Seventeen And A Half Stone Grandma Refused Operation

BERNADETTE · 10-04-2008, 23:01

A Blackburn Grandma who weighs seventeen and a half stone has been refused surgery because she is classed as obese. I can see how the surgeon would have major concerns about the risks involved but the lady in question is prepared to take the risk. Should the operation be allowed to go ahead despite the risks or is it okay for the surgeon to refuse to go ahead with it? The complaint isn't life threatening but the lady is taking morphine to help the pain.

grannyclaret · 10-04-2008, 23:04

I bet they took her national insurance off her ,,

Margaret Pilkington · 11-04-2008, 08:04

I undersand the reasons.....she would be subject to life threatening complications of surgery...and her current condition isn't life threatening, though I agree it IS debilitating and affects her life quality.
She says that she has been discharged from their care and given no help or information to help her lose weight.......if this is the case(which I would cast doubt upon), then that is very bad.
she should be given help in her struggle to lose weight.
It is never easy to lose weight, but when you are suffering and in pain it is even harder.

blazey · 11-04-2008, 08:09

No she shouldn't be allowed the operation just because she accepts the risks. A surgeon should have the right to refuse patients which he/she feels he might cause more bad than good to them.

Reduced risks, more chances of a surgeon having a death on their hands, and then not only does the surgeon has to feel guilty about it, but then they also have their abilities and judgment questioned. It's just not fair on either patient or surgeon. Unless both accept the heightened risks then I wouldn't go ahead either.

I think this is a fair and balanced opinion based on ethics, which should ALWAYS come before how much somebody is willing to pay, whether it be national insurance or at a private hospital.

lettie · 11-04-2008, 08:53

The surgeon is well within his rights to refuse to do the surgery. Her condition is not life threatening but the complications of surgery on somebody who is obese are. If he operates on her, and she dies of complications, the surgeon will then be hauled before an inquest and have to justify why he did the surgery.

Should her current condition become immediately life threatening, she will receive the operation despite being obese. If she then died during the surgery, her surgery could then be justified because she had a life threatening condition.

Just because a patient is willing to take the chance of surgery and knows the complications, doesn't justify a surgeon doing the operation. Patients have families, families want answers (and sometimes compensation) for loss of loved ones. A surgeon can only operate if he feels that the benefits of surgery will outweigh the risks......... In this case, they don't.

Neil · 11-04-2008, 09:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazey

No she shouldn't be allowed the operation just because she accepts the risks.

Exactly, it is the surgeons job to decide if he operates or not. It is the patients job to agree, or not, to the surgery that the surgeon recommends.

Margaret Pilkington · 11-04-2008, 11:59

Looks like we have an agreement on this subject.....isn't that unusual?

derekgas · 11-04-2008, 19:27

If this ladies condition is part of the reason that this she is obese, then she has little chance of losing sufficient weight for the surgeon to agree to operate, unless she starves herself, and then she would be too weak, and her immune system would be low, so, how does this poor woman get to have the operation and reduce the pain? The decision should be mostly hers, with the surgeons advice in hand, and god forbid, but if she should die on the operating table, in this day and age, a disclaimer would be signed, I think she should be allowed the op if that is what she wants, and her weight not be used as another excuse for cutbacks.

WillowTheWhisp · 11-04-2008, 19:33

How about when they do stomach stapling for obese people? What about the permission slip the patient has to sign before surgery? Doesn't that count for anything? I know when I've had an op I have had to undergo a pre-op exam to see if I was fit enough. Maybe she didn't 'pass' the pre-op and maybe it was suggested to her that losing weight might help her to become fitter and then have more chance of passing the pre-op. It doesn't make sense that she was offered no help though. It is an incredible struggle to lose weight especially when you are not fit and well.

blazey · 11-04-2008, 19:51

Stomach stapling operations are designed specifically for obese people so I think that is a completely different issue, and even that has weight restrictions.

Not many surgeons are willing to take unnecessary risks, as it puts their career on the line as well as someones life.

"I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice."

Therefore it is for the doctor to decide whether he is capable and if he is in greater risk of creating evil than good then he should not be obliged in anyway to take an unnecessary risk.

Even if the surgeon was the most competent in the world, if he feels he can't do it then would you really want to put him under that type of pressure? I know I wouldn't.

BERNADETTE · 11-04-2008, 20:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by derekgas

If this ladies condition is part of the reason that this she is obese, then she has little chance of losing sufficient weight for the surgeon to agree to operate, unless she starves herself, and then she would be too weak, and her immune system would be low, so, how does this poor woman get to have the operation and reduce the pain? The decision should be mostly hers, with the surgeons advice in hand, and god forbid, but if she should die on the operating table, in this day and age, a disclaimer would be signed, I think she should be allowed the op if that is what she wants, and her weight not be used as another excuse for cutbacks.

Having read more of the story this lady has lost three stone since they first refused to do the operation(she was anaemic at the time). This proves the point that she can lose the weight. So why on earth take the risk of surgery with the added risk of being overweight? Surely it is better to carry on with the weight loss programme and have surgery when it is safer!!!

WillowTheWhisp · 11-04-2008, 20:15

Ah so she was anaemic - there was more to it than appears at first. And also if she is on a weight loss progrm which is working then presumably when she reaches a suitable weight and has no other problems then they op will go ahead. Is this any different than refusing an op to someone whose blood pressure was high on the day the op was scheduled despite having passed the earlier pre-op assessment?

BERNADETTE · 11-04-2008, 20:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

Ah so she was anaemic - there was more to it than appears at first. And also if she is on a weight loss progrm which is working then presumably when she reaches a suitable weight and has no other problems then they op will go ahead. Is this any different than refusing an op to someone whose blood pressure was high on the day the op was scheduled despite having passed the earlier pre-op assessment?

She was anaemic when she was first scheduled to have surgery, that was a while back. The thing is if she has managed to lose three stone in the meantime why make surgery more risky? I would just carry on with the weight loss till it was safe. As Lettie pointed out if her condition becomes life threatening the surgery will go ahead regardless of her weight.

WillowTheWhisp · 11-04-2008, 20:31

It's beginning to sound like a bit of a non-story. It could have been written from a different angle something along the lines of "Successfully dieting Grandma well on her way to being able to have pain relieving surgery"

lettie · 12-04-2008, 07:58

It probably should have read that Willow, but, nice stories don't sell papers......