Gastric surgery

[abstibus]

(Apologies, em, for the similar question)
Should gastric surgery be available on the NHS? Do the people who have it have to demonstrate a commitment to losing weight first?
I remember reading about a woman who ATE MORE (yes, I'm shouting) to reach the weight she needed to be for an op. This was just unbelievable.

[emmie]

No they shouldn't and did say so on last thread. i read that to be considered for the surgery the person has to be a certain weight, so some have to put on more, bonkers. Better to stop eating so much crap, cut out all the fizzy drinks and exercise.

[kerriesmum]

i think it should as in the long run it would cost more when they take up bed spaces having related conditions such as heart attacks.

[emmie]

if they didn't eat so much they wouldn't get in that state in the first place.

[Sqad]

em.......obesity and the subsequent cardiovascular and other sequelae of obesity costs the NHS billions.

Diets don't work.

Gastric band surgery has a degree of success to the extent that it is the only hope for "fatties"

[abstibus]

Sqad
Crash diets don't work. There is no magic cure, except a re-evaluation of eating and exercise habits and some action to redress these. There is plenty of help available for those who are serious about losing weight.
The anaesthetic risks for someone grossly overweight must be enormous (no pun intended).

[cazzz1975]

should obesity be treated as an illness like anorexia?

I am not talking about people who are overweight, Im talking about people who weigh 35-40-50 stone, having gastric surgery could in the long run work out cheaper than dealing with ongoing problems associated with morbid obesity, not to mention adaptions to homes and cost of carers.

[Sqad]

anne

<<<<There is no magic cure, except a re-evaluation of eating and exercise habits and some action to redress these. There is plenty of help available for those who are serious about losing weight.>>>

I agree but the results of lifestyle re-education is poor.


cazz.....I agree....treat it under any name you like.....but treat it one must.

[evil__sheep]

evrybody knows that eating less/better and doing more exercise = lose weight. So why dosen't everybody just do it? I think sqad is right, the outcome of "lifestyle changes" is poor, so i say yes

[cazzz1975]

indeed sheep, but what if food was an addiction like alcohol or drugs for some people?

Im sure a guy of 55 stone does not like his appearance and probably fears for his health, you have to question why some people cannot control their addiction, we all know what to do about it, Im sure an alcoholic is aware that they shouldnt be drinking so much but they cannot stop themselves even though they are aware that they are killing themselves.

addiction is a powerful thing

[Sqad]

cazz....again i agree, but addictions ARE treatable by many methods but also IF one has the willpower then one can reverse one's addiction.

Smoking.....just stop.
Drinking.....just stop.
Eating ....just cut down and take more exercise.

Difficult, but it can be done, however the problem is that the majority of people do not have an incentive, or the willpower.

[cazzz1975]

I agree sqad, my point was you cannot just tell someone with an addiction to stop it, some people can summon up willpower to quit, others need ongoing support as the addicitions can be linked to emotional problems.

with the right support of course its achievable, but you cannot walk up to an alcoholic who has been drinking heavily for 20 years and tell them to "pull themselves together" and stop drinking.

[evil__sheep]

not really talking of people with aqddictions, just people really

[Sqad]

caz...LOL...well you can...........and it might work.

[Dee Sa]

in a nut shell yes they should if they meet the criteria.Once the weight has gone they will be much healthier and wont cost the NHS so much.
can I put my name down ? as I have a real fear of hospitals you would never get me in there.

[Ric.ror]

I have a colleague at work who paid £8k for a band fitting
I cannot imagine a bigger waste of money - she lost about a stone at first but has now stop losing in fact I think she may have put a little back on
That was about three years ago

[emmie]

sqad, diets don't work, tell that to the people who do it sucessfully, i know your ideas are that eat well, just smaller portions, well the people i see around every day don't, they eat burgers, fries, drink coke, and then stuff their faces with endless other rubbish. No one starts out fat, look at the parents, often you will see why the children are obese. Gastric bands shouldn't be your get out of jail card. You know the complications of this type of surgery, it comes with endless warnings, add into the fact the person will have serious health issues and being on the operating table
has enormous risk. Fern Britton who opted for this wasn't massively overweight, she could have done it by sensible eating, but it just seems to me many don't ever take responsibility for their own actions.

[emmie]

Cazz some people of that weight surely have a high risk of dying on the operating table. One woman was featured in the papers, who was grossly over weight, took herself off to America, became something of a celebrity, lost all this weight, looked like things would work out, came back to Britain, and just started eating the same junk, its the head that need looking at, not just the fact they are obese.

[Sqad]

em10
<<<sqad, diets don't work, tell that to the people who do it successfully"

I am not sure that i have understood your point.
The evidence is quite clear and especially from Weight Watchers that the success rate from "dieting" from which i exclude sensible eating (same stuff but smaller amounts) is low.....i.e after a period of time, they are back to their pre diet weight.

I take all your points about Gastric Band surgery, but if one is going to "diet" then a gastric band, although not 100% will give you a greater chance of success.

[emmie]

Abdominal surgery is not risk free, i know, and it wasn't for that by the way, but why do so many pin their hopes on weight watchers, and endless dieting, is it that we are all getting bigger, in my mothers time very few people were obese, and all bar one of her friends, were slim from childhood onwards. Diet has played a large part, even though that was the time of awful puddings and much stodge.

[Dee Sa]

I have found that everytime you diet and loose weight you always in the end put it back on agiain and more I believe, I was told this is because your body is storing fat waiting for the next onslaught.