I have mostly been reading on this site for the past year but have not said much. I am scheduled to have VSG surgery next Thursday May, 5th. I was suppose to have it late last August but cancelled due to the fact that this scares the crap out of me! Thinking of cancelling again but if I do then thats it, I wont try a 3rd time. I have a job where my health is required and if type II diabetes arrives it will be all over. Already have high BP and diabetes is probably next. Im scared to death of possible complications there by also causing job problems and even more scared of life afterwards i.e. not being normal anymore cuz i cant eat anything. I already know im an idiot. Any other advice?

Just do it.

It's normal to be nervous.

You know, I've always hated those commercials where someone says "if I can you, you can do it". Let's face it, that is not always true. However,....

I was sleeved on Wednesday and if I can do it you can do it!

I meditated, telling myself I would be fearless when the time to be rolled in came, I recounted all of the wonderful thing I would have later on after being healed and mostly I thought about the fact that this surgery might keep me from having to have 8 more later.

So I hate to say this but as the world's biggest chicken, you can do it! Good luck,

The thing that keeps me from backing out is that there is an overwhelming chance that I will die early due to weight-related problems. There is diabetes and heart disease in my family and I'm lucky that I don't have them YET. I'm 47 and like my dr. said if I don't do something soon there is NO way I will avoid some or all of those problems. Can I lose it on my own? Maybe. Can I keep it off? Well judging by the past 30+ years of experience: NO. I believe yo-yo dieting is worse than just staying fat. That is why I'm doing this. You have to list your own reasons but I can bet your list is similar to mine and everyone else's here. Good luck!

It's so okay to be nervous! Take it from us on the other side, it's worth the risk. If you have found a good surgeon and you follow the guidelines you have done what you can.

Sorry I had to put in my 2cents worth. I was becoming diabetic and had a blood sugar level of 173 before surgery. I'm only 3 months out now and my diabetes has completely disappeared. My blood sugar level is now normal at 90. I've lost 55 pounds in 11 weeks and have been more active than I can ever remember. I eat anything I want but now its in moderation. This sleeve is the best thing I've ever done not to mention the sex is sooooo much better. Every one has fears, the important thing is not to let it ruin your life.

"I'm scared to death of possible complications there by also causing job problems and even more scared of life afterwards i.e. not being normal anymore cuz i cant eat anything."

This is the comment that drives me the craziest and I wish everyone could wrap their brains around it - PLEASE listen up:

ONE DAY YOU WILL BE ABLE TO EAT ANYTHING YOU WANT TO EAT - NO RESTRICTIONS OTHER THAN THE QUANITY YOUR STOMACH CAN HOLD.

I consider myself perfectly "normal" now. I eat out for business quite often and no one even notices the amount of food I actually get in. Don't let these fears get the best of you. I had the same questions, even with being a revision from the lap-band. With your co-morbidities, this will be a life saving operation for you I'm sure. You owe it to yourself to be healthy and happy. And believe me - once you get the weight off and feel and look better you'll be so happy you made this decision.

Best of luck to you!

I have mostly been reading on this site for the past year but have not said much. I am scheduled to have VSG surgery next Thursday May, 5th. I was suppose to have it late last August but cancelled due to the fact that this scares the crap out of me! Thinking of cancelling again but if I do then thats it, I wont try a 3rd time. I have a job where my health is required and if type II diabetes arrives it will be all over. Already have high BP and diabetes is probably next. Im scared to death of possible complications there by also causing job problems and even more scared of life afterwards i.e. not being normal anymore cuz i cant eat anything. I already know im an idiot. Any other advice?

In my opinion, the other responses have been right on the money. But, I feel the need to add my 2 cents for what its worth. (I'm 4 days post op, so I'm still a baby sleever so to speak). You need to ask yourself one question really. "Will life stop "happening" to me if I DON'T have this surgery?" The answer is, "of course not". You will continue to "live" whether or not you have the surgery. Does the knowledge that you personally own about how you've felt living in your body for the last (20, 30, 40, etc.) years really scare you more than what "might" happen in the next 5-10-15 years (you get the picture)? Is your past life really more comfortable that there's no way your future could be different/better? Is the fear of what you have known worth more than the fear of what you do not know? For me, personally, the future had to be better because the past sucked big time! If I didn't have this surgery, I would have decided for myself (and of my own volition) that my future would be years of the same crap -- discouragement, pain, self-loathing, failure.

So, are you afraid of failure or are you afraid of success?

I'm scared too. But I am MORE scared of dying a slow death due to obesity complications. The anticipation is the scariest part. The reality will be so much better.

This is a great thread! Thanks to everyone that posted. I am just starting to research wls and the whole idea scares the heck out of me. From what I have gathered thus far the sleeve is the best way for me to go. I have been to 2 seminars and will do a 3rd next week.

For me it boiled down to being more scared of the problems my weight was causing than what eating would be like afterwords.

Yes you can have complications, but the chances of those are far less than the complications of High blood pressure and diabetes.

If you run into complications from surgery, they can be treated,

Strokes from HBP and kidney and nerve damage from diabetes can not be treated.

Then there is your job, is it worth losing it over food?

I am 5 months out and I eat pretty much everything, as long I deem it healthy, as I did not do this to not change my bad ways!

NO pain, No loss of weight...................

You are not alone, I'm scared too. But not having the surgery scares me even more. I wasn't diabetic when I first started researching WLS. I am now. I feel like I don't really have a choice where my health is concerned. This is kinda like my last hope in saving my life. But I do understand where you're coming from. Good luck!

Kelly

It's always more comfortable to deal with the devil you know. But while you're worrying about POSSIBLE complications of surgery, you should be more worried about the unavoidable complications of obesity.

It's a big change, and there are SOME risks, but the risks of failure are much higher without the surgery and the consequences of failure are far more worthy of your fear than surgery.

"I'm scared to death of possible complications there by also causing job problems and even more scared of life afterwards i.e. not being normal anymore cuz i cant eat anything."

This is the comment that drives me the craziest and I wish everyone could wrap their brains around it - PLEASE listen up:

ONE DAY YOU WILL BE ABLE TO EAT ANYTHING YOU WANT TO EAT - NO RESTRICTIONS OTHER THAN THE QUANITY YOUR STOMACH CAN HOLD.

I consider myself perfectly "normal" now. I eat out for business quite often and no one even notices the amount of food I actually get in. Don't let these fears get the best of you. I had the same questions, even with being a revision from the lap-band. With your co-morbidities, this will be a life saving operation for you I'm sure. You owe it to yourself to be healthy and happy. And believe me - once you get the weight off and feel and look better you'll be so happy you made this decision.

Best of luck to you!

EXACTLY right. You will NOT be able to binge eat anymore - which is really what some people freak out about because most of us have a very bad relationship with food. You cannot stuff yourself to oblivion anymore. Is that so bad?

EXACTLY right. You will NOT be able to binge eat anymore - which is really what some people freak out about because most of us have a very bad relationship with food. You cannot stuff yourself to oblivion anymore. Is that so bad?

God, I hope this is right! I am more scared of the flight. LOL.

Your food addiction is the scared one here. Show it who's boss!!!