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In Search of Skinny
Teens and Gastric Bypass Surgery
By Lisa A. Goldstein
Orr also worried that people would look at her and say she took the easy way out. Some of her family members even thought this. "Because it is such a drastic procedure that many do not understand, I was worried that I still wouldn't be treated with respect," she says. "I also worried that I would lose the weight and then eventually put it back on."
Now that she's had the surgery, Orr says it is definitely not an easy way out. The way she eats, moves and exercises have all changed. Every day for the rest of her life, she has to take vitamins to ensure that she's getting all of the proper nutrients. She has to exercise regularly and do her part to make sure the weight stays off. Her only regret is that she did not do it sooner. And her response to critics is "Try being 350 pounds in high school and see how you feel."
"Why deny a 360-pound or more 15-year-old a chance at a normal life with normal longevity by having a proven therapy when there isn't a shred of scientific data to suggest that diet, exercise, behavior modification and drugs can be effective [for the extremely obese]?" asks Dr. Flancbaum.
Two years after the surgery, Orr weighs 161 pounds. She has a whole new lease on life. "It was the best decision I've ever made," she says.
