How Surgery Helped Me to Lose Weight

Email To a Friend 01 June 2009 Last year, during a routine physical examination, my doctor advised me that I was considered morbidly obese. My name is Ray and I weighed in at 450 pounds and had trouble breathing and walking up the two flights of steps to get to my flat. I was told that I had a very short time to live and I needed to make some changes if I wanted to make it to 30 years old. I was only 27 years old so I definitely had to do something. My doctor recommended gastric bypass surgery and referred me to a clinic that specializes in bariatric surgeries for a consultation along with their collateral.

Despite my size, I always thought I was normal growing up. My family was always loving and supportive. My parents and all three of my siblings were always heavy as well. They didn’t take it well when I called them to advise of my recent visit to the physician. None of us knew the health risks that were associated with being our weight. During my first consultation with the bariatric clinic, I was advised that my health insurance would cover the cost of surgery if I decided to go through the gastric bypass procedure. My family went with me to the rest of my appointments, and was very attentive to every thing that the doctors and nurses had to say. My family has since made adjustments to their lifestyles, but I was content with having my surgery to increase my health.

It has been a year since I went through with the procedure and I felt great. The process was not as bad as I thought it would be. I was done in a few hours and I was walking out of the hospital in nine hours. The only pain I felt was a little pinch in my tummy area. I adjusted very well to the dietary changes that I had to make and anytime I had a question, the representatives at the twenty-four hour help line were very helpful. I have lost a total of 75 pounds and look forward to losing more. I feel better about my health and don’t get as winded when walking up steps. My physician has positive things to say during my follow-up appointments and people are starting to tell me how great I look. I’m happy I made the decision to have Gastric Bypass and would recommend it to anyone that struggles with health and mobility!

Michael Robertson, Birmingham.

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