I started the bariatric surgery journey in November of 2022.
This was not a path I ventured lightly. It was not a direction I headed without thought, prayer, and research.
The truth is, I’d been researching bariatric surgery on and off for over 10 years, but there was always one more diet to try, one more approach that promised to work where others had failed.
But, with Long COVID symptoms assaulting my central nervous system, my weight, which had been a problem before, became a stressor I could no longer ignore or placate with temporary fixes. And, since cardiovascular activity has a negative impact on Long COVID symptoms, worsening them rather than improving them, I needed to find a solution that would co-exist with my movement needs (namely slow and steady resistance training and very gentle movement without significant cardiovascular impact).
After much research and failed attempts at several more eating programs, I decided to move forward in exploring the possibility of bariatric surgery.
Secretly, I had the hope that the program, the getting to surgery, would be enough to help the weight begin to come off and I would be able to simply move forward with whatever we discovered and not have the surgery. Instead, I discovered that one of the impacts of Long COVID, in my case, was an impact on my metabolism, hormones, and ability to lose weight.
Whether I was doing a higher calorie diet, or a severely restricted calorie diet my weight never moved more than 5 pounds, and it always came immediately back. It was more devastating to me than I can even describe.
I began to wonder – if all of these things don’t work for me, will surgery even be able to help?
It wasn’t until I started the Liver Reduction Diet, a pre-op eating plan to reduce the size of the liver to make surgery safer, that I began to see and feel the possibilities of how my body might respond post-operatively.
I’ll talk more about the Liver Reduction Diet in a different post because I’m in the final days (2 more days on the Liver Reduction Diet, then a day of clear liquids, then an early morning surgery on Wednesday) but suffice it to say it is giving me a fresh perspective and hope that I really am making the decision that is best for me.
It is my hope that by sharing my journey others can be encouraged in their own.
IMPORTANT: I am sharing my story, perspective, and experience with bariatric surgery. I am not speaking as an authority on this subject but as a patient on my own unique and individual journey. Nothing I share is intended to be a blanket statement, nor is it a professional opinion. I am not a medical or mental health expert and do not present this information in any such capacity. Every bariatric program is different. Every program has different requirements and expectations. It is critical if you are in a bariatric program, that you follow the guidelines and advice of your care team for your specific situation. I cannot address personal or individual questions about your program or your needs. These posts are for encouragement only and are not intended to replace the counsel of medical or mental health professionals.
