Weight loss procedures gain popularity

[dArKeR]

Milwaukee-area hospitals double bariatric surgeries

As obesity reaches epidemic proportions in the United States, Milwaukee-area hospitals report a dramatic increase in patients undergoing what doctors call the “weight-loss program of last resort” — bariatric surgery.


THE STOMACH-SHRINKING procedure is meant only for extremely obese people who are at a severely high risk of developing serious health problems. Nevertheless, demand is soaring as hospitals and physicians report that more people are morbidly obese, more physicians want to do the surgery, more hospitals are opening programs and improved technology has made bariatric surgery less formidable to patients.
In many cases, private insurance plans are covering the surgery.

http://msnbc.com/news/982594.asp?0cv=CB20

I think there's more here than meets the eye. The American society, government, education, future, life, God, Earth... Something is wrong when the solution is 'Don't bother me just cut it off.'

[Malva Zebrina]

1. I am really sorry that people must resort to this

what is wrong here with out attitudes toward eating and toward nutrition? I really am sorry that people need to resort to such drastic measures and do not have the necessary resources to understand how to eat properly. I am really sorry for this-- poor people

[Le Taz Hot]

2. I have a friend who has had this done

She was morbidly obese and she had it done a year ago. The problem is (among many) that she never changed her eating habits. After you have the surgery, you're supposed to eat SMALL amounts several times a day but only a few ounces at a time. After a year, she's still eating several times a day (every 30 to 45 minutes) but they're full portions. In essence, what has happened is that her stomach has stretched out where she can eat almost as much as she could before. Though she's lost a lot of weight, she's reached a plateau. She never made the life changes necessary for this surgery to work and if she would have done that in the first place, she probably wouldn't have needed the surgery.

[ikojo]

5. Isn't psychotherapy as well as nutritional therapy

supposed to be a part of the overall treatment plan following surgery?

I work for an insurance company and have seen some of the claims for people who have had this surgery. It is very risky indeed. Not all come through it easily and without A LOT of complications.

Alas, this surgery is not only done on adults. There are some doctors who want to do it on kids in their early teens.

A member of the one of the premier restaurant families here in St Louis had this procedure done and died of a pulmonary embolism. That is one of the primary complications and it can kill.

Do we hate and loath fat people so much that people are willing to risk their very lives and have surgery?
What a toxic culture we have created.

[MaineDem]

3. I don't like this trend at all

It's all part of the "instant gratification" theme so prevalent lately.

None of us gain weight overnight and it's ludicrous to think one can lose it overnight. As the poster above said, if the person doesn't learn to eat properly all the surgery in the world isn't going to help.

I'm sorry to see people like Al Roker pushing this weight-loss surgery. It kills me to see doctors willing to perform the surgery on KIDS!

I've been losing weight since March of 2002. So far, I've lost 133 pounds. Yes, it's slow and frustrating at times but it's steady and I'm healthy. I'm not looking for congratulations or anything like that; I'm just saying that if I can do it then I know it's possible to lose weight without surgery, pills, or giving up anything. It's all about learning - portion sizes, balanced meals, good choices.

I hope this idea of surgery to correct obesity doesn't become more available. It's sad.

[bicentennial_baby]

4. But some people do need it

My brother in law had to have it because he had a heart attack at age 28, ballooned to over 400 lbs, and then developed sleep apnea so severe that he fell asleep while driving and crashed the car with his 5 year old daughter in it. If he had'nt had the surgery, he might very well be dead today.

[ikojo]

6. One news story I read on my workplace Intranet site said that

for many hospitals bariatric surgery is taking the place of cardiac surgery because they can make A LOT of money in short order.


As usual it's all about the Benjamins people!

[grasswire]

8. there's something newer

A new device sort of like a pacemaker that can be implanted with bandaid surgery. It sends an electronic signal to the stomach that reduces the appetite. It takes an hour, and there's no hospitalization and no side effects. It's about the size of a silver dollar. It's already available in Europe and being tested in the U.S.

[Samurai_Writer]

7. I know SIX people...

at my place of work who have had this surgery within the last six months. All of them were severely obese, and young (mid 30s or youngers), with serious health problems. I fall into the weight category that I *could* have this done (I'm 5'10" and 278#), but will never do so. First of all, I have no serious health problems. Secondly, I am perfectly happy the way I am. I gained most of my weight in a car accident that left me bedridden for several months, and since then, it has been impossible to lose weight. I yoyo-dieted until I was up to 315#. Only medication which allowed me to become more active let me lose any weight at all. But more important than weightloss is that the increase in activity toned my muscles and increased my stamina. My blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, etc, are all perfect. As long as I can do what I enjoy (swimming, hiking, canoing, camping, sailing, etc), I see no reason to lose weight just for the sake of being 'thin'.

I fear my coworkers are going to be in for serious complications a couple of years from now. Bariatric surgery might be needed by a few, serious cases, but I believe it is becoming commonplace, not because people are so obese, but because how fat people are ridiculed in this society, and most people would do anything, even risk their lives, to be thin.

RadFeminFL
Fat chick extraordinaire