Question:
Why are so many doctors afraid of wls?
It seems to me that doctors are frightened of even talking about this surgery....My pcp said that she rarely ever reccomends this surgery, and that's after she has worked with a patient for 2 or 3 years on their diet? Jeez, I don't want to spend another month being obese much leass three years. Luckily, I don't need a referral for ,y insurance. I just feel sorry for those who do! — Donna S. C. (posted on February 8, 2001)
February 7, 2001
Donna - I think most PCPs are not familiar with WLS. When I first
approached my PCP he said he would give me a referral, but he wanted to
research the surgeons in the area. When I next saw him, he said he spoke
with other Doctor's who told him that the surgery was more unsuccessful
than successful. I gave him all my research from this website &
spotlighthealth.com....he was totally amazed!! He is also very
supportive!! Like I said, it is not in most PCPs area of
expertise...therefore, they rely on what they have heard....and the horror
stories....hope this helps...karan
— chance2lv
February 8, 2001
Karen-
Find another PCP that supports WLS. There are so many success stories and
if this is what you want and need your DR should support you, if not find a
Dr who will. Use this website to research Dr's in your area. Then contact
some patients who have posted good comments about the Dr you're interested
in having as your surgeon via email. You can ask these other patients who
referred them, and this way find a more supportive primary care Dr. People
do it all the time. This web-site is a cornucopia of resources to help you
do it. Good luck to you in your quest for WLS.
— laceybaby
February 8, 2001
Two answers came to mind immediately...
1) ignorance, and 2) insurance companies will often penalize doctors who
recommend expensive treatments for their patients. I really think #1 is
the more common answer. Most doctors are absolutely clueless when it comes
to the more recent advances in WLS. IMO, they've directly contributed to
morbid obesity by putting us on endless diets, amphetamines, etc., without
any regard for the maintenance statistics and dangerous consequences of
yo-yo dieting. If I sound a little angry, I guess I am, because the
medical profession has been the most instrumental in perpetuating the myth
that it's all our fault, and if we would only push back from the table...
Sorry, just had to vent :)) Love, Leslie
— Leslie F.
February 8, 2001
Donna...my PCP was thrilled and excited that I came to this decision(3 1/2
weeks postop LAP RNY down 21lbs).
— Debora H.
February 8, 2001
My PCP was very mean about it. She told me that she knew someone who had
"the surgery" (she obviously thinks there's only one) and that
person still "managed to get herself up to 300 lbs". Talk about
blaming. She said that I'd still have to change all my eating habits after
the surgery so I might as well do that now. She put me on Xenical
(blecccck, don't do it) and said "it's cheaper than surgery". I
was so mad and I was also treated badly by her office staff. Luckily I
have a doctor I saw years ago and really love, I just found out that she's
on my Insurance. Even better, I don't need a referal. Remember, doctors
don't know you or your body as well as you do, if you want to reseach
something that youre doctor is to lazy to, go for it. :)
— kcanges
February 9, 2001
I think it's because most people -- including doctors and other
"helping professionals" -- who work with the morbidly obese are
still of the opinion that fat is a moral issue. You're fat because you're
a lazy pig. You're fat because you lack the self-control to leave a crumb
of food on your plate, to push yourself away from the table, to stop eating
Ding-Dongs by the carton. You're fat because you don't exercise -- well,
DUH! When you weigh 350 pounds, it's a feat of physics merely to become
vertical, let alone do anything else. Doctors on the whole need
sensitivity training to the whole issue of obesity. Most of us are not
this way because we choose to be. Most of us are not this way because we
cannot diet -- we CAN, and most of us have done it "successfully"
time and time again. But the bottom line is, we do not fail, DIETS do. My
surgeon maintains that diet and exercise alone for the morbidly obese has a
NINETY-SEVEN PERCENT FAILURE RATE. For heaven's sake, if diets worked,
we'd all be a size four, we wouldn't need this website, and Weight Watchers
would've gone out of business decades ago. Doctors seem to be happy to
push pills, but not address real issues. My PCP initially said "no
one does this surgery anymore" -- but, when I found someone who did,
he was very supportive and gave me a referral no questions asked. I guess
the bottom line is we need to educate our physicians on what this surgery
is really for, and about.
— Cheryl Denomy
July 5, 2001
I told my psychiatrist that I was thinking of WLS and he immediately made
it clear that he was opposed to it. He didn't even ask me why I was
considering this option. He then suggested a support group with other
obese clients of his. I started seeing him because I feel that I have been
having difficulty focusing in school and he keeps asking me if I am
depressed. He also has been pushing Ritalin on me with the lure that it
can sometimes suppress appetite. I have seen him 3 times and instead of
him helping me figure out why I may be losing focus he keeps wanting me to
admit I am depressed. I know that he refuses to believe that someone my
size could possibly be somewhat stable. He obviously has preconceived
notions about fat people. I think this is the reason why some doctors are
against WLS. Not because of research into the current improvements in WLS,
but b/c first and foremost they are no different than the rest of the
population who have extreme fat prejudices. Fortunately, my pcp has had
weight issues in his past and he has been very supportive of me following
Atkins (his weightloss method)and now WLS. I think doctors need to realize
that a patient who has hundreds of pounds to lose has problems that are
very different from someone who needs to lose 10-15 lbs. These two people
can not be diagnosed and treated in the same manner. I have dieted and
failed with major consequences. Each time I regain at least an additional
10-20 lbs. I can't do it anymore. All that said, doctors who are truly
concerned about the health of their patients need to be on top of current
options and view them non-biasedly.
— Veronica A.
July 5, 2001
Time for some new docs, folks. Docs who do not know about WLS now are
behind the times. I work with a group of psychiatrists who were ALL very
supportive when I had my surgery recently. I had a primary doc last year
whom I had had for 12 years. He was reluctant and seemed to want to throw
everything negative about the surgery he could think of at me. In the end
he was supportive, but I have since changed docs anyway. This proceedure
has saved my life. I already feel better than I did for the last 2 years
pre-op and my surgery was only 6/11. I have not weighed since the 27th at
which time I had lost 29 pounds. I get so burned when I see a doc for one
problem and they try to turn into a weight issue. I know more than anyone
that I need to loose weight and I resent them charging me a fortune to tell
me that. Anywho, sorry to take up so much space - this is just a sensitive
subject to me.
— jeff P.
July 5, 2001
I found a pulmonary doctor like that. He said I would loose some weight but
be back in a year or two having gained it back. He said surgery was unsafe
and diet was the way to go... I told him 85% of diabetics are cured or
blood sugar is normal after loosing weight. He denied this was true.
Now my wife works with him at the same hospital or he would have got a real
ear beating. I also know that one of his patients is trying to get a
reversal, and we have heard from her here, since she is a member. Thats a
very sad case but very unusual.
Now I have a PLAN, in six months or so I will make a appointment and show
him how I am doing. I will look him up every year for the rest of my life,
and getting my surgeons documentation to give to this uninformed doctor. My
goal is to enlighten him:)
His bad attitude would have discouraged me completely if I hadnt been so
well informed, I want to prevent him from doing it to others. Surgery saves
peoples lives....
I hope everyone who runs into these %$# do the same, return and show them
the results.........
— bob-haller
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