Patient Gripe – Bariatric Surgery Suggestions

If you haven’t figured it out already, I’m “morbidly obese”.  As a result, medical professionals feel the need to suggest Bariatric surgery.

Okay, they don’t suggest it.  They practically demand I do it and do it now.  And they won’t take a polite: “Yes, I’ve researched it, and it is not the answer right now.”  Often once I disagree with that treatment plan, I am immediately treated as a noncompliant patient.

Here’s the deal.  I’ve met with a surgeon and I didn’t like him.  Yes, there are other surgeons but I’ve looked at my insurance and I don’t like the amount of money that will have to come out of my pocket. And that’s if it is successful.  I also don’t like what my body will probably look like when I’m done, and I’m talking about the sagging skin.  I also don’t like the idea of opening the door to more surgery.

I don’t like the mortality rate.

I don’t like the complication rate, NOR am I really thrilled with the known complications.

Much less the rarer, little know complications.

I am also a very good candidate for becoming an addicted person in another way.  Yeah, food addiction is probably a problem for me, but at the current time it is much more socially acceptable (much less job acceptable), than drug, alcohol, or even shopping addiction. 

I’ve had long conversations with several people over several different conversations who have had bariatric surgery in various forms.  While they are happy with it, at the end of the conversation, we walk away agree I’m not ready yet.

The point of this?  My doctors, especially my primary care physician know that I am a highly educated individual, know just about every facet of the diseases I’m am dealing with and know that I research everything.  Though I will admit I often take drugs on their word alone and get to figure out the diabetic side effects 3 days later.

As a patient, I’ll respect you infinitely more if you find a polite way to work it into the conversation, and then drop it when I respond intelligently in the negative.

Funny, but that works with just about every treatment plan.  Not just bariatric surgery.

What is even worse though, is when the physician who suggests it weighs about 10 pounds more than he did the last time you saw him, and he is steadily gaining weight over the years.