[FemmeMode]

.....I am disappointed (this time) in Opera's segment on WLS.
I thought it was wonderful that she did this show....and that she showed a avenue that is "possible" -- and a huge concern of many -- Transferance is such a huge possibility....not all turn to alcohol.....

I wish that the show would've showed BOTH sides. She was soooo focused on the addiction transferance....and focused a bunch on alcohol. (But also a little on attention addiction/ sex addiction.)
________________________________________

The parts I strongly disliked (& thought was too biased):
Comments about WLS/patients -

• "Drastic - last ditch effort" -- Oprah
• "These women suffer from an 'alarming new phenomenon'." ~Oprah
• "Everybody thinks it the magic pill for weight loss" ~Oprah
• "The surgery 'Bypasses the real reason' they were overweight to begin with." ~Oprah
• "Bypass surgery is like getting your teeth cleaned for people now....people just do it without thinking about it....without any phsychological counceling about it...so you are bypassing the things that made you fat in the first place." ~Oprah
• The misrepresentation about the 1hour of phsyc care - and Dr. Robin's comparison to a sex chg. operation...and having to live in the other gender for a year b/4 consent for the operation itself. You get all this phyc. support you need and in WLS they don't give that to you....this isn't true for all patients....I did 6mos. of counceling.

The parts I really liked & agreed with:

• "You can't ever beat the weight gain unless you get to the truth of why you were fat in the first place. And then start to fix that....." ~ Oprah
• "The weight loss surgery didn't cause me to be an alcoholic - I'm a born addict" ~Carnie Wilson
• when Carnie got emotional - relating to the woman who was presently dealing with alcohol. (Very touching...she is a very caring person.)
• "Its an illusion to think you knew who you were when you were fat, Because that person also was in hiding....so to think that 'I knew who I was, but now I don't' -- you actually didn't knew who you were then and you don't know now.....and it's better to know now, that you're actually starting from scratch, than to think that you did know - but you lost yourself." ~Dr. Robin
• Addictions are in our lives to say..."I am in trouble." - that's what an addiction is. To get your attention.... ~Dr. Robin

__________________________________________________ ____________

The parts I really didn't like was mainly "Oprah's slant".....she seemed uneducated...or biasly educated. I wasn't mad....just disappointed.

I didn't and don't see this as propaganda...or over emoted piece....I usually like Oprah's perspective. I'm gonna guess that she is a bit blinded to this subject b/c of her personal journey. I think I have 'other friends' that think b/c they lost weight w/o surgery - they did it the "right" way. (This is just slanted view!)

Anyway.....so on and so forth....

[DocSanae]

Originally Posted by FemmeMode

I'm gonna guess that she is a bit blinded to this subject b/c of her personal journey. I think I have 'other friends' that think b/c they lost weight w/o surgery - they did it the "right" way. (This is just slanted view!)

Hmmm, sounds like the never ending argument, working mom vs stay-at-home mom.
It's a matter of choice, and a matter of working hard to make a go of it, and your choice is right for you, but the same choice may not be right for the other person. Whatever choices someone makes for themselves, their choices should be respected , and the persons themselves should be respected for having the courage to make whatever choice, and the determinatin to make them work, as this is all a highly personal matter.

[fr1endly2]

NICELELY PUT DEB and DOC!

and im proud and happy for the choice i made!
I am far healthier today then 1 year ago.

THIS surgery changed the quality of my life
and for that alone it was worth doing.

[LittleLisaMarie]

I just wanted to add a little bit, it was prob already said before but just want to put in my opinion.

I happened to like the show. We have addictive personalities if we want to acknowledge it or not. There are many positive shows portrayed on tv about gastric bypass but the realities of it are that it is a very complicated surgery. Many Many peeople do go into this surgery without educating themselves enough. Many people do not deal with the issues that go them fat to begin with. This is proven by the many numbers of people who gain the weight back post op. I doubt there is one person here or anywhere else who has undergone this surgery that does not feel they were addicted to food. Just as a drug addict recovers, i have dealt with many addicts in my life and nursing career there addictions are transferred to other places. Oprah is a one hour show. She would never be able to cover all the different avenues we travel on our journey. I have seen a show oprah did on the really big woman who had the surgery and then had to have all the extra skin taken off. She did a follow up with her as well to show how well she is doing. There is no reason to get upset with the realities of this surgery. As for Carnie I happen to really like her and respect her for her honesty. SHe does not sit there with a halo over her head. She tells it like it is. Everyone makes mistakes and when a celebrity comes out and admits to them, but also comes back from them i respect that. People sometimes get angry because they take offense to things that are said. I have met many people on this journey and most of them including myself have found other addictions to replace the food. Things that are positive as well as negative. I know many who are addicted to exercise, coffee, shopping, alcohol, partying, the computer etc.... This surgery has changed my life however its been the battle of my life. It has not been an easy journey. Ok i said enough. Many wont agree with me but i happen to love Oprah and Carnie and respect their views and opinions. We dont always have to agree with them but i do however respect them. This surgery is tough, it has it ups and downs and this show just happend to show a darker side of the surgery. People do need to be aware of this before just jumping into it.
Education is Knowledge and i see to many people having this surgery without the proper preperation and education.

Love Ya

Little LisaMarie

[DocSanae]

Well said, LisaMarie.

[FemmeMode]

Very well said LisaMarie!!!
Soooo glad for your input!! I totally agree....

Never thought of the fact that there is soooo much possitive about WLS out there!! You are right...there is very little out there about the harsh realities....
And she did say several times that this is true for 30%.....that means 70% of us will not suffer from these issues. BUT....wow 30% is a HIGH percentage!!

Thanks LM!!!!

[Pillows]

OKay I am really glad to read the amount of understanding coming from these posts from Doc, Deb and Lisa Marie...and yes the rest of you too.... I am really wishing that I had been able to see the episode in debate, but am glad that the proper perspective is being shown. I also agree that there is so much out there that glamourizes the surgery that there really isn't any harm in a show displaying the negative. Does anyone remember the show Oprah did that was so controversial about moms that had a hard time coping with motherhood? One of the reasons she is so respected in her field is the fact that she brings to light at times the often unheard side of the story and tries to make people feel like they are not alone. People thought that she was trying to scare new moms away from motherhood with that episode, but that wasn't what she was trying to do at all. She was merely trying to help those struggling have a voice and be able to feel support in their trials. I am really glad for this thread and think it is a good topic to approach and discuss.
Janae