"My first impression of Dr Macdonald as the spouse of one of his patients was, he was willing to say the things that I, as the spouse, could never say to my beautiful wife. He was very serious and very straight forward. There is a time and place for fun and jokes, and clearly, if you were in his office, that time had passed. My wife was 328 lbs at her heaviest. She has always been on the heavy side her whole life. Although she was heavy, she never let it stop her from doing things that she really wanted to do. She had her surgery in 2007, in spite of the fact that she had heard many stories about the downfalls of bariatric surgery. ("you'll gain it back and more" "you'll grow facial hair""you'll never be able to have sweets again" "you could die"). Although "some" of these things may be true, it is entirely up to the individual as to what happens after the surgery. It is a life changing choice that only the individual should make and not one for someone else to make for you. Now my wife had already had by lateral knee surgery, and had a very serious condition of asthma, which are now gone thanks to this surgery. Dr Macdonald will keep you on the straight and narrow path IF YOU LISTEN TO HIM AND DO AS HE SAYS. Many people have the surgery, thinking that it (the surgery) is going to take the pounds off all by itself. Unfortunately, that is not true. The surgery, is simply a very aggressive TOOL in helping an individual to lose weight. You must be willing to give up certain foods, and you must EXERCISE.
Now it has been over three years since my wife had her surgery, and just so you don't get discouraged, she does not spend anywhere near the time exercising, that she did in the beginning, and she eats anything and I mean anything that she wants, (in moderation) and she still has not gained any of the weight back.
I am very proud of my wife, and I wish I could give her everything she wants. Such as cosmetic surgery for the unwanted excess skin that she still has, and breast implants, but I can't and she is very understanding about that. We have been married for over 27 years and three children. But I loved her the same before we were married as I do now. When we talk about her remarkable weight loss to people, I joke and say "yeah shes less than half the woman I married."
Now for those of you that can afford the cosmetic surgery, I say go for it. But for those who can't, there are many ways to conceal this unwanted appearance. The right clothes,for one thing, and for those that like to show off their legs in a dress, try something like the panty hose that the girls where at certain restaraunts. (*oot*rs)They are wonderful tools. And as for those that lose an enormous amount of breast tissue, theres always that place that has a "V**t**ia secret" . My wife was a 38DD before surgery, but now she is much much smaller than that. But thanks to the secret bra, no one that sees her in public will ever know that.
Public image can be a big deal to some women, and I understand that. So don't be afraid to conceal as much as you want. After all, the only one that really knows what you look like, should be your spouse and your doctor.
If you are considering bariatric surgery, please don't get discouraged about the horror stories. Do your research, and get the facts. Then make a personal decision. However; be sure to include your loved ones in your decision and get their opinions because you are going to need a certain amount of support and care immediately following your surgery.
I am extremely proud of my wife, and I would highly reccomend bariatric surgery to anyone that is considering it. I'm glad that she chose to have the surgery, because if she had not, she may not be here today.
I LOVE YOU SHIRLEY. YOUR PARTNER FOR LIFE STEVE."
