Preventative Maintenance

May 30, 2011

Post-op Day Eleven - HW: 269. SW: 248. CW: 238, yeah baby!

Got my staples taken out today, blessedly, and on my way into the Major's Path clinics, I couldn't help but send up gratitude for the Canadian public health care system.

In the U.S., for instance, a VSG surgery is upwards of $12,000, no matter how medically urgent it may be. Plus, 12 grand gets you a DAY SURGERY, in and out.

By comparison, my surgery involved the input of my family physician, dieticians, a respirologist, a physiotherapist, an anaesthesiologist, three surgeons, a multitude of nurses, and follow-up a public health nurse. I stayed in hospital for three nights and I had professionals I could call or email with questions.

In short, my surgery was addressed with all due diligence and care. The health care system “invested” in my health. In return, I will be saving umpteen $$$ for our health care system in the long term by reducing my risk of a boat load of obesity-related conditions.

Dr. Laurie Twells, a researcher at Memorial University, was part of a team that did quite an interesting study into obesity in NL recently.

“The purpose of the study was to examine the association of body mass index (BMI) with the prevalence of chronic disease and health services use in adults living in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL).”

Her team had some interesting conclusions:

“In conclusion, the study findings suggest that in the NL population, increasing categories of BMI are associated with an increased likelihood of chronic diseases, especially those known to be associated with excess weight.”

“At a population level, the burden on family physicians of managing and treating obesity-associated chronic conditions is substantial. From a treatment and management perspective, more resources should be channelled into primary health care services, especially for those high-risk individuals who are morbidly obese.”

Addressing health care in a proactive sense is the only way we can preserve the magnificent benefits we enjoy in our country. Just like with a car, preserving and ensuring health is always cheaper than fixing it after it’s broke.

And I am certainly not saying that everyone who is overweight should go and get bariatric surgery.  (You wouldn’t qualify, anyway.)

But for those who are morbidly obese (BMI greater than 40) AND you have extensively explored other weight loss options without long term success, thank goodness it is an option that now you can consider in our province.

 

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