PCP’s negative response to my wls

[Circus321 58]

I’ve been researching wls for years and am finally scheduled to get a sleeve next month. Today I had a checkup with my PCP and mentioned I was having the surgery and he told me I absolutely shouldn’t. He said that while I would lose weight initially my stomach would stretch back and undo the surgery because I would keep eating how I’m eating (I actually eat very healthy, he has no idea about my diet, he was just guessing because I’m obese). I said well yeah, that’s why I’d adjust and start eating smaller portion sizes etc., and he said “If you think you can do that, why aren’t you doing that already?” Well because I’ve done that before and my weight doesn’t change no matter what I eat so I might as well eat what I want instead of starving myself all the time and slowing my metabolism even more. He then continued to talk about how if I would eat more vegetables and walk for 30 minutes 5 days a week my weight would fall right off, even though I trained for and completed a triathlon last year without dropping a single pound and, like I said before, actually already eat a lot of vegetables. He finished by listing all of the possible complications of the surgery as if they were all guaranteed to happen to me and strongly suggested that he was going to drop me as a patient if I got the surgery: “If you decide to do it anyway, I’m not picking up the pieces of that mess.”

I’m still getting the surgery, and I’m used to this attitude from family and coworkers but this was upsetting because I had expected my doctor to be more knowledgeable about how weight loss actually works. Guess I’ll have to find a new PCP. Thanks for listening to my rant lol

[catwoman7 10,843]

yes - I'd suggest finding a new PCP. He obviously doesn't understand much about obesity or WLS.

[blackcatsandbaddecisions 844]

Yeah, I’d fire this loser ASAP. Not only is he being an asshole, his views aren’t even supported by evidence, and that is a huge concern from a medical professional standpoint.

[Foxbins 625]

I'm so sorry he treated you like that, he's about thirty years behind the times and the obesity research, to say nothing of surgical interventions. Time for a new doc!

[GreenTealael 24,847]

Unfortunately even doctors can still poor information outside of their specialty. This is why you have a Bariatric surgeon to give you real information instead of anecdotal evidence.

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery ❤️

[NovaLuna 709]

Oh, I've had my share of f-ed doctors over the years and that kind of reminds me of the time I went to see the neurologist in July for my dizzyness, balance issues, and my blackouts. I didn't do the glucose test because 1. I didn't want to have that much sugar and ruin my diet, and 2. I KNEW it wasn't hypoglycemia because I've had hypoglycemic incidents in the past so I KNOW that's not what it is. He asked me why I didn't do the test and I told him because I knew that's not what it was so I didn't see the point. My PCP had agreed with me because she said my labs looked normal and my symptoms, the way I described it, pointed at something else. He got in my face and said "Well you really don't want to get better then!" It pissed me off! I mentioned that I'd get a second opinion and go see my neurosurgeon instead and his response was "Well, I'm going to send a note that you didn't comply with the test for hypoglycemia and that's likely what it is so go ahead and waste HIS time." Urgh! I reported his attitude to my PCP and now she REFUSES to send any more of her patients to him! At least no one else will have to deal with that complete A$$! 😡 I still get mad whenever I think about it! 😡

So yeah, were I you, I would DEFINITELY get a new doctor and while you're at it leave a sh*tty review about your experience so that when people look him up they can find your experience and not have to go through it themselves! I enjoy leaving sh*tty reviews when doctors piss me off! Helps relieve the anger a bit so I don't give in to the urge to punch them.

[Jaelzion 1,123]

His question about "Why aren’t you doing that already?" is so dumb. The whole point of the surgery is that it makes it so much easier to eat drastically less. I mean, I ate about 650 calories a day for the first six months after surgery. Without surgery, that wouldn't have been doable at all.

[Recidivist 1,141]

That is really surprising and disappointing. It was my PCP who suggested bariatric surgery to me. He said that, given my history of yo-yo dieting, I would likely never be able to lose and keep off a meaningful amount of weight without surgery. (I was the one who was hesitant initially.). I believe that the general consensus among doctors is that bariatric surgery prevents a range of more serious (and costly) medical issues later on and that more people should be doing it for health reasons.

I agree that you should find a new doctor!

[Circus321 58]

On 02/03/2021 at 19:04, NovaLuna said:

Oh, I've had my share of f-ed doctors over the years and that kind of reminds me of the time I went to see the neurologist in July for my dizzyness, balance issues, and my blackouts. I didn't do the glucose test because 1. I didn't want to have that much sugar and ruin my diet, and 2. I KNEW it wasn't hypoglycemia because I've had hypoglycemic incidents in the past so I KNOW that's not what it is. He asked me why I didn't do the test and I told him because I knew that's not what it was so I didn't see the point. My PCP had agreed with me because she said my labs looked normal and my symptoms, the way I described it, pointed at something else. He got in my face and said "Well you really don't want to get better then!" It pissed me off! I mentioned that I'd get a second opinion and go see my neurosurgeon instead and his response was "Well, I'm going to send a note that you didn't comply with the test for hypoglycemia and that's likely what it is so go ahead and waste HIS time." Urgh! I reported his attitude to my PCP and now she REFUSES to send any more of her patients to him! At least no one else will have to deal with that complete A$$! 😡 I still get mad whenever I think about it! 😡

So yeah, were I you, I would DEFINITELY get a new doctor and while you're at it leave a sh*tty review about your experience so that when people look him up they can find your experience and not have to go through it themselves! I enjoy leaving sh*tty reviews when doctors piss me off! Helps relieve the anger a bit so I don't give in to the urge to punch them.

I’m so sorry that happened to you. Did you eventually figure out what was wrong?
The problem with this doctor is that he’s been so great about everything in the past, he’s a really nice guy and one of my favorite doctors I’ve ever seen. But I guess nice guys with intelligence on other areas can still be ignorant in obesity problems

[Suzi_the_Q 253]

Yeah, get a new PCP ASAP. Mine was very supportive, very on the ball with it, (both of them, actually- my PCP left the clinic a month before my surgery, so I got in with a new one right before.) This guy is a jerk. I wish you the best with your surgery- you got this!

[Circus321 58]

On 02/03/2021 at 19:55, Jaelzion said:

His question about "Why aren’t you doing that already?" is so dumb. The whole point of the surgery is that it makes it so much easier to eat drastically less. I mean, I ate about 650 calories a day for the first six months after surgery. Without surgery, that wouldn't have been doable at all.

The funny thing is I HAVE done that without surgery and they called it an eating disorder and made me go to rehab to get better. So I got better, learned to love myself, and gained weight back (albeit too much) but now it feels like they’re telling me to go back to that. I was still in therapy recovering from my anorexia/bulimia and my doctor told me that I needed to try to lose weight again. I refuse to do that without surgery and the resultant metabolic shift again because I know it’ll just be harmful to my health and I’m trying to improve my health. This doctor acted like I haven’t tried literally everything else to lose weight, like removing most of my stomach came to mind before eating better and exercising 🙄

[NovaLuna 709]

2 hours ago, Circus321 said:

I’m so sorry that happened to you. Did you eventually figure out what was wrong?
The problem with this doctor is that he’s been so great about everything in the past, he’s a really nice guy and one of my favorite doctors I’ve ever seen. But I guess nice guys with intelligence on other areas can still be ignorant in obesity problems

Nope. Covid makes testing really hard. I've done physical therapy for dizzyness, did a bunch of tests, including an MRI of my brain and they came back normal, took meds for dizzyness and they didn't work... right now my PCP thinks it's either 1. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (P.O.T.S for short) which would require testing by the cardiologist and they've been sent the order no less than 5 TIMES and have yet to call back either me or my doctor or 2. a spinal Fluid leak (which would have happened from the lumbar puncture I had in 2017 after brain surgery when I got meningitis and it took the 45 minutes to get the needle in due to a back injury that is a result of muscle, tissue, and nerve damage. I have a scar on my back from that lumbar puncture. Spinal fluid leaks mimic P.O.T.S and can go unrecognized for 10 years before symptoms get bad enough to where you really take notice that something is wrong. MY PCP is leaning more toward that and I'm currently doing physical therapy so that my insurance will approve an MRI).

I'm lucky in that my PCP actually had WLS. She had VSG several years ago and her son had gastric bypass so she's a fountain of information lol. She encourages anyone who wants WLS, but doesn't press the patients or even MENTION your weight unless YOU bring it up! It was one of the things I loved about her most when I first started seeing her and I respect her so much for that.

[Sunshine0331 30]

Don’t get discouraged. It’s one man’s opinion. I have researched the gastric sleeve immensely and have had mixed reactions. I’m 3 weeks post op and it is ABSOLUTELY the BEST decision I made.

I had been considering WLS for 7 years.

I had body issues before deciding to go forward so I did see a therapist on a regular basis to deal with that.

IF YOU THINK ITS THE BEST THING FOR YOU- then make the decision based on your needs. You’re the one that lives with your buddy and your the one that knows your struggle.

WLS is NOT the easy ‘way out’ - so throw that out of your head. It’s a great opportunity to restart and live a healthier life.

Follow YOUR surgeon’s directions and DIETICIAN and you’ll be fine 🙂. Good luck!

[Circus321 58]

On 02/03/2021 at 22:37, NovaLuna said:

Nope. Covid makes testing really hard. I've done physical therapy for dizzyness, did a bunch of tests, including an MRI of my brain and they came back normal, took meds for dizzyness and they didn't work... right now my PCP thinks it's either 1. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (P.O.T.S for short) which would require testing by the cardiologist and they've been sent the order no less than 5 TIMES and have yet to call back either me or my doctor or 2. a spinal Fluid leak (which would have happened from the lumbar puncture I had in 2017 after brain surgery when I got meningitis and it took the 45 minutes to get the needle in due to a back injury that is a result of muscle, tissue, and nerve damage. I have a scar on my back from that lumbar puncture. Spinal Fluid leaks mimic P.O.T.S and can go unrecognized for 10 years before symptoms get bad enough to where you really take notice that something is wrong. MY PCP is leaning more toward that and I'm currently doing physical therapy so that my insurance will approve an MRI).

I'm lucky in that my PCP actually had WLS. She had VSG several years ago and her son had gastric bypass so she's a fountain of information lol. She encourages anyone who wants WLS, but doesn't press the patients or even MENTION your weight unless YOU bring it up! It was one of the things I loved about her most when I first started seeing her and I respect her so much for that.

I’m sorry, I hope you figure out what’s wrong. I’ve heard that POTS isn’t fun to deal with I can’t imagine a spinal fluid leak is any easier so I wish you luck with your recovery. I’m glad you have a great PCP to help you though

[Circus321 58]

On 02/04/2021 at 08:51, Sunshine0331 said:

Don’t get discouraged. It’s one man’s opinion. I have researched the gastric sleeve immensely and have had mixed reactions. I’m 3 weeks post op and it is ABSOLUTELY the BEST decision I made.

I had been considering WLS for 7 years.

I had body issues before deciding to go forward so I did see a therapist on a regular basis to deal with that.

IF YOU THINK ITS THE BEST THING FOR YOU- then make the decision based on your needs. You’re the one that lives with your buddy and your the one that knows your struggle.

WLS is NOT the easy ‘way out’ - so throw that out of your head. It’s a great opportunity to restart and live a healthier life.

Follow YOUR surgeon’s directions and DIETICIAN and you’ll be fine 🙂. Good luck!

Thanks! Congratulations on your surgery! I’m definitely still doing the surgery as I know it’ll be the best thing for me. I know it’s not the easy way out-it’s a tool and I’ll only lose weight if I put in the work afterwards, it’s just disheartening that even the best doctors still have misconceptions about it