Just back from the annual review and I am fuming. Was looking forward to getting some praise for once because the results of my HbA1c according to my GP was perfect and showed that the way ahead could perhaps be a little better. However, it seems that the whole appointment was used to criticise my weight. When asked if I had any concerns or ailments, I was berated for being overweight and that any and all ailments were because I was fat. In fact I was being referred for bariatric weight loss surgery !....I never asked nor do I want weight loss surgery. When explaining that I had mental health issues, acute depression, PTSD with anxiety and panic attacks and that I am not always able to deal with issues even if they are as acute as diabetes and the constant anxiety of injections etc. But she dismissed this with ''unless you are in a coma or someone has a power of attorney over you, then you are still able to make your own decisions about what you eat or do not eat'. So after this appointment I have no more idea about my diabetes and how it relates to me, no encouragement and now have a referral for bariatric operation that I didn't ask for nor will entertain.
What a bizarre thing to happen. My mind would have been reeling.
I'd suggest you have to do something, or this sort of interaction is the kind of thing that can eat away for ages, in the back of your mind, and potentially influence other parts of your diabetes care and interactions with HCPs. In your shoes, I might be inclined to either ask for another appointment, or write a letter. Whilst a face to face interaction can sometimes bring most satisfaction, writing a letter could allow you to make sure you cover all the points you want to raise, without the emotional rollercoaster that a face to face meeting would almost inevitably bring with it.
I think one of the main things I would want to understand would be why the referral was being made for bariartic surgery without any pre-consultation with yourself to ascertain how you felt about it and to help you understand what feels like a bewildering step on their part. There could, of course, be some great big misunderstanding going on here, whereby the person you met with thought you had requested it or that it had been discussed with you? I'm not saying that's what happened (how could I know?), just floating it as a potentially less destructive reason the situation could have arisen. Whilst many of us have had less than ideal interactions with medics over the years, I doubt the lady you met with was a callous, hurtful individual at heart. In my head, I can just imagine her thought process, thinking the appointment was a nightmare for a whole different set of reasons.
Once you understand the reason it might be felt appropriate for you to consider surgery, it will form a more reasonable foundation for any discussion that should take place. As others have said, for you to undergo any treatment or procedure, you are required, by law, to sign an informed consent, and it feels like you're a long way from being informed enough to consider any form of consent.
I'm not a great advocate of surgical weight loss, as I've observed one person for whom it spectacularly wasn't suitable, and she regained all the weight she lost after it. I'd say that she achieved nothing, aside from puting her body through several traumatic experiences - surgery, effective starvation, malnutrition (because of how she chose to eat post-surgery), and the the strain on her regaining the weight. That said, for many people it opens up a whole new, and healthier life. I've only added this paragraph in case you think I'm agreeing with your HCPs and their approach
I do hope you find a way forward with this, and very well done on the great HbA1c. It's such a shame you didn't get the credit you undoubtedly deserved during your appointment.
"
