Gastric Bypass

Stairway to Happiness

About six years ago I found myself at the doors of a broken elevator and I said to myself, this cannot be happening. I was in Big Bear with my boyfriend, Mike for a weekend getaway. The weather outside was about 22 degrees and snowing. Normally this would have been no big deal to me, but it was. Mike looked at me and could instantly see the frustration on my face; he tells let us just take the stairs. I am five foot four inches tall and weigh about 250 pounds, that morning it was 248 pound to be exact, but who was counting. I only have two flights of stairs to walk to and I am carrying only my purse. Once I progress to the top floor, I was winded, dizzy, and felt like I was going to be sick. It was at that exact moment I decided to go ahead with Gastric Bypass surgery. I knew it was going to be a journey but not quite sure what kind of journey it would be.

I decide I need to do some research on this relatively popular surgery my doctor kept discussing with me. Gastric Bypass surgery is basically a surgery for people who are obese and have had a difficult time losing weight. A surgeon creates a small stomach pouch to restrict food intake. Then a Y-shaped section of the small intestine is attached to the new pouch, which allows food to bypass the lower stomach. This completely reduces the amount of calories an individual can eat, but it also reduces the nutrients the body absorbs.

Surgery was scheduled a few weeks later, and everything went smoothly. Instead of being completely happy about having lost 13 pounds the first week after surgery, I was not. There was a reason I was obese, I just was not sure what it was yet. The next six months were a huge change not just in my physical appearance but psychologically as well. By this time, I have lost about 70 pounds. The surgery has limited me to drinking mostly protein shakes as well as maybe a bite of chicken here and there. I have had many side effects that were very unpleasant;