PCP not onboard...

So....after having thought I met my final hurdle with the dietician, I am now waiting for my PCP to complete a surgery clearance form for my surgeon. My insurance does not require me to have a letter, but the board of surgeons at the hospital does need this one page form (imagine fill in the blanks, basically H&P, with a little blurb at the bottom about being a possible bariatric surgery patient). The med asst called and left a voicemail yesterday, I was in a meeting and she called at ten til five....ugh...so when I called her back, she was of course out of the office then.

About four months ago I mentioned this journey and the PCP (weighing all of about 105lbs wet, never been overweight etc) looked at me and basically told me that this was "SO extreme" and she was sure I could lose weight doing low cal/low fat. OMG really???!!! This is NOT my first rodeo. She wouldn't even discuss surgery and wanted me to make another appointment to talk about all my 'options' before doing something so extreme.

So I researched and found out my insurance doesn't care what she thinks personally, but what my records speak of. Which is that I'm a great candidate for bariatric surgery. I have no major co-morbids, I have a long (life-time) history of morbid obesity, mutliple (seems like hundreds) attempts at weight loss with multiple types.

So here I am with this woman as my road block. I'm going to try not to totally take the med assistant out when she calls me back and ask for the Dr. directly. I will not be put off and I will have my letter by weeks end if I have to go down there and camp out.

I did ask the insurance if my gynocologist could sign off. He is totally onboard with it and has known me for way longer then this pcp. If they say its OK, then I'll just go through him. I see him tomorrow for a hysteroscopy and D&C....

Thanks for the ear...just frustrated and ticked off that after everything I have freaking pcp who won't do what I NEED out of biassed I am sure.

Ugh! That sucks. My crazy (EX) PCP wrote on my records that I asked her to lie about doing nutritional counseling with them. Which I never did! I did nutritional counseling through the hospitals bariatric program. Why the hell would I lie about that? Gah. Doctors are people too, which I am trying to remind myself on a daily basis. Meaning, sometimes people are jerks. I hope your doctor bites the bullet and does this for you!

Hi Julie,

My PCP did not want me to do this either.  He also said if I jus****ched what I ate and exercised I could lose the weight.

SO, I just left his office thinking, OK maybe this is my sign that I should not have the surgery.  So I really worked my butt off for a year doing what he wanted me to do.  Also doing Weigh****chers and the like.

FInally I just started doing my research.  Gathered all my info, went to support group meetings, seminars, reading.  You name it I did it.

I went back to him with a letter already typed up and ready for him to sign and told him, my mind was made up he could either go along with me and I would stay with him or I move on and get a new PCP.  He asked me tons of questions, looked over my notebook, told me to give him a few days.

He called me the next day and said he had the paperwork ready for me to pick up and that if I needed him for anything else, he was there for me.  He liked the fact that I could answer his questions and educate him a bit.  I also told him that I expected him to get more familiar with it since he is my PCP and he should be aware of any problems.

So fast forward a year and a half and he is still amazed at the changes in my health. 

My insurance required the letter from my PCP so I had to fight for it.  Glad I did it and we are both the better for it.

Good Luck to you

Get a new PCP! You need to have one on your side!

Fire this ignorant fool TODAY and get a new PCP.  If she doesn't have the sense to know the very best treatment available to cure you of morbid obesity, then she will not serve you well in your life as a post-op. You need a new PCP anyway.

 If you like her except for this issue, why not take that app't to talk about other options and then show her your weight loss attempts history.  Maybe if she sees that you have tried in the past, then she will be more willing to help you. If she isn't then find a new PCP.

Good luck
Catnip

I believe most insurance companies allow you to use a ob/gyn doctor as a PCP.  If so, that would be a simple answer for your problem.

Get a new pcp immediately. My pcp said the ds was not natural and a big mistake. This was after I did it. I flatly asked him if he knew anyone w ds, he said no, I said I have it and its fantastic. Then I fired him.

Thanks all!  I set up an appointment for Monday and will go in armed with info to give her. I will leave with my H&P and her signature or I won't be back. =) It's so nice to vent to folks who understand! Thank you!

Fire  the PCP and get another doctor to sign your paperwork.  She's taking up too much of your
time and life.