Thesis - Gastric Bypass

I do have a few friends who have had this surgery, but the best information I've seen on this topic is in the book "Calorie Queens." This is the book that encouraged me to begin losing weight and to stick with it, and it has a segment toward the end about gastric bypass. I found it interesting to read, and although I was considering the surgery, it is not quite as much a solution for me at this time because of the information I read.

Hi there!.. Funny, this will be my first post, but I felt compelled to help you out by giving you some information about someone close to me that has had this surgery…

My father had the surgery in 2002. Prior to the surgery, by dad battled an alcohol addiction. He was an alcoholic for years, but then was sober for 10 years prior to the surgery. During his sobriety, he gained a lot of weight. My personal opinion is that he replaced his addiction to alcohol with an addiction to food.

When he told me about his plans to have the surgery, I was concerned. I told him I thought he should try to understand and reconcile the reason he was overweight, instead of fixing the 'symptom' (his obesity). He ultimately didn't take my advice and had the surgery.

At first, things were great. He sailed through the surgery and lost 100 pounds within six months. Everything seemed great, and he acted happy for about a year.

My dad was prescribed pain killers for the surgery, and then again later for an unrelated back issue (I often wonder if the back issue wasn’t a farce). Anyway, it turns out my dad went from an addiction to alcohol, to an addiction to food, to an addiction to pain killers. He hasn't been the same since. He's battling the problems to this day. While I 'think' he's currently sober, I'm never completely sure. He's been on and off the wagon for the past 6 years. He is not the same jovial, fun, loving, father and grandfather he was before the surgery. He now just seems to be just going through the motions of life.

Do I blame the surgery for my dad's addiction? No. That has been around since he was young. I do blame the surgery for the 'quick fix' solution that it gives people, without dealing with the issues as to why they are overweight in the first place. If someone is overweight for a medical reason, that's one thing, but I'm of the opinion that a lot of overweight people (me included) use food as a source of comfort, and are eating for reasons other than hunger.

I think if you asked my dad and he answered honestly, he would say that if he had it to do over again he would not have the surgery. Even though he was beginning to have medical problems as a result of his weight, I think those problems would be preferable to the emotional problems that have since plagued him. Who knows, without the surgery, he may have been forced to confront the demons that drove him to eat the way he did, and he would have lost the weight naturally. I know now he looks at food as a necessity only, there is no enjoyment left for him.

Hope this helps you (and possibly someone else considering having the surgery). This is only one person’s opinion, and it’s certainly possible that my dad’s surgery had nothing to do with his current situation. It’s just what I think! Good luck to you!

I think one of the great downfalls to this surgery is that it never gives a person the opportunity to learn to eat properly. I know some people who have had the surgery and they were overweight because of awful eating habits- constant fast food, fried food and always drinking soda, never water. Those same people are still eating the same things and while they lost weigh for awhile, most of them are still battling obesity.
I know this isn't a new idea or anything scholarly to add to your paper but really, even if the surgery doesn't give you long-term negative effects, it certainly doesn't improve your way of life.

I had gastric bypass surgery Dec. 26, 2007. It has been a little over six months. I have lost 165 pounds and truly feel that had I not had this surgery, I would not be here today to enjoy life. I still have a great deal to lose, but I feel that with hard work and determination, I should be able to meet my goal of a healthy weight. I do, however, realize, because of working in a nursing home setting, that gastric bypass surgery can be dangerous. I've seen first hand gastric bypass patients come through our doors with many complications. However, even the ones I've witnessed feel that, even with the complications, they made the right choice because after recovering they were able to enjoy a quality of life that they hadn't for a very long time.