Life After Gastric Bypass Surgery

One Patient's Story

By Angela Generoso
Staff Writer, MedicineNet.com

Reviewed by William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Pamela Harrison* has lost 55 pounds in the past three months.

"I'm losing four pounds a week right now," she says. "My knees don't hurt anymore. I feel better than I've felt in a long, long time."

At 5-foot-5, 272 pounds, Harrison underwent gastric bypass surgery, a procedure in which part of her stomach was stapled down to create a small pouch, limiting the amount of food she can eat. A Y-shaped part of the small intestine was attached to the pouch, which lets food bypass the first part of the small intestine and a section of the second part. This results in fewer calories and nutrients taken in altogether.

Harrison says her decision to undergo weight loss surgery stemmed from years of research after countless failed diets and exercise programs. She felt she had tried everything that was reasonable in an effort to bring her weight down.

"I didn't have high blood pressure yet," she says. "I didn't have diabetes yet. But if I didn't do something soon, I would have it."