PreBanders: What are your greatest fears about either the surgery itself or your new life with the band? And most importantly, how are you facing those fears?

For me, getting stuck is my biggest fear. It's huge! But through this forum I have learned that I have control. I must change the way I eat my food (eat slow, chew, chew, chew, small bites). I will likely still have a stuck episode but knowing I have some measure of control is helping me.

What are your fears and how are you addressing them?

I know you're asking pre-bandsters, but just so you know...

At least for me, getting stuck is a rare incident. It did take a while for me to get used to chewing everything fully and really making sure that it will go down through the band. Sure, it does suck, especially the first time, but I promise it's not something that will make your life miserable all the time. You'll know when it happens and you just need to relax and realize you're not going to die. That's the best way to get whatever's stuck out. Very few incidences involve actually having to go to the doctor, so please don't worry about that.

Don't be scared. There are always a few drawbacks, but the benefits are so much more powerful than any few "stuck" episodes!

Thank you Elizabeth.

Honestly, for me the biggest fear is that it won't work. I have failed so many times before, it's like I'm conditioned to expect failure. But I am refusing to let myself dwell on that. I've been slogging my way through my emotional food issues in hopes that it will help me succeed once I am banded. Plus I have been "speaking success" over this - telling myself and anyone who will listen about how positive this process is and how great it will be to lose the weight and keep it off. I am giving my fear over to the Lord, meditating on my success and allowing Him to provide it for me. Kind of like "let go let God" I guess.

Getting stuck does sound scary, but I think it'll be easier to deal with once it actually happens. The first time, all you have to do is remember not to panic, and then if it happens again you will know what to expect and how to handle it.

Great topic, by the way.

I had far more fear of me failing than i did getting stuck. To be honest i think some make more of getting stuck than need to really.. its really not that bigger deal, and if you really get stuck yes its painful, but then so was moving around when i was really heavy.. its all a matter of degrees, to me getting stuck is pretty low on my list ...

Well...I'm definitely not looking forward to getting stuck, but my two biggest fears are:

1) It won't work. That no matter how much I follow my doctor's instructions and do what I'm supposed to, that I'll be the person that it doesn't do anything for.

2) That I won't be able to see a difference. I watch way too many shows where women talk about how they've lost all this weight, but when they look in the mirror they still see the same fat girl they used to be. Even now...I've lost over 20 pounds in preparation from the surgery. Everyone keeps telling me that they can see where I've lost weight, especially in my face. I look in the mirror and...I see NOTHING. No progress, just the same over weight person.

I think for most people the fear of the unknown is huge.

What if it doesn't work

How much will fills hurt

Will I still be able to eat normal/favourite foods.

Getting stuck

problems in the future.

What if my band slips

There are so many unknowns and so many things that you can get stressed out about.

Just rest assured that even the thing you fear most is no where near as bad as you expect it to be.

I think my biggest fear was not waking up after surgery. Totally irrational but I have the same fear every time I have to be put under.

It's like most things, the fear of the unknown. This is where forums like this one come in to their own. You can cut through the marketing and hype and find out the truth about lap band surgery... warts and all!

I think for most people the fear of the unknown is huge.

What if it doesn't work

How much will fills hurt

Will I still be able to eat normal/favourite foods.

Getting stuck

problems in the future.

What if my band slips

There are so many unknowns and so many things that you can get stressed out about.

Just rest assured that even the thing you fear most is no where near as bad as you expect it to be.

I think my biggest fear was not waking up after surgery. Totally irrational but I have the same fear every time I have to be put under.

That's my biggest fear not waking up and I go to surgery Friday. I'm so nervous and scared. plus been working alot without rest and that adds to the problem. I do 12 hr shifts and to get time off my days been crunched.

I am most fearful of (failing) as in not losing weight. And my hub or my doctor or my 2 friends who I have told will think of me as a failure and why did I waste their time with this?

The thing that led me to having surgery was I had a stroke at 39. So I had a history of having a blood clot in the brain. My big fear was having another stroke. I was so stressed about that I did not have a lot of time for other panic attacks.

Regarding never being able to eat a certain food again I don't have that problem (and am at restriction). Also, I have only ever been stuck after eating baby carrots and cheap white bread. Carrots are not a problem if I use hummus; and I don't bother with cheap bread anymore. Since I choose not to eat bread because off the empty calories. If I am going to have bread I make it expensive bread.

I was concerned the surgery would'nt work for me. The reason why though was because I had already lost 100 pounds through diet and exercise. It turned out I am a slow loser. But considering I was already down to about 1500 calories a day and doing an hour of cardio 7 days a week; having surgery wasn't a huge jump start for me.

Like many others, I fear that it will not help me! I have fought this battle my whole life, and see the band a another "tool" like some folks use WW 'point' system. I know there is hard work to working with the band to lose weight, but I guess still being hungry all the time worries me to.

Surgery coming up quickly, three weeks from today!

I'm not afraid I won't wake up after the surgery. I'm afraid I'll wake up *during* the surgery, or that I'll have that "anathesia awareness" thing like in that movie Awake. I tried to watch a surgery on youtube but after seeing the surgeon stick those ports in the patient's belly like he was sticking a thermometer into a pork roast I had to turn it off. I know this will sound silly to a lot of people but I can't help it (I have a problem with paranoia and I take meds for it but it still surfaces from time to time), I'm worried the the surgery team will be talking about me and I won't be able to hear what they say. I have the same fear every time I've been sedated for various procedures. But I've never been completely knocked out or cut open before....

Aside from the fear that it won't work or I won't be able to succeed beacause I don't follow the lifestyle change. I am petrified about possible complications such as slips, flipped port etc. I am self pay so I can barely pay for surgery in the first place (actually really can't afford it) but the thought of needing additional surgery and not having the money is very frightening.

Aside from the fear that it won't work or I won't be able to succeed beacause I don't follow the lifestyle change. I am petrified about possible complications such as slips, flipped port etc. I am self pay so I can barely pay for surgery in the first place (actually really can't afford it) but the thought of needing additional surgery and not having the money is very frightening.

Same here,I'm getting a loan...