From the start, I have been very open about my surgery. I would tell people, "I am going to have Gastric Bypass." Now I say, "I am a Gastric Bypass patient." Reactions are always mixed. Some people are immediately open. Others are immediately judgmental and negative. In either case, my response is always the same. I give them a laundry list of things that have improved in my life.
Things that are different since my Gastric Bypass
1. I don't have Diabetes
2. I don't have High Blood Pressure
3. I don't have Sleep Apnea
4. I don't have Iron Deficiency
5. I don't have knee pain.
6. I don't have Plantar Fasciitis anymore.
7. I don't have PCOS symptoms.
8. I can keep up with my daughter.
9. I have energy to exercise at the end of the workday.
10. Shopping for clothes is actually fun and EASY now.
11. I can shop pretty much anywhere I want.
12. My sex life. :)
13. Men hit on me all the time. (Hello self-esteem boost.)
14. I am no longer morbidly obese. I am only slightly overweight.
15. My health care costs have plummeted.
Judge me for my surgery if you want, but you have no idea what my quality of life was before I had Gastric Bypass especially if you didn't know me. The whole purpose of surgery is to save lives and make people healthier. This surgery has saved my life already by eliminating my risk factors for heart disease and other medical conditions related to obesity. There is also research to show that Gastric Bypass eliminates Insulin Dependent Diabetes within 24 hours of surgery.
