Obesity Surgery: Stories of Altered Lives

Obesity is a major national health problem, and medical science has been developing a number of ways to address it. Among the most revolutionary is surgical intervention to alter the gastrointestinal system so that less food/nutrients can be consumed or absorbed. People who undergo this surgery usually experience drastic weight loss within a relatively short time. They also discover a new sense of self and face challenges often unimaginable when they were obese. Obesity Surgery
is based on interviews with thirty-three gastric-bypass patients who reflect on their lives before and after surgery. They discuss their motivations for surgery and the changes that weight loss caused in their personal relationships, social and work life, and self-image. Using these interviews as a foundation, the authors summarize the typical path that most post-bypass patients follow and present a step-by-step program to help individuals considering surgery, or who have already had it, anticipate and cope with the many changes they will experience.The patients’ stories of their lives as obese people vividly describe the sometimes heartbreaking isolation they experienced in a society that views excessive weight as a character flaw, as well as the frustrations of limited mobility and energy. The changes they faced as their weight declined were sometimes exhilarating, sometimes bewildering. They often had to learn that many of the problems they had attributed to their obesity were still there after they lost weight. Obesity Surgery
is for people deliberating about whether or not to have gastric-bypass surgery and will prepare patients - as well as their health care professionals, families, and friends - for the psychological changes and social challenges that lie ahead.