Ok, I read about this on one of the diabetes lists I belong to. It's a new type of surgery that's being done when the original WLS has failed (in that the patient lost a lot of weight, and then started gaining it back).
First off, what pisses me off is that the woman in question is being blamed for her surgery failing. She went from 269 to 175, and "with a little bit of soda here, and some snacks there, Squire started to gain some of her weight back, until she reached 186 pounds." She gained 11 fucking pounds and that's a reason to have this surgery? I don't care if it's supposedly safer than being cut open and mutilated, it's still mutilation, and in her case, it's further mutilation of an already mutilated stomach. How many times is she going to have this done? Every time she stops losing weight and regains 10 or 11 pounds? WTF are these people thinking?
Since the StomaphyX procedure is relatively new, there are no large-scale studies, or small ones for that matter, to show its long-term outcome, benefits or risks.
And "there won't be a study for a little while," Nguyen said.
But while the company is gathering outcome data from surgeons performing the procedure in the United States, experts believe that the procedure poses little to no risk to patients.
Where have we heard that before? No data on long-term effects, but we think it's safe so go ahead and do it. Yeah, right, I really believe you.....NOT!
The fact that someone came up with this gadget tells me that WLS doesn't work for a lot of people (gee, who woulda thunk it?) and doctors know it (and probably knew it all along). And like I said above, how many times are they going to be willing to do this revision? Because I would bet my last damned dollar that this lady will be back in a year or so to have it done again because she's regained whatever weight she loses the second time around. Now we don't just have yo-yo dieting, we have yo-yo WLS. Hooray for really fucking up our health, asshats.
This is APPALLING.
ReplyDeleteIt really is yo-yo WLS and I just cannot wrap my brain around it.
TR - yeah, I was just flabbergasted when I read that email, and even more so when I researched it and found that article. It makes me want to bitch-slap those doctors.
ReplyDeleteOMG, this is so disgusting! I can't believe that any doctor would authorize WLS at 269 lbs ... not that there's any high enough weight to really justify it, but come on! 269 is not that high, really!
ReplyDeleteAnd 186???? This calls for a "revision WLS"? What the hell happened to the hippocratic oath that these doctors supposedly took upon entering their professions? Are they REALLY that fucking horrified of "teh fat"?
Sadly, they've been doing yo-yo bariatric surgeries for years. There are a surprising number of women who've been convinced to have 2, 3 or more of them, and surgeons are willing to do them. The victims are blamed for the surgeries failing. They didn't correctly "use their new tool" they're told (and they believe this nonsense). The women I've seen going in for a repeat surgery are not even that big - one sat in a bariatric seminar already looking ill and sipping this brown-gray liquid the entire time. Each surgery is more dangerous and induces increasingly more starvation, trying to "work." The head trip they give these women is tragic and perverted. I want to shake women, too, for buying into it. It's so upsetting.
ReplyDeleteI think the note that this procedure could be used on "virgin stomachs" tells us something deep and true about what's really going on here: The (mostly male) medical establishment, finding another way to own and control women's unruly bodies.
ReplyDeleteIt's creepy creepy creepy, but thanks for pointing out this article.
Sadly, they've been doing yo-yo bariatric surgeries for years. There are a surprising number of women who've been convinced to have 2, 3 or more of them, and surgeons are willing to do them. The victims are blamed for the surgeries failing... Each surgery is more dangerous and induces increasingly more starvation, trying to "work."
ReplyDeleteAnd "virgin stomachs" !!??!!
This is *so* disturbing, on so many levels, I'm just lost for words...
How long before they start removing the whole digestive system and just feed people intravenously?
ReplyDelete