I think that my Doctor is making me do unnecessary procedures...HELP!!!!

I am pre-op for RNY. I used to be a smoker but I quit 2 months ago. My insurance does not require anything else from me. I am on no medications except birth control. My doctor is requesting a scope and possible biopsy to make sure that I do not have ulcers on my lungs. I called other doctors and this is not common with them.

Has your doctor requested this from any of you? I told him that he can test me for smoking but I didn't think that he would go this far. If this is common please let me know.

Thank you for your help.

It sounds like your doctor has seen issues arise from former smokers and is being careful. I think it is a good thing that he is being thorough. Why are you so against the testing?

I am against doing anything involving anesthesia, missed work and cutting my lungs that is medically unnecessary. From what I am learning it is not necessary or common to have this done. This is why I need to know if anyone else has been through this.

If this is preventative care or beneficial I would love to hear that too.

If it was me I would have the tests done. If a doctor/surgeon is even questioning there might be something there that would impeded him doing a successful surgery I would be hopping up on that table stat.

Generally scopes are not done under GA but conscious sedation, slightly different. The biopsy sample they take is minuscule. It may not be "common" but its common if the surgeon is questioning an internal issue/problem. Would you not want to go into having a major surgery knowing everything is fine versus "what if there is an ulcer when he gets in there?" I full appreciate if you are having anxiety over this so do your research on the procedures, healing time, time off work if needed, but me personally I would have it done, the whole "better to be safe than sorry," but that's just me.

Best of Luck

What Daisy said.

Insurance companies have their rwquirements, and surgeons have some of their own. I've seen them require all sorts of things. We may see them as unnecessary, but obviously the surgeon does not.

I would ask what else he will require from you. If this is it, I would do it.

Never heard of such a thing. Although I haven't smoked since 1989.

I could understand him doing a scope on your stomach to check for ulcers (a known side effect of smoking and a greater possibility in a smoker after RNY) but I've never hear of a bronchoscope before RNY, it's usually done if cancer or tumour is suspected from an x-ray. Weird.

Personally, I wouldn't allow an invasive procedure until he proved it was clinically necessary. He owes you a good explanation/reason.

An endo fine. A bronch is completely out of left field.

A lung ulcer? Do you mean possibly lung abscess? Are you sure he doesn't mean a scope to check for stomach ulcers?

You might want to call and check again about what he wants. Also, insurance will NOT pay for anything not medically necessary, end of story.

Ceci

Endoscopy is common, sometimes includes biopsies ....requiring patients to quit smoking is common, have never heard of a lung scope before.

I would have another conversation with him concerning it, reality is, if you want to use this surgeon, in the end you need to do what he requires. If you feel strongly against it then you need to find another surgeon.