MSNBC article

Here is a link to an article (the headline seems negative) on MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9741907/

Interesting article ... I especially found the following line a bit confusing: "The study offered no breakdown on causes of death..." You'd think if someone was going to do a study the least they could do with their statistical analysis would be to factor in whether or not the death was WLS related. Which reminds me of what Mark Twain said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics." DeeDee

I think that the point they make regarding the fact that the study is on Medicare patients, and they tend to be higher risk because of health/obesity related issues which got them on Medicare to begin with. It also states that for that segment of the population the risk is worth it as they have the most to gain.

It supports a notion that I have developed over time. Men usually bring significant co-morbs to the WLS process. As a result, they are more like to have problems with the surgery itself. Women are more likely to enter the process with fewer and sometime no co-morbs so their surgical risks are less. Nowhere Man/PH/Jay

Funny Jay--I never really noticed that before. Do you think it is because usually men are not choosing to get wls unless they have developed these co-morbids? Wonder if it has to do with society being more forgiving of MO men as opposed to women--or if it is jsut the difference in our thought processes?

Without question men are driven to WLS for entirely different reasons. And you are right; society is more tolerant of fat men. But all of us are. Visualize yourself at the mall. You see a size 3 babe poured into her jeans walking along with a big dude with some 'dunlap' over the belt. The only question that might come to mind is "Does that woman paint those jeans on?". But see a plus-size woman with a Fabio-esqe man, and one begins to wonder "I wonder how much money she has?" or "That dude must be gay." I used to believe that woman were too quick to pull the WLS trigger and the drive to get there was vanity by another name. I have pulled back from that position some. Men's co-morbs make them poorer surgical candidates. Moreover, the damage they subject themselves to is not easily reverse even when they do attain a normal weight. By having the surgery while still 'healthy' (ie not waiting for the heart attack, diabetes, etc.), they (those lacking co-morbs) are offered the possibility of avoiding the long-term health problems until later in life if then. Another issue is the problem of gender with obesity. Ever heard of a man with bulemia issues? Anorexic? It does happen, but is very rare. Men are less prone to self-medicating themselves with food; they just hate to see unused real estate on a 13-inch dinner plate. I guess I better to get to my point. The WLS 'cure' for obesity works in the same fashion for both men and woman. But the problem of obesity is actually quite differently experienced for men and women. Let the flames begin! Nowhere Man/PH/Jay

No flames from me...cannot argue with pure logic. on the 'dunlap'! ~~Sherry

There was a segment on NBC news about the study. I had to laugh at it. The "teasers" were very negative, but the story didn't seem all that sensational. Guess what? 100% of WLS patients die!! So does everyone else! No reason to avoid WLS, in my opinon anyway! Marian

That article engendered a lot of ugly thoughts in my chocolate-addled brain, including Are the best surgeons taking Medicare patients, or are they operated on by less-experienced (and therefore, higher-risk) surgeons? We've seen other articles reporting that risks are higher with a surgeon who has done less than 250 WLS procedures (anybody remember the endless misleading posts on this point by Richard, our favorite lapbander, lol?) How good is their follow-up care with those surgeons or other docs (same concerns)? How much access do they have to support groups and information that might alert them to recognize risks better, pre- and post-op? Worst of all . . . is the government, like many insurance companies, just looking for a reason to bail on covering some or all of these procedures because it's obvious that, as we get older and heavier in larger numbers, there's gonna be more and more $$ needed to pay for it all? No wonder I have my head stuck in a chocolate bag . . . aroooo.