Negative publicity??

What is the deal with all the negative publicity on TV the last couple of days. My surgery is scheduled for October 31st Halloween and this is not helping me get the support from family and friends. They were worried before but now they are like"didnt you see what they said on TV". I try to educate them but they hear the negative and worry. They need to show both sides when reporting things like death rates and complications. They need to show the good that this surgery does as well as the risks involved....ANyway hope you all have a great day. I have educated myself enough on the surgery and i feel that i am making the best decision for myself and my family.

LisaMarie, Yes hun, we see shows like that all the time. Some show the good and bad, others show just the bad and there are some that just show the good so it is hard to know for people that are on the "outside" to understand all about this surgery when they only know from what they see. I know it is upsetting hun and I for one agree with you, this is/was the best thing I did for MYSELF..... I am so worth taking this big step because I want to LIVE. I wish you the best hun, hang in there and you will be a loser before you know it. ~Hugs~ Debra P 285/208/125??

LISA perhaps your talking about the new storey on ABC eyewitness news last night saying that on medicare the death toll for WLS is highter then expected. I wouldnt worry on that because as long as you know your surgeons sucess rate and how many surgeries he performed you will have the necessary confidence in whom you selected. I knwo when i went for my surgery ABC news was following a worker that had it done and it was from pre op thru surgery. I hadnt seen them cover how he is doing now and its proly nearly 6 months for his surgery. I think news covers the good of our surgery and the bad. STAY strong and maybe turn the channel when you here something is comeing on like that......so u dont stress yourself to much before your big day! GOOD LUCK! KEEP YOUR SMILE! and all the best lisa 310/209/???

Good Morning LisaMarie My mother was so against me having WLS cause of everything she heard and I simply told her I was having this surgery no matter what you think about it....this was for me and it still is for me.....if you don't take care of you....nobody else will and if you don't take care of you how can you possible take care of your family...... This was and still is the best thing that I could have done for myself......Stay strong and stand your ground with friends and family.....there will always be negative words and stories about WLS....follow your dreams not somebody elses... I wish you luck sweetie..... Christine

LisaMarie - The one thing that NOBODY is talking about, and is in small print only at the very end in the "latest story" against WLS is that the so-called study didn't look at the REASONS that people died after surgery - ie: was it actually related to the surgery or not; they just said "did people die". Did people die? Of course - people die every day.. Pick any random sample, and it would say that LIVING can cause death.. lol If it was a REAL study instead of just a hyped-up thing, they would have taken a similar sample of people with the same comorbidities that had the surgery and didn't have the surgery, and then tracked both over that same year to see if one had a higher "death rate" than the other. This really makes me mad because it's another example of "pop science" where there's no scientific method applied at all; just some "so-called scientist" looking to further some unknown end and grab media attention for their "15 mins of fame", and it puts down the WLS procedure without any basis in FACT. I think most WLS patients have at least 2 comorbities BESIDES the obesity, whether that's hypertension, sleep apnea, diabetes, thyroid issues, depression, etc. In any sample of people, one or more of those issues ALONE will result in higher death rate than normal. I think over the long term (I haven't studied it, so I can't say), that people who have the WLS as opposed to those who don't will live longer happier lives.. It's not a magic wand - it's a tool, and to find success, you have to use the tool correctly (ie: not hammer in a screw, for example lol).. But given all, look at your surgeon's success rate and talk to the people that come to support groups for your surgeon - and have your family talk to some of those post-ops if they do come to the group, if they have any questions - most groups have at least 1-2 posties that will be willing to answer questions. And above all else, try to relax - It's normal before surgery for both you and those you love to be nervous about the procedure - it is major surgery, after all.. But you're doing the procedure FOR your health and in the long run, you'll be happier and healthier... *hugs*

This is the thing with bad press. WLS is an elective surgery. It's a very major surgery. Like ALL major surgery there are risks. Because everyone who is having this surgery is obese the risks get a lot higher. Heart attack, blood clots, pneumonia etc are all major complications that can happen after any surgery. These are the things people usually die from after this surgery,(b/c it is a major surgery) not really a malfunction of the surgery like a staple leakage or blockage which puts the surgeon at fault. The best thing to do is find the best surgeon and one *****gularly follows-up w/his patients, so you can avoid having surgical complications that can be avoided. Tavia

Study: Obesity Surgery May Be Riskier http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051019/ap_on_he_me/fit_obesity_surgery_risks Look what's on Yahoo news page now.

I know, I am 6 weeks out, my mother called me while i was getting on the train, Do you know??? ......................I was like, ma, don't worry. In the NY Daily news they also talked about the skill of the surgeon, so I kind of reassured her.......... good luck < 2 weeks gail