A Spouse's Viewpoint
My name is Angela. Doug and I have been married about 4 years now. It has been tough for me to watch him go through the frustration and pain of being overweight.
Like many people who suffer from obesity, Doug was reluctant to go to the doctor when we first met because he was tired of being told to lose weight and not being given any help. Because he hadn't been to the doctor in so long, he was unaware of many of his co-morbidities. After we got married, we went to my PCP (Primary Care Physician) together. He was the one who first suggested Doug pursue gastric bypass surgery. He also diagnosed a couple of the conditions that accompany morbid obesity (co-morbidities) and began to treat them. At the time, I thought that weight loss surgery was too "drastic" and encouraged Doug to try other ways to lose weight.
As the years have progressed, Doug's weight has gradually increased to the point where he suffers from chronic pain that keeps him from being able to participate in many activities that we once enjoyed together. Our PCP now tells us that Doug may not survive another decade. These two factors and the increasing emotional pain he feels convinced me that the surgery is necessary on many levels. We depend on each other so much that I believe that he wouldn't have gotten this far in the process if I were not supporting him each step of the way.