Has anyone here had their doctor tell you that you should consider Gastric Bypass Surgery or Lap Band surgery?

I went to see the sleep doctor(I have severe sleep apnea) last week for a check-up and he told me I should consider weightloss surgery. I said no way to Gastric Bypass surgery as my friend had that done and passed away from complications. I was looking into Lap Band surgery and it sounds good but I've read that it's not covered under OHIP in Ontario Canada.

Probably not the best story, but every doctor I've been to in the last 3 years has recommended it for me. I go in for a GYN, you should get the bypass. Ear infection...get the by pass, have a cold with 101 temp....get the bypass. I am beginning to think it is the started response to anyone over 300+. None of them check blood or anything else, just looked at me saw my weight and said you need the bypass. But that is just my experience. Before gastric bypass and thr lapband became popular it was more about healthy eating and the standard eat 1200 calories a day, which I'm not doing either LOL.

Also whatever you deiced make sure it is what you want and just don't take the stock answer.

Anyway good luck.

I've had a doctor ask me if I would consider it. Both my parents had it done last year, and they look great, but my gut told me it wasn't for me. I know in my heart that I can do it myself, with out any surgeries. The thought of never having a glass of wine again..... Well, lets not go there....

I've never had any doctor say that to me, but I think that's mainly because of my age. (I'm only 20!) Hopefully, by the time the doctors would start 'reccommending' it, I'll be smaller...lol.

I've never had a doctor recommend weight loss surgery to me. I was 300 lbs or above since age 14 until age 29. So I had plenty of chances for doctors to recommend it to me

Maybe because I was otherwise healthy? I'm not sure.

I had a doctor recommend it about 10 years ago back before they really were doing a lot of them. There was no way I was going to do it then. I never had another one suggest it, even when I was 600 lbs. I have no idea why. Maybe they knew my insurance wouldn't have paid for it, so no point in discussing it.

Gastric Bypass seems really scary to me. Someone I worked with had the surgery and died. It was so sad. I've never had a doctor suggest it to me - they tell me to exercise and eat better.

It hasn't happened to me. I have been very lucky to find two great doctors. My favorite story is when I went in several visits ago and told my dr. that my knees were hurting, she did a test for lyme disease. She could have easily said "well of course your knees hurt, you're 350 pounds!" but instead she looked past the weight. I didn't have lyme, but what if I had and another dr. just assumed that it was from being fat? If your doctor can't see past your weight, then it is time to find a new doctor.

Obie - If you want to travel out to New Rochelle, then I can recommend a great doctor. Also a gyn if you can get to White Plains.

Yes. And I was researching the lap band when I found this forum. I decided to try to lose it myself. I started The south beach diet on March 19. So, far I've lost 18 and a half pounds. I starting to feel like I can do this.

I have never been approached by the doctor to have weight loss surgery of any kind but that just maybe that it is not quite so popular (but it is rapidly on the increase I may add) here in the UK.

Like Nancy (NotTheCheat) I agree that if your doctor can not see past your weight it is time to change. I did have one such doctor once say to me that it was my weight (was about 270+ at the time) that was causing "pins and needles", numbness and clumsiness and promptly sent me to a dietian. I was not happy with his diagnosis ( I was a psychiatric nurse at this time so did have a little medical knowledge) so went to see another doctor fortunely he saw past the weight and promptly sent me to the neurologist were subsquently I was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis).

purpleorc

If I ever met you I owe you a hug. I've been going through Dr after Dr since I moved back to NY. Could you PM it to me?

I have had a doctor tell me to get the surgery. I had an aunt who had gotten it and died later of suspicious reasons, so I just couldn't consider it. And now I am doing great! I dont think I would ever get the surgery unless I was in dire straights.

Well, I have had my Dr. recommend it to me and I am on the list for surgery. I am having so many problems with my health that are weight related: sleep apnea, high blood pressure, pre diabetic. I would never ever have considered it because I always thought it the easy way out. I have since been a diet angel from September 2006 to March 2007. I exercised at least 60 minutes every single day and followed the WW diet 100% never once cheating and I have only lost 19 pounds. I would loose like 7 pounds one week and then the next 3 weeks gain 2 pounds each week unitl I was really only down 1 pound. I would repeat this cycle until I finally asked my Dr. to help me. She suggested I think about it after running many tests on my and seeing I am only .1 away from being a diabetic. I went and found that to have surgery in the place I want to have surgery at I will need to loose 80 pounds. Well how could I loose any weight if I have given it my all. They have put me on a liquid diet. This is my second week on the diet and my first week I lost 13.5 pounds. I have been asked many times if I loose the weight on the liquid diet why don't I just stick with it until I reach goal. There are a few reasons. First, I can't stay on this diet of not eating for years. I just know I can't. I like to eat. Second I am looking at weight loss surgery as a tool to help me not only loose the weight but to keep the weight off. I have total faith in myself that I can loose weight but every time I go off a diet I gain more weight than what I lost. With the surgery I will be able to loose weight and hopefully it will help me to keep it off. I know there are many people that have gained all their weight back after WLS but I also know I need to get healthy and for me this is the very best way I can think of. I don't want to be in so much pain anymore just from walking from the chair to the restroom etc.

I hope that this helps you with your decision. I am not by any way an advocate of surgery. I wish I could loose weight on my own and keep it off. I no longer feel like surgery is the easy way out either. I have done tons of research on it and read every book that I can get my hands on. It is going to be a hard road but, so is weighing almost 500 pounds.

Blessings to you all,
Annie

I've never had anyone recommend it to me, but I considered it on my own, and decided against it. I had to laugh at Holdensmom's comments! That's EXACTLY what kept me from considering it further...lol! Well, not ONLY that...there were other factors. But I really felt like I could do this on my own. Maybe I'll change my mind at some point, but for now it's just not for me.