pcp was still on the fence!!!!!

Way to go sleevegirl88, now things will move forward. Do you have a firm date yet? So happy you got that taken care of.???

Good! I hope it all works out!

12 minutes ago, Frustr8 said:

Way to go sleevegirl88, now things will move forward. Do you have a firm date yet? So happy you got that taken care of.???

Work said October 9th should work for them and My surgeons nurse that sets up all the appointments and everything that should work as well.... (self pay so 6-7 months dieting not required) This upcoming week i have my nutritionist and exercise eval's set up and then the following week my psych eval..so hopefully October 9th!!!!!

Ask to see another doc in the same practice if possible so it doesn’t take forever to get an appt with a brand new doctor in a brand new practice. The wait can sometimes be months