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In reply to the discussion: Some people think that Chris Christie is much too out of shape to effectively hold office... [View all]moriah
(8,311 posts)Is it somehow better to tackle those addictions by yourself, instead of going to doctors and getting their assistance?
Not sure if you've ever known anyone who has had gastric bypass. It is NOT the "easy way out". The consequences can be devastating, and if you don't use it as a tool to learn better eating habits and drink straight ice cream or candy, you won't lose anything -- or will gain it right back.
It's a tool -- no more, no less.
Given that fact, it's not a surgery I recommend unless a person has tried and failed at every other method and their health is forcing the issue. My mom had it, after a doctor refused to operate on her severe endometriosis and stony gallbladder until she lost weight. Another friend had it as a way to stave off bilateral knee replacements. Both have had to have corrective revisions to address near-fatal complications (bowel compression or torsion). Neither are skinny now -- though the surgery did take them from the morbidly obese category to the overweight one by BMI. Mom still struggles because she likes to drink calories. But at one point due to another complication she got down to 90 lbs (because she didn't address her eating disorder and the surgery makes you throw up if you overeat, she developed bulimia, and the stomach acids ulcerated her pouch).