Am I wrong to feel it’s unfair that the NHS are looking to pay for weight loss surgery to help obese people lose weight when they won’t pay for life altering treatments like Fampyra and Sativex?
Whilst I accept that obesity in this country is a huge problem I don’t like the term “epidemic” as it implies that people are “catching” obesity in the same way they’d catch the flu!
Obesity is caused by bad lifestyle choices, eating and drinking the wrong things and not exercising enough. I know this because I allowed it to happen to me last year. I sat around, feeling sorry for myself, eating whatever I liked and drinking 6 bottles of wine a week! No wonder I was fat and miserable! Since Christmas I’ve lost nearly 1.5 stone by changing my eating habits and cutting down on booze. I don’t have the luxury of being able to exercise as my mobility is so bad so I’ve managed my weight loss through diet alone.
Why should able bodied people be given surgery costing £15,000 that does what I’ve done on my own with no exercise? I’d love to be able to get off my (fat) bum and run round the park or go to the gym and I feel angry that people take these abilities for granted and let themselves get obese.
NICE recently declared Fampyra, a drug that could improve my mobility by 30%, as not cost effective. If I could walk 30% better I could manage the gym, is it me or is that insanely ironic? Perhaps I should just let myself get obese then get weight loss surgery just to get my money’s worth?
I have to pay for the medication I take to manage my symptoms and could pay for Fampyra and Sativex but disabled people earn much less than able bodied people so at this rate all my salary will go on medication just to make myself feel OK.
Why is it not cost effective to pay for a drug that could change my life but it is cost effective to pay for surgery, the results of which could be achieved by a little will power and self control?
I know some people can’t lose weight as medication or their conditions make it hard but it was hard for me in my condition too.
Is it just me who feels like this? I’d love to hear what other MSers think?
budding communications 
I am fuming right now. If NHS is anything like our health care system then they are only doing these surgeries because it costs alot less than the millions spent on diseases caused by OBESITY. If that’s their thinking then how about doing stem cell procedures to help cure MS to cut down on that cost too. I agree it infuriates me when I see an obese person on an electric scooter because they’re to big to walk and breathe, but I who gets exhausted walking from a parking lot to inside of s store would have to pay full out of pocket because I haven’t progressed far enough yet? So then I have to take more meds to calm down my symptoms which just caused my insurance more money. Seems like both of our health care rules and regulations suck! I would never wish this disease on anyone, but wouldn’t it, I don’t want to say be good, but I will. If one of the tops of NHS got MS wonder if things would change? Would meds all of the sudden be cost effective? I bet. I can only go off of our political system, gay marriage was not right in Dick Cheney’s eyes until daughter came out. Hypocrisy! Sorry for the rant.
You have to rant or you’ll cry!
I totally agree with you. I speak as somebody who moved from the UK before my MS really started affecting me. When I started on medication it was a case of this will help you take it. For years I complained of the very high tax we had to pay (I thought I had negotiated a very good pay deal for my first job in Belgium until I received my first pay slip and realised I hadn’t taken into account the tax regime – I received about half of my expected salary). When I needed to use the healthcare it was available and I could choose who I wanted to see when I wanted to see them. Specialist, pick one and ring them directly for appt. compulsory state subsidised health insurance means you pay for everything up front and are then reimbursed for a high percentage. If drugs are approved by the state you can access them easily. Fampridine (branded) not approved as manuf charging too much BUT gp/neurologist give a generic prescription and pharmacy buys large jar of product and makes tablets for me as needed.
We would love to move back to UK but am genuinely concerned about not have a satisfactory acces to appropriate. Medication or ms specialists when I want it. The NHS while great in some respects really falls short when you realise how much choice you have in other European countries
The NHS is awesome unless you have a chronic condition. I feel helpless and gutted by it all. Thanks for your comment. So interesting to see how they do it other countries
For years I had no help whatsoever by anyone from the neurology side of the medical profession! I was given my diagnosis and after that felt was in limbo and just got on with my life!! I had a little help at home for a while because looking after a 6 month old and four year old was damn tough! As years have gone by things seemed to improve! The introduction of MS nurses looked to be a good idea! But sadly that is now falling by the wayside and there are some areas in the UK that cannot have this kind of help! I’m afraid to say, that it is becoming quite clear to me, that if you don’t become a nuisance and keep making phone calls you will be forgotten!! Such a sad state of affairs and the lack of money is now affecting the NHS in such a negative way and I can’t see any future improvements!!
Thanks for your comment. It is scary for the newly diagnosed isn’t it. At least I know who to annoy to get heard!