By Antoinette Grajeda
People have surgery to change their appearance all the time. They’re not happy with the size or shape of something, but that’s not the reason Mattie Watson of Bella Vista had gastric bypass surgery. She liked herself as she was, but she also loved herself enough to be mindful of her health.
“I’ve always been a big child,” she said. “I was always taller than anybody else in my class or weight-wise bigger than anyone else in my class, so I’ve always been big and it never really bothered me. But then as I got older in high school and in college it just got to be a little out of control.”
On April 5, Mattie celebrated the three-month anniversary of her surgery and the loss of 54 pounds.
Her journey to this new life began a few years ago and was born out of tragedy. Her father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer during the July 4, 2000, weekend. He passed away a little over two weeks later on July 19.
“It happened that fast,” Mattie said.
The loss of her father inspired Mattie to visit the doctor and have everything checked out. When she was diagnosed with diabetes, she began taking medication, but she didn’t change her eating habits.
“After being diagnosed diabetic, I was a little bit more concerned, but not really,” she said.
In 2007, it hit home how problematic her weight could be during a family vacation to Cancun, Mexico.
“There was one thing I wanted to do — I wanted to swim with the dolphins,” she said. “I saved and saved and saved so I could have enough money to do that and I was just miserable.”
Her experience with the dolphins was not enjoyable because Mattie was uncomfortable in a life jacket that didn’t fit properly, she was suffering from leg cramps and her weight pushing down on a metal grate was painful on her feet.
Mattie’s weight had become an issue in her daily life. Walking to and from the mailbox caused her to be out of breath, she couldn’t ride the rides when she took her friends’ children to the county fair and sitting in restaurant booths was uncomfortable.
“I’m so tired of not being able to do the things I want to do because I’m so overweight,” she said.
Mattie had dieted on her own in the past and used diet medication prescribed by doctors, but never quite got the results she wanted.
“I would really try for like three or four months, but I’d hit that 30-pound mark and there’d be nothing else,” she said.
Mattie’s diabetic medication was increased for the first time two years ago and she was also prescribed medication for high cholesterol. It was then that she decided to look at surgery more seriously.
“I said I got to do something; I have to do something now. I mean, I’m only 35 years old,” she said. “I want to be around to be an old woman, to be around my nieces.”
She had tossed the idea of surgery around before, especially after seeing a former co-worker go through the process. The stars seemed to be aligning when Mattie’s work offered a new “awesome” insurance program that would cover the cost of the surgery. In addition to paying for the procedures, the plan paid for Mattie and a companion to fly to the hospital (she had to use one of the plan’s approved doctors and hospitals), stay in a hotel, have transportation and receive a $2,000 recovery check.
To qualify, she also had to have six months of doctor-supervised diet and exercise, as well as a psychological evaluation to let her know the surgery is a tool to help her and not a miracle cure.
Mattie was excited about the procedure, but her mother, a registered nurse, “was not real thrilled.” She is of the “you can do it on your own” mindset, but she was also concerned about the risks that come with surgery, Mattie said.
“She’s your mom; she doesn’t want you to do anything that might could kill you,” Mattie said.
Mattie reassured her mom she would be alright because she didn’t have any other health complications and because she was young. While her mother was scared, Mattie didn’t focus on the possible negative outcomes.
“I just never really was scared about that,” she said. “I always figured that if it was my time to go then it was my time to go no matter what, so I never allowed myself to really think about it.”
The surgery Mattie had was the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. The procedure can be done laparoscopically, meaning small incisions were made, explained her surgeon Cliff Thomas. Surgical instruments are passed through tubes in the incisions, as well as a camera that allows surgeons to see the area they’re working on.
“There’s very few failures, but it’s a complex operation,” Thomas said.
Complex operation means complications, and he said those can include bleeding, leakage of intestinal fluid and bowel obstruction.
At 7:30 a.m. Jan. 5, a 328-pound Mattie was wheeled into a surgery that lasted an hour and a half. By 6 p.m. that evening, Mattie was up and walking around to the surprise of the nurses.
Her recovery went smoothly. She felt some tugging from the stitches, but she never had to use her pain-killing drugs. By 3 p.m. the following day, she was discharged from University General Hospital in Houston, Texas.
Since the surgery, Mattie has experienced several changes to her lifestyle. For one, she no longer has to take diabetic medication. She has made alterations to her schedule, including attending a weight-loss support group once a month and exercising much more frequently.
“God bless the iPod,” she enthused. “I’m telling you I would not be able to walk outside as much as I do if I didn’t have my songs to jam to.”
And then, of course, there’s the weight loss. During the first month alone, the weight “came off really fast,” resulting in a loss of nearly 30 pounds. She was nervous about being stuck at the dreaded 30-pound mark, but she has long surpassed that and “it’s really exciting.”
Mattie is becoming thinner, which means finding clothes has been an issue. She has lost 10 jean sizes, and, although her friend Tammy teases her about being a pack rat, Mattie is thankful to have kept the smaller clothes she collected during her previous weight-loss attempts.
“That’s the only saving grace I’ve had,” she said. “I mean, I’ve been pulling out pants and shirts that I haven’t worn in years.”
Before the surgery, Mattie enjoyed watching television and movies, reading and the occasional walk, but now she’s “just in the mood to get out and do stuff” and has much more energy to do so.
Her diet has changed as well. She must take a variety of vitamins every day because her smaller stomach doesn’t absorb all of the necessary nutrition, but she said that’s a much better option than paying for expensive diabetic medications.
Mattie has a book to guide her through the process of incorporating exercise into her daily routine as well as what foods she can eat. For example, she must eat plenty of protein. She’s been instructed to eat three meals a day and said the tough part isn’t eating the proper foods, but simply remembering to eat.
“The eating has been real easy for me because I don’t have that hunger feeling anymore and they say eventually that comes back, but it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if it didn’t,” she said.
Mattie is excited to see the weight come off and has even set a weight loss goal for herself.
“I’m not going to be greedy,” she said. “I’m not going to try to be like Kate Moss or anything or Cindy Crawford, you know? If I can just get under 200 pounds, 175 pounds, that would rock!”

Writer’s Note: Check back every issue as we follow Mattie’s journey.

Weight Loss Support
The Northwest Arkansas Weight Loss Surgery Support Group meets at 2 p.m. the second Sunday of every month at the Rogers Activity Center. For more information, contact Wyona Yaffe at wyaffe@yahoo.com or call (479) 644-1999.