Anyone's primary doctor was against the operation?

[Starky 1]

My primary doctor tells me constantly that I shouldn't have the operation because of all the bad side effects it can give me long term. I can do the operation privately without a referral but I am still concerned because of his opinion.

I suffer from a lot of pain due to GERD and taking Omeprazole for it. But I am sick of it and it doesn't help me 100%. I am sick of nights with so much pain that I can't sleep.

[Sunnyway 345]

Your doctor is way behind the times on WLS. What other out-of-date ideas does he have? You may want to find a new primary care physician. If not, you could refer him to some reading material.

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[ColieCallwell 129]

Almost everyone I talked to pre-WLS was against it. I asked my surgeon about the long term effects, I was concerned the surgery and the possible malnutrition would be detrimental to my long term health. Her response was that the long term side effects of being obese were much more dangerous. I went ahead with the surgery and am SO happy that I did. Do your own research, read as many books as you can and make your decision. A lot of doctors have their own opinions without having done research.

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[ShoppGirl 5,072]

If you are really concerned about his opinion I would ask follow up questions. Does he know of people with these bad side effects that had the operation you are considering in the recent past? Has he researched the statistical date of these bad side effects to see how often that does happen with recent surgeries? I could Go on but the most important thing is to see if the information he is referring to is from a recent surgery because back in the day WLS was risky but now it is not nearly as risky. He may be referring to people who had the surgery years ago.

[vikingbeast 987]

If you have GERD now, then you should opt for a gastric bypass (Roux-en-Y, always abbreviated RNY here). It's literally the solution for GERD and sometimes when vertical gastric sleeve (VSG) patients get GERD post-op, they revise the surgery to RNY.

So let me ask you this: what's worse for your health? Having to monitor your blood levels of Vitamins and supplement, or being obese and developing comorbidities?

You'll find a LOT of people think that surgery is somehow a way of "cheating". Don't listen to those idiots, who've never looked into it.

[BeagleMom83 16]

My Primary is against it and I flat out asked him to recommend a colleague who was more compatible with me. I now see another doctor within the practice (who I had seen previously for sick visits, etc.) so not someone 100% new to me.

[gabbykittyvsg 184]

The primary doc I had at the time of my vsg was totally against it, at first but wasn't supportive either. I saw her in the hallway at the hospital the day after surgery and she said"you know you didn't really need the surgery".

I'm not sure what my current primary thinks about my upcoming surgery but I'll find out when I go in for my pre-op physical in 2 weeks. This surgery (conversion to bypass) is necessary because of damage done by reflux so she can't really say much. I had another endoscopy done yesterday and the report noted the need for surgical intervention to fix the reflux.

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[huskymama 149]

Mine was against it but been super supportive since i got it

[lizonaplane 1,613]

My PCP was the one who referred me. She actually tried to refer me years ago, and said I bit her head off at the time. Most doctors get very little information on nutrition and weight during medical school so they just tell you "eat less and exercise more" but have very little clue how ineffective that is once people are seriously overweight.

I don't recommend trying to "educate" or provide reading material to your doctor, or even challenging them. Usually it will not end well. I would TRY to find another doctor, although it's really hard right now since the pandemic. I had to find a new doctor because mine is retiring and the first one I found who said she's "accepting new patients" doesn't have any openings until 2023!

Maybe you can ask your surgeon to refer you to a PCP who is supportive?

[You Are My Sunshine 85]

Mine was against it years ago when I asked, but now seems to at least be neutral. She said she has another patient who has had the surgery and is happy about it, and has lost weight. I think you yourself need to decide if you are going to have the surgery, and if so - I'd find a primary that supports and understands wls.

[Esi 179]

One of my doctors recommended it. Before that, I thought it was only for super obese people. I wonder if some doctors also think this way.

I have a family member who is a doctor, and although she was not against the surgery, she said that she has had many patients regain weight. To me, this was a warning not to let myself be one of them.

I ran it by two of my other doctors, and they were both supportive. Funny enough, I had brought it up to one of them on a whim several years prior, and was discouraged from looking into it because my BMI was on the lower end, and insurance would not cover it likely.

In the end, you have to do what is best for you. Good luck!

[Kia kaha 35]

The first GP I talked to was against surgery, she said that it didn’t address the psychological issues of overeating and if I eat emotionally it would be extremely hard for me to cope with my emotions afterwards. She recommended a ‘health coach’ and Keto.

Roll forward a year, couldn’t find a qualified health coach, lost weight with keto and realised that it’s not sustainable. I have at this point nearly put back all the weight I lost last year. Spoke to another GP who I know is diabetic himself, he said absolutely , surgery is the only way to lose weight permanently, he gave me a referral.

As a postscript I saw GP. Number one in the car park, she is a lovely human, but you couldn’t fail to notice that her own bmi had shot up over the last year, maybe she shouldn’t heed her own best advice.

[gabbykittyvsg 184]

I saw my doc this week for a pre op physical and she couldn't be more excited for my revision to bypass What a big contrast to the doc I had when I had the sleeve.

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