Naysayers

I'm passing around my Indiegogo link again since it seems to be losing steam.  When I first posted it I got great responses, but now I'm stalled at 6,900.  It pisses me off, not because people can't afford to contribute, god knows I understand that, but I see a bunch of other projects on that site that are getting a lot of money.  Some of them are just so stupid.  Maybe I'm feeling entitled, but for some reason I feel like my health is more important than a documentary about video games in the UK.  Call me crazy.


Another thing that frustrates the shit out of me is people that feel the need to give their two cents on something they don't know anything about.  My friend Leah posted my fundraising link on her wall, and one of her friends responded with this:


"I'm sorry, but I cannot donate. I don't see how gastric bypass will assist this woman. She says that it's her body making extra fat stores, which it will no matter how much she eats. I do wish her all the best finding other ways to work with her body.

Also, when working at Lane Bryant, I saw too many customers say "This is the last time I'll be shopping here, I'm having gastric bypass soon!" And except for 2, they've been back to LB sizes within a year... I hope she's the exception if she does have the surgery."

SUCK.  A.  DICK.  The success rate for gastric bypass is 93%, so fuck you, lady, for hoping I'm the exception.  If you can't afford to donate, that's cool, but don't say you're not going to contribute because this is some kind of fool's errand.  I've spent two years researching this, talking to doctors, nurses, and friends that have had the procedure.  I'm not naive, and I'm not a moron.  This surgery is a tool.  It's not a cure all.  I'm well aware of the risks and complications.  I don't feel like going into the details on how it works, so I'll leave you with two of the responses I got from people I went to high school with that are now doctors, not cashiers at Lane Bryant. 

"This is such a touching story. How frustrating to face an uphill climb that can't be controlled even with heroic efforts re: diet & exercise. Hormones can be a b***h. A body so dead-set on finding more estrogen will be able to overcome pretty much any amount of exercise. I am familiar with the OptiFast program (we have a lot of patients here at UCSD who are on it) and many have good results, so perhaps it can at least help in the interim until funding issues are resolved. Sounds like the insurer is being not only inhumane, but penny wise and pound foolish... weight loss surgery isn't cheap, but it's cheaper than paying out for years to treat a patient suffering from serious weight-related co-morbidities."

"As a physician who hopes to actually move back to iowa to run medical weight loss programs for teens/adults it is very frustrating to read about how someone who has clear indications for surgery is rejected from their insurance company. This is more frustrating when ifyou have Medicaid in Missouri and qualify, you are covered for surgery but not the necessary preventative medicine that prevents obesity in the first place or the needed medical follow up to manage the endocrine side effects after surgery. Any endocrinologist/internist who is well versed in the literature knows that in people who have complications (the most surprising data is with type 2 diabetes) gastric bypass is really the most efficient and proven way to not only loose weight but to reverse complications."