Doomsday

Perhaps for some, but as it happens my Friday the 13th went without glitch which is always a bonus.

Today I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out vector graphics, and more over how to get the hang of the pen tool in photoshop - something that even after a few hours practice I've still not got the hang of properly. I guess I'll have to keep on trying some more and see if I get any further.

I took an hour out of computery stuff at lunch time and sat down to watch a documentary which we'd recorded last week too. It was about the benefits and pit falls of having bariatric surgery (obesity surgery to put it bluntly). Being the size that I am the thought has often crossed my mind to have a gastric band fitted, it seems like a solution to fix all and though I'm not currently of the mind set to get it done I thought watching the documentary would help educate me a bit further to make an informed decision if and when I ever get to the point where I want to put myself under the knife.

The information it provided was quite stirring. It was quite well balanced, with success and failure stories but it also made me aware of some of the side affects the surgery can have. They basically described the 2 types of surgery available - a gastric bypass and a gastric band. I would never do the the bypass, the side affects for me outweigh the benefits - there was one woman who after the surgery lost complete control of her intestinal tract which left her incontinent and housebound for ever - it was irreversible. Other side affects including all sorts of complications after surgery which were life threatening, and stays in high dependency units, and that doesn't account for those who suffered malnutrition and diseases that related to that.

The gastric band surgery was more optimistic, but again people had problems. For example one woman who despite having the band fitted was still not losing any weight. The problem? Her oesophagus had started to act like her stomach and was storing the food she ate in her gullet and was slowly drip feeding it as and when the stomach could handle it. Another woman had to solely survive on milk since she couldn't eat anything else due to a curvature in her gullet. The latter of the two however was determined that she was happier now than she'd ever been at 25+ stone and would recommend the surgery to anyone despite the risks.

So from my perspective if I had NO choice other than surgery to help me loose the weight I'd go for the band. Having watched the documentary though it made me think of something - what happens once you shed the pounds? It also made me realise that the surgery is a life long commitment and not just a quick fix, its much much more difficult than just having your stomach turned into about 1/3 of its size to stop you eating so much.

I made me quite upset that my idealised back up plan was so fraught with dangers, it was my safety net if all else failed but in all honesty I don't think I'd have the guts (excuse the pun) to go through with it. For now I'll have to stick to my current way of thinking and do it by myself for myself.

I was planning on doing chicken piri piri for tea tonight, but as it happens when I get out the recipe book it appears I'm missing some of the more important ingredients. But instead of giving up and opting for take out instead since my plans had been thwarted, I put my logical hat on and see if there is anything I can make with the ingredients I have. I see this as a good indicator to my determination to have a more healthy lifestyle, and so we have tandoori chicken instead. It was easy to prepare and tasted good even though it probably would have benefited from a little more marinating. I also did a yogurt, cucumber and garlic dip to go with it, which was equally as nice.

Posted by Abi on the January 13, 2006 9:53 PM