Wall street journal article

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB113864963711260122-GP0cg_y5KNjGByt1mDUI1NrL1Kg_20070131.html?mod=blogs I usually try not to get too caught up in what the media prints about WLS, but when I read this article from the Wall Street Journal categorizing bariatric surgery as cosmetic and in the category with face lifts, liposuction, etc. I had to respond. Here is a copy of the email I sent them. I encourage every body to send them a little note "clarifying" what gastric bypass really is! the email address is - [email protected] in reference to article listed below: http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB113864963711260122-GP0cg_y5KNjGByt1mDUI1NrL1Kg_20070131.html?mod=blogs Dear Sirs: I am writing in response to the article about the rise in cosmetic surgery in the US. The reason I am writing is because the article categorized bariatric surgery as "cosmetic" and "elective" Bariatric surgery is rarely either cosmetic or elective. Bariatric surgery is performed on those who have a BMI greater than 40, who are morbidly obese. Morbid Obesity IS a disease as acknowledged by the American Medical Association and the National Institute for Health. Those who are morbidly obese at at a very high risk of death related to their obesity. Many of them have very serious and life threatening co-morbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea. In most cases these diseases are eliminated with the weight loss surgery. Gastric bypass is for the treatment and cure of a disease, it is not to be confused with procedures such as liposuction, facelifts and tummy tucks. I have pasted an article as well as the bibliography for the article that give a full explanation of bariatric surgery. Perhaps your author who wrote the referenced article could do some real research on the topic of bariatric surgery and you could publish a clarification of the previously published misinformation. Sincerely, (my full name) RN According to the American Society for Bariatric Surgeons I pasted the whole article but for this post I will just use the URL to the article http://www.asbs.org/html/patients/rationale.html

YOU GO GIRL..unbelievable talk about ignorance!!!

What a bizarre article. I am stunned that a respected newspaper like the WSJ would get wls so wrong. Good letter and I will be sending one too.

**willow** Thanks! I thought the WSJ reserved it's under researched and skewed positions for political topics. I see that it's "Across the Board." Sent a little note myself. Pro-active! Best Wishes- Dx

The link above did work for me.... did they pull the article already? It didn't even come up when I did a search for it. Michelle

I will say this - you can speak for ME on this topic, any time!

Thank you Valerie for sending me the article, and suddenly the link works again! I read the story and while I agree with you that it's stupid to lump WLS in with cosmetic surgery, I think they actually said something else in the story.... "that elective bariatric surgery -- a procedure that surgically reduces the size of the patient's stomach -- doubled since 2004, while procedures considered "medically necessary" declined". I tend to believe this. I can't tell you how many times lately on my other support board that super-lightweights with no serious comorbs... one was at 205 when they had the surgery.... are posting. Moreso lately it seems than people who were over 250 pounds before surgery. It seems far too many people are having this procedure being far too light. Not trying to argue, I just took it a different way. Michelle

I have to say, I see bariatric surgery as medically necessary. Also, I may be alone in this thinking, but I think people should have the surgery BEFORE they are nearly dead. They will recover faster, have less complications, etc. I don't think people should be required to lose years of their lives to morbid obesity struggling to lose weight and failing only to regain more, to have surgery. I only wish I could have had surgery 20 years ago when I was ONLY 205. I could have had such a better life, and my kids wouldn't have had to take the teasing etc for having a fat mom. I would have been a better mom with more energy, and life in me. the years of struggle and regain did not make me a stronger person, it only served to destroy a lot of my self confidence and make me feel like a failure. My only regret about having this surgery is the wasted years of my life when I was not living.

I'm not a grad yet but I like to look at the grad board to see what kind of issues a grad face. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I, too, responded to this article: MY RESPONSE: I am writing in response to an article you posted about Cosmetic Surgery on the rise, http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB113864963711260122-GP0cg_y5KNjGByt1mDUI1NrL1Kg_20070131.html?mod=blogs You have included Bariatric Surgery (Weight Loss Surgery) as a cosmetic fix to a real medical problem. I did not have WLS to look "good", I had surgery because I was in danger of having other life-threatening problems due to my weight. I had joint problems, I was borderline diabetic, I was taking blood pressure medication, I was straining my heart, I could hardly walk 50 feet without being in pain. If you talk to morbidly obese people, you will find that we all have the same problems and some of us even more. Those of us who've had this surgery has done it because of our co-morbidities. It's articles like yours that cast a bad light on weight loss surgery. Reputable doctors do not perform this surgery on everyone that wants to lose a few pounds. There are specific criteria to be eligible for this surgery, you have to have a BMI of at least 40 (or 35 with at least 2 co-morbidities), most have to see a psychiatrist and show that they have tried 6-12 months or more of a doctor-monitored conventional diet plan. People already have preconceived notions that this is a quick fix to lose the weight, far from it! We have to work very hard to be successful. We still have to watch what we eat forever, we still have to exercise forever, but now we have a tool (the small stomach pouch) which helps us get our weight under control and to maintain. This surgery has been a life-saver for me. I'm able to walk without pain again, I have more energy, I feel so much better. I'll never have the body of a model and I don't expect one. Instead, I will be much much healthier. Please, before you write articles, do your research!