should she have her surgery paid for?

antoniosmooth

No way should she have the surgery paid for by the government. Her insurance and her insurance premiums should pick up the tab for WLS. However if there is an underlying medical condition (it doesn't appear she has one) which creates an inability to exercise and adhere to a "normal" nutritional diet, then and only then should he need the financial help from the government for WLS.

If the government wants to pay for WLS, it should first think about having free Weight Watchers, Nutri-System, and Jenny Craig first.

honeysprinkles

Correct me if I'm completely wrong here because I very well could be, but I thought that all healthcare was paid for by taxes and such in the U.K? I know it's not here in America but I was under the impression that it was in a lot of other places? If that's the case, I don't think this is so ridiculous.

Honestly, I think the article was rude. It was clearly written to get a certain response out of people and to make her look as bad as possible.

I don't have an opinion on weight loss surgeries. I'm not in that situation so I don't know what it's like and I'm not a fan of forcing my own feelings or opinions into other peoples' lives. Weight loss surgery is a major decision, if it's worth the risks and pain for her, then it's not my place to say something about it.

MehiraDeOro

No, if she can't stick to a diet and exercise regimine before surgery than I find it doubtful in many ways that she will after. I would, however, agree to sending her to see a physical therapist or a personal trainer and a nutritionist. Maybe if she showed any inclination before hand that she honestly has a desire to shed the pounds I'd have a different perspective.

If it were her money it would be her decision, and she'd be more invested in the outcome. If she has no expenditure she has no investment in success.

EXACTLY.

I'm also pissed that her family is actually supporting this ridiculous request. Why aren't they telling her not to do surgery? Isn't she more likely to die on the operation table because of her weight as well?

freezerburn2012

Anyone who thinks that getting WLS is going to be an easy fix should watch TLC's "My 600 lb Life" series. They followed 4 people for 7 years and it was a really interesting show. It was a brave, brave thing for them to allow the show to film them through this journey.

What I saw: it was not an easy fix, it was painful (especially the skin removal surgeries), and these people continue to struggle with their food choices every day. Several of them had family members who were just downright horrible: enablers, nasty name calling/teasing, and some who continued to eat tons of junkfood in front of these people and offer it to the people who had the WLS. Ugh.

seehawkmomma

Clearly she needs help. She can spend 300 a week on fast food but not on her health? She can log on here to log calories and get support. There are men and women who are her same size who work for their weight loss. If she gets the surgery she wont be able to keep the weight loss off. No one wins. This is something she needs to do for herself with the help of a doctor. Not surgery

ruqayyahsmum

i dont think she should ask tax payers to give her the money to have this surgery!! what about all the other obese people in the uk?? whos gonna pay for them???
only by making some small changes she will b able to lose weight on her own!! enough for her to at least get herself a job so that she can afford a surgery herself!!

she isnt technically asking us all to donate a quid to her surgery, shes asking the NHS to do the surgery and the NHS is funded by our taxes

the NHS has been doing more and more bariatric surgerys as the years have gone by, not good when cancer survivors have had to fight or even move to another area to get essential medications

honeysprinkles

I would just like to say that I am glad no one has jumped to her defense. Thank you.

That being said, let me ask a followup to this: Is there any case where you feel that this type of surgery is justified?

I'm reading through the responses now and I'm surprised at the number of people that just take the article at face-value. It's SO CLEARLY written to get nothing but a negative response from readers. They depicted her and her situation in the worst light possible and the sarcastic final sentence just seals the deal and creates a final opinion for you.

melbot24

If you stare long enough, you can see her husband!

Ok, srsly tho...

The problem here is the way the NHS has decided to deal with those who have an unhealthy BMI.
Free education and motivational support should be first level benefits.
Perhaps a tiered approach might be more beneficial.
(And won't piss off so many hard-working taxpayers)

I.e. If a person with an unhealthy BMI completes X hours of health education and physical training, has shown improvement, exemplifies a change in their lifestyle, etc - then perhaps an option for surgery will be considered.

In jumping straight to surgery, the UK's NHS is sending the wrong message.

TourThePast

I'm also pissed that her family is actually supporting this ridiculous request. Why aren't they telling her not to do surgery? Isn't she more likely to die on the operation table because of her weight as well?

Who knows what their motives are, it can't be fun having to put up with someone with her sort of attitude to "life", maybe they're hoping it will go wrong.

Kill or cure, literally.

carlaunderconstruction

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.

It IS a sticky situation. Most of us will fall back as well; it's the nature of the beast. I'm not saying to give everyone WLS who wants it. I did go look at the article. I also believe a person should have, at least, tried to lose weight before qualifying for surgery. It's been proven, if successful, medical costs are much lower as well as the fact people who haven't been working are again able to work. We pay for drug rehab too, but how often does that work? In the end, we pay for lots of medical costs knowing the outcome may not be a positive one; even heart, cancer, brain, etc surgeries. If taxpayers didn't pay, we would look like barbarians, not giving people a chance at success (or a chance at life).

I like the example of potential health care costs obese patients. That is the logic they use here in Canada in giving people WLS, that it will save the system alot of money in the long run.
I also, like the analogy of comparing drug rehab to weight loss surgery, it doesn't always work but when it does it makes a huge difference in the lives of the patients and their families.
In Canada, each province handles health care a bit differently, so I can only speak of what I have heard about receiving WLS in British Columbia. There is a wait list, a long wait list, someone told me a few years back that they waited over two years for the surgery once they were eligible. There is an eligibility criteria, basically the patient has to go through psychological screening, have been morbidly obese for a certain period of time, and loss a percentage of body weight prior to the surgery with the assistance of a dietitian.

honeysprinkles

Ok........ This woman is over 450 lbs. How many of you have been there? I have been relatively close. I was 342 at 22. It was suggested that I have the gastric bypass. Several of my family members had. I told them that because I was only 22, I wanted to try on my own for a year first and then reasses. It was a terrifying thought. I was afraid. I was afraid I would fail and HAVE to have surgery. I was afraid I would succeed and not be ABLE to have surgery. I was afraid I would be fat forever. I was afraid to be thin. It was all I had ever known and my whole world would either change drastically, or not at all. We have (mostly) all been here, just not to the same extent. I think many of us forget how frightening it is to start a change like this. We all had habits that got us to our top weights. We *knew* how to change them, but how many times did it seem like a futile attempt? How many times did we feel like we could never get out of this loop that was killing us. I do feel she should have some serious interventions first. Medically supervised, lab results, working with a dietician, a trainer..... hell...... I will pay my part for that. But, I will also pay my part for the surgery when she tries for 6 months and is still 400 lbs. To come from a place that high is daunting. It was scary for me at half her age and 100 lbs lighter. I wound up not needing it, but partly because I was so young and had so many years ahead of me to fix it. Were I in her situation, I may go the same route. I dont think she wants it merely to go on vacation, but to be afforded the opportunity to not be treated like a freak when she does. It is very hard to live like that. I feel like most of you have forgotten that feeling. I hope I never do. I hope I always understand that just because a person is in a self inflicted situation, doesn't mean it is not the scariest thing in the world to overcome.

Finally some compassion!

TheFunBun

I do have to say that if her husband is paying 30-40% taxes like other Brits do (and their house looks reasonably well off), that woman should be able to get help via her insurance. Maybe it's a metabolic ward, maybe it's WLS.. but this is the UK's insurance. That's a TON to pay without being able to say, "I'd like bariatric surgery" without having some ugly newspaper talk smack about you.

The article is -rude-. We have no clue whether she was at her last job and broke an office chair and they fired her. You have no clue if she's just talking about working out or dieting in the past, since none of the quotes are complete. They're all patchwork. The article is designed so you can say, "Ew, no, that fatty doesn't deserve this!"

Anyways. The screening for WLS in the UK is lean. Maybe y'all should work on that.

Robyn120

Heck no! If food is your addiction..and since she is 462lbs.. I'm guessing it is..then surgery isn't going to help. You can reverse all those weight loss surgeries if you're that addicted to food. It won't matter how bad it hurts to over-eat they will still do it and the tax payer money will be wasted!!.

candykay0605

I'm annoyed that she wants it so she can go on holiday.

How can she afford to go on holiday at all if she's jobless and needs the surgery?

agreed, also $300 a week on fast food... save some of that money by cooking at home and pay for it

ruqayyahsmum

I'd like to get breast augmentation paid for... since I lost weight I lost my boobalas!!! I worked hard I deserve it more than she does!!!!

BTW I'M KIDDING!!!!!

im in the uk, ill sign your petition. if they allow girls who say thier small boobs give them mental anguish then they can sure as hell allow you to have them done too

Zalovar

I'd hate to play devil's advocate here but if you think about how much money it might cost to treat her obesity related ailments for the remainder of her life, it might add up to much more than $22,000 considering how far modern medicine has come (and how much health care costs these days). In that case, if the the taxpayer is going to be footing the bill anyway, it might be a better deal to pay for the weight loss surgery (provided it gurantees weight loss and maintenance of such). Based on her general attitude though, I can see that the surgery without a drastic change in lifestyle (and attitude) would be a waste but I'm sure in some cases it might be the better 'economic' option.

honeysprinkles

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.

It IS a sticky situation. Most of us will fall back as well; it's the nature of the beast. I'm not saying to give everyone WLS who wants it. I did go look at the article. I also believe a person should have, at least, tried to lose weight before qualifying for surgery. It's been proven, if successful, medical costs are much lower as well as the fact people who haven't been working are again able to work. We pay for drug rehab too, but how often does that work? In the end, we pay for lots of medical costs knowing the outcome may not be a positive one; even heart, cancer, brain, etc surgeries. If taxpayers didn't pay, we would look like barbarians, not giving people a chance at success (or a chance at life).

I like the example of potential health care costs obese patients. That is the logic they use here in Canada in giving people WLS, that it will save the system alot of money in the long run.
I also, like the analogy of comparing drug rehab to weight loss surgery, it doesn't always work but when it does it makes a huge difference in the lives of the patients and their families.
In Canada, each province handles health care a bit differently, so I can only speak of what I have heard about receiving WLS in British Columbia. There is a wait list, a long wait list, someone told me a few years back that they waited over two years for the surgery once they were eligible. There is an eligibility criteria, basically the patient has to go through psychological screening, have been morbidly obese for a certain period of time, and loss a percentage of body weight prior to the surgery with the assistance of a dietitian.

I think the drug rehab comparison is a good way to look at it. Same with eating disorder clinics, people are often unsuccessful in their first attempts, but that doesn't mean it's not important. I wonder if people would have such strong attitudes if she was anorexic instead of morbidly obese? Both are incredibly dangerous and very deeply rooted mentally and emotionally (usually).

fitplease

No. It won't help her to learn good exercise and eating habits, which she may need to keep the weight off. It will also rob her of the joy which is the result of embarking on your own weight loss journey.

They could pair her up with a good nutritionist and exercise physiologist who can tailor a program for her needs. All exercise hurts from time to time. She can develop endurance with enough patience.

TourThePast

I do have to say that if her husband is paying 30-40% taxes like other Brits do (and their house looks reasonably well off), that woman should be able to get help via her insurance.

Poppycock.

They are both unemployed, so neither of them pay ANY taxes at all, and it's inconceivable that either of them would have health insurance.

MY taxes are paying for their house, they are exempt from property taxes, my taxes pay for the dentistry for the entire family, and their prescriptions, and for their electricity bills, and for their gas bills, and for their TV license, and for their household insurance, and for their child benefit and for her $300 a week fast food habit, and to support her breeding habit.

Very few Brits have health insurance, most of the people who do have it as a perk of a good job and pay taxes on that perk, which is also a perk for their employers because it means that any operations are done straight away, so they don't have to pay extended sick pay while employees are on the NHS waiting lists.

Really? People like that make me sick.

TXBelle1174

I just posted a comment. I think my new motto is "Get over it and get off the couch" LOL