Morbidly Obese man to cost taxpayer £90,000 for trip to hospital

[Nosha123]

Would you object to taxpayers money being used to try to save this mans life? Can he change his ways - or is the operation too risky to undertake?

Just a point for discussion...

http://news.sky.com/s...l_For_Life-Saving_Op_

[ummmm]

pmsl Craft.....

Yes they can give up but they pay a huge amount of tax on their habits. So when people bleet on about smokers and drinkers they seem to forget how much tax these groups pay.

[smudge]

Although obesity is self inflicted - as are smoking & drinking problems/illnesses - I'd rather help &/or pay towards this man's treatment , than some of the murderers & rapists that are enjoying three meals a day in prison/s.

[Nosha123]

If everyone gave up smoking and drinking the govt would be in serious trouble financially as they make a fortune out of the taxes.

I guess that society has flipped in the opposite direction a bit now though as years ago - wealthy people were fat as they could afford to indulge.. these days the rich are skinny (and paying to have any excess sucked out!) and the poor are fat (cos they shop in Iceland).. of course this doesnt explain Kerry Katona.. rich and fat (or at least she was once rich)...

I have to say though - how come this chap is still so fat.. who is bringing him all the food? Would ahte to bea around when he sits on the loo!!!!! eewwwww

I mean.. just all that junk - would make you feel rough all the time no???

[Nosha123]

Of course.. I'm a woman!!!

OK.. on a serious note..... If he is too fat to leave the house... you would think that he would not be able to trot up and downstairs to the fridge feeding on burgers and chips and pop out to pick up a takeaway...

You get out what you put in.. and if you fill up on junk food you will feel lousy.... I mean.. he must feel pretty ropey all the time - with no proper healthy food.

We all enjoy a tipple of wine and a curry now and again.. but not to this excess!!!

Somebody is feeding him this junk and he clearly has no motivation to change his lifestyle...
George Best was berated for receiving a liver transplant when he refused to give up alcohol... this man needs to change his life or they are wasting their time - it will kill him

[Panic Button]

Why give him a gastric band operation?

Just stop feeding him!

[gaz's girl]

He has a compulsive eating disorder, which is now threatening to take his life. Same as Anorexics and Bulemics, the also have an eating disorder. If it was someone who was starving themself featured on the tv , would we all be recoiling in shock at how that let themselves get like that? Some people do have addictions whether it be alcohol, nicotine, drugs or food, but we all see it fit to judge them. Ask yourself how you would feel if it was you in that situation. You may think you wouldn't let yourself get likethat in the first place, but how do we know how it feels to have an addiction?

[gaz's girl]

Oh, an also while we are on the subject of how much it will cost for his trip to hospital, what about how much it will cost to keep him on benefits? If he makes it through his op and back to a healthy weight then he will be out working and paying taxes himself.

[ummmm]

Cigarettes and alcohol are drugs...food isn't. It's a mental problem.

[daffy654]

"If it was someone who was starving themself featured on the tv , would we all be recoiling in shock at how that let themselves get like that?"

Yes,many of us would actually.

I agree with ummmm,it isn't a physical addiction to food,it is a mental one and could have been solved with some sort of counselling or therapy before it got this far.
I am wondering if this was more of a case of his mother being a "feeder" in the hope of keeping him at home so she wasn't left alone.

[ummmm]

Looks like I'm going to have to stop feeding my kids then....

[daffy654]

There are a group of people known as 'feeders' ummmm,try googling it. :-)
It is quite a cruel thing to do to someone......over feeding them and making them think that they are unnattractive to other folks,it makes them completely dependent on the feeder as they come to believe that they have no chance of finding a partner or being accepted by anyone else.

It really isn't the same as feeding your kids,most parents make sure at some point that their offspring can make their own meals and become independent at some time in their lives.

[ummmm]

I know...I was joking.

I just said I'd stop feeding them to make sure they leave home.

[buildersmate]

One can have the jaw wired up though to stop one eating too much.

[daffy654]

Probably wouldn't have worked in this case though buildersmate,he would probably have had his burgers etc liquidised so he could still eat them.

Sorry ummmm,I didn't realise you were joking.lol

[gaz's girl]

It is still an addiction. Do you think he made a conscious decision to let himself get that big and unhealthy? It is not as simple as having councelling and you will eat normally.

[ummmm]

Would he have withdrawal symptoms if he didn't get food on time....I think not.

[gaz's girl]

Have you watched someone go through this situation and see the effect food has on them? People think it is as easy as him making the decision to stop eating.

[ummmm]

He shouldn't stop eating. He should eat less.

[jake-the-peg]

Why do you think not Ummm?

Perhaps this is an appetite issue where the normal fuel guage that we all have telling us to stop eating is broken - leaving him ravenously hungry all the time.

I think it unlikely this is a simple case of slappinh him and saying "pull yourself together man" however satisfying some might find that!

Incidently with the smoking revenue - Government revenue would lose out if people stopped smoking because the lack of hospital treatment for smokers would not be cancelled out. Those that gave up would live longer and require more treatment for other things as they got older.

However these decisions are not financial - we could generate money by legalising heroin, cocaine and canabis and taxing them - but nobody is seriously suggesting that as a policy!