Overwhelmed

I am new to this site, and I am very serious about WLS. I have an appointment with my family doctor next week, and I am going to discuss WLS with him. My issue is that my GP doesn't know anything about WLS, and the last time I brought it up to him, he asked me to go home and read a book on The South Beach Diet. I am at least 100lbs overweight,I have been to every gym in town and tried prescription meds (which were 250/mth,I have no coverage,and they're discontinued) given by my doctor to lose the weight,most I've ever lost is 30lbs. I have been over weight for almost 25 yrs, and there is a strong history of breast cancer in my family. My mom passed at 53 from cancer.

My question is.. what info should I provide to my dr about WLS? How do I go about finding OHIP funding for this? Where do I start wtih this process??

First, get a different PCP who is more knowledgeable about your conditions and has some empathy or sympathy.  How you proceed from there depends upon what type of insurance coverage you have, if any.  I don't think you are going to get any further than you have with your current physician.

Does your insurance require a referral?  If so, get the referral from the new PCP.  If not, find your own bariatric surgeon, either from this website or one of the many websites which grade the doctors and hospitals.

I can't answer the OHIP question at all.

Thanks.. I have thought bout getting a diff PCP BUT with the doctor shortage in Ontario,if you already have a dr the new dr's wont accept you as a client, so I am kind of stuck. I do not have any form of insurance or benefits so I was hoping that it could be governmentally funded. I have been researching dr's on the site, and have a couple in mind. Thanks for the info :-)

 By OHIP do you mean you are in Oregon?  Do you think you qualify for state health care?

Go to a support group meeting for a local surgeon and talk to other people there.  I would imagine they know the ins and outs of your local area and can point you in the right direction.  You don't have to pay anything to go to those SGM, at least none of the ones I've ever been to.

I personally would not bother trying to convince a PCP that WLS is a valid option for you.  I'd find a new one, one that would that support me.  Even if the new one doesn't know much about WLS, as long as he's willing to learn, that's what's important.  Your current doc could easily look up info on WLS onilne if he wanted to learn more but apparently he isn't interested.

 
(Americans, OHIP is the health insurance plan for the province of Ontario in Canada.  It's governmental in all the good and bad ways.  They do things differently up there. )

I'd say take these steps: 

1) Study all FOUR of the weight loss surgeries and decide the one you want
2) Investigate how OHIP pays for the surgery you want (the Ontario board is a great place to start)
3) Ask others in the Ontario forum how they've had their surgeries financed and approved, and for referrals to surgery-friendly PCP's in Ontario
4) Go from there

Keeping a normal BMI is important to reduce the risk of breast cancer, so I hope everything works out well for you!