1.12.2018
For people suffering from obesity, at some point their own body becomes an unbearable burden, in the purest sense of the word. Bariatric surgery has been performed for several years already. Gastric restriction or bypass surgery can help put an end to unhealthy eating habits.
She is 49 years old. She is very slim. She has almost a girlish athletic-looking figure. Four years ago Petra Kirsch would never have believed that she would ever look that way. She weighed 120 kg.
“When I went to a disco with my friends, I was always the one who was sitting at the table. The guys did not dance with fat girls in the open. But I was always funny and cheerful. I kept my feelings to myself and always looked after my friends’ handbags.”
“These are absolutely common cases from everyday life that usually happened to me at that time: you get in a low car and then you are not able to get out, even with a jerky movement. You sit down and think if the seat will bear your weight. In an ice-cream bar, for example, no matter what you eat, everyone looks at your plate and says, “No wonder you’re so fat.”
She tried a number of diets, all without success. Although, she realized that she needed to lose weight and to eat less, she did not have a single chance of overcoming her craving for food. However, once she broke her ankle. It was a complex fracture. The healing process did not go very well. She was even threatened with a wheelchair, because the doctor refused to perform additional surgery which was really necessary because of her weight. Later she said that it had been a turning point. Having consulted with specialists, she finally made up her mind to undergo surgery. She wanted to reduce the stomach.
The operation was successful. Now her stomach can hold only a tenth of the usual amount of food at a time. Yet, hard times hit her after surgery.
“It is bad that you cannot operate on the head. After the operation I wanted fried sausages with a spicy sauce. You eat two sausages, and the stomach says “I’m full”, but you eat a third sausage which simply remains in the esophagus. Then there is excessive sweating, and you feel unwell...”
Of course, her doctors warned her that the surgery could solve only part of the problem with nutrition. It is necessary to change eating habits and exercise more. However, everything remained the same until she understood everything herself.
“You need to really understand that it is the last chance that you have. When I realized it, I started doing sports. I took my diet sensibly. During the day I ate what I wanted, as my portions became very small. Immediately there is a feeling of satiety. If I drink two cups of coffee, I feel full.”
“My appearance has completely changed, my self-appraisal is growing. My self-esteem is so great that I go to dance parties again, participate in life and just feel completely free.”
