Qualifying for a gastric bypass is not as difficult as some would lead you to believe  and you certainly don’t have to be terminally obese to qualify for it. On the other hand it is not as simple as just consulting with a physician and requesting one for it is only for those that are morbidly obese or super obese and even then you may not qualify. There are several guidelines that limit the administering of a gastric bypass procedure to someone. Some of the more common things that restrict any prospective recipient of the procedure are the following: the patient must have been obese for more than five years; the patient must not have a history of alcoholism and psychological disorders.

With gastric bypass surgery there are age restrictions. Commonly the person should not be younger than eighteen years of age or older than sixty-five years old. Even age requirements are changing all the time and do differ among surgical centers, physicians and your physical health, as an example, I was one week short of my 67^th birthday when I underwent gastric bypass surgery.

Most surgical centers and surgeons also require that you have exhausted all other weight-loss measures for yourself. You go under a psychological examination to make sure you are a good candidate for the procedure. You will also undergo a thorough physical not only to determine if you have qualifying conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep apnea or high blood pressure but also to make sure that you can handle the surgery for gastric bypass is still a major operation and cannot be taken lightly.

If you do pass all of these tests and have either the insurance coverage or money to cover the surgery you will usually be set up for the procedure. The good news is that many insurance companies along with Medicare do cover much of the cost of gastric bypass surgery for qualified patients.

Here’s a simple explanation of gastric bypass surgery: Gastric bypass surgery is essentially, having your stomach capacity lessened and making your digestive tract skip a part of your small intestine. The procedure creates a small pouch in the upper part of your stomach, usually via surgical staples or a plastic band. This stomach pouch is usually small – it can get to the size a walnut for some procedures. After this pouch is created, the middle of your small intestine, the jejunum, is connected to it. This means your food will skip the main part of your stomach and your duodenum, the upper portion of your small intestine. The result is lower stomach capacity and a lower calorie intake. You will be able to satisfy your appetite more quickly and have fewer calories inside your system, creating a consistent and quick weight loss for you until your body has adapted to it. Over time you will find yourself starting to eat larger amounts than when you first had the surgery so you must continue to be careful for even with surgery you can gain your weight back.

It may sound easy but still it’s a long road after a gastric bypass. After about a four-hour operation you will be under observation for the next few days, while being limited to liquids only so that your stomach can heal. Some people stay in the hospital for up to a week after surgery. My stay was 2 days and 4 days later on my 67^th birthday I was already walking over a mile.

Following surgery you will spend the next several weeks on liquids and soft protein foods. As your new pouch gets use to the strain you will progress to more solid food. The length of time nor the prescribed diet will not be the same for all. You will also be taking many additional vitamins and nutrients for life.

Some individuals will continue to experience side-effects for their whole life. You must still continue to exercise for lower energy intake can be detrimental to your health. Over-eating or eating the wrong foods can cause you to vomit or feel great pain. Gastric bypass is a great tool but not the best tool for all. As a gastric bypass surgery patient that is happy they had the surgery I do here stories of those that are sorry they had it and some say that they would go with the gastric band if they were to do it over. Each and every person considering any type of weight loss surgery should first try diet and exercise, and gastric bypass surgery should be a last resort for anyone who’s suffering from obesity.

Rolling out the red carpet for Robin Moran

Who would ever have known that one of the most popular people on earth must be Robin Moran. Robin was one of the beautiful people chronicled in the show “Super Obese” that first aired in May of 2005. Here at Terminal our most popular post has to be Andover Village: A Story of Severe Morbid Obesity and Beautiful People.

When I first watched that show I was heartfelt by the courage and motivation of the casts. Not an ordinary cast for each of the people portrayed was an actual patient, staff member or professional at Andover Village. Robin was a real headliner for not only did she fight obesity but she fought additional disabilities and did so with a smile. She as did the others fought against challenges more difficult than most of us will ever face. I as do millions of others admirer Robin and the other patients.

Following the post on Andover Village we were so blessed when Robin posted a response that stated in part, “I have read thousands of postings, many so negative that I wondered if sharing so much was right or not. Your posting has reassured me that by revealing such intimate details has and will continue to help so many people that suffer from obesity or are close to someone who does.” I cherish that response from Robin for I know that while Terminal Obesity is a small blog we have hundreds of people each month that read it and people like Robin give them the courage to continue in their own struggle be it obesity or another life challenge.

Robin is a busy star that we all would love to hear from her again. Speaking for Millions of people I want to say, “We love you Robin Moran.”

“I’ve been blogging for about five years now and I’ve always been commended for my honesty. On one hand it’s accurate because I don’t lie in my blog and I readily admit things that really don’t cast me in the greatest light! But on the other hand… There’s a lot I just don’t say because I’m too ashamed.

And I am so fucking tired of being ashamed. I’m so fucking tired of hiding my reality because it isn’t as pretty as someone else’s. I’m so tired of believing I’m an embarrassment to fat people, as if my very existence is harming the movement. I may be an anomaly but I still exist and I still matter. So I’m going to do the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’m going to tell you what it’s like to live in my body.

I’m 5′6″ and I weigh 530 pounds. Well, 529.8 to be exact but I round up. (There, that wasn’t so hard. I can totally do this.)

I have insulin resistance, hypertension, high cholesterol, gastroesophageal reflux disease, depression and social anxiety and am on medication for all of it. I take a lot of pills! I’ve had to sleep sitting up for the last several months. I do sleep but not long and not deeply…I miss dreaming. My circulation is horrible and my arms and legs frequently go numb or swell so badly I can’t move and I feel as if the skin is literally going to split open. My poor circulation also causes severe discoloration all over the lower half of my body as well as both forearms. I have some issues with incontinence because I carry all of my weight in my belly and there’s a lot of pressure on my bladder. My lower belly is so large and heavy that having it hang from my body is actually painful. I have a lot of problems with infections between my skin folds and summer really isn’t helping matters. (Okay, that wasn’t too bad either. Let’s go a little deeper.)

I’m in pain every moment of every day. I can’t walk or stand longer than a few seconds and I’m so afraid of my ankles or knees giving out from under me. Walking from my bedroom to the bathroom leaves me gasping for breath and my legs shaking from exertion. Usually I have to stop half way there and lean on something for a few seconds. Several months ago I had to get a disability placard for my car. God, I was so embarrassed by that.”

This person stated. “I believe weight loss surgery (wls) is dangerous, invasive, and overly performed. I hate that something created as a last resort has turned into magical cure-all for everyone over 200 pounds. I hate that it’s become so popular and hyped that people whose information is based solely on what they see on TV have no hesitation in suggesting it to complete strangers. But what if you don’t quality? Gain weight! Go to Mexico! Find a less strict surgeon! WLS is the quick and easy answer! Because altering your eating and drinking habits for the rest of your life couldn’t possibly be something worth a second thought. I always have been and always will be highly, highly critical of weight loss surgery.”

This person has since lost nearly 200 pounds. How did they do it? For the entire story and a great ending visit the blog of Sugar Sweet, you will be pleased that you did.

As I listened to these patients speak I was reminded of how we so often discriminate against others. Discrimination because the person is different than us and in this case severely obese. Regardless of the discrimination, if a person wanted to find beauty they really need to look no further than Andover Village. This facility located in Andover, Ohio is the home to 50 super obese men and women, some of who are nearly a thousand pounds in weight. While I have never been to the facility or spoken with anyone that has it must be a wonderful place with a loving and dedicated staff.

The patients sharing their stories were large in size and in spirit, even though they had surely been through much psychological and physical pain. These people demonstrated positive attitudes that many others regardless of weight need to develop. These patients had learned or were learning to set positive goals as they worked toward weight loss and reestablishing their lives. Day by day they were working towards their goals of loosing weight and becoming stronger so that they could once again maintain more “normal” lives.

An attractive and personable lady told how she had weighed over 700 pounds including a mass growing on one of her legs estimated to be 200 pounds. She mentioned that she is a grazer. While she would eat small portions she was eating all day long so that she was taking in a large amount of food. For those of us listening to her story that believes we are not big eaters for we are grazers we need to take heed. As a grazer we may eat small amounts we may also be eating much more than we believe that we do.

One patient that had weighed over 600 pounds mentioned how he had loved food since he was a child and as a result always been a very large eater. This patient a member of the clergy has lost nearly 200 pounds. Through weight loss and increased activity his mobility had improved. Upon his release he still had a long ways to go to meet his weight and health goals though he was able to drive himself home.

Another patient weighed 849 pounds truly believed to be terminally obese upon arrival to the facility. This young man, unable to walk due to his weight had been given 6 months to live. He had experienced more than one heart attack and his state of health was dreadful. When this program was filmed he was down about 200 pounds in weight and was now able to walk over 500 feet and was increasing his distance each day. This man had a wonderfully positive attitude and had developed an improved out look on life. An attitude that should help him reach his goal of living a normal life.

Yes you wonderful Andover patients, I thank each of you for sharing your story. I wish each of you the very best as you work toward achieving your goals. As we go through our day-to-day lives, let each of us remember that beauty is only “skin deep”. Let us be kind and treat others with respect even though in some way they appear different from us. In Gods eyes we are all the same.