Bariatric Surgery Support
Emotional Issues
Bariatric surgery has both physical and mental effects on you. Everyone needs to keep this in mind when considering bariatric surgery. Some common feelings may be depression, frustration, anxiety, anger, disappointment, helplessness, excitement, and joy. All are normal reactions to the changes that you willexperience with a changing body. Remember that this bariatric surgery is not intendedto fix for your everyday problems with friends, family members, employment, or social life. This surgery is a tool that allows you to gain control over your health.
Food may have been a coping mechanism for many in dealing with stress prior to the surgery. This method will no longer be useful and even dangerous after surgery, especially while your new stomach pouch is at its smallest. Successful patients after this surgery are those who learned to replace those previous comforts with healthy lifestyle changes. New coping skills will need to be learned, and this will help patients adapt to all new aspects of their lives.
Setting expectations is a key element to success. Expect to have emotional ups and downs. Prepare your family and friends for your emotional stress. Do not suppress your emotions. Use the journal to help you track your food intake. Remember to keep exercise in your daily routine. Do not expect surgery to provide you with a perfect body or a perfect life. New challenges may develop because of new life opportunities. As new challenges arise, recognize them and develop a problem solving approach. Set realistic goals and stay occupied with work, hobbies and exercise. Remember staying active is a key element in a successful bariatric experience.
Counseling
Occasionally, personal coping difficulties or behavioral modification problems will persist after surgery. Our program has counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists who are dedicated in the care of bariatric patients not only before surgery for evaluation, but also after surgery, when this issues should be addressed to ensure successful, safe outcomes. In addition, our staff and the hospital bariatric team are readily available to help in the difficult times. Emotional counseling have been proven to help during the phase of adjusting to the new body image and to the numerous changes occurring after surgery.
Family and Friends
Expect your family and friends to have unpredictable reactions to your surgical experience and everything that follows. Although you hope your loved ones will be supportive and helpful during your experience, this may not always be the case. Your partner or spouse, friends, and family have become accustomed to you and your obesity. Stay in constant communication with family and friends; recognize signs of distress in your partner, adjusting to the changes in your body and behavior. These changes will require your partner to relate in new ways to you. This takes time, effort and patience. If you are experiencing serious ongoing problems in your relationships, some short-term professional counseling may be helpful.
Friends and extended family members also must adjust. Many of them will be positive and genuinely delighted for you. Others have become secure in your obesity and will have difficulty adjusting to the new body you are developing. If they are also obese, they will be constantly reminded of their continuing problem as you lose weight. Be open about your appreciation of them and their concerns for you. Recognize and talk with them about their own feelings. Your main responsibility is to care for yourself. In most cases close family members and friends will adjust.
Group Meetings
Our program considers support group meetings to be a vital factor that creates a successful bariatric patient. Peer support meetings allow you to learn about the surgery first hand from others who have had weight loss surgery. Meetings allow you to share your experiences and to ask questions. Most of the time, patients will learn more from each other in talking about challenges that they’ve experienced and how they’ve overcome. Some practical personal experiences that help or in some cases hurt which help educate all attendees. On occasion, periodic guest speakers to expand your knowledge on obesity surgery related topics.
These support groups are a wonderful opportunity to make new friends and be with people who share what you are experiencing. It can be reassuring to hear other’s viewpoints on common concerns and to get additional information from thegroup leader or guest speaker. Research has shown that patients who attend support groups regularly are more successful with their weight loss and mental adjustment than people who do not, especially long term. Family and friends are always welcome to attend.
Hospital sponsored support group meetings are held monthly at the Blue Ridge Room located at the Lanier Park Campus.
Please contact call at 770-219-0885 for more details on the upcoming dates on support groups.
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