Tali's Journey - Day 24

All is good.  I get off work at 3:00 today and that's it for me for the week, so I'm really happy about that.  Everything is on track and going well. I saw Big Medicine last night.  I like that show, but the show that really got my attention was the one right after that.  It featured this clinic/hospital for super morbidly obese people who live there sometimes for years.  Watching Big Medicine and then the other show will keep me on the straight and narrow and away from the Twinkies for at least a couple of day.  I wouldn't wish the lives that some of those people had on my worse enemy.  Just so sad.....

Tali,  I feel the say way... My husband says I am obsessed with watching show like that... but it keeps things in perspective for me for some reason.  I mean... I do not feel good for the people at all, especially at those clinics...  The majority of those people are bed ridden and to even get up is challenge... but it make me thankful that I can take a flight of steps, go the restroom, go to the gym and just be out in public.... It keeps me in check big time... But what is amazing is the thoughts of the doctors on at the Obesity Clinic... they are so opposed to the WLS , calling it a short cut and taking the easy way out...  I think for the people at those clinics.. it is a matter of life or death...  They probably do need to lose some weight before having the surgery to decrease some risk... but for the doctors to be so critical of WLS is weird.  Especially after watch Big Medicine and they are trying with all they have to help people who need it get the surgery...

Yeah, I was surprised by the doctors attitude too.  Especially when you consider how big these people were and how much their lives were threatened by their obesity.  And also, the staff didn't seem to be in control of what the patients were eating either.  From what I saw, the patients were able to eat as much and as often as they wanted to.  That really struck me as strange.   The patients were in this clinic because they were so obese that most couldn't get out of bed or take care of their own personal needs.   They were literally trapped in their bodies and their homes.  You would think that they would be put on a healthy low calorie diet and closely monitored.  I do think though that most of them were way to big to have WLS performed safely at their current weights, but why not help them lose enough weight to prepare them for the surgery.  It is very unlikely they any but a very few of them would be able to lose the weight the old fashioned way.  I found the whole show strange but interesting.

Brookhaven's not a hospital-- it's a nursing home-- a "skilled care facility." If their patients (who have insurance approval and paid stays) get well, they lose money. It's not in their interest to help them, when you get right down to it. It's their job to house them and collect checks. This is why there's pizza delivery at 4 am, why there's people who do not exercise-- there's no real incentive to do what needs doing.

It's unthinkable that they cannot recognize or treat a common and life threatening malady that effects the morbidly obese like lymphedema. And the admin strikes me as a pseudo-slick money grubbing young'un, who no DOUBT brokered the deal to sell the rights to these people's stories to the cable channel. It smells bad because it IS bad. The show had poor information from end to end. It's nothing more than a cable "freak show", when it could be so helpful, so useful.

You're kidding, I had no idea what the facility was but I never thought that it was a nursing home.  That is trully disturbing info, I didn't have a clue I just knew that it didn't seem like a lot of the "patients" were getting useful treatment.  Most, if not all of the patients could have used intensive psychological counseling as well, but I saw no evidence of that either.  The facility seems like it could really be used to help a lot of morbidly obese people but they're not doing it.  What a shameful waste.

I love watching those shows. I can relate, but I also find it unbelieveable how much the body can tolerate. I've personally saw Dr. Davis myself and attended a bariatric seminar. He is as personable in person as he is on TV. His show is great!