Part 3 of My Weightloss Journey- Struggling Through The Bariatric Pre-Surgery Medical Clearances
As I discussed in the previous installment, The Road to Bariatric Surgery — Full of Potholes, there was a laundry list of requirements to qualify for weight loss surgery.
This installment will explain my navigation through the medical clearance requirements. I needed clearance from my primary physician, cardiologist, and a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker.
I had been a patient of my primary physician for 13 years. He was thoroughly familiar with my weight issues, but unlike every other primary physician I had seen over the years, he never nagged or humiliated me about my weight. That is the reason I continued to see him. He understood how difficult it was for me to lose weight, and he always let me bring up the subject if I chose to do so.
Neither one of us had ever discussed weight loss surgery. Ever. So, I can still see the look of shock on his face when, during a regular appointment at the end of 2018, I told him that 2019 was going to be the year I made the decision as to whether to undergo weight loss surgery. It was only then that he encouraged me to do so. Given my reasonably decent health at the time, and “young” age, (He’s a geriatric specialist, so my age of 70 at that…
