WASN\’T COASH WEIS APPRAISED \”BEFORE\” HIS SURGERY THAT IT HAD RISKS? EVERY SURGERY IS RISKY IN SOME WAY AND HIS ELECTIVE SURGERY HAD MORE THAN MOST. CAN YOU REALLY SAY THAT TWO HIGHLY RESPECTED AND SUCCESSFUL SURGEONS ACTED IN CONCERT AND WERE GUILTY OF GROSS INCOMPETENCE WITH REGARD TO THE COACH\’S LIFE? I THINK NOT AND I THINK MR WEIS IS GETTING BAD ADVISE. HE NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS OWN AWARENESS OF THE RISKS OF HIS OPERATION
Your talent for judging the actions of Mr. Weis is stunning. Do you think there is a home kit for the operation he needed to save his life? He relied on these two doctors to help him. The fact that their work was shody is not all that hard to believe. These people will do anything as soon as they have it cleared by a medical board. It does not mean they are good at it,it just means their associates let them act, probably before they had practiced it enough. Who do they practice on? The people who are not famous and cause less of a stir when something goes wrong for them. He was asleep, they were supposedly awake and alert, the blame is clearly theirs. You only get good with experience, ask the coach, they just used him to practice. You know they don\’t have a set up to use to make sure they know what to do in each case, they should have had a more experienced doctor there to help them.
And never mind he almost checked out, it appears it was all for not…I\’m going to go out on a limb here and say the surgery was a failure. What a nightmare.
I found it \”funny\” that the GOOGLE ads appearing to the right of the Comment board are for Bariatric Surgery, Gastric Bypass and Weight Loss. They should throw in a few for malpractice liability insurance too!
I wonder if D Wetmore has ever had major surgery? I have had at least 10 major and a whole bunch more of minor surgies. Two of which I alsmost died. One near death experience was casued by the surgeon. I only found out because a caring nurse sent me the info.
Yes all procedures do have risk I and others have found out that soometimes the biggest risk is a surgeon that thinks he is so good and quick that he actually misses some small point of procedure that may casue you your life.
David Kiley\’s comment is one of the most ludicrous statements I\’ve ever read in my life. He is representative of the Marxist left wing inthis country and should be thrown in the gulag and sent to re-education camp until eh can get it right. Weiss made the elective surgery decision. He was a fat slob with no willpower so he almost killed himself. From what I see, he is still a fat slob after the surgery.
And to \”Been there\”. Of course you almost died twice, you\’ve had TEN SURGERIES? and many more minor ones?? But, your poor health and disregard for your body is somehow the surgeons fault. When someone cuts you open of course they might kill you! Please, Hugo Chavez is calling, go live in Venezuela.
Hey David S Kiley-do you even have a clue? Obesity and anesthesia equals bad because fat absorbs the anesthetic, Obesity strains the heart as well as every other organ system, Open this guy up and try to find anything in the gloop of yellow fat all through his body. Statistically he will die around 60 if not treated. This is a dangerous procedure and even with the best surgeons the mortality rates are around 30%. How about a coach a man that knows about fitness not letting himself get to this point. Go chase another ambulance you plaintiff bar moron!
You besmirch the name of our greatest president with your stoooopid remarks. Maybe the person you mock was in an accident? Maybe Weiss\’s problem is glandular? I quit smoking in October and gained 30 pounds, and I am eating less to keep it down. It\’s metabolic, not caloric, in some instance.
When doctors screw up, they should pay. By your illogic, merely agreeing to have surgery makes the patient at fault, regardless of the doc\’s negligence.
Reagan, thank you for your comments, you\’re right on. D Wetmore you\’re absolutely correct too. Folks, this was ELECTIVE surgery. If Mr. Weis didn\’t want to take the risk he could have tried diet and exercise. But he took the risk and now won\’t take responsibility for his own decision, how pathetic. I assume his next lawsuit is going to be directed at McDonald\’s for making him fat.
Ok so what if it was an accident he has still be so injured he needed 10 surgeries -lucky to be alive and should be thankful send him over to Ethiopia and he is dead at the scene. This country is so screwed up with a totally unrealistic expectations from our ailing healthcare delivery system —keep bashing doctors and we will end up having our healthcare delivered to us by lawyers and at that point they will have made themselves immune to the same justice system that created this nightmare.
Obviously you sit on what little brains God gave you. I have a rare disease and there are no medications that can controll it nor does diet, exercise or anything else make it better.
I wish for you a disease like I have but not on you. On someone you are deeply about so all you can do is sit and watch all the suffering.
The only thing that is smaller than your mind is your ability to suffering that poor health actually can cause another.
Try taking a tour of cancer hospital. Hopefully it won\’t be because you are starting treatment.
What percentage of the population truly has the \”glandular\” problem and cannot control their weight? Probably a small percentage. The rest are lazy and have no willpower. As I have stated before, obesity doesn\’t happen over night. It takes years of abuse before you become morbidly obese. And in that time you ignored the many warning signs, many of which would have come from a doctor had you been serious and responsible for your health. And every surgery has risks. The article didn\’t describe the negligence, so unless the doctors left sponges in the patient, deal with it. People die everyday and doctors do their best to prevent this. Unfortunately, sometimes there is nothing you can do to stop the natural course of life.
Yes, Been There, OF COURSE, you have a rare and insufferable disease. Whah. And of course, just like your ilk, you wish terrble and awful things to befall anyone who disagrees with you. I wish for you, that you live a very long life with your miserable self. I\’m so happy you DIDN\’T die on the table. Try not to cry when you look at the empty pillow next you every night.
Aw, c\’mon Chuck, there is plenty of love! Love for the all you can eat buffet, the open all night fast food restaurants, the tv & couch… heck, I love the gym where I work out. Wait a minute, I strained a muscle there last week. Quick, I need a lawyer! Gotta be somebody with deep pockets I can sue!!
Been there – YOU don\’t get it. You know nothing about me. As a matter of fact, I DID almost die and had I been a fat slob, I would have. My condolences to your wife and kids.
What you crazy liberals do not get is that there are big risks to this type of surgery. If the doctors advised of the risks ahead of time and made no errors they should not be held financially accountable for unexpected complications. My opinion is that if you cannot prove a mistake by the doctors in court than the plaintiff and his attorney should be forced to pay back the doctors for their defenses costs. This type of surgery is very risky and anybody contemplating it should first try exercise and diet. Yes, if the doctor cut him open and forgot to stitch him up they should be held accountable by their colleagues and liable for civil damages. The problem with our system is that when something goes wrong out of the doctors control people still want to file suit and collect big bucks. Also, when they are liable the dollars given are often way out of line. When insurance companies pay out big med malpractice claims they simply pass the premium increase on to the doctors/hospitals. The doctors and hospitals have to charge more which in turn raises health costs, which in turn raises health insurance for individuals and businesses. Wonder why people are having a hard time affording healthcare? You simply have to be above average intelligence to figure it out. Sorry you liberals are not high enough. Why should a person who makes $30,000 a year be entitled to actual and punitive damages of say $40 million? In their lifetime they would not have seen any where close to that money. The jury thinks the damages are punitive to the doctor but really it is just punitive to society who will pay the cost. Any idea what an OBGYN\’s med malpractice costs a year? It is in the high 6 digits. That is just for one doctor. The article does not really clarify if there were any real mistakes made. I don\’t think any prior comments were meant to wish harm on the coach. Instead I think they are simply trying to say that he has a lot of responsibility for what happened to him and maybe he is not entitled to a big payout.
Munch- I\’m sure you\’re so fat that by the time you would have attempted to raise your foot to me you\’d either fall over dead from a heart attack or I would have lit you up like a fire, so fast, you wouldn\’t know what hit you.
These comments are all a very reflection of the lack of respect for anyone today. I actually read hateful words in most of the responses to this article.
I sure hope and pray I do not know you people and also that you are not parents teaching your children the same prejudices, callousness and lack of caring for their fellow man. God help our future if you are…..
Yes, there is negligence in many areas, doctors, patients, diring cars, flying, working, how we live (not just fat or thin but how we treat each other) and lots of other ways. There are also unpreventable, hereditary medical conditions that may make someone fat, skinny, cancerous, diabetic, have alzheimers, a hundred or more other medical conditions – that cannot be predicted and very often except through medicine, can be corrected or controlled.
This world would be so much better with less bitterness, prejudice, lack of mercy, and discrimination. These are the things that lead to fights, murder, wars, all kinds of bad things.
Please re-think your words and actions and make this world a better place.
If there\’s ever a surgery that can actually transform your run-of-the-mill a$$hole into a genuine, good ol\’ nice guy, I think you all need to sign up, whatever the risk…
Ok I admit, I do understand how things could go wrong. I went in for penis enlargement surgury, but the Doc said my penis was too small and he couldnt help me. So I became an angry Republican.
And now a Fake Reagan. How clever. Post whatever you like, twit, of course you have to hide behind my name, coward. A plauge on your family small and trite imposter
Hey Reagan! You are crackin\’ me up, man! Even if you are that much of an a$$, I can\’t believe this many people are taking your words to heart. Lighten up, people! Better yet, sue the Insurance Journal for posting his harsh statements. I am sure you could somehow throw loss of consortium in there!
The fact that Weis is in charge of keeping young men healthy and he couldnt keep the twinkies out of his mouth says something to me! Now he wants to sue because HE chose to do something. As one comment said, he needed someone else to do it because he couldnt. To follow suit, that means when ND loses, I should be able to sue his twinkie stuffed face for leading ND to a losing season. And to the people that say its glangular, if your heavy it could be glangular. If your fat and need surgury to lose weight- YOU have the problem.
Since you admitted you almost died, by all of your comments it must have been during an exploratoty to find some shread of human kindness and some sort or microscopic brain. They obviously where in just too long and could not find a thing.
This is probably the type of comment you enjoy looking for and getting.
Reality check-you are probably just trying to get others aroused by showing all of us in this crazy industry that there are still companies that have absoutly no requirments for employment, such as yours.
Wow, what a bunch of ornery individuals! Interestingly enough, I am amazed at how many people have posted comments, it must be because this article is vaguely sports-related… Before launching stones, please note the character (or lack thereof) of some of these people. The first indications that we are dealing with some intelligence-challenged individuals would be grotesque spelling and pre-elementary sentence structure. Please SPELL CHECK.
I am not a big sports fan, but my heart goes out to coach Weiss, he seemed like a nice guy, Im sad to hear that he is in a comma. I hope he can coach again some day.
I just like to pi$$ people off and apparently I am very good at it, accountability, I\’m cracking up myself on this fine Friday afternoon. Have nice weekend everyone
I like how Jenny is one of the only women to respond, and how she helps to solidy the stereotype that sports just isn\’t for women…READ THE ARTICLE. Coach isn\’t in a coma now, dummy! I don\’t think he\’d be heading to court in a few weeks if he weren\’t exactly among the non-comatose members of society…
Sorry, i said I didnt follow sports too closely, I thought something recently happened. I just remember back when he used to coach for the Giants. Parcells hired him originally. I think he was great coaching Brady for NE too.
This past season I think his lack of Knowledge on Defense was a real liability though. The speed in the secondary was lacking and they seemed to be lacking in the middle against the run as well. Switching to a 3-4 or even the cover 2 might help that for next season.
After being 345 lbs. as a top weight, and hearing every excuse in the book by doctors and others, including a disease, the bottom line WAS THAT I ATE TOO MUCH, and exercised too little.
I found it very interesting, almost to the point of disturbing, that an article about a medical malpractice lawsuit can go from comas to grammar/spelling to political affiliations and body parts issues. While not a Notre Dame enthusiast, I am a sports fan, an insurance professional, and more importantly, a recent gastric bypass surgery patient. After reading all the postings to date (1/28/07 1:45pm CT), I feel compelled to comment.
Obesity is an addiction/disease like alcoholism, smoking, drug abuse, etc. However, unlike alcohol, illegal drugs, and nicotine, you have to have at least some food to live even after controlling your addiction.
The surgery isn\’t a \”quick fix\”. It\’s complicated much like the BCS rankings. Anyone who thinks it\’s the \”easy way out\” either a) isn\’t going to be successful after their surgery or b) really doesn\’t understand the situation. The surgery is a powerful tool, much like a \”Heisman trophy quarterback\”. However, you can have the best quarterback in the nation and still not win the national championship.
In the day and age of medical malpractice suits, I would hope every surgeon requires their patients to go through various tests (both physical and psychological) to determine who are good candidates. My surgeon did. My surgeon turns down potential patients/income for those who fail those tests. Assuming that all doctors do would be more of a dream than reality.
I did my \”pre-game\” preparation. Hopefully, Coach Weis and anyone else considering surgery would do the same. I researched the various surgeries, the surgeon, the morbidity/mortality rate, etc. I also consulted with my \”team and coaching staff\”, those whose opinions I trust. I will add that according to the American Society for Bariatric Surgery 2004 Consensus Statement, the mortality rate is about 0.5% rather than the 30% you mention. Even the morbidity rate is only around 5%.
Claims and lawsuits affect people in more than just financial ways. We cannot begin to know the intricacies of Coach Weis\’ situation. Every surgeon is human. Humans make mistakes. We have insurance for the unexpected. Some claimants reach to the deep pockets of insurance companies for unfair gain while others want simply to be indemnified for their losses. We have to trust that the court (\”referees\”) will make the right call on the \”coach\’s challenge\” after reviewing the play on the field.
0.5% for the first two weeks after surgery maybe but often surgical complications take a few weeks to fester befre they are discovered again disease or no disease fat people dont heal well and their vital organs are not usually in the best of condition. Please show me a 5 year survival rate in any clinical study performed in America to support your ludicries statement. Tihs is a very dangerous but in some neceessary procedure which is now done in almost any hospital because you and I demand that! We dont want to travel to have it and we dont want a stranger to do it on us so rural surgeons in rural hosptials get way above their heads. Most of these facilites do not even have a ct scanner or mri big enough for thses people to fit in when things do go wrong. Coach\’s was done at a reputable facility and by reputeable surgeons the fat slob should be thankful he is alive at all.
I di believe that obesity is a disease. The overwhelming addiction to food is quite
difficult to conquer. It is major, invaasive intestinal surgery. However, with the right surgeon and pre and post surgical preparation and follow up, the risks can be minimized. Too many surgeons peform these procedures when they probably
don\’t have the experience. I believe that
Charlie Weis\’s suit is warranted.
gastric bypass is an extremely risky surgery…common folk like ME even know this, and according to some fellow readers I\’ve been dropped on my head, have done drugs, etc. But even a stupid conservative like myself knew it.
Let\’s review:
gastric bypass…gotta believe doctors say \”now Chuck, this is risky stuff, and even if it works, there\’s no guarantee you won\’t stretch that stuff back out if you keep eating those 12 pound sub sandwiches\”
surgery occurrs; patient in coma for two weeks…last rites given…patient doesn\’t eat much while in coma…
patient recovers; appears to have lost some weight, obviously has regained appetite, but until I read the next issue of People, I won\’t know how much weight he has lost, and doesn\’t appear Jared losing Subway job anytime soon…
Yup, he survived, maybe that\’s why he\’s so upset. Some folks have a brush with death and are grateful for the second chance, others choose to sue for that privilege…That, or he was going to make some public declaration during that 2 week coma that would prevent the country from sending troops to Iraq, or prevent a super Wal-Mart or two from opening…his family got quite a scare, but he allegedly has his dream job now…yeah, wouldn\’t we all be this bitter. Sorry Charlie. I wish you well, but profiting off your recovery doesn\’t seem to make much sense unless you can prove the doc\’s were drunk when they sewed you up.
Andy: First injuries. Charlie Weiss had a little tweak there, ahem, he got that gastro- surgery thing then it tightened up on him a little there, ahem, so now he’s comatose. Ahem. Time’s yours.
Reporter: Andy, it’s been reported that Charlie knew that he was going to have risky surgery, he just didn’t know how long he was going to be out afterwards. Is that a clock-management problem?
Andy: Ahem, well uh, ahem, we gotta get that under a little better control.
Reporter: Andy, who decided what kind of surgery Charlie should have gotten? Did you call that play? If so, isn’t it about time that you let someone else call plays?
Andy: Well, ahem, that’s my responsibility there, so I just have to do a little bit better job with that. Ahem.
Reporter: Andy, it has been reported that there might be a penalty for the botched surgery. Is that an officiating problem?
Andy: I don’t uh, ahem, I don’t comment on lousy officiating.
Reporter: Andy, do you think that Charlie should have gone for the surgery or punted?
Andy: Well, we punted with 1:50 left against the Saints and you saw how that worked out. Ahem. That’s all.
Your comments have me busting a gut. I will have to come back later because I am laughing at my desk and they are going to come and get me with a straight jacket.
Really Tony? Just because he \”nearly died\” they fell below the standard of care??
This is HIGHLY risky surgery. Even in the best and most trained hands it has a high mortality rate. Of course, being morbidly obese carries it own RISKS. In order even be a candidate, you must have no less than three co-morbidities. That means three conditions, any one of which will kill you in the not distant future.
If he proves his case via expert testimony and the jury likes his experts better than the doc\’s, then his claim is \”justified\”. If not, then its not. Period.
this poster uses multiple handles and is insulting to everyone that does not agree with his bible thumping mightier than thou attitudes. He also makes fun of human suffering under his other handles (Reagan,etc). Its a disgrace to your fine publication and website that he has a forum to post his messages of hate.
Rosie, you remind me of that mental giant on the view; if you don\’t get your way, then out with those who disagree. First of all, no one is required a degree in rocket science to post here. I see you\’ve made your own comments about \’compassionate conservatism\’ and \’cold heartedness\’; seems like you\’re able to throw labels around quite well. Just so long as there is a ban on those who offend you.
I\’m just concerned why those of you who want to stick it to the doctors haven\’t noted that this guy did in fact recover and now allegedly has the job of his dreams…I\’m sorry he and his family had a tremendous scare, but this type of surgery is really risky stuff. Let\’s just way it\’s often best to \’weigh\’ the alternatives. Charlie is a good guy from the stories I\’ve read about him, but this appears to be a money grab. Sorry if we offend.
From the secret Charlie X files:
It was right after the Super Bowl, and after eating us out of house, home, and a couple refrigerator racks. My wife told me Notre Dame had called, but I couldn\’t find the phone under all the twinkie wrappers and McDonald\’s cartons on the floor; I figured who cares, who would want to coach at the college level after the pro\’s anyway. I was getting hungry again, so I went out for some snacks and necessities. The dogs were getting whiny as I hadn\’t fed them, so I was in Wal-Mart; I had one cart full of Sam\’s brand pizzas and muffins, and I had a second cart to load several large bags of PXXXXX dog chow and was in line to check out. A woman behind me asked if I had any dogs; I thought \’yeah lady, I just buy this stuff for fun\’. But I tried to be polite, but she continued to pry, and I was feeling a bit crabby so on impulse, I told her no, I was starting dog food diet again (brand name withheld, but one of the namebrands), although I probably shouldn\’t because I ended up in the hospital last time. I opened the end of the bag and took out a handful and started eating the stuff. I was too hungover to taste anything, but it wasn\’t half bad. I embellished it abit and told her for meals, I sometimes pour beef broth over it and pretend it\’s roast beef with gravy. Continuing, I told the nosy twit I\’d lost 50 pounds the last time I tried the diet, but I awakened in an intensive care unit with tubes coming out of most of my body and IV\’s in both arms. Her eyes about bugged out of her head.
I went on and on with the bogus diet story and she was totally buying it. I told her that it was an easy, inexpensive diet and that the way it works is to load your pockets or purse with nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The package said the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again.
I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story, particularly a tall guy behind her. I was already on my second handful of nuggets, and a couple people behind me asked if they could try them and did. No one complained about the taste, and the tall guy even said it was pretty good.
Horrified, the lady asked if something in the dog food had poisoned me and was that why I ended up in the hospital.
I said no…..I\’d been sitting in the street licking my butt when a car hit me. I then decided against the dog food diet and called the surgeon.
Unfortunately, Chad suffers from a condition known as \”I hate people.\”, \”I know everything.\” and \”People are greedy because I have nothing.\” I run into this type of person everyday in my practice. To set Chad straight, the question is not whether there are \”risks\” associated with a particular surgery. The question is whether the doctors failed to perform appropriate medical care (standard of care) that caused his complications, coma and near death. If problems arose that were not caused by the doctor\’s neligence, then there is no recovery for this \”risk.\” If the doctor\’s caused the problem, then this was not a \”risk\” but rather \”negligence.\” To those commentators who say lawyers are ruining medicine, they should be thankful that lawyers have the power to represent individuals who are harmed when doctors mess up. I couldn\’t imagine living in a world otherwise.
wow, it\’s really an honor to get such an accurate diagnosis; and I didn\’t even have to see a doctor! I just waited for a helpful lawyer to come along. Now I can get along the road to recovery. Thank you Lawyer! You are wise and know all. Without you, people would try to cheat others out of money and stuff. I\’m so happy to have been helped by Lawyer, and I didn\’t even have to pay the contingency! What a stand up, uh, guy, I guess, although if your a gal, I appreciate you just a much, Lawyer. Now I can stop hatin\’ everyone.
Lawyer,
I agree that your profession does serve a noble purpose and is needed by our society. The problem is the vast majority of you are bottom feeders taking advantage of the poor for your own benefit but to the detriment of society. Look at our politicians in congress, senate, local and state reps. They wouldn’t know the truth or meaning of integrity if it smacked them in the face and can you believe that most of them are… you guessed it lawyers? What do you call a million lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? A good start!!
Some of these fools do not get it. Lawyers steal from the deep pockets to line their own. Society pays the cost and their clients often do not even have enough to compensate after they have paid their lawyer his unfair share. We have a county in the area I live (suburban Midwest) very liberal courts that has about 350,000 people but is down to 2 obgyn doctors serving the entire county. The lawyers have filed so many lawsuits the ob doctors have left. Now these women are forced to drive between 30-60 minutes to get to the next county where they can get an ob to see them. That my friend is what lawyers are doing for us. If you live there your pregnant wife will drive an hour to see a good ob and then that far to deliver at a good hospital. Hope it is not an emergency!!!
I have to laugh everytime I hear a scum bag plantiff attorney, whose yellow page ad reads \”no recovery, no fee\” , try to defend their lowlife way of making a living. I\’ve had 2 Malpractice suits against me & both have been dropped because I refused to knuckle under to the pressure of graciously settling out of court for $80k, then 1 month later $40k, then another month later $10k then expenses then nothing because I refused to give in to the EXTORTION from the plantiffs atty. I told both I\’d see them in court & basically to kiss my ***!!! My malpractice carrier would have settled had I chosen to But, like Weiss, their post-op complications were an unfortunate side-effect of the Rootcanal Therapy or 3rd Molar surgery. Like Weiss, my pts. signed consent forms before hand aprising them of these side-effects, yet still found a bottom feeder who took their case because in Louisiana…\”No recovery, no fee!!!\” I expect this kind of \’I just hit the lottery because the Dr./DDS F*&#@d up\’ from the trailer trash that tried to sue me. I don\’t expect it from someone like Weiss whom I am guessing has as much $$ as he needs so I have to agree that he is getting bad advise from someone. Probably yet another scumbag barrister trying to hit the lottery with a sympathetic jury or hoping the MDs just don\’t want to deal with it & settle out of court. What a pathetic way to make a living!!!!
WASN\’T COASH WEIS APPRAISED \”BEFORE\” HIS SURGERY THAT IT HAD RISKS? EVERY SURGERY IS RISKY IN SOME WAY AND HIS ELECTIVE SURGERY HAD MORE THAN MOST. CAN YOU REALLY SAY THAT TWO HIGHLY RESPECTED AND SUCCESSFUL SURGEONS ACTED IN CONCERT AND WERE GUILTY OF GROSS INCOMPETENCE WITH REGARD TO THE COACH\’S LIFE? I THINK NOT AND I THINK MR WEIS IS GETTING BAD ADVISE. HE NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS OWN AWARENESS OF THE RISKS OF HIS OPERATION
Your talent for judging the actions of Mr. Weis is stunning. Do you think there is a home kit for the operation he needed to save his life? He relied on these two doctors to help him. The fact that their work was shody is not all that hard to believe. These people will do anything as soon as they have it cleared by a medical board. It does not mean they are good at it,it just means their associates let them act, probably before they had practiced it enough. Who do they practice on? The people who are not famous and cause less of a stir when something goes wrong for them. He was asleep, they were supposedly awake and alert, the blame is clearly theirs. You only get good with experience, ask the coach, they just used him to practice. You know they don\’t have a set up to use to make sure they know what to do in each case, they should have had a more experienced doctor there to help them.
And never mind he almost checked out, it appears it was all for not…I\’m going to go out on a limb here and say the surgery was a failure. What a nightmare.
I found it \”funny\” that the GOOGLE ads appearing to the right of the Comment board are for Bariatric Surgery, Gastric Bypass and Weight Loss. They should throw in a few for malpractice liability insurance too!
I wonder if D Wetmore has ever had major surgery? I have had at least 10 major and a whole bunch more of minor surgies. Two of which I alsmost died. One near death experience was casued by the surgeon. I only found out because a caring nurse sent me the info.
Yes all procedures do have risk I and others have found out that soometimes the biggest risk is a surgeon that thinks he is so good and quick that he actually misses some small point of procedure that may casue you your life.
Sadly enough, Been there, done that.
You have no idea what you are talking about.
Maybe the Doctors where USC and Colts fans. (tounge in cheek)
David Kiley\’s comment is one of the most ludicrous statements I\’ve ever read in my life. He is representative of the Marxist left wing inthis country and should be thrown in the gulag and sent to re-education camp until eh can get it right. Weiss made the elective surgery decision. He was a fat slob with no willpower so he almost killed himself. From what I see, he is still a fat slob after the surgery.
And to \”Been there\”. Of course you almost died twice, you\’ve had TEN SURGERIES? and many more minor ones?? But, your poor health and disregard for your body is somehow the surgeons fault. When someone cuts you open of course they might kill you! Please, Hugo Chavez is calling, go live in Venezuela.
Hey David S Kiley-do you even have a clue? Obesity and anesthesia equals bad because fat absorbs the anesthetic, Obesity strains the heart as well as every other organ system, Open this guy up and try to find anything in the gloop of yellow fat all through his body. Statistically he will die around 60 if not treated. This is a dangerous procedure and even with the best surgeons the mortality rates are around 30%. How about a coach a man that knows about fitness not letting himself get to this point. Go chase another ambulance you plaintiff bar moron!
You besmirch the name of our greatest president with your stoooopid remarks. Maybe the person you mock was in an accident? Maybe Weiss\’s problem is glandular? I quit smoking in October and gained 30 pounds, and I am eating less to keep it down. It\’s metabolic, not caloric, in some instance.
When doctors screw up, they should pay. By your illogic, merely agreeing to have surgery makes the patient at fault, regardless of the doc\’s negligence.
You\’re a silly person.
Reagan, thank you for your comments, you\’re right on. D Wetmore you\’re absolutely correct too. Folks, this was ELECTIVE surgery. If Mr. Weis didn\’t want to take the risk he could have tried diet and exercise. But he took the risk and now won\’t take responsibility for his own decision, how pathetic. I assume his next lawsuit is going to be directed at McDonald\’s for making him fat.
Ok so what if it was an accident he has still be so injured he needed 10 surgeries -lucky to be alive and should be thankful send him over to Ethiopia and he is dead at the scene. This country is so screwed up with a totally unrealistic expectations from our ailing healthcare delivery system —keep bashing doctors and we will end up having our healthcare delivered to us by lawyers and at that point they will have made themselves immune to the same justice system that created this nightmare.
What a pity some cold hearted people cannot get a grasp on this fact. It makes me sad :(
so much for compassionate conserativism
Obviously you sit on what little brains God gave you. I have a rare disease and there are no medications that can controll it nor does diet, exercise or anything else make it better.
I wish for you a disease like I have but not on you. On someone you are deeply about so all you can do is sit and watch all the suffering.
The only thing that is smaller than your mind is your ability to suffering that poor health actually can cause another.
Try taking a tour of cancer hospital. Hopefully it won\’t be because you are starting treatment.
What percentage of the population truly has the \”glandular\” problem and cannot control their weight? Probably a small percentage. The rest are lazy and have no willpower. As I have stated before, obesity doesn\’t happen over night. It takes years of abuse before you become morbidly obese. And in that time you ignored the many warning signs, many of which would have come from a doctor had you been serious and responsible for your health. And every surgery has risks. The article didn\’t describe the negligence, so unless the doctors left sponges in the patient, deal with it. People die everyday and doctors do their best to prevent this. Unfortunately, sometimes there is nothing you can do to stop the natural course of life.
Yes, Been There, OF COURSE, you have a rare and insufferable disease. Whah. And of course, just like your ilk, you wish terrble and awful things to befall anyone who disagrees with you. I wish for you, that you live a very long life with your miserable self. I\’m so happy you DIDN\’T die on the table. Try not to cry when you look at the empty pillow next you every night.
MY, MY, MY.
Where\’s the love?
You still do not get it. YOU made the comment about me almost dying because I neglected my health etc. That was YOUR comment.
FACT. You have no idea what you are talking about as you have not been in that position.
Fact I am not alone as I have a very supportive wife and family.
Fact. You have absolutly no idea of what you are talking about as proven by your cold and medically uneducated statement.
It is a good thing this journal allows anyone qualified or not the the right to post statements that are truley unfounded such as yours.
Before you speak or write you need to engage your brain and think about what you are writing.
By the way, when I found out the doctor had made a grevious error I did NOT sue.
Can you say you would do the same if you were in my position? ? ?
Aw, c\’mon Chuck, there is plenty of love! Love for the all you can eat buffet, the open all night fast food restaurants, the tv & couch… heck, I love the gym where I work out. Wait a minute, I strained a muscle there last week. Quick, I need a lawyer! Gotta be somebody with deep pockets I can sue!!
Hey so-called Reagan, you are a d-o-p-e.
Been there – YOU don\’t get it. You know nothing about me. As a matter of fact, I DID almost die and had I been a fat slob, I would have. My condolences to your wife and kids.
Hey Munch…Munch this
Were they trying to make his stomach SMALLER or BIGGER?
They were trying to get \”Reagan\’s\” foot out of his mouth and my foot out of his arse.
What you crazy liberals do not get is that there are big risks to this type of surgery. If the doctors advised of the risks ahead of time and made no errors they should not be held financially accountable for unexpected complications. My opinion is that if you cannot prove a mistake by the doctors in court than the plaintiff and his attorney should be forced to pay back the doctors for their defenses costs. This type of surgery is very risky and anybody contemplating it should first try exercise and diet. Yes, if the doctor cut him open and forgot to stitch him up they should be held accountable by their colleagues and liable for civil damages. The problem with our system is that when something goes wrong out of the doctors control people still want to file suit and collect big bucks. Also, when they are liable the dollars given are often way out of line. When insurance companies pay out big med malpractice claims they simply pass the premium increase on to the doctors/hospitals. The doctors and hospitals have to charge more which in turn raises health costs, which in turn raises health insurance for individuals and businesses. Wonder why people are having a hard time affording healthcare? You simply have to be above average intelligence to figure it out. Sorry you liberals are not high enough. Why should a person who makes $30,000 a year be entitled to actual and punitive damages of say $40 million? In their lifetime they would not have seen any where close to that money. The jury thinks the damages are punitive to the doctor but really it is just punitive to society who will pay the cost. Any idea what an OBGYN\’s med malpractice costs a year? It is in the high 6 digits. That is just for one doctor. The article does not really clarify if there were any real mistakes made. I don\’t think any prior comments were meant to wish harm on the coach. Instead I think they are simply trying to say that he has a lot of responsibility for what happened to him and maybe he is not entitled to a big payout.
Munch- I\’m sure you\’re so fat that by the time you would have attempted to raise your foot to me you\’d either fall over dead from a heart attack or I would have lit you up like a fire, so fast, you wouldn\’t know what hit you.
These comments are all a very reflection of the lack of respect for anyone today. I actually read hateful words in most of the responses to this article.
I sure hope and pray I do not know you people and also that you are not parents teaching your children the same prejudices, callousness and lack of caring for their fellow man. God help our future if you are…..
Yes, there is negligence in many areas, doctors, patients, diring cars, flying, working, how we live (not just fat or thin but how we treat each other) and lots of other ways. There are also unpreventable, hereditary medical conditions that may make someone fat, skinny, cancerous, diabetic, have alzheimers, a hundred or more other medical conditions – that cannot be predicted and very often except through medicine, can be corrected or controlled.
This world would be so much better with less bitterness, prejudice, lack of mercy, and discrimination. These are the things that lead to fights, murder, wars, all kinds of bad things.
Please re-think your words and actions and make this world a better place.
Jump in a lake, Very Sad, you woman,
If there\’s ever a surgery that can actually transform your run-of-the-mill a$$hole into a genuine, good ol\’ nice guy, I think you all need to sign up, whatever the risk…
Ok I admit, I do understand how things could go wrong. I went in for penis enlargement surgury, but the Doc said my penis was too small and he couldnt help me. So I became an angry Republican.
And now a Fake Reagan. How clever. Post whatever you like, twit, of course you have to hide behind my name, coward. A plauge on your family small and trite imposter
Hey Reagan! You are crackin\’ me up, man! Even if you are that much of an a$$, I can\’t believe this many people are taking your words to heart. Lighten up, people! Better yet, sue the Insurance Journal for posting his harsh statements. I am sure you could somehow throw loss of consortium in there!
The fact that Weis is in charge of keeping young men healthy and he couldnt keep the twinkies out of his mouth says something to me! Now he wants to sue because HE chose to do something. As one comment said, he needed someone else to do it because he couldnt. To follow suit, that means when ND loses, I should be able to sue his twinkie stuffed face for leading ND to a losing season. And to the people that say its glangular, if your heavy it could be glangular. If your fat and need surgury to lose weight- YOU have the problem.
I am Reagan and I am a sad and lonely person. Please someone teach me how to spell \”plague.\”
Since you admitted you almost died, by all of your comments it must have been during an exploratoty to find some shread of human kindness and some sort or microscopic brain. They obviously where in just too long and could not find a thing.
This is probably the type of comment you enjoy looking for and getting.
Reality check-you are probably just trying to get others aroused by showing all of us in this crazy industry that there are still companies that have absoutly no requirments for employment, such as yours.
Good luck in the future, you\’ll need it.
And one more thing imposter, just because I have a small penis that doesnt mean that I deserve to get made fun of by you well endowed liberals.
Wow, what a bunch of ornery individuals! Interestingly enough, I am amazed at how many people have posted comments, it must be because this article is vaguely sports-related… Before launching stones, please note the character (or lack thereof) of some of these people. The first indications that we are dealing with some intelligence-challenged individuals would be grotesque spelling and pre-elementary sentence structure. Please SPELL CHECK.
And just where is the spell check button on IJ comment thing hunny???? And why does it freaking matter you nerd?
I am not a big sports fan, but my heart goes out to coach Weiss, he seemed like a nice guy, Im sad to hear that he is in a comma. I hope he can coach again some day.
I just like to pi$$ people off and apparently I am very good at it, accountability, I\’m cracking up myself on this fine Friday afternoon. Have nice weekend everyone
I like how Jenny is one of the only women to respond, and how she helps to solidy the stereotype that sports just isn\’t for women…READ THE ARTICLE. Coach isn\’t in a coma now, dummy! I don\’t think he\’d be heading to court in a few weeks if he weren\’t exactly among the non-comatose members of society…
Maybe Reagan you should opt for a penis enlargement surgery and when the doctor botches the job and cuts it off….ooops…you too can SUE!
LOL
He wasn\’t in a comma you putz, he was in parentheses.
That\’s why dames should attempt humor. That\’s really funny, a cut-yer-wang-off joke. Ha ha.
Sorry, i said I didnt follow sports too closely, I thought something recently happened. I just remember back when he used to coach for the Giants. Parcells hired him originally. I think he was great coaching Brady for NE too.
This past season I think his lack of Knowledge on Defense was a real liability though. The speed in the secondary was lacking and they seemed to be lacking in the middle against the run as well. Switching to a 3-4 or even the cover 2 might help that for next season.
Oh yeah, and I\’m scheduled for my penis surgery next week.
Rosie,
After being 345 lbs. as a top weight, and hearing every excuse in the book by doctors and others, including a disease, the bottom line WAS THAT I ATE TOO MUCH, and exercised too little.
After all those years – Happy at 195 lbs.
There are a lot of employers not getting their money\’s worth on this fine Friday aftenoon.
Maybe they should sue IJ.
Maybe we dont have any work to do. You think Im gonna go sell door 2 door? Why dont you mind your own business, Charlie Chicken Finger.
I found it very interesting, almost to the point of disturbing, that an article about a medical malpractice lawsuit can go from comas to grammar/spelling to political affiliations and body parts issues. While not a Notre Dame enthusiast, I am a sports fan, an insurance professional, and more importantly, a recent gastric bypass surgery patient. After reading all the postings to date (1/28/07 1:45pm CT), I feel compelled to comment.
Obesity is an addiction/disease like alcoholism, smoking, drug abuse, etc. However, unlike alcohol, illegal drugs, and nicotine, you have to have at least some food to live even after controlling your addiction.
The surgery isn\’t a \”quick fix\”. It\’s complicated much like the BCS rankings. Anyone who thinks it\’s the \”easy way out\” either a) isn\’t going to be successful after their surgery or b) really doesn\’t understand the situation. The surgery is a powerful tool, much like a \”Heisman trophy quarterback\”. However, you can have the best quarterback in the nation and still not win the national championship.
In the day and age of medical malpractice suits, I would hope every surgeon requires their patients to go through various tests (both physical and psychological) to determine who are good candidates. My surgeon did. My surgeon turns down potential patients/income for those who fail those tests. Assuming that all doctors do would be more of a dream than reality.
I did my \”pre-game\” preparation. Hopefully, Coach Weis and anyone else considering surgery would do the same. I researched the various surgeries, the surgeon, the morbidity/mortality rate, etc. I also consulted with my \”team and coaching staff\”, those whose opinions I trust. I will add that according to the American Society for Bariatric Surgery 2004 Consensus Statement, the mortality rate is about 0.5% rather than the 30% you mention. Even the morbidity rate is only around 5%.
Claims and lawsuits affect people in more than just financial ways. We cannot begin to know the intricacies of Coach Weis\’ situation. Every surgeon is human. Humans make mistakes. We have insurance for the unexpected. Some claimants reach to the deep pockets of insurance companies for unfair gain while others want simply to be indemnified for their losses. We have to trust that the court (\”referees\”) will make the right call on the \”coach\’s challenge\” after reviewing the play on the field.
0.5% for the first two weeks after surgery maybe but often surgical complications take a few weeks to fester befre they are discovered again disease or no disease fat people dont heal well and their vital organs are not usually in the best of condition. Please show me a 5 year survival rate in any clinical study performed in America to support your ludicries statement. Tihs is a very dangerous but in some neceessary procedure which is now done in almost any hospital because you and I demand that! We dont want to travel to have it and we dont want a stranger to do it on us so rural surgeons in rural hosptials get way above their heads. Most of these facilites do not even have a ct scanner or mri big enough for thses people to fit in when things do go wrong. Coach\’s was done at a reputable facility and by reputeable surgeons the fat slob should be thankful he is alive at all.
what are you 12? just think how much nicer this world would be if you had died Reagan.
I di believe that obesity is a disease. The overwhelming addiction to food is quite
difficult to conquer. It is major, invaasive intestinal surgery. However, with the right surgeon and pre and post surgical preparation and follow up, the risks can be minimized. Too many surgeons peform these procedures when they probably
don\’t have the experience. I believe that
Charlie Weis\’s suit is warranted.
gastric bypass is an extremely risky surgery…common folk like ME even know this, and according to some fellow readers I\’ve been dropped on my head, have done drugs, etc. But even a stupid conservative like myself knew it.
Let\’s review:
gastric bypass…gotta believe doctors say \”now Chuck, this is risky stuff, and even if it works, there\’s no guarantee you won\’t stretch that stuff back out if you keep eating those 12 pound sub sandwiches\”
surgery occurrs; patient in coma for two weeks…last rites given…patient doesn\’t eat much while in coma…
patient recovers; appears to have lost some weight, obviously has regained appetite, but until I read the next issue of People, I won\’t know how much weight he has lost, and doesn\’t appear Jared losing Subway job anytime soon…
Yup, he survived, maybe that\’s why he\’s so upset. Some folks have a brush with death and are grateful for the second chance, others choose to sue for that privilege…That, or he was going to make some public declaration during that 2 week coma that would prevent the country from sending troops to Iraq, or prevent a super Wal-Mart or two from opening…his family got quite a scare, but he allegedly has his dream job now…yeah, wouldn\’t we all be this bitter. Sorry Charlie. I wish you well, but profiting off your recovery doesn\’t seem to make much sense unless you can prove the doc\’s were drunk when they sewed you up.
Even if both docs were drunk if they met the standard of care there is no negligence!
Andy: First injuries. Charlie Weiss had a little tweak there, ahem, he got that gastro- surgery thing then it tightened up on him a little there, ahem, so now he’s comatose. Ahem. Time’s yours.
Reporter: Andy, it’s been reported that Charlie knew that he was going to have risky surgery, he just didn’t know how long he was going to be out afterwards. Is that a clock-management problem?
Andy: Ahem, well uh, ahem, we gotta get that under a little better control.
Reporter: Andy, who decided what kind of surgery Charlie should have gotten? Did you call that play? If so, isn’t it about time that you let someone else call plays?
Andy: Well, ahem, that’s my responsibility there, so I just have to do a little bit better job with that. Ahem.
Reporter: Andy, it has been reported that there might be a penalty for the botched surgery. Is that an officiating problem?
Andy: I don’t uh, ahem, I don’t comment on lousy officiating.
Reporter: Andy, do you think that Charlie should have gone for the surgery or punted?
Andy: Well, we punted with 1:50 left against the Saints and you saw how that worked out. Ahem. That’s all.
Your comments have me busting a gut. I will have to come back later because I am laughing at my desk and they are going to come and get me with a straight jacket.
Really Tony? Just because he \”nearly died\” they fell below the standard of care??
This is HIGHLY risky surgery. Even in the best and most trained hands it has a high mortality rate. Of course, being morbidly obese carries it own RISKS. In order even be a candidate, you must have no less than three co-morbidities. That means three conditions, any one of which will kill you in the not distant future.
If he proves his case via expert testimony and the jury likes his experts better than the doc\’s, then his claim is \”justified\”. If not, then its not. Period.
this poster uses multiple handles and is insulting to everyone that does not agree with his bible thumping mightier than thou attitudes. He also makes fun of human suffering under his other handles (Reagan,etc). Its a disgrace to your fine publication and website that he has a forum to post his messages of hate.
Rosie, you remind me of that mental giant on the view; if you don\’t get your way, then out with those who disagree. First of all, no one is required a degree in rocket science to post here. I see you\’ve made your own comments about \’compassionate conservatism\’ and \’cold heartedness\’; seems like you\’re able to throw labels around quite well. Just so long as there is a ban on those who offend you.
I\’m just concerned why those of you who want to stick it to the doctors haven\’t noted that this guy did in fact recover and now allegedly has the job of his dreams…I\’m sorry he and his family had a tremendous scare, but this type of surgery is really risky stuff. Let\’s just way it\’s often best to \’weigh\’ the alternatives. Charlie is a good guy from the stories I\’ve read about him, but this appears to be a money grab. Sorry if we offend.
From the secret Charlie X files:
It was right after the Super Bowl, and after eating us out of house, home, and a couple refrigerator racks. My wife told me Notre Dame had called, but I couldn\’t find the phone under all the twinkie wrappers and McDonald\’s cartons on the floor; I figured who cares, who would want to coach at the college level after the pro\’s anyway. I was getting hungry again, so I went out for some snacks and necessities. The dogs were getting whiny as I hadn\’t fed them, so I was in Wal-Mart; I had one cart full of Sam\’s brand pizzas and muffins, and I had a second cart to load several large bags of PXXXXX dog chow and was in line to check out. A woman behind me asked if I had any dogs; I thought \’yeah lady, I just buy this stuff for fun\’. But I tried to be polite, but she continued to pry, and I was feeling a bit crabby so on impulse, I told her no, I was starting dog food diet again (brand name withheld, but one of the namebrands), although I probably shouldn\’t because I ended up in the hospital last time. I opened the end of the bag and took out a handful and started eating the stuff. I was too hungover to taste anything, but it wasn\’t half bad. I embellished it abit and told her for meals, I sometimes pour beef broth over it and pretend it\’s roast beef with gravy. Continuing, I told the nosy twit I\’d lost 50 pounds the last time I tried the diet, but I awakened in an intensive care unit with tubes coming out of most of my body and IV\’s in both arms. Her eyes about bugged out of her head.
I went on and on with the bogus diet story and she was totally buying it. I told her that it was an easy, inexpensive diet and that the way it works is to load your pockets or purse with nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The package said the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again.
I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story, particularly a tall guy behind her. I was already on my second handful of nuggets, and a couple people behind me asked if they could try them and did. No one complained about the taste, and the tall guy even said it was pretty good.
Horrified, the lady asked if something in the dog food had poisoned me and was that why I ended up in the hospital.
I said no…..I\’d been sitting in the street licking my butt when a car hit me. I then decided against the dog food diet and called the surgeon.
What in the world does this have to do with this article????
Unfortunately, Chad suffers from a condition known as \”I hate people.\”, \”I know everything.\” and \”People are greedy because I have nothing.\” I run into this type of person everyday in my practice. To set Chad straight, the question is not whether there are \”risks\” associated with a particular surgery. The question is whether the doctors failed to perform appropriate medical care (standard of care) that caused his complications, coma and near death. If problems arose that were not caused by the doctor\’s neligence, then there is no recovery for this \”risk.\” If the doctor\’s caused the problem, then this was not a \”risk\” but rather \”negligence.\” To those commentators who say lawyers are ruining medicine, they should be thankful that lawyers have the power to represent individuals who are harmed when doctors mess up. I couldn\’t imagine living in a world otherwise.
wow, it\’s really an honor to get such an accurate diagnosis; and I didn\’t even have to see a doctor! I just waited for a helpful lawyer to come along. Now I can get along the road to recovery. Thank you Lawyer! You are wise and know all. Without you, people would try to cheat others out of money and stuff. I\’m so happy to have been helped by Lawyer, and I didn\’t even have to pay the contingency! What a stand up, uh, guy, I guess, although if your a gal, I appreciate you just a much, Lawyer. Now I can stop hatin\’ everyone.
Lawyer,
I agree that your profession does serve a noble purpose and is needed by our society. The problem is the vast majority of you are bottom feeders taking advantage of the poor for your own benefit but to the detriment of society. Look at our politicians in congress, senate, local and state reps. They wouldn’t know the truth or meaning of integrity if it smacked them in the face and can you believe that most of them are… you guessed it lawyers? What do you call a million lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? A good start!!
Some of these fools do not get it. Lawyers steal from the deep pockets to line their own. Society pays the cost and their clients often do not even have enough to compensate after they have paid their lawyer his unfair share. We have a county in the area I live (suburban Midwest) very liberal courts that has about 350,000 people but is down to 2 obgyn doctors serving the entire county. The lawyers have filed so many lawsuits the ob doctors have left. Now these women are forced to drive between 30-60 minutes to get to the next county where they can get an ob to see them. That my friend is what lawyers are doing for us. If you live there your pregnant wife will drive an hour to see a good ob and then that far to deliver at a good hospital. Hope it is not an emergency!!!
I have to laugh everytime I hear a scum bag plantiff attorney, whose yellow page ad reads \”no recovery, no fee\” , try to defend their lowlife way of making a living. I\’ve had 2 Malpractice suits against me & both have been dropped because I refused to knuckle under to the pressure of graciously settling out of court for $80k, then 1 month later $40k, then another month later $10k then expenses then nothing because I refused to give in to the EXTORTION from the plantiffs atty. I told both I\’d see them in court & basically to kiss my ***!!! My malpractice carrier would have settled had I chosen to But, like Weiss, their post-op complications were an unfortunate side-effect of the Rootcanal Therapy or 3rd Molar surgery. Like Weiss, my pts. signed consent forms before hand aprising them of these side-effects, yet still found a bottom feeder who took their case because in Louisiana…\”No recovery, no fee!!!\” I expect this kind of \’I just hit the lottery because the Dr./DDS F*&#@d up\’ from the trailer trash that tried to sue me. I don\’t expect it from someone like Weiss whom I am guessing has as much $$ as he needs so I have to agree that he is getting bad advise from someone. Probably yet another scumbag barrister trying to hit the lottery with a sympathetic jury or hoping the MDs just don\’t want to deal with it & settle out of court. What a pathetic way to make a living!!!!
If Ralph would quit getting his wife pregnant, he wouldn\’t care about ob/gyns.