Channel 7 - Sunday Program

[MissK 0]

Curious as to whether anyone else saw the program "Sunday" on Channel 7 tonight, and the story they did which they titled "Fat Chance"?

If you didn't, you can view it on their website:

meats and the CRAP we shouldn't eat anyway like burgers and pizzas... I don't know about anyone else, but I haven't choked on a fruit or vegetable yet.

I had my surgery less than 3 months ago, I started out sitting just under 110kg and I am now just a couple of kilo's off being in the 80's - I can't remember the last time my weight began with an 8 !!!

If Channel 7 had of presented a story that showed BOTH the good and the bad, I'd give them some credit, but one-sided reporting is little more than reporting FAIL.

Get it together, Channel 7!

[meikobobo 0]

Didnt see the program but do think people need to know not just the scary parts that are part of any surgery but also that it is not a miracle cure. You have to work dammned hard to still get weight loss. I am filled to the brim but still feel hungry all the time. Only time I know I have restriction is when I vomit then I think "I must be full" but still am hungry!!!!!! I try to make sure that I have enough Protein but like the story I do have trouble with a lot of fruit and vegetables. I have to cook them till they are mush. Have no problem with junk food- biscuits and cakes. And have to be strong and not eat them even though they go down a treat. Just goes to show everyone experiences different things....and it is not the easy way out by any means

[MissK 0]

Wow, I'm sorry to hear about your hunger, that must be so frustrating... I am having my third fill on Wednesday, I currently have 4.5ml and I'm hardly ever hungry. I can't imagine how annoying that would be, as hunger drives me mad :wink2:

[meikobobo 0]

Awww Tks Ms K ....but congrats to you and your awesome weight lost. Well Done

:wink2:

[steveelea 61]

Hi All

I to was EXTREMELY disappointed in that story.

Scare mongering is just so unfair and it was definately a one sided argument.

I couldnt get over the unable to eat healthy foods and, the way Mike pointed to the mans stomach and said so you should have only had this one tiny scar here......WHAT THE????

Anyone that goes in for banding would know that there are 5 points of entry if its not open surgery.

Grrrrrrrr reporters can suck!!!!:wink2:

Did they even think to mention what someones life would be like living at 200 plus kilos and what the health risks are for that and the preasure on the human body??

[shmack 0]

Curious as to whether anyone else saw the program "Sunday" on Channel 7 tonight, and the story they did which they titled "Fat Chance"?

If you didn't, you can view it on their website:

Sunday Night Channel 7 Official Site - Yahoo!7 TV

I had several people text or call me shortly after the program was aired, saying "Oh my goodness, did you see that? how scary!" .... of course, I didn't see it, so I logged onto their website and watched.

I have to say I am very disappointed that Channel 7 would deliver such a one-sided report on lap banding designed to do little more than scare us away... and why? because people are pushing to have the surgery made free through the government health care system.

Of course, the show featured a lovely girl who was about to undergo her surgery and then it featured a gentleman whose bowel had been 'knicked' during surgery and he went through an awful time because of that --- we ALL know/knew there were risks involved with the surgery, just as there are with ANY surgery, and it's unfortunate that he went through what he did --- but what I'd like to say is that Mike announced currently 15,000 people undergo lap banding every year in Australia, so why was it that Channel 7 were unable to find one of the 14,999 other people who have had the surgery to share with us some success stories? simple, they're trying to scare you!

I also just loved Mike's ignorant closing statement, where he says that the foods lap-band® patients mostly struggle with are fruits and vegetables. Come on Mike, do your research and present some facts, we mostly struggle with white breads, white rices, overcooked meats and the CRAP we shouldn't eat anyway like burgers and pizzas... I don't know about anyone else, but I haven't choked on a fruit or vegetable yet.

I had my surgery less than 3 months ago, I started out sitting just under 110kg and I am now just a couple of kilo's off being in the 80's - I can't remember the last time my weight began with an 8 !!!

If Channel 7 had of presented a story that showed BOTH the good and the bad, I'd give them some credit, but one-sided reporting is little more than reporting FAIL.

Get it together, Channel 7!

You should write in and tell them just that..... if only it was 60mins with their feedback section... and that old funny dude that takes the piss :wink2:

[elcee 3,341]

I agree.

It was very one sided and unbalanced. The guy that had a bad experience it had nothing to do with the band, it sounded like surgical error and that can happen with any surgery e.g tonsillectomies, vasectomies etc but you don't see them trying to scare people off those.

You would have thought that Allergan were funding all the surgery and that Prof O Brien was the only surgeon doing the surgery the way Munro went on. Lapband is not the only band used but no mention was made of the other ones. All drug companies market their products heavily to the main users (Drs) that is normal. Why should that be an issue with the band when presumably its not an issue for a certain type of pacemaker or heart valve or whatever.

Yes there can be negatives but these were not correctly shown. It would have been better to interview a person with GORD rather than someone who had a surgical error.

I personally know people that were filmed at band camp giving positive stories about their banding experience and none of these interviews were used.

But its typical. A sensationalist report with no depth.

[elcee 3,341]

PS. The ad's that they showed are not shown on TV here at all so how that was supposed to be relevant I have no idea.

[Jachut 487]

It was scaremongering and little more. It was not a realistic view of the risks of the lapband.

Prof O'Brien is a lovely man, I attend his clinic (although he wasnt my surgeon) and have met him a couple of times when I've spoken at info evenings. Like anyone, this is his living and of COURSE he is making a buck from it.

He presents the professional face of the clinic, as he is one of Australia's lapband pioneers, but the clinic is run completely realistically, I was not duped, I was told the risks and the questions I asked about long term issues were answered as honestly as they could becuase lets face it, we dont KNOW what the result of having a lapband inside us for 20 years may be.

I can also tell you they use all different bands in the clinic depending on the needs of the patient. He isnt pissing in anyone's pocket.

I love how they always present general surgical risks as if they're lapband specific, when they could happen in any surgery. Lapband is not a particularly dangerous surgery, there's way less risk of something going wrong than there is in other weight loss surgeries.

I think people need to know the downsides, but the REAL downsides, not trumped up rubbish like this.

However, I definitely DO struggle with fruits and vegetables more than anything else and I'd say the major disadvantage of the band for me is that it makes it harder to eat a healthy diet, i have to constantly stay on top of my desire to just eat biscuits and crap becuase its easy. We've been doing Lite n Easy this past fortnight to try to get back ontrack (have been very busy) and I am REALLY struggling with eating that much healthy food. Makes me think I should have fill OUT, and eat more like that than stay at current restriction and have constantly fight the lack of appetite for good foods.

But that is ALL in restriction levels. I'd say 99.9% of bandsters are really tighter than they should be and should eat greater volumes of fruit and vegies to fill up. Trouble is, when we can do that, we are also loose enough to eat pizza, McDonalds etc.

Edited November 16, 2009 by Jachut

[LouLouBell 0]

I was so disappointed with Mike Munro and the way he spoke to Prof O'Brien. I thought it was plain rude. Of course surgeons make money, - why would they do it if they didn't? Their so-called 'experts' were ill informed and judgemental.

What in the hell is wrong with 'before and after' pictures? I am not usually an angry person but that report had me livid!

[Bec 0]

:thumbdown:I too was disgusted by the program and wrote them an email, which you can do here Contact - Sunday Night - Yahoo!7 TV

I don't know if they will read it but it made me feel a hell of a lot better!!!!

[emmaf106 0]

I saw the ads and it made me almost lose the plot so didn't watch the program itself. Although reading your comments, maybe i'll watch it online later and you can be damn sure I'll be writing them an email if it's a shite as you guys say!

[Xeillia 0]

:redface:

That is my general opinion of what was presented on the Sunday program. I am appalled and disgusted by the ignorance displayed by Mike Munroe and have the following comments to make:

1) Maybe I am blind but I have never seen any ads on TV advertsing weightloss surgery other than for ??Circle and that was late last year.

2) They showed one isolated incident of someone having difficulty post surgery. There are risks involved in all surgeries and the fact that gentleman had so many other surgeries prior demonstrates that he has a predisposition for illness and infection and thus is an isolated incident.

3) The doctor or whatever she was referring to increased incidence of oesophageal cancer was also a result of misinformation. THere is an increased risk as far as I know if you have constant reflux problems from the band being too tight, as we all know stomach acid is corrosive and of course, like anyone else with acid problems may encounter.

The whole segment gave me the sh*** my family kind of freaked but I have explained to them in 14 months I am 53kg lighter and that is more important to me than what some misinformed TV show said.

After reading your posts I have decided to complain to channel 7 again and suggest they do an article on the positive outcomes because there are many of us whose lives have been saved as a consequence of this op.

[Sarah.R 2]

MissK I saw it as well and I posted on there discussion board how disghusted I was as well with the whole segment - FYI if you look on the discussion board and theres a story and the thread starter was blackstars yeah that's me lol.

Anyway yeah I was totally disghusted in the entire thing, I hated the fact that they focused on the one person that had a nicked bowel during surgery when in fact ANY surgery is dangerous really. And with Andy they didn't even focus on how people are actually being proactive and choosing not to be like this anymore. I personally think they should do a follow up story apologizing, it's a load of bull and I think that freakin Mike guy needs to be given the axe especially since he clearly didn't do any research at all - For your info Mike, I eat fruit all the freakin time and have no issues lol

Edit* Xellia if you do write in a letter asking them to show the positive instead of the negatives, will you let me know if you get anything back? I agree with you though, being healthier and weighing less I think far outweighs the negatives of this surgery. If I didn't have this surgery my weight would still be going up - I was 125 when I started and I would probably be up 130 but now and at my age honestly that's dighusting so yeah this surgery was a life saver.

One other thing to mention, I went on the website and the dietician that is against it and everything is funnily enough employed by the same people that employ the surgeon. I thought that was pretty interesting - I'm pretty sure the surgeon brings in my more moolah than she doesn - And she's probably only bitching because she'll be loosing clients because people will actually be healthier.

Edited November 24, 2009 by Sarah.R