Should obesity be classified as a disease?

[PrincessFiona]

If you are 500 pounds plus I see that as well...but I wonder how risky it is to undego anesthesia/surgery at that weight : I feel horrible for people who are that overweight. Did anyone catch the news last night about the 600 pound woman who had been on her couch so long that her skin had grown into the sofa??? It was just horrible...they had to transport her and her sofa in a flatbed to the hospital and she had to be surgically removed from her sofa.

To me it would seem then that hospitalizing her and putting her on a restrictive calorie diet would be the best bet?

On this topic...do you think that people with eating disorders like anorexia get more 'understanding' from the medical community and people with eating disorders (binge-eating/overeating) etc are on the receiving end of more cynicism?

[SueC]

Good point Kris--I just remembered that my cousin actually did have to drop some weight before she would be considered a surgical candidate.

Someone close to me (I don't want to "out" her) is having GB surgery. She is a recovered bulimic who in the course of her recovery ended up gaining about 150 pounds and is now obese and has health issues (breathing problems, foot problems and maybe others). She's having the surgery next month and we are scared s**tless about the outcome and all of the risks. Eating and weight are very complex issues and it's hard to be on the outside and say the right thing. She seems to be ready for the surgery and calls it a "tool" for weightloss, but we are concerned about the side effects and the emotional impact of not being able to eat "normal" meals for several months after the surgery, if it all.

Today I read a short article about a woman who had had GB and then became pregnant. Both her and her eight-month-old fetus died from a severe infection. http://theedge.bostonherald.com/healthN ... leid=39458

I am also worried about my friend's chances of being able to have children after the surgery - getting proper nutrition becomes a challenge, apparently.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on her surgery and what happens. I'm pretty nervous about it but she only wants our support, so there's not much else we can do.