: Re: Another show on obesity surgery

[Guest guest]

<< Doctors know about it, or they should. The only promotion that is called for is education of PCP-type doctors through medical journals, etc. That way, all the people who need it will find out about it through their doctor, as is appropriate. >>

When I mentioned WLS to my PCP, she tried to push herbalife on me, and I would have had to pay an arm and a leg for it. She doesn't 'believe' in WLS. If I hadn't heard about WLS from other sources I may not have had this life changing opportunity. God knows I couldn't do it from anything else I had tried.

We are all human and as such all have opinions and ideas on what is good, bad etc. I don't think we should sit around waiting on a dr. My dr did NOT even treat my weight related issues. She never even suggested I needed to lose weight. She never said anything about my swollen ankles and legs. If I had waited for her I'd be dead before it was addressed..even though I went in over my weight. We all have to take responsiblity for ourselves and the only way to do that is to have knowledge...thus leading us to power over our own life!

~~* AJ *~~

BMI 58

INSURANCE: NW Washington Medical (Regence )

DR Heap, Richland WA

Denied due to exclusion, submitting appeal 6/7/01

Bellingham Support for WLS

WWW.lookin2bthin.homestead.com

[Guest guest]

That's BS.

Why should those who don't have internet access and don't have

well-informed PCP's be doomed to think that the RnY & the VBG are

their only choices? Sounds to me that you want the best for yourself

& to heck w/everyone else. Sheesh. I shout it from the rooftops

(...well.. I will when I'm feeling better..), talk to others having

WLS & encourage them to find out ALL THEIR OPTIONS. Using your logic,

should we also keep our mouths shut about Dr Rutledge's MGB & its

possibly devastating health consequences? Not this girl..

You don't think insurance companies will be open to relaxing their

attitudes about the DS if demands go up.. YES, it is a business..

but-

once a procedure is found that has an excellent chance of reducing

overall costs for them(surgery & followup vs many chronic debilitating

illnesses & expensive inpatient hospital stays), they DO become more

accepting! Using your logic, no insurance company would ever pay for

an organ transplant(heart, lung, liver, kidney..) because its very

expensive and it *might* fail if the patient goes into acute

rejection. But they don't. Some folk have 3, 4, even 5 kidney

transplants.. and those are not cheap surgeries, either! Nor are the

anti-rejection drugs cheap.. and guess who also pays for those? Those

business-oriented insurance companies. To someone not involved in the

healthcare/insurance industry, your " theory " makes sense.

Unfortunately, that ain't the real way o' the world.

:::::using stepstool to crawl off of soapbox:::::

Liane

laparoscopic DS, cholecystectomy, & appendectomy

5/30/01

Dr Warden

Ocean Springs, MS

> >

> > If there are enough patients asking for the DS, enough PCPs having

> > successful post op DS patients in their practice, and enough folks

banging

> > at the insurance co doors for reimbursement at a decent rate, then

probably

> > *more * surgeons would do the DS.

> >

> > I'm not really into the scarcity model.

> >

> > in Seattle

> >

> > ----- Original Message -----

> > From:

> >

> > > I know we would all like to diagnose and make recommendations

for

> > > major surgery to our fellows, but consider the fact that

surgeons are

> > > already overwhelmed with demand for Bariatric surgery. If we got

much

> > > more publicity, people whose lives depend on operation, (like

me),

> > > might go un-treated.

> > >

> > > This is not a consumer product, a convenience item, nor a

cosmetic

> > > procedure. It is massively traumatic, intrusive surgery, with

many

> > > mortal risks. I would think it wildly innapropriate to

commercially

> > > promote such a thing.

> > >

> > > Doctors know about it, or they should. The only promotion that

is

> > > called for is education of PCP-type doctors through medical

journals,

> > > etc. That way, all the people who need it will find out about it

> > > through their doctor, as is appropriate.

> > >

> > >

> >

> >

----------------------------------------------------------------------

> >

[Guest guest]

Just in case you missed it, Discovery is running the Carnie

narrated show again on Saturday, June 9 at 9 pm eastern-- check your

local listings! Nan E.

________________________________________________________________

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