Gastric bypass complications are very real, but so are the complications that a person experiences by being obese. Almost everyone will have high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Sleep apnea and Type 2 diabetes are also common among individuals that are obese. The discomfort and pain that an overweight person has when they try to get from one place to the other and the shortness of breath from the effort it takes to go up the steps a get from one end of the room to another can be overwhelming.
I never had Type 2 diabetes, but my blood pressure was high and so was my cholesterol. I never realized that I had sleep apnea until after I had weight loss surgery and it disappeared. I also had a lot of trouble with acid reflux which disappeared following the surgery. Within 6 to 12 months both my blood pressure and cholesterol returned to normal.
Sometimes I feel like I copped out by having gastric bypass surgery instead of losing weight the natural way, but on the other hand I don’t know if I would have ever been able to lose the weight on my own. Now, even though I do still have some weight to lose, I know I can do it on my own. I have cleaned up some other things in my life that are allowing me more time to focus on what I need to do to become physically fit.
I live in an area that is predominately blue collar and it has a large percentage of overweight individuals and I sometimes wonder what would keep people from having this procedure, if they are stuck. But, I know what it was like to enjoy going to an all-you-can-eat buffet and just feeding myself until I could not eat anymore. I watch many of them do the same.
Having this surgery is a personal decision. At the time I made the decision to have this procedure, I felt it was the only option I had left. It has given me my life, but I don’t think it will ever come naturally to me to make healthy decisions. It will always take a concentrated effort on my part.