Will I be a horror story?!

[ridingrae 61]

Hi there,

I am new to the forum and am considering sleeve surgery.

I am super healthy with no co-morbidites but am overweight and have been my entire life.

I have never had surgery and am scared of the thought of an I.V., anesthesia, sleeping in the hospital...! And am more scared of the horror stories I have been seeking out and obsessing on.

Not sure what I am seeking here but I would appreciate any thoughts that would help me with my research and decision. I live in Boulder, CO. Any surgeon advice?

I always say I would kill to be thin, but I don't want to die for it!

Thank you,

R.

[Elode 8,093]

@@ridingrae I guess I would be considered "healthy" for an overweight person...I didn't have any health issues before surgery either. There are some sad stories but there's also a ton of success stories. Nobody will be able to tell you how your surgery will go. We all kinda just take that chance . It just depends on how bad you want it!

[RJ'S/beginning 5,357]

No one knows how it will turn out for you. That is between you god and your surgeon. However I do believe that being prepared is the best route you can take. Knowing the best things about WLS and the worst.

You have to resign yourself to the chances good or bad and be prepared to live and deal with them either way. So look at your reasons for having WLS and what you want out of it and decide if it is the answer for you. Whatever you decide know that you have looked at it from every angle. Then there are no surprises.

My surgeon once asked me ' what was the worst thing that could happen to me by having WLS ' I replied death. Well if you are not prepared for more then that as in the bounds of complications and see it as worth it. i believe that can be worse then death.

Not trying to scare you. Just making sure you have crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's. So you will be prepared for anything!

Edited November 26, 2014 by RJ'S/beginning

[laurenella82 625]

I agree, we can't tell you how it will turn out for you. I do t even know how if will turn put for me. But what's helpful, at least for me, is knowing almost the full spectrum of what could happen. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I see a lot of that here.

A friend of mine who is 8 months post op told me just today to have realistic expectations. For me that's valuable advice!

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

@@ridingrae

I.V. is no problem. It's just like getting blood drawn except they leave it in. The only pain will be the initial prick but it's nothing. If you have good veins they will do it in your arm. If you are so obese that they can't get to them they will insert it in your hand.

Anesthesia is a bit more tricky but there's nothing to worry about. Anesthesia comes with an anti-anxiety medication plus a drug that causes amnesia. This way you are relaxed and will not remember anything that happens. The only real risk is a heart attack or stroke. It is possible for blood pressure to rise considerably during anesthesia. For most people this is not a problem to experience very high blood pressure for 45 minutes to an hour or so. However, a certain percentage will have a heart attack or stroke. The good news is that if you die during anesthesia you will not be aware of it. You will be unconscious so you won't feel any pain. Again, death from anesthesia is rare. One way to cut your risk is to make sure that if you have high blood pressure that it is fully controlled before getting surgery.

The only real major post-op complication, as in life-threatening, is a leak. Leaks are rare but do happen. About 1-3% of people will develop a leak, normally in the first three months after surgery. Symptoms of a leak include fever, abdominal pain, nausea and rapid heart beat. It's important that if you experience these symptoms that you seek medical attention quickly. If left untreated you can develop peritonitis and die. Again, this is rare. Around 97-99% of people never develop a leak. The higher your BMI the greater your chance of developing a leak and having other complications. One way to lessen your chance of developing a leak is to make absolutely sure that you follow the diet to a "T". Many people make the mistake of thinking that since they feel back to normal that they can go ahead and eat normally. Big mistake! It takes the stomach about 6-8 weeks to heal from the surgery. Too much pressure in the stomach before it is sufficiently healed can produce a leak.

I personally don't think there's anything to worry about. I plan on having the surgery in 2015. I've decided that it's worth the minimal risk in order to make sure I lead a normal life and am relatively healthy.

Edited November 26, 2014 by Proud2BMe

[BitterSweet* 835]

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