Gastric Bypass Surgery: The Most Important Decision of My Life Made in 15 Minutes

by Yvonne McCarthy
(Dallas, Texas USA/Bariatric Girl Blog)

In December of 2001 I was watching Good Morning America and saw Carnie Wilson talk about gastric bypass for the first time in my life. A few minutes later a local show was on and one of the guests had surgery also. After 30 years of obesity and trying every diet known to man, I couldn't dial the number of the bariatric surgeon fast enough. The first available appointment was January 15th and I took it.

Some of the friends asked about the danger. They just didn't understand....I didn't care about the danger which was a bit more severe back then. My basic thought was fix me or take me out. The emotional and physical pain was too much and I just couldn't take it any more. I had lost my mom to cancer a few months before and I felt like I had nothing to lose except the weight that dragged me down for most of my life.

I also made a deal with the God of my understanding. I swore on everything that mattered that I would not mess this one up. If I ever got back to a normal size I swore I would never go back. How little I knew at the time. I had a disease and I was not a failure. In every other area of my life I could do something if I put my mind to it. I felt like I had failed so many times and I lost hundreds of pounds, hundreds of times. I wanted the inside to match the outside.

I had open gastric bypass on March 30, 2001 with no complications. I weighed 260 pounds the night before surgery and lost 130 pounds. I have maintained that loss through learning just how much my head had to do with my problem: my disease of food addiction. Needless to say, that fifteen minute decision saved my life. I will be sharing so much more and I'm including a before and after picture.

Grateful for a second chance in life...
Yvonne

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