Why I Chose Gastric Bypass Surgery

The following article was written by a reader who wanted to share her reasons for choosing gastric bypass surgery. For privacy reasons, her name is not included.

"Being overweight is a big problem for many people in the United States and I am one of them..."

I have been heavy ever since I was a young child, and my single mother rarely had the time to cook. Having eaten fast food and snacks all my life, I set myself up for obesity as an adult. There are lots of problems that I have had to face since I have gotten heavier and heavier.

I know that I never really felt well, but I had no idea what would crop up along the way. The longer I stayed heavy, and ate lots of food, the worse I felt. It was this point that I finally decided that I should see a doctor.

My doctor is not the type to put things in a cushioned manner. I was told that I was what they call morbidly obese. I needed to take action before I killed myself with my obesity. There were a few options, including a diet, that I tried, but nothing seemed to work.

I had a very hard time limiting myself to smaller portions of food, so I continued to eat and gain. My blood work had returned from the lab and showed a ton of different health problems. I had sporadic tachycardia, which means that my heart would race for no apparent reason, my cholesterol was super high, I had pre-diabetes, and my joints in my legs were degrading. I wasn't even thirty years old yet and I was feeling like I was at the end of my life.

This is when my doctor came to me and mentioned gastric bypass surgery. I really didn't think that I needed surgery to fix this, but after remembering all the times I failed I thought that this might be my last chance. My doctor explained that they would go in and make a pocket with my stomach. This would greatly restrict the amount of food that I was able to eat at one time. Quite simply, they made my stomach smaller so that it couldn't hold as much food as it once could.

Gastric bypass surgery does have some downsides, as does all surgeries, but when you consider the health problems that I am facing without it, I don't see too much of a difference. If I continue on the route that I am taking, then I will suffer from the slow degradation of my body.

If I chose to go for gastric bypass surgery, then there may be a chance of complications, but I will be much better able to handle losing some weight and getting healthy.

In light of the health issues that my doctor uncovered, I choose to take part in the surgery. This does not mean that it is right for everyone, but you should really check it out if you are facing all of the problems that I am. Talking with your doctor should get you the most information, but if you are concerned, the internet is also a great place to look.

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To read personal stories submitted by gastric bypass patients, visit After Gastric Bypass - Personal Experiences.