by Douglas Sutton, EdD, ARNP, NP-C; Deborah A. Raines, PhD, RN, ANEF; and Natalie Murphy, MSN, FNP-BC

Introduction

Weight reduction is the most obvious—and often most celebrated—outcome that results following bariatric surgery. As clinicians, we must be reminded that for our patients this physical metamorphosis has been many years in the making. While we often begin our assessment of the client by determining the number of days, months,or years postoperative a client is, we forget that the decision to seek information about bariatric surgery, and then to ultimately undergo a weight loss procedure, takes months and years for most people. This article focuses on both the presurgical decision-making period as well as the postsurgical experience of 14 patients who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery and shared their story as part of a larger, descriptive, qualitative study focused on women who chose to undergo a surgical weight loss intervention. While the change after surgery was captivating, dramatic, and life altering, this article will also focus on understanding the journey of change and its impact on those who undergo bariatric surgery. Read the rest of this article »

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