Did you see this?

This is what I am scared of happening to me while I wait, wait, wait... This is from Ireland... 12 die while on waiting list for State's only obesity clinic Eithne Donnellan, Health Correspondent Twelve patients have died while on a waiting list to be seen at the State's only dedicated obesity-treatment clinic. The patients, who ranged in age from 22 to 53, died over the past three years, a specialist at the clinic, Dr Donal O'Shea, confirmed yesterday. The consultant endocrinologist also warned that more patients would die while waiting to be seen unless resources were immediately pumped into the service. "There is an inevitability about it." He said his clinic at St Columcille's Hospital in Loughlinstown, Dublin, was receiving between 10 and 12 referrals every week, all of whom had to be put on a waiting list. The average weight of those being referred was 22st for men and 19st for women. He said he was recently asked to see a 21-stone Leaving Cert student with breathing problems brought on by obesity, but the student had to be put on the waiting list. The student was now 408th on the list, and it was unclear when the patient would be seen. Only yesterday he was asked to see a 13-year-old who weighted 18st but his clinic only dealt with adults. Dr O'Shea said a point had been reached where even when patients needed to be seen urgently the clinic was not able to fast-track an appointment. "We are now completely saturated." He has written to the Health Service Executive (HSE) highlighting the need for more resources for the Loughlinstown clinic and the need for similar clinics across the State. "You need hospitals to deal with the severely obese. We need more specialist centres. We have reached the point where it's no longer acceptable not to have a service for this degree of obesity. "The HSE is looking at trying to fund the service but at the moment, with all the change going on in the health service, it is very difficult to get anywhere quickly from a funding point of view." He said the people on the waiting list who died would have died as a result of problems related to obesity such as clots and heart attacks. Dr O'Shea, who was a member of the national obesity taskforce, said obesity was a chronic problem. "It's real; it's not coming down the line, it's here. We are already flooded, and there is a need for urgent resources for the hospital side of obesity care. The HSE are looking at ways of doing it, but I can't sit and just wait when somebody is 408th on the waiting list." A HSE spokesman said a request for extra funding for the clinic was being considered. Obesity was a priority issue for the HSE, which was working on implementing the recommendations of the recently-published obesity taskforce report.

I also feel that there is such prejudice against obese people that it is difficult to raise the money for research or for bariatrics. If we had some other disease and were wasting away and were dying and had lost a lot of weight, people would sit up and take notice. But there is so much HATRED directed at obese people that no one wants to help us. It's so depressing. And scary. This is a life-threatening disease, but people act like it's just a character flaw that I have. A friend was talking to me on the phone earlier and was telling me to stop saying "can't" and to fight this and basically told me that I was NOT crippled, that I might think I couldn't walk, but the reason I couldn't walk was because I say I can't. And she's a nurse. And she thinks I can just get up and start walking again and doing things like I used to do. That there is nothing wrong with my legs. It's just that I say I can't walk, so I THINK I can't. She has no clue how I fought this at first. I tried to force myself to go, go, go. I walked when I would be almost screaming. I know there are a lot of people who see me in a wheelchair at Wal-Mart and with all the rude looks I get, I imagine there are many, many people who think all I have to do is just get up and start jogging and all will be well. I know that WLS will give me back some mobility and when I reach my goal weight, perhaps I can have my knees replaced and be able to get around better, but right now???? I don't know. I'm still depressed. Well, I'm off to try to rest some. I got home from running errands and was feeling so bad that I tried to lie down and get a nap. The phone woke me up FOUR times, the postman rang the doorbell once and then some ********elling life insurance woke me up. So after 6 attempts, I guess I should just stay up. I want to watch DANCING WITH THE STARS at 8pm and I have a new book I want to read and some tapes I want to listen to. So even though I desperately need some rest, I guess I will stay up. At least until DANCING WITH THE STARS is over. I have a headache...probably from getting woke up 6 times in less than 3 hours. But if I try to go back to sleep the phone will just ring again. I guess I could turn the ringer off, but that wouldn't stop people from ringing the doorbell. Oh well...enough of that. This article just bums me...that there are so many of us out there needing medical help and there are no resources. And then there are those of us whose insurance companies are jerking us around. It sucks. I wish I had a "pretty" disease and then people might help. I hate this. Love, Joni

I hate it too! I hear the waiting list in Canada is about 5 years for the surgery. If I were a doctor, specialized in this field I would be considering going overseas to start some of these clinics and hospitals but since Im not, I can only hope someone else will. Your so much closer today than you were 5 months ago. Yes, your insurance might try to rain on your parade, then again they just might approve it too. If they do not approve and your insurance runs out can you qualify for Medicaid/Medicare being disabled? Medicare is paying for this surgery without hoops to jump through so keep in mind, if it doesnt pan out for you with the insurance maybe this is another way to go about it? I dunno, I am just tying to think of something that will HELP! I know how it feels to need help and not be able to find it. No one can tell you what to do or how you should live until they have walked in your shoes! Only then will they grasp and understand the magnitude of the situation. Keep your head up, reach out, it is right around the corner and within reach, just a little while longer to go. Elspeth!