Dying a year out? Why?

Amy: You're receiving a lot of good comments here. As you can see, no flames - we all have had these concerns. I'd like to add a few suggestions of information that helped ease my mind. 1. If the surgery was too risky and caused more complications than it relieved - insurance companies wouldn't touch it. I believe that today, most of the major insurance companies find it beneficial to "relieving" their financial burder to treat the comorbidities that often disappear or are greatly reduced after surgery. So, I was relieved after finding that insurance companies believe the procedure to be a financial benefit to them, even when employers switch companies for cheaper rates something like every 3-5 years on average. Bottom line, insurance companies don't like to spend money without some kind of return - a bit cold, but true. 2. Research your surgeon and the hospital you are considering using. Is the surgeon board certified and a member of the American Bariatric Society? Check your state's medical board for outstanding complaints or actions taken against the surgeon. Does the surgeon provide a long-term team approach with a behaviorist, dietician and physiologists all on staff? How many surgeries has he performed? How many patients has he lost due to the surgery or complications? What percent of his practice is devoted to bariatrics? Does the hospital specialize in bariatrics? Do they have a floor devoted to treating bariatric patients and the necessary equipment? Is there support staff readily available for post-surgery complications - cardiologists, pulmonologists (sp?), etc. This is all information they should readily provide. I think there may be a lot of practices getting more involved in bariatrics because of increasing demand based on the successes of those who have devoted their practice to it. I would be very hesitant to go to a surgeon that performed less than one a week. I was fortunate to find a practice devoted to bariatric surgery. 3. Consider the study. It just includes Medicare patients. Nothing against Medicare patients, but in my honest opion, I believe their health risks at time of surgery may be higher than the general population. Someone else may be able to answer this better, but I believe Medicare may be one of the hardest agencies to get approval through. This could result in a patient's health declining even further before surgery. And, lastly, I have to agree with Ronnie and Cajun Girl, I was already feeling dead inside. I am fortunate to have a nice family and probably too many toys, but I haven't really enjoyed them much for the past couple of years. It had become an endless loop of no energy, eating and depression. I looked like the happy fat man - but as we all know that is pretty much a myth. WLS has given me hope for the first time in years! I hope this has helped a bit.