As surgeons, we often believe that our careers are shaped by years of training, multiple operations and long hours spent in the operating room. But sometimes the story of a patient can redefine your life in five minutes. This is the story of a young lady who had undergone bariatric surgery with us to treat obesity.
She was supposed to attend a bariatric surgery support group meeting but she missed it because of a traffic jam. When I came up to my office, I found her standing outside my office with a small kid in the lap and a 12-year-old boy holding her hand. And what she told me would stay with me throughout my life.
She had a problem conceiving after marriage and this was attributed to her obesity. She was advised bariatric surgery in the hope of improving this problem. However, for multiple reasons, she could not undergo this surgery and decided to adopt a boy.
So when this boy grew up to about 10-year-old and he came to understand the problem that his mother was suffering, he did a lot of research on bariatric surgery and really motivated her to undergo bariatric surgery. And he also researched about the best doctors in this field.
So the story is not only about the impact of bariatric surgery on infertility, it is about how a little boy could understand the issue and help his mother make the right decision.
This is when I realised how profoundly our intervention can impact lives. We as bariatric surgeons and doctors focus on weight loss and medical diseases like diabetes and sleep apnea. But in her case, the surgery and her adopted kid both helped her have a family.
Her story is really moving and motivates me and makes my belief in bariatric surgery stronger.
Of course, this field requires a lot of teamwork and I am really thankful for a team who keeps motivating me to do better and better for the patients.