Question:
How can I convince my PCP that I need WLS?

My PCP wasn't too thrilled when I first mentioned the possibility of WLS. I have a BMI of 55 and have been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, hypertension, and moderate sleep apnea. Up until this past year my weight hasn't given me many health problems, but things are changing and I'm no longer happy with how I feel or my quality of life. I'm convinced WLS is the answer I've been searching for but how do I convince my PCP?    — Debbie M. (posted on August 31, 1999)

August 31, 1999
Do your research, hit your PCP with facts ... tell them, do not ask them for a referral to a good bariatric surgeon. Remember that you hire your PCP to do a job for you, they are not God, they work for you. If he has medical reasons for opposing the surgery, then think about them and be open with the surgeon about them. A good surgeon will not do a surgery on you that will put you in danger, but you should not be held back from exploring the WLS just because of a PCP's opinion.
   — Mary Anne M.

August 31, 1999
e-mail me at [email protected]..... I had to convince my pcp..and boy did I..I started all this at the end of July and my surgery is this coming Friday (09/03/99)...so I know it can be done...just don't take no for an answer...
   — pam.leach

August 31, 1999
Gather all the info you can to present to your PCP, including his facts - back at him! With the problems you currently have, you are in danger of losing your life without the surgery. When I first broached this subject with my PCP, he was reluctant, becaue it is so medically drastic from his point of view. He also does not have a weight problem! But now that he has known me for some time, he sees my point, and I see the surgeon for the first consult - tomorrow! I guess I had to prove to him that I was serious, and that "just eating 1,000 calories a day" was not possible for me, or I wouldn't be so heavy now. Good luck! We all wish you well. Please keep us posted!
   — Alice G.

August 31, 1999
My PCP wasn't up to the idea at all. Luckily, however, I did not need a referral for my insurance. The best you can do is gather all the information you can to give to him/her and hope they will read it. If that does not work and they refuse to assist you, find a new PCP. And don't give up.
   — dboat

September 1, 1999
Get a copy of the NIH consensus guidelines from the internet and send it to him. By the way I hope you are younger than 55, which is the cutoff for most surgeons. Congestive heart failure is the most significant risk factor for perioperative death, so your PCP probably is right to be 'concerned' and skeptical.
   — Bruce B.

September 1, 1999
If you absolutely cannot convince your PCP to support you in your quest for health, SWITCH DOCTORS. Find other people in your area with the same insurance, (a good place to look for them is on this website), and try one of the docs they used. Get our your insurance provider list and call around. Also check with any bariatric centers in your area to find a doctor in your plan who is supportive and has referred other patients for WLS. If you're really committed to your present physician, switch back to him/her after you get the referral from the new PCP (and you're confident the surgery is a sure thing). If you want this surgery and you're ready for it, GO for it. It's YOUR life you're saving.
   — Julie K.