Gastric Bypass Patient Story | Vita Clinics picture

Francesco's Story

Dr Francesco Gallo, a consultant paediatrician, who underwent a gastric bypass in 2006, has experienced profound improvements in several aspects of his life since he reduced his body mass index by nearly half, from 47 to 25.

He says his wife’s first observation, after the surgery was: “Unbelievable, tonight I slept without plugging my ears”. ‘Snoring disappeared a few days after surgery, while sleeping improved later especially as my obesity had prevented me from sleeping prone. Thankfully, frightening episodes of sleep apnoea also disappeared. Before surgery, I had raised blood pressure which normalized after a few weeks following surgery. My blood sugar and cholesterol levels were high and I had pre-diabetes, but these became normal after a few months following surgery.

Gradually my ability to move became easier, my joint pains disappeared. I could pick objects up from the floor without any help and the stairs stopped feeling like Mount Everest. I could once again buy shoes with laces. Now, I cycle my bike in town and I avoid lifts or escalators where possible. I’m happy to walk, that’s all. I have to confess that before the surgery my libido was quite lethargic, but now the old lion finally returned to roar! My wife says her husband has also now become her lover!

The way I think about my own health has also changed. The first weeks after surgery were really dramatic. Initially you think “Am I still alive”, then, “strange, I’m not hungry”, followed by “My God, I can only drink fluids”. You then begin to wonder “will I ever return to normal?” and, finally “why did I do this to myself?” I knew it would be hard, but was still surprised as I needed several months to begin to fully adjust. Today, after two years from surgery, I feel good, I’m happy, but I can’t and don’t want to forget that period, which I call “the dark side of the moon”. You have to be prepared for this. Your sight has to be fixed towards the horizon, not to the ground.

I’ve been surprised at all the spontaneous changes to my life, I regularly exercise now and my food choices are very different. I used to prefer pasta, meat, bread, cheese, fruits and sweets, and I avoided vegetables and fish. Now I crave legumes, salads, fish and simple foods, and very rarely feel hungry for meat and pasta. I still love cheese, and sometimes I have ice creams.

My body image did not alter all that much. It is when I look at photos that I really see the difference. When I show my children old photographs, they ask me: “Daddy, who is that man?” When I look at myself in the mirror, it seems to me I’m not really thin. If I sit on a chair, I sometimes still wonder if it will break.

The need to acquire a new wardrobe has been very expensive but delightful! I remember that when I became obese my ‘new wardrobe’ came with tears, so how can I be sad now?

I thus don’t feel like an “ex-obese” man but rather “an obese man in treatment”. Gastric bypass was only the first step in therapy: important, fundamental, but only the beginning. The surgery made the rest of treatment possible: diet, exercise and the lifestyle changes that followed. I don’t know which is the hardest part in this “journey”? Every day is a battle between my will to maintain my weight and my mind that searches for food. It’s never easy. There are days when I feel very hungry and I need to contain my mind’s search of food, but other days are easier. I feel my quality of life improved, but I had to pay a significant price. Only now do I know that it was worth it. At least now, “I have a dream…..”



 

This site has been optimised for Internet Explorer 7 Web design by HTDL