Starting the Process!

Hi all! Long time lurker, first time poster. I've been thinking of pursuing surgery for about a year now, I've done a lot of research and I'm confident this will be a great tool to help me succeed. I've done Weigh****chers, Noom, Keto, Atkins. If it's a diet, I've tried it. The one hurdle I've been running into is my family doctor. He's very resistant to surgery and I'm not quite sure why. I'm 165cm and 270lbs. I have diabetes and high blood pressure. I need this to help me on my journey. I know getting a new family doctor is impossible right now. Can anyone give me any suggestions or tips on how to find a doctor that will support me in this journey, or help my doctor see what I need? Thanks in advance!

I dont think it is impossible to get a new doctor right now. Where abouts are you? In the GTA we are still doing family doctor appointments via phone or in some cases video. Even walk in clinics switched over. Where there is a will, there is a way.

I should also say I got my referral from a new family doctor who I was meeting for the first time. I went prepared though. I printed off the 17 pages of instructions I found on the Ontario website. It is written for doctors, it is a step by step guide on how to submit a referral to the bariatric clinic. I also documented my weight loss journey with weight and actions taken and dates. Writing my history with weight took 2 pages. On the top of both those pages I noted my current weight, current BMI, my health card information including date of birth and anything else he would need for the referral. He listened to my journey and accepted the (hopefully) helpful paperwork. He said he would have it completed by the end of the week (3 days). It took 5 weeks and 6 follow up calls from me before he got around to the referral. Then covid happened. But alas, be your own advocate. Be prepared. SHOW your family doctor you did your research. Make it easy for your doctor to say yes. Then follow up like s/he owes you money!

Do you an endocrinologist for your diabetes? My endocrinologist actually suggested WLS to me and help persuade my GP to do the referral. RNY can have an immediate metabolic impact that can make diabetes more manageable or even "cure" (assuming type 2) it. I went from being insulin dependent pre-op to off all diabetes meds within days of the surgery. If you have an endo maybe they can talk to your GP about it?