The MBSAQIP (I have no idea what it means, so don’t even ask) is basically a report that shows you your potential weight loss and likelihood of complications. It tells you how much weight you might lose and what kind of complications you might run into. It’s supposed to be helpful, and I guess in some ways it is. But honestly? It made me feel a bit weird.

It spits out numbers. Like, “You’ll probably lose X% of your excess weight in 6 months” and “You’ve got a 1.4% chance of this or that going wrong”.

You stare at this little chart thinking, “Okay, cool? Thanks?”

But also, what do I do with that? Frame it?

It’s not a guarantee. It’s not a warning. It’s just data. Based on averages, from people who aren’t you. It doesn’t know how your body works. It doesn’t know how stubborn you are. It doesn’t know what kind of life you’re walking into surgery trying to claw your way back to.

And look, I’m not against stats. I like knowing what I’m signing up for. But something about seeing my future reduced to a percentage feels strange. Like, this thing doesn’t get to tell me how this is going to go. It can guess, sure. But I’m not a spreadsheet.

So yeah. The MBSAQIP exists. Take what you need from it. But don’t let it mess with your head too much. You’re not a data point. You’re a person doing something hard as hell, and no little chart can predict how strong you’re going to be when it actually matters.