Question:
am i obsessing to much over my pcp visit
I have asked several questions lately asking advice on different things, well i have another question. I go see my pcp on Wednesday of next week and i was wondering if there is anything specific that i should take with me to the appoinment. I'm just really nervous because i've been struggling with my weight since i was 12 and i'm now 30 and i feel like having this surgery will help me in so many ways, i just don't want to make sure i have everything covered so that she will know that this surgery is right for me, and i feel like she won't refer me because this is my first time seeing her and she doesn't know how long i've struggled with this weight. — Stacy I. (posted on July 31, 2002)
July 31, 2002
Well I saw my PCP for the 1st time in January. I had called her office
previous to choosing her and asked if she had ever written a medical
necessity letter for weight loss surgery. They told me she did and I went
ahead and chose her. When I went to see her she told me exactly that.
That she didn't know me and this was the 1st time seeing her and that I had
no serious medical problems. But that she was going to help me document my
aches and pains etc. She sent me to physical therapy for my knees. I saw
her two months later and told her again that I still wanted the surgery.
So then she sent me to a nutritionist. I went to the nutritionist just to
get it on paper. Well it's been 7 months and I saw her yesterday. This
time I went prepared(now is when I'm going to give you advice on your
question). I took a chart with all my previous diets. I made up some
because I just couldn't remember exact dates and weights. I made a little
folder and included a letter from a weight loss camp that said I attended
there in what year. I also put in the chart that I had done Herbalife.
There is someone in my job who use to sell it so she wrote a letter for me
simply saying that i had bought the products from her. She went into the
internet and copied and pasted the logo from Herbalife to the letter. It
looked super cool. I had a chart of the diet that the nutritionist gave me
and included that. And then I also printed out some literature about the
surgery. I had paperwork on the different surgeons in the area. I went to
the website of The American Society for Bariatric Surgeons (or something
like that) and printed that out to show her that the surgeons I was looking
at belonged to this society. So I added that to my folder. Well when I
went to go see her and I showed her all my paperwork, she wrote me the
referal and said she would give me a medical necessity letter because I had
done my homework. Of course, as you can see on this website that every
situation is different. And your PCP might give it to you write off the
back. But be sure you let the PCP know that you are informed. I'm so sorry
I went on and on, but I was remembering the whole thing and couldn't stop
writing. If you would like to see my chart I can e-mail it to you.
— Jessica Hernandez
July 31, 2002
Make sure you have previous records if not already. Write her a letter
outlining you past attempts, current and past health issues emphasizing
those that are obesity related. Be prepared to explain your interpretation
of the procedure/risk/benefits/ and why she should do it for you. Above
all, print all the relevent (to you)stuff you can find about your BMI,
studies regarding obesity and (pick a disease), know who your surgeon would
be...and look like you've got a ton of paperwork to back your stuff up (do
it for real anyway for later on) and start by simply saying, "I have
been obese all of my life and I am tired of living in this body. I want to
be healthy so I am here to get a referral to see a bariatric surgeon."
Do not phrase it as a request, state it as a matter of fact.If she
hesitates unleash the troops (of facts, research, paperwork)....Good
luck..you may be surprised.
— nicole P.
July 31, 2002
Hi stacy, I too was scared to death about talking to my PCP but much to my
suprise he was very supportive. He had many surgeons to refer me to and he
had done some research papers and surgeries in his residency about 10 years
ago and has become very familiar with WLS. I really thought I'd have to go
in and educate him on the surgery but I was very wrong. He was also
impressed I was so familiar with the surgery. The point of my story is you
never know what your PCP knows about WLS, she just might suprise you. Good
Luck!
— Allison G.
July 31, 2002
Stacy I only knew my PCP a short 2 months and I wrote a personal history
and diet history for her and I brought in my family medical history, I also
went and got all my past medical history from my other doctor for her. It
seems like it is allot of stuff. it took me 2 months to put it together and
write a letter addressing my weight problem to her personally. She had no
problems writing me a letter of medical nessitie in fact I have seen my
dietcian and phych apptoinment I see a Gastic specialist for upper
endoscopy next week ans then I see the surgeon on 23, august. just follow
the instructions on this site for geting your pcp to approve you. It worked
good for me she was impressed that I did my homework.
— sheri B.
July 31, 2002
Hi there! If you look at my profile I was in the exact position you were in
a month ago. I was petrified that my PCP was going to be like "You
haven't tried hard enough!" I spent weeks reading books and studying
on the internet. I've been seeing my PCP for 3 years...I went in,took one
of my books with me and told her the research I had done. She was
thrilled-she said I was the perfect candidate for the surgery and happily
gave me a referal to a surgeon. It was that easy :) I totally understand
but you're probably just paranoid like I was. My suggestion is to just go
in as prepared as possible and relax. Now I just have to wait for the
hospital to contact me. Good luck and feel free to E-mail me if you have
any other questions or just wanna chat!
— mzcath
July 31, 2002
Being on a PPO, I could pick and choose a PCP at random. I did my homework,
and found some people around where I lived, and asked which doctors they
went to for approval. matched them with the Doc's on my PPO list, and found
several matches. I picked one, and although it took me a long time to get
my Surgery date (6 months), I got the leter of recommendation without too
much problem, at all. Because I chose a PCP friendly to the procedure.
— sbinkerd1
July 31, 2002
Forgot to mention that I never went to that PCP before, and haven't been
back since.
— sbinkerd1
July 31, 2002
I went to my pcp in january of last year. I had everything even brochures
to show him. He totally shot me down. He said I should just go on a diet.
Well, I ended up spending the extra money to get the PPO, had the surgery,
and it was the best decision of my life. I have not seen that doctor
since. Once I have lost all of my weight I will however pay him a visit to
show him how wrong he was!
— tara W.
August 1, 2002
When I first asked my doctor's, I have PCOS so my OBGYN and PCP both
monitor my health. I remember I told my OBGYN first. I was shaking so bad.
I was behind a curtain changing and I said to him... You Know what? I am
morbidly Obese! he said I know. I told him about the surgery. and he was OK
with it. He reccomeneded a surgeon. My PCP is frustrated at how long this
all takes. lol I was stressed to the max with every appointment I attended.
the surgeon, the psych, the nutrionist. I was anal. I had to make sure
everything was perfect. the surgeons office mailed me out a packet of paper
work to fill out I xeroxed it like 30 times, it took me 3 months to fill it
out. It was simple questions, I just thought that if my handwriting wasn't
NEAT enough they wouldn't approve me. SO NO I DON'T THINK YOU ARE OBSESSING
TOO MUCH!I HAVE BEEN THERE P.S. everything worked out fine!
— nicole79
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