The whole insurance thing really burns me up. My Internist and his wife run their own practice and well when we start talking about insurance and the medical industry we could talk for hours. They look at medical care as a social responsibility...so do I.

GBP is the only known cure for diabetes...I guess we should say this again. GBP is the only cure for diabetes.

If you are a poorly controlled diabetic, this surgery will help. If you are type 2 diabetes it will cure it.

Now if you have been a diabetic, you are at a much higher risk for heart attack, stroke, blindmess and kidney disease. I know for a fact one 3 day stay in the hospital for a small heart attack cost much more than the surgery and surgeons fee cost.

So to me it is cost effective to use GBP to treat diabetes. Plus we are not even factoring all of the risks that go along with being obese from heart problems, pulmonary problems, cancer etc.

This procedure if done responsibly is a life saving surgery. WHy is it not treated as such. You do not have to see a counselor before receiving a heart bypass, but many of those patients postoperatively never change their lifestyle and end up needing more bypasses. No one says, "well sir, we need you to see a counselor first for a psych eval before we can save your life so we can be sure you will follow the postop plan."

Why? It is because fat people are the most discriminated againt bunch of people in the US. This is just more thing that makes that discrimination clear.

Our obesity is seen as a character flaw...somehow we brought it on ourselves because everyone buys the fat stereotype. I know that my reality is not even close to that stereotype. Why is it that when ever the media shows "Obesity in the US" the fat person is always holding food in their hand shoving it in their mouth?

Doctors at least some think that by keeping this surgery elite and touting it as a way to get thin they are on the gravy train. But how many of us did it to get thin? I did it to save my life. Being thin is so not part of my reality right now.

But, I am more healthy and I am only taking 1 medication instead of 10! When i am finally thin, I am not even sure I will like it but I know one thing, I will be here to see my grandchildren grow up.

Not only do the insurance companies need to get on board but we should all stop feeling shame about what we are doing and stand up for ourselves. Good Lord, no one likes being fat!

Anyway, I have so much more to say but I will spare your eyes. Feel free to throw your feelings in here as well.

Leslie