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My mom had gastric bypass suregery at the latter part of May of this year (about 5 months ago). She made the decision to have the surgery while I was back at school, so I did not talk to her about the surgery a whole lot before she went in for the surgery. I know that before the surgery my mother was 5'4" and weighed 275. My mom has always been overweight and worked out a few times a week and never really lost weight.
After my mom had the surgery, I found out that she decided to have the surgery because she felt she needed the extra energy. My dad has had heart disease for the past 5 years or so, which was surprising because he has alweays eaten healthy and worked out. BTW, he is 5'9" and weighs around 175. His doctors ordered him to stop working immediately becaue if not, he'd only have another decade to live. My mom took over my dad's business as she kept her full-time job. I also have an 8-year-old brother who, of course, requires a lot out of my mom. Her decision to have the surgery was just that, HER DECISION. My dad told her there was no need for it, that he loved her how she was. Her decision wasn't for appearance; it was for energy: to be able to work her full-time job, run my dad's business, and raise an 8-year-old.
After the surgery, not only my mom, but my immediate family went through so much. I do not know how many times we ended up in the hospital with my mom. I remember telling her one day that she looked so pale and that she needed to go to the doctor. A couple of days later I was walking into her bedroom and saw her standing in front of the sink in her bathroom. She told me to call 911. I ended up seeing that she was vommitting a massive amount of blood (something like a few cups). I went in and stood next to her and was comforting her, telling her that the paramedics were on their way. I could see her in the reflection of the mirror and all of a sudden I saw this look on her face. The next thing I now she is falling onto the ground. I was able to catch her, as my dad was yelling, crying, screaming, for me to do something......to save her. I swear, at the moment, both my dad and I thought we had lost her. I would never wish that feeling on any body. I was about to perform CPR on her when I heard her ask my why she was on the floor. A couple of seconds later the paramedics showed up. She spent almost a week in the hospital because of that incident, until she was "nursed back to health." She had a few blood transfusions and was very dehydrated.
That is just one of the few times she has ended up in the hospital because of the surgery. On another visit to the hospital, we found out that she had a bleeding ulcer, which was the cause of the incident listed above, which they failed to find this out during her first one-week stay in the hospital. She was given medicine for the ulcer and it is not gone.
In five months, my mom has now lost 120 pounds. When people ask her if she regrets having the surgery, her answer is, "Definitely. I've put myself and my family through so much hell. It definitely is not worth it."
Had my mother weighed 400 pounds, then I may have understood why she had the surgery. The only unhealthy thing about my mom was her weight. Her doctors told her that other than her weight, she was in perfect health. I respect the decision my mother made about having the surgery; however, we were all put through a lot because of it. She regrets having had the surgery, but there is no changing what has already been done.
She has done excellently in these past couple of months. She now gets vitamin shots from her doctors, and takes some other vitamins in the form of a liquid. When we go out to dinner as a family, I feel bad that she can only have a few spoonfuls of soup and a couple bites of meat. She made that decision though, and we are all supporting her in her journey.
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