Body and Mind after Weight Loss Surgery
After 10 months and more than 100lbs later, when I look in the mirror every day, I see my new me. It looks great, and I am happy. But it took me time to realize where those pounds went, and why I look different. Sounds weird? Well, read on…
Many WLS patients will have to deal with their new image, and I am not talking about their new body, but their own mental image.
You start to realize that you suddenly have a new body, you look in the mirror and you see a “different you”. You will like it, because socially it looks more acceptable. You will start to compare your new-you with people on the street, you will feel more attractive, the opposite sex will look at you, even wink at you. A drastic physical transformation, will also tax your mind, for the good or the bad.
When I decided to undergo Weight Loss Surgery, I was warned, the very first day, that there might be an impact on the psychological side. I was told that for many patients, a radical change can trigger depression, even if the alteration is for good. The human mind is to complex for us to understand.
This is why, and I have to insist, undergoing WLS is not a simple decision. The surgical operation is just part of the whole process. It does not end the day you are released from the hospital. Thanks to the surgical treatment, you will be able to better control your weight and actually loose weight. But remember, the doctor did not perform surgery in your mind and did not use the knife on your soul. You will have to train your spirit; you will have to understand all the new feelings that will emerge in your life.
If you receive offers from doctors that will just perform the operation, I would suggest you to avoid them. You need a multidisciplinary professional staff, which will not only work in your guts, but also in your mind.
Body and mind are two different structures, but they coexist and interact constantly. If you change your body, you have to help your mind adapt to it.
I am scheduled to undergo by-pass surgery Nov. 28. I am a long-time OA member and have support there but I would like to have support from others who have had the surgery. Any suggestions?
Posted by: Janie McPherson | October 28, 2006 at 02:53 PM
If possible join a weight loss surgery support group. My husband and I both had surgery--he had lapband and I had RNY 12/15/2005 we have both faithfully been attended the weekly support group meetings. We have to travel about 40 miles to Baton Rouge each week, but it's worth it and has helped us out tremendously. I have even started doing a newsletter for our WLS support group.
Posted by: Kathleen Starkey | October 30, 2006 at 06:26 AM