BRIEF ARTICLE OVERVIEW: The decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery is a very personal one, and it is easy to say it is no one’s business but your own. Adjusting to the drastic nature of the surgery and the major lifestyle changes that follow can be difficult, even with a wide support network. Often there are many obstacles that can make it difficult to confide in others about your plans for surgery, and no rules exist that determine whom you should tell or when you should tell them. But some factors do exist to keep in mind when determining when and how to form your support system. The tricky part of surgery lies in balancing the need for support while respecting your privacy.

BRIEF ARTICLE OVERVIEW: Weight loss surgery is not a quick fix and it affects all aspects of life. Problems may exist in some relationships with family and friends after weight loss surgery. Weathering the storm of change is about overcoming challenges and being prepared to cope with the emotional and physical sides of weight loss surgery.

BRIEF ARTICLE OVERVIEW: Deciding to have weight loss surgery is a lifetime commitment; involve family members from the beginning in this decision. No patient should have to go into surgery alone or uneducated. Prepare for both the expected and the unexpected and realize each road to bariatric surgery is a personal experience.

BRIEF ARTICLE OVERVIEW: Deciding to have and raise three children is a life altering, body changing experience. Author and mother, Pamela German, decides to alter her body for a fourth time and undergo weight loss surgery. It was her time to emerge with a new life, requiring special attention and needs, celebrate small victories and cry when life smacked her around. Explaining to children what will happen to a parent post-op empowers them to understand the struggles, celebrate victories.