should she have her surgery paid for?

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  • hanna1210
    hanna1210 Posts: 286 Member
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    If she thinks dieting it 'too hard' and exercise 'hurts' then why does she think weightloss surgery will be any easier? She'll be in pain from the procedure, they'll be MAKING her stand up and walk around during recovery (absolute agony as she says she can't stand for more than 2 minutes), and she'll only be able to eat a fistfull of food at a time. She needs to get her mind right and learn to make better choices for her body. It would be great if she could get a nutritionist and a personal trainer, but plenty of people make a huge change for health and weightloss w/o having those luxuries OR weightloss surgery, she can do it too if she wants it that bad.

    *Sorry if that sounds harsh. I don't judge people that have weightloss surgery, I just really don't think it's right for this woman's mindset.

    ETA: Yes, OP, I think MFP would be great, but I'm not sure if she'd even go for it if she thinks dieting is too hard. Most people consider MFP to be 'a diet' and she would probably be turned off at having to log everything she eats. If she could get on board with doing that little bit of work, it would be great and she might get excited to see some progress and learn that it's not as hard as it seems and it completely worth it. But the bottom line is that none of us that needed to lose weight ever made it happen until we *really* wanted to, when we were committed to it. She needs to commit and realize it's going to be hard work.

    ^^Agree^^ So much! Weight loss surgery is not an "easy" fix, it's typically a last resort. And why should taxpayers pay for it? It's not like the government *made* her gain that much weight.
  • Sapporo
    Sapporo Posts: 693 Member
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    Okay, I didn't read the article but comments says a lot. 450lbs and thinks the WLS is a quick fix and would avoid hard work.
    My sister had some sort of WLS about 7 years or more ago. It was covered by our provincial healthcare, so GASP, taxpayers paid for it! She is also a taxpayer though, maybe that'll make some of you OH Noes not MAH TAX DOLLARS! people feel a little bit better.
    I'm all for healthcare covering WLS for people who would be in much better health afterwards. This women is delusional though. My sister has managed to keep most of the weight off but she still struggles, watches her diet, and stays active just like we do. It did have an immediate effect on lowering her blood pressure which is why her surgery was approved and paid for.
    I think it should be up to her doctor and paid for by NHS.
  • chachita7
    chachita7 Posts: 996 Member
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    Absolutely NOT... all I read was excuses and bad decisions... why should other be responsible for that. She can work from home if from the office is a no go (YET ANOTHER EXCUSE)
  • Beezil
    Beezil Posts: 1,677 Member
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    HELL NO! If she gets that paid for, then tax payers should be paying for breast implants and tattoos for everyone too! JEEZ.... some people really need to get a grip on reality!
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
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    NO WAY! :explode:

    She didn't want to exercise or diet because it was too hard. It was in effect her own choice to get so big. Why should anyone else have to pay for that?

    I guess it's all our own choices to let our weight get out of control. Some of us are able to get control enough to fix it while others have a really tough time. I didn't go to the link to see who, or what the circumstance was, but sometimes if the "state" pays for weight loss surgery, they are actually saving money. All the money they would have to spend providing medical care for someone obese and unhealthy is, potentially, many times more than weight loss surgery. It's cheaper in the long run. And, where do you think the money comes from? It comes from taxpayers. Would you rather pay part of $100,000 (just a number) one time for weight loss surgery or pay part of $500,000, $600,000, etc (just another number), ongoing, for health care for an obese person for the rest of their life? Medicare is starting to pay for some bariatric surgeries now because of this very premise. So, it's not just the one person who is being affected.
  • Schraudt814
    Schraudt814 Posts: 496 Member
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    I'm sorry I really don't want to be harsh or hateful. I'm not against weight loss surgery....unless it's because she's too lazy to even TRY watching her food intake...ESPECIALLY not with taxpayers' money. She wants to go on holiday with her kids? Then she needs to make her OWN decisions and own up to it. What kind of lesson does this teach her kids? If you want something don't work hard for it, just expect others to bail you out. ABSOLUTELY NOT! The more I think about it the more it bothers me. :mad:
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
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    HELL NO! If she gets that paid for, then tax payers should be paying for breast implants and tattoos for everyone too! JEEZ.... some people really need to get a grip on reality!

    If the taxpayers don't pay for new boobies, they don't end up paying more later to take care of the small boobies.
  • amanda52488
    amanda52488 Posts: 260 Member
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    That is seriously the most ridiculous thing ive read...
  • Jade17694
    Jade17694 Posts: 584 Member
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    No way. There's no excuse for how she is other than laziness. Exercise hurts too much? No pain no gain love! People like this really get my goat :grumble:
  • allisonrozsa
    allisonrozsa Posts: 178 Member
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    The link didn't work for me, but i had an overweight friend who was on state health insurance (so she paid next to nothing) and had her gastric bypass surgery paid for (she was a little smaller than my starting weight). After the surgery, she would still go into the Starbucks and have frappacinnos on a regular basis and other high sugary things (& continue to eat the food at her workplace of Chipotle). It just made me so mad that she had this surgery, (an opportunity most of us won't & probably shouldn't have) and she still didn't try to change her habits of what got her there in the first place. :-P
  • NamsdnaL
    NamsdnaL Posts: 102 Member
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    If she only took the $300/wk that they spend on take -out and saved it. In 19 months they would have the money they needed for the surgery. Added bounce she might lose some weight in the meantime. :grumble:
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    Like others have said - for the surgery to be successful, you have to get your mind right - which means you could lose weight on your own without the surgery (if your mind is right). You have to make just as much change with the surgery as you do just to lose weight on your own so why not stop being lazy and just do it on your own? the surgery is NOT a guaranteed fix, and often times, those that have the surgery do NOT keep the weight off!

    **I almost wish they had never introduced WLS -- everyone seems to think it is a quick, guaranteed, easy fix.
  • Beezil
    Beezil Posts: 1,677 Member
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    NO WAY! :explode:

    She didn't want to exercise or diet because it was too hard. It was in effect her own choice to get so big. Why should anyone else have to pay for that?

    I guess it's all our own choices to let our weight get out of control. Some of us are able to get control enough to fix it while others have a really tough time. I didn't go to the link to see who, or what the circumstance was, but sometimes if the "state" pays for weight loss surgery, they are actually saving money. All the money they would have to spend providing medical care for someone obese and unhealthy is, potentially, many times more than weight loss surgery. It's cheaper in the long run. And, where do you think the money comes from? It comes from taxpayers. Would you rather pay part of $100,000 (just a number) one time for weight loss surgery or pay part of $500,000, $600,000, etc (just another number), ongoing, for health care for an obese person for the rest of their life? Medicare is starting to pay for some bariatric surgeries now because of this very premise. So, it's not just the one person who is being affected.

    But how many people who get these kinds of surgeries are going to be healthy for the long haul afterward? If she doesn't eat healthy or exercise now, it's likely she will fall back into that pattern.
  • hollyknouse
    hollyknouse Posts: 232 Member
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    Wow! I am so frustrated by this. If she can spend $300 a week on takeout meals and her house looks nicer than mine then noone else should pay for her surgery. Everyone wants something for free and to take the "easy" way out. I hope she realizes that after the surgery it will still not be "easy".
  • kiminikimkim
    kiminikimkim Posts: 746 Member
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    She spends $300 on takeout food per week. That is $14,400 per year.

    All she has to do take that $300 she wastes on junk food and in 18 months, she can pay for the surgery herself.
  • jackiebo
    jackiebo Posts: 115 Member
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    I didn't read the article yet, but why can't insurance pay for a nutritionist and personal trainer BEFORE the surgery? Surgery should be a last ditch effort, and the physician should order it ONLY after all options have been tried. If she won't cooperate, then NO. Sorry to be so harsh, but any more, surgery is seen to be an "easy" way out, when in reality, it's not.
  • Val_from_OH
    Val_from_OH Posts: 447 Member
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    My initial reaction is that I'd like to see a deal worked out for her. If she's on disability due to her obesity, the government is giving her much more than $22K every year. Why not shell out for the one-time cost, then make her get her butt back to work?

    On the other hand, if she really thinks she is so helpless that she cannot even stand up, I'm sure she'd find another reason to get back on disability...
  • AABru
    AABru Posts: 610 Member
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    The Cleveland Clinic Bariatric Center (one of the top tne in US) requires a psych exam as well as an initial weightloss of 50 pounds before they allow the surgery to take place. I would be interested if the UK has such standards; I feel that if they did, this woman would never pass the initial screening to have the surgery. Most doctors will not perform surgery on someone who thinks it will be a quick fix. Also, I'm guessing that a pretty high percentage of people decide they don't need the surgery after the initial 50 pound weight loss...this article does not mention her being in physical danger from her weight. I'm sure she is uncomfortable, but really, lazy is lazy. She needs to be a better example for her 6 kids, especially the oldest and the middle boy who look as though they are following in her footsteps...poor kids...:cry:
  • AprilRenewed
    AprilRenewed Posts: 691 Member
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    Absolutely not.

    I didn't read the whole thread, but here's a little more info:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/03/27/too-fat-to-work-33-stone-mum-nhs-gastric-surgery_n_1382032.html

    She totally admits to eating like crap. It's disgusting. She basically is saying - I don't take care of myself and never will. Fix me.

    although, as already pointed out, it wouldn't fix her. I don't think it would work at all because she'd never adhere to the strict dietary guide lines.
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
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    If she can afford spending $1200/month on take-out, she can pay for her own dang surgery.

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