The surgery, for/against?

To tell you the truth, I am not for or against having gastric bypass surgery. I just decided for myself that it wasn't for me. I realized that I would have to change my lifestyle anyway and why not try to do that on my own and avoid the pain & expense of the surgery.

I bring this up on 2 points, the first is that one of my wife's friends (and in turn my friend) had mentioned to her that she was considering the surgery. And to that I offer this advice:

1) Do research. Do a Google search on the pros/cons of having the surgery. Look up blogs or webpages of people that have had the surgery. There are going to be some slanted views, but dig through all the mess and pick up answers to the questions that you have. Their blogs/pages may bring up new questions that you may not have thought of.

2) Go to the orientation. Most gastric/bypass clinics have orientation meetings to discuss what the procedure is, how it works, and what to expect. Bring someone with you that does not have a "vested" interest in you (no blood relatives or wife/husband), someone hopefully objective that can help you keep a handle on the information provided.

3) Talk it out with your doctor and your spouse/family. You need to make an informed decision. All of these people are important to making this decision as this decision means the rest of your life.

The second point was in response to a repeat of MTV's "True Life" I saw yesterday entitled, "I am obese" which followed the lives of 3 obese people:

Amy- 615lbs, planned on having gastric bypass (uses a wheelchair to get around)

Corey- 400lbs, thinks that the gastric by-pass will solve all his problems by forcing him to change his lifestyle

Frances- 215lbs, Happy to be overweight and strives to be a model/diva for large women

I felt for Amy, she could barely get around her apartment - a prisoner of sorts. She had the surgery and lost over 500lbs. Her website does tout the fact that the surgery isn't for everyone and that it was only a tool for weightloss. I must admit, though - she is looking awfully pale and sickly. Possibly due to lack of nutrients and vitamins (malnutrition), which is a consideration to take under advisement when deciding on the surgery.

People like Corey think that the surgery will be a breeze and it will be his magic bullet cure to turn him into the slim, good-looking dude he wants to be. Unfortunately I think that Corey will (if he hasn't already - this was filmed in 2004) be one of the failures - one of the ones that will stretch out the pouch and actually gain weight back. His heart isn't (or wasn't) into making that change for good.

Again, I am not for/against the surgery - I just ask that people do the research and make an informed decision.