Question:
What are some things i can tell my pcp

that will help her agree that having surgery is the best thing for my health?    — Stacy I. (posted on July 28, 2002)

July 28, 2002
Stacy, I used things like this: I am a young mother who cannot run and play with my child. I had been on Rx diet pills for 24 months out of 60. I had stress incontinence. I had joint pain of my left knee. I had severe hip pain, and my job requires being on my feet a lot. I had plantar fasciitis (causes heel spurs) which made it very hard to walk. I had high blood pressure (anxiety related, mostly). I had high triglycerides. My sister has neck pain which is from the weight pulling down on her skeleton. She also loses sensation in her lower extremities because the weight is compressing the femoral nerve. Both can lead to total disability. All of these are excellent comorbidities. I advise getting a referral from your OB/GYN and even a chiropractor if you have musculoskeletal pain. Point all these things out to your doctor in the form of a letter, and mail it to him. I think this gave mine time to read it and think about it more. In the office she is always rushed. Lay it on thick, but mostly tell them that you want to be healthy and live a longer life than the one you are destined for. Good Luck!
   — Tina B.