Can A Surgeon Deny Me The Sleeve?

[CAM1989 2]

Hi all,

This is my first time posting on here but I have a really important question. Where any of you pressured into the lap band instead of the sleeve? I am in a pre-op program for surgery and during their weekly meeting the surgeon said he didn't want me to get the sleeve and rather for me to get a lap band. I am very uncomfortable with the thought of a foreign object in my body forever, especially after reading some horror stories that come along with it.

I guess my question is can a doctor tell me you either get the lap band or nothing at all? His concern was that if I get pregnant one day since I'm only 22 that at least with the lap band they can take the liquid out of the band. I understand his concern but after looking through this website I see that many women have children after having this surgery. I just don't want to feel pressured to get something I don't want. If anything happens to me because of surgery I can live with it if it was the surgery I chose but I couldn't if it was a type of surgery I was pressured into. It's to the point that if he says I can't have the sleeve I won't have surgery at all.

Has this happened to anybody else out there? Please help!!!!!!

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

:welcome: HI CAM

I don't think ANY dr. can tell you what surgery you should have or should not have. Patients have rights - and no one can go against your will.

I wouldn't even listen to anything the dr. told you - I would say "GOOD BYE".

If you don't want the lapband, fine, the dr. can give his opinion, but once you've made it clear what you want, or don't want - that should be it. Fine he explained his reasoning, but that should be the end of it.

I feel he's being quite argumentative and you should find a dr. you do not feel pressured by and that you relate with.

Now thats MY opinion :regular_smile:

kathy

[Bedhead 158]

I'm still in my child bearing years and plan to have more children. My surgeon AND my OBGYN agree that the sleeve is a perfect WLS for those who plan on having children. Imagine a pregnancy with a foreign object in your body! Pregnancy is hard enough without having that additional issue of worrying about the band shifting and twisting and turning. Also- if they remove the saline from the band during your pregnancy- you will immediately go back to eating like crazy (trust me on this, pregnancy hormones after the first trimester make you hungrier than you have ever been in your entire life!!!).

I can't tell YOU what YOU should do- but I am in much the same position as you and have decided with no doubts whatsoever that the sleeve is right for me and my goal of having more children!

[MINI-Me 196]

Definitely do not go with a surgeon that will not listen to you. Of course, he can explain his reasons and refuse a certain surgery based on his medical background and experiences. But, don't let anyone force you into a surgery you don't want.

My surgeon said that based on my BMI, I was an ideal candidate for a band. When I explained my reasons for not having a band, and wanting VSG, he listened and agreed that the sleeve was the best option for me.

Just be willing to have a frank discussion and feel free to move on if you and the doctor do not see "band to sleeve".

[CAM1989 2]

Thank you all so much! This really had me worried, I hate feeling pressured to do something I don't want to do.

[SecretStarr82 4]

Thats funny because my sergeon told me he did not like the band! My BMI is 40 and he actually wanted me to have the bypass because of the lack of long term studies on the sleeve. I told him my veiw point on the bypass and not wanting to be "rewired"... I said that the sleeve would be good because of my LOW bmi...LOL I have a low bmi (yeah right)!

[CAM1989 2]

I think my surgeon is so Hell bent on the band because he was the first surgeon to do it in my state. People don't like to admit defeat and if you look at all the people who have had issues with the band it is definitely defeat.

[andersonlj 32]

When I attended my first informative session with a weight loss surgeon they were really only pushing 2 alternatives. The lapband and the bypass. I knew that there were too many things that I had read about the bypass that I knew that was not for me. So they told me that the sleeve would be my answer. Well after 2 years and 90 pounds down with 90 pounds still to go and at a stall for over 8 months my doctor said to me. "Well with the amount of weight you had to lose you should have had the sleeve in the first place." I wanted to reach out and knock him off of his chair. Like what the He**. I decided to persue the sleeve only to be told by my insurance that they would not cover it as I had such good success with the lapband.

Well I still had 90 pounds to shed and they wanted almost $40,000 to removed the band and then a month later to go in and do the sleeve. Well I do not have that kind of money so that was out of the questions. A friend of my brothers who lives in California had been deined by her insurance as well and had just returned from Tijuana. I got her number and spoke to her several times about her experiences in Tijuana and her surgery. She was doing great and was not having any problems.

I checked into it and decided to have surgery in tijuana with Dr F Garcia. It has been the best decision of my life as I am doing great, feeling great, have had not problems and I am down 30 pounds in a month. I would say that it depends on how much weight you have to lose if the band will work for you. in my personal opinion if you have 90 or more pounds to lose then you should be looking at the sleeve and not the band.

Oh and another thing about the band is the constant adjustment of the Water in the band and the regular vomiting that I had with the band. Since having the sleeve I have not had a single episode of vomiting..........HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Shellyac 22]

If you current doctor doesn't agree with the procedure you want to have switch to another one if possible, that's what I ended up doing. In fact I think I ended up with a better procedure (band with plication) because of my original doctor's doubt

[Lisa :) 231]

I agree....find a another surgeon. If he's against the sleeve then that might indicate that he hasn't done very many....and you want a surgeon that is an experienced sleeve surgeon!!!

Good Luck!!!