Sweetie,

I am so sorry you're dealing with jerks. If you haven't paid cash, now is the time to get away from them. In fact, even if you have paid cash, I'd still switch doctors. You can get out from whatever hold they have over you. You can threaten to report them to the Medical Board of your state. Post online about them, every chance you get. Whatever you can think of ... including suing. That's what I'd threaten them with if they don't reimburse you.

After all, you're kinda like a girl who's just gotten engaged ... all excited about the event ... can't wait for it to happen ... doing everything you can out of sheer joy. And then ... wham! ... they hit you with their nasty selves. Sad to say that bariatric surgery is a money business and once they get you in the door, you're dust.

But it doesn't have to be that way. There are many wonderful, supportive doctors out there. You can check on this site for other doctors in your area. If you do decide to switch ... which I highly recommend ... do your homework before you pick a new doctor. Check all the sites, including lap band and gastric bypass, to see what others think about their doctor. This step is vital if you want to have a good experience.

Good luck, sweetie!

Web sites like this one were my only means of support before and now after. If it was not for all these wonderful people I would never have had surgery. I would have backed out. So keep reading and asking questions while you find a new dr. We are all here for you.

I agree...there are other doctors that do this surgery. You may not get the support from the doctor themselves but the office/center should have a support syste such as dieticians, bariatric pharmacists, a therapist you can see, coordinator who you can call with questions. I go to a great place but Ihave to let you know....my doctor is not the one who I get a lot of support from...his office staff and wt loss center is who I call.. Try having one of your family members or friends go with you thru the process....be your go to support person. My husband was/is mine. He went to all of my appointments with me and knows just as much or more than me and reminds me of timing my eating...portion sizes...protein intake. Good luck....this is a great site for support too.

My surgical weight loss center sucked! The girl that handled insurance couldn't even get the right documents faxed to the insurance company. I eventually just faxed the missing documents to the insurance company myself. Then after surgery I never saw my surgeon for follow ups - I always got stuck with some fill in doctor. In truth unfortunately most businesses today have zero customer service and suck. Bariatric surgery is a business and they are there to take your money. Don't let a crappy doctors office make you feel like giving up. Be strong and fight for your health! You got this!