My best friend had bypass surgery over ten years ago, and regrets having it done every day. Because of the surgery and the modifications made to her stomach, her body can not take in the nutrients it needs in her food alone. She no longer has the acid-producing portion of the bottom of her stomach, making proper digestion extremely difficult. So she takes about a dozen multi-vitamins a day just to counter-act what she doesn't get out of her food, and even those do not get absorbed fully. She can no longer take oral contraceptives because her body does not absorb them properly. Any type of important medication must be given intravenously because her doctors don't trust that she will be able to digest the full dose.

She's 34 and has the beginning of osteoporosis and has developed scoliosis, and goes to physical therapy twice a week. Every single day she deals with a huge amount of side effects that effect her daily life to a degree that most people just can't understand. I've seen her break down many times over the fact that she's done this to herself.

I wanted to post this because I don't want anyone to have to go through what she continues to struggle with. Sure, she's skinny and beautiful (she was beautiful before losing the weight) but the health risks she's experiencing now are just as serious as the health risks she had before the weight loss. I urge all of you out there who are contemplating this surgery to really think about what you're doing, and speak to people who have had the surgery not one or two years ago, but five or ten years ago. Get the full picture before making such a drastic decision. I would hate for others to regret the surgery as much as she has; it's no way to live.