choosing a doctor, doctor attitudes

I see there are basically three doctors in this region that most people go to...how do you decide (and is it your decision?) which one you go to? Does anyone help you to choose, based on your individual cir****tances? I see my GP on Tuesday but I really doubt that she knows much about any of these docs or even about WLS...maybe I will be wrong. I even have a fear that she is going to discourage me from applying or even refuse to refer me...not sure why I think that except that she has always been hard on me about my weight and at the same time not much help, just telling me to eat less...I don't know what her personal philosophy about WLS is but my feeling is that she probably thinks it's unecessary and people ought to just work harder at weight loss. I'm very nervous about bringing up the subject, to be honest.

Here is some info on my personal wait times :)

Dr Savoie(Bathurst)-  does lapband, vsg, DS - Waiting list---not too bad...1 year so far for me..with promise of a fall surgery.
Dr Beausoleil(Moncton)-  does lapband, RNY, and possibly another soon - Waiting list - I have been on his list for over 3 years..and when I called was told another 4 years...s'ok..i wanted the DS anyway :)
Halifax Dr (not sure of name) - RNY, VSG, and maybe Lapband...I'm sure the NS'ers will pipe up with wait times.

Now these are wait times I have experienced...there may be more or less wait time depending on your own cir****tances.

Hi...Amary has explained what procedures each of the doctors do.  You should research them on this site and see which one you think may be best for you.  It is your decision to a certain extent.....depending on your weight,  your medical history, your age etc.  When you go to the dr, he will tell you the options and then give his opinion on which procedure is best for you.  When I went to my dr for a referral I was nervous as well thinking the same thoughts are you...that I was taking the easy way out etc.  But he surprised me and was very enthusiastic about it and had the referral sent the same day I saw him.  I am his first patient to undergo lapband and he says he's using me as his guinea pig to help him with other patients who are now starting to inquire about the procedure.   If your dr gives you a hard time,  then come armed with internet research about the *latest* information about the surgery!  Regardless of her personal philosophy about WLS, she cannot ethically refuse to refer you.  She is there to serve you, not the other way around.  I know it's hard to stand up to them because they do think they are gods at times but you must do it for your own health.  My dr reminds me all the time that I am the best judgement of what needs to happen and he's just there to facilitate it!!!  If you need a hand to hold or an advocate, reach out to someone!!! I'd be glad to go with you if you can't find your own voice.  I hope you are pleasantly surprised by her reaction!!  I'll be thinking about you on Thursday and I'm actually going to put you on my calendar! 

DON'T BE NERVOUS...BE STRONG...BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE.....if all else fails,  we'll go with you  and set her straight!!!  I mean what can she do but intimidate you and that looks bad on her, not you!  STAND STRONG!!!

(can you tell I hate dr's who treat patients in this manner!!!)

I need to agree with Casey.
 
Go to your doctor armed with information and with the wls that you want. When I asked my doctor for a referral, she didn't even know about the wls in this province . I told her the name of the doctor and gave her his phone number and fax number. All I said was that I had done some research on the gastric bypass (there was no DS around here then) and would like a referral to see Dr. B to see if I would be a candidate for the procedure.  She tried to send a referral to him but hit a snag. so she  called me the next day to say she was referring me to an endocrinologist. That was how it went back then. Only your endocrinologist could refer you to a wls. Now your family doctor can refer you to your wls of your choice and he will decide if you are a good candidate and he will send a request to medicare to see if they will cover the cost of the surgery.  I was denied the first go around. 

 Research, research, research and know what you want before you go see you family doctor. There are a dozen factors to think about before you know which one is right for you.