Safety WLS Alerts #@&*%!!!!

The media is drawing attention to studies done on WLS and the poor outcomes post op. Especially stressed is the Medicare and Over 65 age group. On Fox Channel 32 tonight is a special "Dying to be Thin". I don't know the time, sorry. What truly infuriates me about this information is why there are complications, but yet that information is not made known, or at the least is vague in content. No Study focused seriously on the following: The inexperience of unqualified, Surgeons, who should not be allowed to perform these procedures. Never mentioned is the lack of action on part of the insurance companies. To begin we as morbid obese individuals are not looking for a quick fix, we are having this surgery to save our lives and restore our health. So what do the insurance companies do? They Stall, deny, refuse, and hold up our rights to better health. This sometimes takes 1, 2 or maybe more years to finally get approval. So in the interim our bodies break down even more so. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out addressing a patients needs at the time can save a life. Would an insurance company tell a Cardiac patient waiting for a quadruple bypass "Sorry you have to get that cholesterol down, and take all these meds and exercise and hope it gets better in 6 months". That's a rather extreme comparison but consider what is happening already to a person with Diabetes, hypertenson, dyslipidemia etc. I know we can't change the insurers criteria, but we sure can write to some Senators, State Reps, and the Surgeon General. We become the statistics because we are made to wait and wait and our risks no longer outweigh the benefits. This is not to say that there are not unfortunate situations with health problems unforseen prior to surgery. I personally would like to see more testing done before the surgery. Upper and lower GI, for one I think should be done prior to surgery, but again that is another insurance issue. Thanks for listening Barb S.

Hi Barb ... this was actually discussed on the main messageboard as well, you may want to look back through those threads ... this study is actually pretty skewed anyway, because many of the people on Medicare (or even over 65 for that matter) may already be battling disabilities, which, of course add to the risks of this surgery. I'm surprised they even address those over 65 for this surgery too, since many surgeons I've read about typically won't do this surgery for those over 50 or 60. It is infuriating that our news media cannot capture the "big picture". Karyn

My daughter and I heard the commercial for this program last night in the car and my daughter said and I quote " Whatever, my mom had the surgery and she is fine. People are always trying to make people feel bad about thier choices" There are lots of reasons why people die, but a lot of thier reporting is sensationalism at it's best.

I agree ....the critics out there is going to out-do theirselves in being the underdog....trying to convince many that this procedure is the wrongful deaths of many over aged citiizens ....If medicare needs an excuse to not pay for this surgery for the elderly why dont they put an age limits on this and be done with it....instead of dragging WLS through the mud..... I know many agrees that 65 is way too risky to say the least but again so is being age of 15 and having it done....its a risk for all and risk that we all take..... complications are there for any major surgery....

Barb, As someone who works in the healthcare field, I can see the validity of a study like this one. As people age, their appetites decrease (generalization, though that is;) and I can see where it would be a challenge for them to get all their protein in. Also, in both Medicare and the >65 groups, its important to remember that they have limited income, and eating healthy is expensive. Unfortunately, more expensive than eating junk food. I do think that both these groups face unique challenges when it comes to WLS.