7 Healthcast: Gastric bypass surgery

Blogging has helped Amy Watkins of Danvers make sense of her journey to lose 135 pounds.
 
Amy Watkins, gastric bypass patient
"I write it probably more for me than anyone else."
 
Just two years ago her son couldn't fit on her lap, Amy weighed 254 pounds.
 
Amy Watkins, gastric bypass patient
"I became afraid that I would die before I raised my son."
 
For 25 years she struggled with food but knew she had to make a change.
 
Amy Watkins, gastric bypass patient
"I would lay down at night in bed and feel like I was actually being choked because the fat around my neck had actually gotten so big."
 
Amy decided to undergo gastric bypass surgery at the North Shore Medical Center. The procedure created a small pouch in Amy's stomach to severely decrease the amount of food she could eat.
 
Dr. Bernard Benedetto, North Shore Medical Ctr.
"Patients that undergo bariatric surgery need to understand that this is a radical life change."
 
Dr. Bernard Benedetto, who performs this type of surgery, says the perfect candidate for gastric bypass needs to lose 100 pounds or more. Candidates must also go to nutrition counseling and therapy months before the surgery.
 
Dr. Bernard Benedetto, North Shore Medical Ctr.
"The goal of our program is to improve the quality of our patients' lives, to help cure their obesity related diseases, to help cure their diabetes, their high blood pressure, their sleep apnea, their coronary disease."
 
For Amy the surgery was a success and she's sharing that success on her new blog, Amy's Journey. She writes about everything from the joy of losing more than 100 pounds to the struggle to recognize her changing body in the mirror. She also blogs candidly and emotionally about her need to live in order to raise her son.
 
Amy Watkins, gastric bypass patient
"It's opened up both of our worlds."
 
She's honest about her struggles, but says the choice she made for surgery was the right one.
 
Amy Watkins, gastric bypass patient
"It's been awesome."

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