Has anyone watched GMTV lately and seen the woman on there who's 40 stone?

Question

She thinks she's being left to die by her doctor etc... and hasn't been given help.
Yet her husband still prepares her fry-ups in the morning and she constantly snacks and eats takeaways throughout the day.
She can't leave her bed and needs 24 hour oxygen just to be able to live.
Do you think she should be gven help or do you think its would be a waste of time. At 40 stone there was obviously a time where she should have realised her weight was becoming a health issue. Also, she is continuing to eat unheathily even though she has been told she wil die in a few months if she doesn't change her ways.
Yes I feel sorry for her because she has no quality of life but I can't help think if she isn't making an effort.
She thinks a gastric band op will be a miracle cure for her and wants one on the NHS.
Should she be given the op?
She has to loose alot of weight before they'll perfom it anyway because of the risk of death under anasthetic.
What do you think?

Answer 1

There are other questions on this in this section, however, I think your question has merit. Should she begin the gastric band op? No. Not yet. It will be a mere band-aid cure at this time. At present she doesn't understand that she herself has issues. As with any form of surgery, there are psychological issues that need to be discussed. This woman is so far, unwilling to accept that she has to stop eating so much. She is refusing psychological services because she feels they are not necessary but for anyone to be in the condition she is, they have a huge part to play. Until she understand this, she will not start to lose weight. She has to take responsibility for herself but until she can understand this, it will not happen. No amount of badgering her will achieve it, either. It is a very sad case. Her husband needs to be taught some basic common sense meals for his wife and to only prepare those. If she is bedridden, she will not get up for anything different and that will help her. she will then begin to feel better and if a counsellor could visit her weekly for a while, just to chat, it might start her realising that she needs to get help, psychologically too.

Answer 2

Yes, I think she should be able to have the surgery on the NHS.

The fact that she has to loose weight to have the surgery is a positive thing, and is likely to be the only thing that will help her loose weight.

Many people seem to think that overeaters are just greedy and lazy, which really isn't the case. Unfortunately, not many people who haven't been in a similar situation themselves can understand the reasons why someone eats to excess in this manner.

I believe that it is as much of an addiction as alcoholism (I feel that, as a food addict and an alcoholic I am able to make that comparison). The reason this lady is so overweight isn't that she is greedy and lazy - she is ill.

There is a reason why she is using food to mask her pain, and she needs physcological help to understand the reasons for her behaviour.

With all the dieting books and gyms around, you might not think that there is a lack of support for obese people, but there is. There are very few doctors and health care professionals who understand the food addiction, much like there are very few who understand alcoholism.

This is a very sad situation, but sometimes it comes down to the fact that life isn't worth living without the thing keeping us from pain. That is how it seems, until you manage to tackle your addiction and make steps to move on. Hopefully this lady, with the publicity she has received, will receive the help she needs. And yes, this should be on the NHS.

I think we are entering dangerous territory if we start denying treatment to patients because we view their illnesses as 'self inflicted'. You might say this lady ate herself in to this state and should receive no help. But, you could also argue that an athlete should not receive treatment when he has an accident - as he chose to participate in his sport. Should we not treat self-harming children as they do it to themselves? Should foot surgery not be available to women who wore high heels? Should drunken injuries be left untreated? It is a dangerous and slippery slope, and not one that we need.

There is concern that this ladies husband is bringing her food, but if we try and look at it from his point of view - the woman he loves is hurting so much, and the only think that seems to make it better is food. So he facilitates her addicting. Hundreds of thousands of spouses are doing the same for alcoholic partners - facilitating their addiction. 'Co-dependance' is seen by many as as much of an illness as their partners addiction.

Sadly people don't seem to have much understanding or sympathy for people whose lives are ruined by addiction. I've known many addicts from all walks of life, and one thing is clear - we do not ask for this life. This isn't something we chose - our addictions are not our own choice. This lady hasn't chosen to be a food addict anymore than I have.

Ultimately, I think it is a sad reflection on society today that we are even having this discussion about wether a very ill lady should be give a chance, possibly her last chance, to get well.

Answer 3

GMTV......she was on nearly EVERYTHING for the next TWO days. What she has is (at the moment) only treatable by strict dieting, and that's all down to that idiot of a husband of hers. If he hadn't been so stupid in feeding her non-stop she'd never be in this state, and I couldn't care less if she DOES suffer from panic attacks if she doesn't get food - they're treatable, but chronic greed ISN'T. She's far too overweight to even have ANY kind of operation, so she can forget the gastric band nonsense. What she needs is a GAG.

Answer 4

She's gross. She blames it all on the NHS, when it's her fault. The NHS had nothing to do with her becoming obese. She's a lazy, self-centred, uncaring, selfish idiot, for getting herself into this situation. her husband is also to blame, feeding her all this crap. she is neglecting her own kids. Sick

Answer 5

She has got a compulsion to eat - so in that respect she does need help. But, you're absolutely right ... she hasn't moved from that bed in 18 months and her and her husband should have taken steps earlier to avoid her current blight. It sounds harsh but I have little sympathy for her!!!

Answer 6

I actually think she and her husband need family counselling first. Excess weight is a symptom of something else more deeply wrong, and unless that's sorted, the weight will return.

Answer 7

its her own fault no one can eat that much and not realize it,it showed a pic of her 13 years ago and she was slim so she has done all this to herself,its her kids i feel sorry for she should think about them and stop eating!!

Answer 8

she need to fight for her life.