Did your doctor recommed this or did you just decide

[karibensea 7]

You needed to do something to help keep you alive?

I found my doctor, and decided to do this surgery. No doctor recommeded that I do it.

What about you?

[Sarah.R 2]

For me a doctor actually did recommend it, I hadn't even contemplated weight loss surgery before and then in october 07 my doctor told me that I might be looking at a transplant in 5-10 years and that I should consider the lap band, heard of it before then but never thought I would ever be able to afford it. He then said I should maybe write to my local government and see if they could fund it and tell them, I was 19, severly overweight and had severe co morbidities. Thought about it a little but knew that the government wouldn't do crap, then in january 08 I got an appointment slip for the endocrine part of my hospital and they said that there was a surgeon in the hospital that did it and they would get me an appointment with it. Then I saw the surgeon in June 08 and signed the papers to say I wanted surgery and was screwed around for over a year and then had surgery this month =) If it wasn't for my respiratory doctor I never would have considered having the lap band, I just never thought that I was that big and needed it, but now I'm glad I have it, I don't want to die young and this is going to help me in the long run.

[Dana36 0]

I've decided on my own. I have thought about it on and off for a while, but earlier this year, it just kind of felt like the right time to seriously start looking into it.

[RobinAnn 2]

I decided on my own. I'm self-pay, have my surgery date in June and am seeing my PCP tomorrow and telling her what I'm up to. (Kind of bass-ackwards but I hope she supports me. I really have no clue what her opinion will be.)

[ParrotheadCathy 0]

My internist is a top-ranked doctor in my city (Atlanta, GA). Because I suffered Type II Diabetes, among other things, as a result of my weight, I see him at least every three months. And we'd had MANY talks about my weight. I'd lost and regained plenty while under his care. I had decided that I thought this surgey was what I needed. So I brought it up with him. He talked to me for quite a while, told me everything he could about the surgery. discussed a couple of different doctors with me and told me he thought I was making a strong positive move towards bettering my health and that he thought I was an ideal candidate. I'm not sure I would have gone forward with this if he'd said not to do it. But I'm so glad I did it and I'm so glad to have his support in addition to that of my surgeon and his staff.

[Jachut 487]

I decided myself. I saw my GP and told him just that I wanted a referral to a lapband surgeon.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I have wanted the band since 2002 but my insurance didn't cover it, my doc wasn't on board, and I would just talk myself back out of it. This year my doc and the insurance company finally came around! So my doc recommended it, but about 7 years after I first wanted it on my own anyway.

[MelissaM82 0]

I am also a self pay person. Surgery date 6/5,

Still have yet to tell my family doctor, lmao. I figure it like this, For years he has seen me struggle with my weight. Many of "diet pills" he has put me on, my cholesterol is nutty, sugar is on it's way to being crappy, I'm always in constant pain and *my children* deserve a Mother who can carry herself in pride without being winded or hunched over because she's about to have a heart attack!

I want to know why the hell hasn't he mentioned the lap band?!!!?

If he doesn't like it, tough crap for him ... that's one thing I don't have to pay for ... Insurance covers plenty of other family practitioners. :smile:

[JENNIFER7375 3]

i made the decision and did all my own research. but the PA in my doctors office was very helpful for me once i made the decision. my insurance paid for most of mine thank goodness. and our guidelines werent as strict for doctor visits. i needed 6 visits to my PCP like most other people but mine were collective visits over the last 2yrs as opposed to 6 consecutive months of visits. so any visit id discussed my weight in the previous 2 yrs counted toward my 6. the PA was very helpful in pulling my old records and filling out all my monthly visit forms

[elcee 3,341]

I went to my GP and said I wanted to be referred for a lapband and he refused! Said I wasn't big enough and that the risks outweighed the benefits. Then in the next breath he told me I needed to lose weight, bring my cholesterol down etc. What the @ does he think I have been trying to do all my life? Admittedly he's a new Dr as I moved last year but that is beside the point.

So I made the appointment to see a surgeon myself.

[paisleypea 1]

I brought it up with my PCP a couple/three years ago and he said I couldn't do it because 1) wasn't big enough, 2) no co-morbidities. and besides that I'd be right back there again afterwards unless I figured out WHY I was fat to begin with.

I started up with a counselor (who was WORTHLESS! I did not need behavior modification - I needed my head to know why I went to food to begin with! grrrrr)

anyway - i switched doctors and decided this fall to bring it up. i'd been researching it and asking someone who had it all about it. He was super supportive and wrote me out a referral right then.

Unfortunately - the local surgeon he referred me to required the 6-month dr. supervised diet to be with PCP not the surgeon's office. So - back to PCP and 6 months - with drugs.

Long story - but I'm going with an out-of-town surgeon, highly rated, and am on board for surgery in June. hooray!

my two cents - if you research this and look into it and the PCP doesn't support you ------ find another one!

[BillOh 13]

I am also a self pay person. Surgery date 6/5,

Still have yet to tell my family doctor, :smile:

I'm glad the OP started this interesting thread. I couldn't have gotten away with not telling my family doctor. I didn't need a referral, but I did have to get a weight history from my doctor showing I was obese for more than 5 years.

[BillOh 13]

My internist is a top-ranked doctor in my city (Atlanta, GA). Because I suffered Type II Diabetes, among other things, as a result of my weight, I see him at least every three months. And we'd had MANY talks about my weight.

Sounds like we are both lucky to have good doctors, sure made this process easier.

[TSB 1]

I toyed with the idea for 2 or 3 years but never pursued it because my BMI was not at 40, and until this year, I didn't really have any health issues. I now have high cholesterol. My PCP actually asked me if I had ever considered WLS at my physical in January. I told her I had, but did not think that I would qualify. She suggested making a referral and thought that I had a good chance of qualifying.

[BillOh 13]

I toyed with the idea for 2 or 3 years but never pursued it because my BMI was not at 40,.

My insurance company and hospital requires a BMI of 35 with certain morbidities. My doctor did tell me I was the smallest person he ever worked on. But I'm so glad I did it. I'm totally off blood pressure medicine and am almost cured (as of 17 pound ago) of my sleep apnea.