Topic : 07/11 What’s Up, Doc?

Not saying "offended" doesn't mean you are not showing that you are

 You said: "Where will it end? Are we approaching the day when all women must be perfect from head to toe, or in the case of breast implants, better than perfect? Can't we age? Can't we be allowed to show the effects of child birth? "

we, we, we...You are obviously offended. You think this woman deciding on plastic surgery is about you. Get over yourself! If you think plastic surgery is a bad idea, it shouldn't matter if it is so prevalent they go on missionaries to third world countries to give out free plastic surgery!

I have never gone under the knife. Again, this woman's decision is not about me or what I would do. I'm not promoting plastic surgery. I am promoting a woman making her own choices. She has agreed to do the work in this marriage that doesn't come with a paycheck, so it's unfair for the husband to dismiss her wholesale.

I don't think her self image DEPENDS on plastic surgery. She had a body she was proud of. It went through some trauma because of childbirth and she wanted to be proud of her body again. She's worked hard to get herself back in shape, this is the final piece.

I don't remember meeting you, but you seem to know an awful lot about me. Maybe in Minnesota there is an epidemic of men forcing plastic surgery on all the women. In my corner of the world we don't do that. I think the problem is women like you. You saw this story as a woman who was being unreasonable. No, you didn't use the word "unreasonable" but you made the arguement, "The boat idea was laughed at, but at least that's something the whole family could enjoy. Wearing a bikini and having other men admire her was something only the mother could enjoy."   It sounds a lot like, "How dare she consider doing something only for herself when her husband thinks a boat would be the best thing for this family."

What you missed was, this is a woman who feels strongly about this issue. She has explored and employed alternatives to plastic surgery to get the results she desires. They haven't worked. She has done her research and has decided she wants to have this procedure done. What I saw was her husband making the decision that she didn't need it, and he expected that to be the end of the conversation. She disagreed. My argument is she is right.

 I can understand your "worry" if you easily fall prey to lemming mentality. I don't think Casey falls into that category.

As a future Doctor, this post upsets and scares me.  First of all, if your Dr. is not listening to what you are saying, then you need to find another Dr.  The health history is one of the most important factors in making a diagnosis.  My response to you is to try an Osteopathic Physician.  Not only are they trained the same as MD, but they are also trained in Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy (a type of therapy similar to Physical therapy and chiropractic care that involves no medications and can often aleviate aches and pains without medication).  Along with the training listed above, Osteopathic training specifically focuses on patient centered care and the natural balance of the human body.  Osteopathic Physicians (DO's) can do anything a regular MD can do including surgery, prescriptions, etc.  Many people may already be seeing a DO and just dont know it.  If you would like to learn more about Osteopathic Physicians, check out the American Osteopathic Association Website at : www.osteopathic.org

  As far as the charges for office visits, I do agree that they are expensive from your perspective.  From our perspective, after paying $400,000 to go to medical school you have to have a way to afford your student loan bills.  I think the solution is for the government to find a way to help medical students get through school while initiating some new healthcare assistance.  I know that when I graduate I will be paying $4000 a month in student loans, even during my residency when I will only make $37,000 a year.  Many students have to defer these loans during residency which allows them to grow to half a million dollars by the time they get their first real paycheck.  Im not saying anyone should feel sorry for us, because we made a choice.  I just wish people would understand that I have invested nearly half a million dollars in my education just so that I can serve my community as a physician.  I understand that there are HUGE problems in the healthcare system.  Half of the reason office visits are getting so expensive is because so many people dont have insurance and dont pay for thier visits.  When you work out of your own office and half of your patients have no insurance and dont pay, you cant afford to stay in practice.

   My last comment in this post is that I am totally stunned that a physician and Dr. Phil would go on national television and call a post pregnancy belly a "medical problem".  Hundreds and hundreds of us live with this every day.  We all would love to go and have it surgically removed, but there are more important things in life.  I realize that some people are uncomfortable with their bodies and if you have tons of extra money lying around, then go for it.  But I was really offended that they made a father of 4 who worked hard to support his family feel like a bad person cause he wouldnt pay $8000 for his wife to have a tummy tuck.  I come from a huge family, and I know that $ 8000 could mean years of family vacations cancelled.  It is nice that Dr. Phil paid for this woman, but I have to agree with the husband, it is not a necessary procedure, and if you are on a tight budget or have 4 kids, I think the money could be better spent.  A heart transplant is necessary, a mastectomy for a breast cancer is necessary, a tummy tuck is NOT MEDICALLY NECESSARY.

Lord, please keep those grown boys (age 9 and 15) away from my 12-yr-old daughter until they are potty trained!!! YIKES!!!!

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As for the infertile couple, I know the feeling. It took us that long to conceive to and it involved lots of crying, disappointment and money. NOBODY knows the pain of not being able to conceive unless she has gone thru it herself! HOPEFULLY hubby will recognize how important this is to his wife and be gracious about it. My husband was and we now have two wonderful children (age 6 and 12) to show for all the patience (and robot sex:). Trust me, it's ALL worth it once the kids are born!!!!

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If I lost lots of weight, you can bet I would save my $$$ and have a tummy tuck and whatever else I needed to deal with the excess skin. Hopefully my husband would be sensitive enough to know that my self-esteem needed the surgery. Knowing my great guy, he would want me to have the surgery as a "gift" to myself for succeeding at getting healthy and losing the weight. Marriage is about support, love and respect. How better to show love and support than to "invest" in something that will improve the mental health of a spouse!!!

Wow....I'm a HUGE Dr. Phil fan, but today made me so mad!!!!

Please don't tell infertile couples to "relax'.  That is the worst thing to say to us!

I've been trying to conceive for over 5 years...done all the tests, several artificial inseminations, etc.  We're currently looking into adoption.

I could RELAX all I wanted and it wouldn't matter...I have a condition where my body is killing the sperm, so artificial (IUI, IVF) is our only way. 

There are so many of us who have trouble with conceiving.  No one can understand our pain, we just need support.  Telling us to relax isn't cutting it......