Gideon MacLeish Gideon MacLeish

Too FAT for Surgery?!?

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Too FAT for Surgery?!?

from JoeUser Forums

Now, don't get me wrong. I struggle with my weight, so this is kinda personal, but something has really been irking me lately.

I have a friend who has had recurrent problems with his gallbladder. Put simply, it needs to be removed. The problem? The doctors won't perform the surgery because he is too large.

This man has always been a large man, even in his youth. While his eating habits are less than optimal, if you know anything about health, you would understand why diabetes and Congestive Heart Failure happen to be limiting factors in his quest to lose weight. But the larger issue here is the blatant misunderstanding of the Hippocratic Oath.

Until some 20-30 years ago, many doctors refused to perform surgeries or tests on the older population, reasoning that their health problems were simply "old age". When that mindset changed, guess what? So did the average life expectancy. Now we reach a point where I'm inclined to ask if SOME of the shortened life expectancy among the obese isn't because of doctors who refuse to work on patients, reasoning that all their health problems are due to them being "too fat".

I'm hoping this mindset changes as well.

10,079 views 39 replies
Reply #26 from JoeUser Forums Top
My issue with the health insurance company bit is why do they have to provide us monetary incentives to do what we should be doing on our own anyway?


So, what you're saying is, why should we look at other countries who have a proven track record of better health care provision than ours and learn what they're doing right? Sorry, zoomba; if our results were anywhere NEAR the best considering our expenses, you MIGHT have a point. But they're not; something's gotta give.

But anyone thats fat, should be ready for a general public malice like your friend is recieving. People are just tired of fat lazy people that eat too much and don't exercise. Can you blame them?


Kobrano,

This is probably among the most idiotic things I have read in my time on JU. Have you never heard of hypothyroidism? Prader Willy Syndrome? Pica? overeating due to depression? There are many limiting factors that cause individuals to gain weight that have NOTHING to do with being "fat" or "lazy". I'm not saying everyone has a legitimate excuse; most DON'T (in fact, in the case of depression, one of the best cures is to get out and exercise, in my experience). But I AM saying you can't put everyone in a box.

By the way, if you notice, I have expressly kept my terminology to the words "limiting factors" because they shouldn't be used as excuses, but should be CONSIDERED in evaluating treatment options.

This article was about treatment being denied because the patient was too large. If you want to rant your opinion about "fat, lazy slobs", I suggest your own blog as a better place for it.
Reply #27 from JoeUser Forums Top
In today's environment doctors are more wary to do surgeries that may cause them to be sued. I think it's more dangerous and more risk involved if the patient is obese.
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Reply #28 from JoeUser Forums Top
'This is probably among the most idiotic things I have read in my time on JU. Have you never heard of hypothyroidism? Prader Willy Syndrome? Pica? overeating due to depression? There are many limiting factors that cause individuals to gain weight that have NOTHING to do with being "fat" or "lazy". I'm not saying everyone has a legitimate excuse; most DON'T (in fact, in the case of depression, one of the best cures is to get out and exercise, in my experience). But I AM saying you can't put everyone in a box.'

Gideon, you should read more JU posts before you make outrageous claims such as this. What percentage of obese people actually suffer from these conditions? And for this, you (most surprisingly, in my experience) bad-mouth Kobrano. Isn't this just reverting - in the name of some misguided notion of political correctness - to previously employed lamer-than-lame excuses such as 'gland trouble'? The truth is that the vast majority of the Western world's obese people are obese simply because they eat too much of the wrong stuff and don't exercise enough.

I ask you simply this: In those parts of the world where food is not so plentiful as in the West, what percentage of the population actually suffer from conditions such as those you mention?

'I don't want to be held responsible for skinny people (Kobrano) who seem pissed at fat people who are enjoying their food and not torturing themselves with three bran muffins a day, a bottle of water, and a lifetime of denial in the savory foods department. ^_^ Also attempts by the skinny society to humiliate and castigate the other (majority/over weight) half of the population can be considered pathetic.'

Helix the II, a number of questions:
1) How do you know Kobrano is 'skinny'?
2) Who says you are 'responsible'?
3) Whence the evidence that 'skinny' people are 'pissed at fat people', don't enjoy their food, and torture themselves?
4) Who says this is what 'skinny' people eat?
This all sounds suspiciously like 'It's not MY fault!' to me.
Reply #29 from JoeUser Forums Top
Furry Canary
What is your excuse for being rude to other people just because of the way the look?
I will gladly take the limitation of obesity any day over the malice that you and Kobrano seem to have towards a group of people. It is really sad that somewhere in you guys life someone has made you so unhappy that you have to lash out at people that you do not know. I am fully aware that most skinny people don't torture themselves over food. Obese people watch what skinny people eat. The only problem with that is most skinny people don't eat the right foods of amounts either. The just have good genes. That is not an excuse that is just a fact. Know if I had realized that fact before I became obese then I would have done something about it. The fact is that time has passed so ... know to change that fact is very hard. And people like you that have no compassion makes it hard to do something about it. I live in a very large city and can honestly say that I have never meet someone as rude and cold hearted as you and Kobrano are towards me because of my size. I hope that what ever makes you guys different from someone that they do not treat you in the way that you have treated obese people in this. May God Bless you and always let you be like everyone else.
Reply #30 from JoeUser Forums Top
'What is your excuse for being rude to other people just because of the way the look?'

Lostintexas, I apologise if I have inadvertently caused any offence, but I really don't see how my comments can be construed as being rude.

All I said was (and I am repeating myself here, I know) that the vast majority of the Western world's obese people are obese simply because they eat too much of the wrong stuff and don't exercise enough. Yes, genetics plays a part, but I think you attribute to it far too much importance. The fact remains that - with very few exceptions - people who take exercise, eat healthy food and don't overeat don't get fat.

That doesn't mean that I think any less of fat people than I do of everybody else. Nor does it mean that I feel 'malice' towards fat people, have 'no compassion', am 'cold hearted' or any of your other frankly rather silly claims.

'I have never meet someone as rude and cold hearted as you and Kobrano are towards me because of my size.'
And this is just ludicrous. I never directed a single comment at you. Get a grip.
Reply #31 from JoeUser Forums Top
Furry Canary
Sorry! Maybe I am caring my feeling on my sleeve. But you have to admit there has been some pretty harsh things said. Again I am sorry to have been one of the ones who was so harsh. You have a right to your opinion. Have a great day!
Reply #32 from JoeUser Forums Top
Gideon, you should read more JU posts before you make outrageous claims such as this


Furry,
Welcome to the TROLL club! How is it that you QUOTED the following, yet still MISSED it?

I'm not saying everyone has a legitimate excuse; most DON'T (in fact, in the case of depression, one of the best cures is to get out and exercise, in my experience). But I AM saying you can't put everyone in a box.


My response to Kobrano remains unedited! I said OUTRIGHT that most people don't have these problems, but I ALSO said, and stand by the statement, that Kobrano's outright justification of rudeness to overweight people (He DID say that) was idiotic.
Reply #33 from JoeUser Forums Top
'My response to Kobrano remains unedited! I said OUTRIGHT that most people don't have these problems, but I ALSO said, and stand by the statement, that Kobrano's outright justification of rudeness to overweight people (He DID say that) was idiotic.'

I don't argue with this, Gideon. However, I didn't miss the line you quoted above, I just read it in context. Look at the WHOLE response again:
'This is probably among the most idiotic things I have read in my time on JU. Have you never heard of hypothyroidism? Prader Willy Syndrome? Pica? overeating due to depression? There are many limiting factors that cause individuals to gain weight that have NOTHING to do with being "fat" or "lazy". I'm not saying everyone has a legitimate excuse; most DON'T (in fact, in the case of depression, one of the best cures is to get out and exercise, in my experience). But I AM saying you can't put everyone in a box.'

Why start your response with a list of 'many' 'legitimate excuse[s]', and only afterwards qualify this by saying that they rarely apply? What's your point here? That 'you can't put everyone in a box', but you can put MOST people in a box? Surely not.

That said, I - like you - would oppose any attempt being made to justify rudeness to fat people. But to describe this as 'among the most idiotic things I have read in my time on JU'? Isn't that just a bit histrionic?
Reply #34 from JoeUser Forums Top
'Have a great day!'
Thanks - you too, lostintexas. No offence intended, and certainly none taken.
Reply #35 from JoeUser Forums Top
Why start your response with a list of 'many' 'legitimate excuse[s]', and only afterwards qualify this by saying that they rarely apply? What's your point here? That 'you can't put everyone in a box', but you can put MOST people in a box? Surely not.


No, my point is that putting people in a box unfairly targets those who DO have those problems. And I can't say I'm entirely sure the depression reason is rare.

I am not afraid to say what brought about my weight gain: MANY years of physical and psychological abuse (the latter continued well into my adult years until, as my only recourse I had to COMPLETELY sever all contact with my parents to avoid the negative effects. What has hurt greatly in my struggle against weight loss is idiots like kobrano who look at me contemptuously (again, in the minority, but they stand out) and tell me to just "put down the fork"...if only it were that easy!
Reply #36 from JoeUser Forums Top
But to describe this as 'among the most idiotic things I have read in my time on JU'? Isn't that just a bit histrionic?


point taken.
Reply #37 from JoeUser Forums Top
'What has hurt greatly in my struggle against weight loss is idiots like kobrano who look at me contemptuously (again, in the minority, but they stand out) and tell me to just "put down the fork"...if only it were that easy!'
And I take your point too, Gideon.