A familiar face and a kind word can sometimes make all the difference. Family support after bariatric surgery is not only a wise choice for the patient, but the family itself might feel hurt if support is not asked for. After all, the purpose of family is to nourish the best interest of all who are a part of that family.
Make your needs known and allow the family to realize its role. Let them know how important they are to your weight loss surgery success, and share with them your hopes and plans. Let them know why you had bariatric surgery and make them aware that obesity is a disease. Allow a healthy and loving reciprocal relationship that will benefit all involved and make it a time the family can be proud of.
Value of Family Support After Bariatric Surgery
Family support after bariatric surgery enhances recovery. The best way to get support is to simply ask for it and explain why it is important.
Clarify how family support after bariatric surgery is key for success. Be honest and share your hopes and goals with your family and make clear your gratitude for their help.
It is important to share what you are going through with family members and make them aware of what to expect. Explaining might help create empathy about the challenges of weight loss surgery. A bariatric patient who has adequate family support often loses weight at a faster pace.
Mutual Benefits for the Supportive Family
As reported by the New York Times in October of 2011, gastric bypass surgery improved the health, diet, and exercise habits for both the bariatric patient and her family.
The research found that spouses, relatives, and children of family members who had weight loss surgery lost weight and doubled activity levels. These changes remained in play at the one-year follow-up.
Some believe that bariatric surgeons might explore weight loss surgery as a means to promote change in households that need help with weight and exercise issues.
Benefits When a Second Family Member Has Weight Loss Surgery
Studies have shown it to be beneficial when two family members have weight loss surgery around the same time. One year after the bariatric surgeries were performed, it was found that family members had lost 30% more weight when more than one person had weight loss surgery.
The study also showed that siblings lost more than 40% more weight than those participants in a control group.
The clinical professor of surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey who performed the study noted the importance of sibling rivalry as a tool for success.
Living larger than ever,
My Bariatric Life
Photo: Centers for Disease Control
