Nightline story on VSG tonight.

[dcokequeen 0]

I agree with you guys. I haven't watched the show yet but I plan on watching it. I was discouraged after reading the comments people made below the video. It seems like the more barriatric surgery is out there in the media, the less people really know about it. It is very frustrating that people seem to think this is the easy way out. This process has been one of the most difficult and challenging things I've ever had to do. To struggle all my life with weight problems and now to try to reign it all in. To try to do something now while I'm young to ensure that I will live a long healthy life. To not feel like the fat cow when I walk into a restaurant and feel like everyone is staring at you. And mainly just to feel healthy and be able to do the things everyone else can do, like walk up the flight of stairs at my house without being completely winded at the top and having to sit for a few minutes to catch my breath. No, this is not the easy way out. The easy way out would be to just live with it and let my body kill itself, but I REFUSE to do that!

[Bryn 3]

I'm not surprised by the comments nor the terminology used by abc news because to be honest, this is new to the public pretty much. it's the media, they're gonna use it to grasp the attention of the public

and of course i don't agree with some things mentioned in the piece, i think that weight loss surgery in general is going to become quite the "norm" or more popular, say 20-30 years from now. Obesity is such a huge epidemic, that it takes something "drastic" to "cure" it.

people can sit around and say so and so had liposuction, or a Tummy Tuck or botox to not have wrinkles or not sweat, women can get artificial nails, hair, tans etc which all have their health risks but it isn't as publicized as much as a fat person getting weight loss surgery. so many people say the obese are driving up health care costs, and when we finally do something to change that fact and to improve our health, it's still looked down upon. so darn if we do , and darn if we don't. no one will be satisfied

but then again, the only people who need to be satisfied are ourselves. people will always judge and disagree, but we cannot let other peoples thoughts and ideas ruin what we are determined to do to fight for our lives and our place in society.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I thought it was pretty good . It did say that the sleeve will become the surgery of choice. I didn't like the way that they said that it was so new that there could be long term effects that we don't know about yet.

[LowCho 1]

Excellent ~ Thanks for the link!

[Was a humpty dumpty 35]

Today at lunch my husband says, "I didn't know they were going to cut out 85% of your stomach". He watched the show that I had recorded..He said I thought they were going to put a sleeve over your stomach to make to smaller. So he wasn't listening the first time when I explained it.. OMG I am picturing a piece of PVC pipe around my entire stomach..lol

[LowCho 1]

Today at lunch my husband says, "I didn't know they were going to cut out 85% of your stomach". He watched the show that I had recorded..He said I thought they were going to put a sleeve over your stomach to make to smaller. So he wasn't listening the first time when I explained it.. OMG I am picturing a piece of PVC pipe around my entire stomach..lol

This is hilarious :-)

[mysparky 1]

I was totally into watching the show as it was on Monday night and my surgery was scheduled for Tuesday. I have to say, I was definitely disappointed with the show.

While I am pleased that VSG is getting more attention, I felt like they absolutely made the surgery appear like a walk in the park. They didn't talk about the pre-op diets, the post-op diet, and the fact that this is a tool to help us lose weight. The surgeon said "most of my patients report that they don't even feel like they're hungry after the surgery" and while that may be true, I think it's misleading. There is still plenty of opportunity to make poor choices, to not stick to the program, listen to our head hunger, etc.

To me, this program did nothing to highlight the work that goes into this. It made this surgery seem like a quick fix and IMO, there are already too many people out there that think the obese are simply lazy and always looking for a "quick fix".

Finally, I wasn't crazy about the surgeon that they highlighted w/ his same-day surgery. He made it look like a friggin' factory. I didn't find this surgery to be simple or pain-free and I'm glad that I was in the hospital for a few days post-op. This was nothing like the same-day lasik surgery that I had a few years ago.

So, while I'm happy that VSG is getting some airtime, I really thought Nightline oversimplified and dumbed-down the process and surgery.

[NtvTxn 1,262]

I wonder what those people who compare losing weight to breaking a leg are thinking. A broken leg heals. It doesn't break over and over again with the break getting worse each time, finally staying broken because we just get tired of trying to get it to heal.

If those who judge us could only live in our bodies for a short time, they'd come to realize that obesity is indeed genetic in some cases, emotional in some cases, and permanently incurable in many cases without the assistance of this type of surgery.

I am so tired of people thinking we're "taking the easy way out" or doing this instead of changing our lifestyles. What do they think this is if it isn't a lifestyle change? This is the biggest committment I've EVER made to losing weight and keeping it off, not counting the thousands and thousands of dollars I've spent on every weight loss gimmick and diet and gym and pill in the book!

I'm so frustrated with those who judge others - especially us!

You know, I've thought about it....and nobody has "said" to me anything about taking the "easy way out" - I am certain there are some who think that, but nobody has dared say it....what I would like to SAY to anyone who thinks that....really, the EASY way out is to push our fat selves away from the table if you think about it. The EASY way is NOT going under the knife and having approx. 85% of our stomaches removed!!! Some of us jump through hoops for an insurance company and then others of us dish out thousands of dollars....however it was done....in the end, it is NOT the "easy way out"!!!!!