The Journey to Weight Loss Surgery: My Perspective as a Blind Patient So Far

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Today I wanted to talk about something I haven’t really discussed yet. I’ve been going through the process of preparing for weight loss, or bariatric, surgery. I’m scheduled to meet with my dietician for my final pre-op appointment on the 29th of this month, and then I’ll meet with my surgeon’s assistant on August 1, when she’ll hopefully clear me for surgery. I’ve found this process both rewarding and, because of accessibility issues mostly due to my blindness, extremely frustrating.

For more insights on navigating life with disabilities, check out my post on life as a Christian with multiple disabilities.

Why I’m Having Surgery

All my life, I’ve struggled with stomach problems. My mom told me that when I was a baby, I had bad colic and she regularly had to give me enemas. When I was 12, my stomach issues got really bad, and I regularly threw up at school. I was eventually told I had something called gastric emptying disorder, and that my stomach didn’t digest fatty or spicy foods well, so they sit in my stomach for a long time.

I also dealt with steady weight gain growing up, no matter how much I dieted or exercised. I’ve been steadily gaining weight, and my other health issues haven’t been improving, so my mom and I decided weight loss surgery was our only option. As part of preparing for surgery, I’ve gone through lots of tests, and doctors have said that the surgery could help me in more ways than losing weight.

It’s already helped us discover that not only are there problems with my stomach, but my esophagus doesn’t work the way it should, leading to problems swallowing. Now I know why I have to swallow multiple times and frequently spit things up. Doctors have said that if I have the surgery, it could bypass the damaged area of my stomach, helping me feel better and have fewer problems there. Because of all this, I’m looking forward to surgery since I hope it will make a big difference in how I feel.

Accessibility Problems I’ve Encountered

Since I started this journey back in March, I’ve encountered a number of accessibility issues. I’m still trying to find ways around many of them. I want to discuss some of those here.

Tracking What You Eat

One of the first things I learned is how important a high protein diet is, and that I need to track what I eat to make sure I get enough protein. This has proven to be a challenge for me. My dietician recommended using an app with lots of tools for bariatric patients called Baritastic, but it’s not accessible at all. Other food tracking apps can work, but they often focus too much on calories or are also inaccessible.

I tried contacting the developers of Baritastic, as did my dietician, but we’ve heard nothing back. For now, I’ve settled on using MyFitnessPal, but it has some minor accessibility issues, isn’t designed for bariatric patients, lacks some of the features from Baritastic that I think would be useful, and focuses way too much on calories.

I have to go to a different nutrition screen from the main one before it will show me total protein for the day. The app is also full of annoying and often inaccessible ads unless you upgrade to their premium plan, which I’m trying to avoid doing.

Then there’s the process of figuring out exactly what I’m eating so I can log it into the app. I live with my mom, and when she makes me food, I don’t always know exactly how much of different ingredients went into it unless I ask. Even if I make myself something, I might know what it is but not the exact brand; different brands have different nutrient levels.

I can ask for help to identify something or use one of several text scanning and product identification apps on my phone when no one’s around; however, these apps often fail to recognize health foods or foods from local businesses that I consume frequently.

Finally, even if I know exactly what I ate, finding it in the food database can be a challenge. For example, it’s hard to find just egg whites in the database since sighted users can take pictures of their meal.

Finding Simple, Affordable Meals

This has also been a challenge. Because of my disabilities, I’m just learning to cook. I can use an air fryer and a microwave; with help, a small toaster oven as well. My mom works so I need high protein meals that are easy for me to prepare when she’s not around.

I’m ordering groceries from Walmart since they deliver at reasonable prices; however, their health food selection isn’t great. My family is low income too; therefore I’m trying to find things that are healthy yet affordable while needing recipes suitable for my limited cooking skills.

Solutions to Accessibility Issues I’ve Found

When it comes to identifying different foods around me, I’ve tried apps and Braille labels; however both have limitations. The apps don’t work well consistently and Braille labels can be frustrating due to grip strength issues while labeling.

I’ve been looking into audio labels from WayAround, which hold more information than Braille labels and seem more reliable overall. They are somewhat pricey but could be worth it since they last longer and can be transferred between products.

I’ll probably keep using MyFitnessPal unless something better comes along; as for finding recipes I’m able to make independently—I’m still searching for good sources.

In Summary

My journey so far has been very rewarding; I’ve lost over 30 pounds with the high protein diet and exercise—I’m hopeful about surgery making a significant difference in my life. However there have been numerous accessibility challenges making this process frustrating at times.

I’ve found myself wishing multiple times for a support group specifically for blind bariatric patients; unfortunately creating one isn’t feasible right now due to energy constraints on my part.

• Why My Body Freaks Out and How It Responds to Change
• Life as a Christian with Multiple Disabilities
• Gaming Accessibility Journey Recommendations

If you have any suggestions or thoughts you’d like to share about this journey or accessibility challenges you’ve faced yourself, please reach out through my contact page.