EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – After years of being overweight, Abril Watson decided to share her story after her bariatric surgery two years ago. Watson originally weighed 273 pounds and said that she was a shell of her true self.
She said she was not happy on the inside because of how difficult it had become to do everyday tasks like playing with her kids or walking up a flight of stairs. She decided to become a candidate for bariatric surgery for her youngest daughter.
“The reason why I even started this journey was because of my last baby. I have four kids, my little girl like when I had her, I wanted to be there for her when she gets older and she gets married,” Watson said.
Watson was treated by Dr. Michael Lara from The Hospitals of Providence Weight Loss Center. She was the first wave of patients the center ever saw in December of 2020.
Dr. Lara explained that bariatric surgery’s goal is to improve a patient’s overall health.
“We’re going to accomplish that here through one of two means of surgery, either laparoscopic roux-en-y gastric bypass or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and by obtaining those surgeries then they will lose weight and that in turn will decrease their hypertension, diabetes and sleep apnea,” said Dr. Lara.
Two years post-surgery, Watson has lost almost 125 pounds and is now able to live a healthier lifestyle. She has learned what foods work for her body and can finally do the daily tasks that were originally so difficult.
“No more medication, no more high blood pressure issues, no more snoring, no more sleep apnea, a normal BMI. I can tie my shoes without having the pansa in the way. I can go up the stairs without huffing and puffing. I can run with my kids,” said Watson.
While Watson is grateful for Dr. Lara and his staff for this second chance at a healthier life, she understands the difficulty of taking that first step in deciding on weight loss surgery. She said she suggests anyone who was in the position she was over three years ago to do their research before deciding if the surgery is for them.
“Read about the surgery to see if it’s something you are ready for because not everybody is ready to hear it and it’s not until something drastic happens that we finally decide, ‘OK now is the time to make the change,'” Watson said.
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