Ban on surgery for patients who are overweight or who smoke?

Well I'm very fortunate that my surgeon operated twice on me in 12 months. 2 brand new knees. Yes I was overweight as I'd been struggling to walk for the last 10 yrs but was deemed to young for surgery.Now I can walk and exercise I'm getting my life back and getting fitter luckily my surgeon had the foresight to recognise it. I can't believe the condemnation on this thread, its bad enough being ill without being judged wether your fit for treatment by people who have not been in such a situation .

If you look at statistics from the 1940s and 50s, when the NHS was new, people were healthier and levels of overweight and obesity were much lower. Our lifestyles have changed since then. We are less active (fewer people had cars and there was more work locally) and our diets are poorer. We (personally) never ate out or ordered in and ready meals didn't exist). As children, we ate three home cooked meals, there were no snacks, fewer fizzy drinks and we played out all day. We went to bed at a reasonable time. Activity plays a part but it's access to food that's insidious. Today's children, if they're in the house all day doing nothing much and who don't go to bed until late have far more access to food than we did as youngsters. Late bedtime has been suggested as a contributing factor in childhood obesity.

Wonder what it's like to be strong willed, decisive, free from human imperfections , I would think it makes one judgemental of others

Legs55 I agree with your comment along the lines of 'physician heal thyself'! 700,000 NHS workers are obese according to this article.

www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/mens-health/11206062/Why-are-so-many-NHS-workers-obese.html

When my auntie was in hospital with back pain, the physiotherapist advising her was enormously fat.

ab it's quite possible to be decisive without setting up as a plaster saint...

Lizziepop, rickets and malnutrition were commonplace too

Yes lizziepop, but decisive on how everyone should live their lives ?

My next door neighbour is a 'recovering alcoholic' hasn't had a drink in 17 years. I applaud his will power and don't you dare judge peope like that AB ....that is so hypocritical

Someone mentioned the link being to North Yorkshire. That's because it's only North Yorkshire/Vale of York that are suggesting doing this. Another example of the postcode lottery that is now the NHS.

This is nonsense about being unable to exercise due to obesity. Join one of the weight loss groups the evidence is out there, when you have reached a target, exercise may help tone you possibly reducing need for surgery. Just sit in any town centre and see how obese our population is, including members of the health profession. We all need to take responsibility for maximising our own health. I agree that many medical interventions are destroyed by life style choices, so all health boards should follow suit, rationing may be the only way to induce responsibility now.

Lizzie, I think the lack of obesity in the 40s and 50s might have had something to do with the war and rationing, rather than willpower.

I thought it was decided.

I was a post war baby. My mother used to tell us about conditions like rickets, linked to poor diet. We got plenty of sunshine so vitamin D deficiency wasn't likely for us as children. Food began to be supplemented during WW2 (the beginning of the so called nanny state?) when cod liver oil was recommended for children and free school milk was given from 1946. I refused to take the cod liver oil but my sister actually liked it! Either that, or I was already becoming more decisive than she was and she swallowed her tablespoon because she was told to! ? Apparently rickets is on the increase again because children don't go outside or (some girls) are covered from head to toe.

dj post

Yes dj calorie restriction in action!

I agree with those who argue that putting limits on who can have operations should in any way be linked to cost cutting. Anyone needing a non urgent operation should however be encouraged AND supported to get themselves into the best possible condition for said operation.

A recent event concerning DH has reminded me of one of the many areas where the NHS is put under dire pressure is the incidents of DNAs (Did not attend). DH needed an MRI and let them know he's be up for any cancellations - they soon obliged and we had a phone call a couple of days later offering a choice.......whilst there, upon commenting that the clinic seemed quiet was told they had had and hours worth of DNAs that morning and 2 and a half hours worth the previous day!!!
This needs addressing, not sure how but its obviously got something to do with certain patients not valuing the NHS.

felice thanks for the suggestion of help.
Unfortunately my friend her H and the D in question are all on benefits and live very frugally due to health problems. None of them have ever been abroad or even posses a passport so unfortunately I think your helpful idea would be a step too far.

Some of you might be interested in this about global healthcare financing. From ourworldindate.org by Estaban Ortiz-Ospina and Max Roser.

This reminds of when I fell heavily on my left arm. I couldn't raise it more than about four inches yet when I went to see the doctor (I got the locum because the normal doctors were too busy), he told me that it would be a waste of time getting the arm x-rayed because "they wouldn't do anything about it because of your age". He gave little advice except to suggest that I take painkillers. Some four months later, and still not much better, I managed to get my normal doctor and he not only gave me a set of exercises, but also suggested that I had an injection two week's later if my arm was still giving me trouble. I did the exercises religiously and am pleased to say that, although still quite sore at the time, I did pass on the injection. I am now much better but angry that the first doctor didn't suggest some exercises in the first place.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I am 68.

Anya, I am not judging any recovering alcoholic, just why do you say this,?i have such respect for anyone who can overcome this cruel illness. All I have said is how judgemental some are about addicts, the obese etc, we can pass anyone overweight on the street, we don't know why they are overweight, if because they eat to much we have no idea why , food like alcohol can be a comforter even though they cause harm.

I do not drink but I do not judge alcoholics , I weigh about 7 stone, I do not judge the people who are overweight ,

lizzy your post at 13.40 describes my up bringing. However, I was overweight as a child and have been all my life so I'm convinced genetics plays a part, albeit a small one.

I lost quiet a bit before I had my first child then lost again after but I have never been slim.

Maybe they should just reduce the tax or alcohol and cigarettes and let people spend the difference on private medical insurance instead.

Only people who have never had a significant weight problem could possibly think it's a simple choice. Weight is the last legitimate predudice. People can comment, criticise and ridicule overweight persons without being challenged about that. Try doing it about any other group! Given the social stigma and predudice experienced by anyone overweight, aside from the regular 'lets not give them medical care', 'allow them to foster children' etc, if it was straightforward to lose weight and keep it off, do you think there would be any overweight people in our society? There is a genetic factor in body shape and size can easily been seen in many relatives, including those who haven't lived together and shared the same diet. In my own family, my body shape can be seen several generations back on the paternal side, despite all of my father's relatives having lived in a different country, with a different diet. In addition, when I was a child, there were no inhaled steroids for Asthma, so I was given oral steroids from being an infant, until adolescence. As an adult I developed hypothyroidism and more gained weight. That was eventually treated of course. Now, two of the medications I have to take for other medical issues have the side effect of weight gain! I am now an overweight 57-year-old. I eat less than many slim friends. I dieted for years, and had to severely limit food intake to an unsustainable level in order to lose weight. Whenever I increased my intake to a more normal level, I regained the weight and more. Looking back, if I hadn't repeatedly dieted, I would weigh much less today! There are other physical health conditions and medications that lead to people being overweight, and, as others have mentioned, psychological disorders too. Frankly, it makes me angry to hear sanctimonious comments about how it's a choice and overweight people should simply not be allowed this and that until they lose weight!

nina my sister is the same. Luck of the genetic draw, I suppose. I hope I'm not judgemental because I agree with Legs55 about being told to do something by someone with a massive plank in their eye!. Goodness knows, there are plenty of things I could do with changing about myself and I'm indecisive about them all. The first one to address is procrastination but I'll make a start tomorrow...