If any of you have seen the show "My 600 pound life" you will find that these people are in need of it to live and survive. Some people see this as an easy out from responsibility of getting healthy. I have experienced this on a personal level.
My mother got gastric bypass 18 years ago, and since then it has caused her to fight for her life rather than saving her life. She weighed a little over 300 lb and needed an answer to fighting off all this weight. She was offered gastric bypass, and so she trusted her doctors and took that step.
The doctors reconstructed her stomach and intestines which caused her to digest her food differently than a normal body. This is what causes the weight loss but has caused her issues with diarrhea, which caused an extreme case of kidney stones throughout the years. When I say diarrhea, I don't mean once or twice a day, I'm talking 15 to 16 times a day. My mom has been fighting her problems with her kidney stones for the last three to five years, one the size of a golf ball. The doctors tried to blast her kidneys to break up the stones to pass them, which caused her three separate septic infections that caused her to have a blood clot in her brain that will now never go away.
Now I'm not saying she didn't lose weight because she lost a lot of weight. But was it worth it? My mom just turned 50 years old and is now trying to get on disability because of the damage this blood clot has caused. She now can't handle any light or noise has to take numerous naps a day losing her memory and emotionally unstable to keep a job. The blood clot has caused extreme pain and headaches and all the doctors can do is prescribe nerve deadener which has caused her to become a zombie.
As a child of hers, I am extremely sad that this will potentially shorten her life. I want her to be around; I don't care how heavy she is I want her in my life.
What it all comes down to is the effort the physical activity she needed the stable healthy diet. A knowledge she was never taught growing up. This is only one case of the turnout of gastric bypass, but the long-term results are outrageous.
The way I look at it is after the surgery you are given a strict diet to follow. If you follow that diet without the surgery yes it may be hard because your stomach is still the same size, but in all reality, it is the healthiest way to lose weight with no repercussions. I want to hear other people's stories, and experiences with weight loss surgery and I would love for you to comment below and let me know what you think. I know there are several types of weight loss surgery which is not the full gastric bypass that my mom got over 18 years ago and I'd like to hear those options if any of you know about them, Or have experienced different types of weight loss surgeries.
My mother is now seeing a better doctor at a university where they are helping her find ways of making her more regular, so she's not constantly producing more and more kidney stones. I am hopeful for my mom, and I am hopeful for everyone else out there struggling with the repercussions of weight loss surgery, and I am hopeful for those who have weight problems they're trying to fight it on their own.
