The primary reason I chose to have bariatric surgery was to improve my overall health and to be able to enjoy my children more. Another reason was because I was so ashamed of how I looked. I always felt like people were looking at me, judging me when I went out in public.
When I was younger I didn’t have any weight issues, but once I hit 23 the weight kept on adding up, and then I had children (2), and then developed hypertension and sleep apnea. And before I knew it I was too big to do anything active and as a result I just kept adding on weight.
I had read about all of the surgeries out there but something about the MGB (Mini Gastric Bypass) seemed to be the right fit for me. When I went on bariatric chat boards it seemed that many people who had other surgeries may have had problems, but I rarely heard anybody having major problems with the MGB. The fact that it has comparable results to the other bariatric surgeries and is a safer version of the gastric bypass (because of only one connection of the anastomosis and being reversible) and a faster recovery were deciding factors.
SmartShape offered the MGB and I found the SmartShape surgeon and his staff were very accommodating – I was shocked that he called me at home himself to explain the surgery and answer any of my questions.
Regarding the staff – from my initial contact, to my call with the doctor, to my follow-up with the nurses at the facility, and all of the calls and emails with nurses and the [dietitian] have been first class. Six months after my MGB, the SmartShape surgeon even took out my gallbladder, because the ER doctor I went to about the pain never got back to me, and the SmartShape surgeon was able to take care of it quickly. He is the greatest!
I have contacted the nurses several times to ask questions about a few pains I was having (gallstones) and about prescriptions. I have also been in contact with the nutritionist to make sure that I am still on the right track.
I am grateful for my new life. I can do anything that I want now – I swim, I run, I kayak, I do yoga, I go skiing and tobogganing. All of these things were just a dream before I lost the weight. The greatest and most surprising outcome of my weight loss has been the better mental health that I have obtained. I used to constantly think about my weight with self-loathing, about how bad I looked and what I should eat to fix it. I would eat to soothe those bad feelings, and I would be wondering if people were snickering at me because of how I looked. I wouldn’t be lying if I said these issues consumed 90% of my daily thoughts. Now I just go about my daily life enjoying everything that life has to offer, without any negative self-talk. It has freed up so much mental space in my head, to look at things positively and as a result, my life feels pretty damn near perfect!
If you’d like to learn how SmartShape can help you find your path to permanent weight loss, call one of our Program Advisors today at (888) 278-7952 or connect online at https://www.smartshape.ca/connect-today/