I am having my VSG surgery on 12/20/2011. I am terrified of the surgery and the road ahead. I know it is to make my life better, but I still have some fear. Does everyone feel this way right before their surgery?

I think it's totally normal. I am having mine a day after you and while I am not terrified, I am alternating between nervousness, fear of complications, fear of losing my food, and excitement and thinking about hopeful NSVs. Then I have the thought that I will be like the ONE person for whom this doesn't work... Just keeps rotating, I feel really self-absorbed!!!

My surgery is sceduled for Dec. 28, and right now I am so scared. I keep thinking of all the things that can go wrong. However, tonight I was shopping and I wondered into the "regular" women's sizes and I couldn't help but fantisize about finally being able to shop in that section and all the stylish clothes there was to choose from. Goodluck to you. I know that all will be fine for you and me, but it is normal to be anxious and nervous before hand......

Oh, (((Ladies))), it is perfectly normal to be scared, nervous, anxious, and excited, ALL AT ONCE just before you take this huge step to make your life better. It's also perfectly normal for our minds to start telling us all kinds of crazy thing "I can do this without surgery." "I don't need to have weight loss surgery. I've got enough willpower to do this". Yeah, everyone's minds seem to play the same recordings for us.

I was scared of the surgery and terrified not to have the surgery. Finally, I made a list of everything that was swirling through my head and did what I could about it. The rest, I prayed about and let it go. I was totally convinced I'd die during surgery and that would be that. BUT, I had a death sentence anyway from my docs. Either I had the surgery, or I'd die. So, I figured I may as well take the one chance I had open to me and I am SO glad that I did!!!

I read something that really helped me get past my fear of surgery, and my fear of the stigma that's still somewhat attached to WLS. The quote was "If you are 100 pounds overweight, it's like having cancer. You'd have surgery for cancer and not think twice about it." I'm paraphrasing heavily and I do not, unfortunately, remember who said it. I think that's a quote of another poster's doctor, but it's very true. Once you hit the kind of weight we all have to lose, it's all but impossible to lose weight without an intervention of some kind.

This surgery just happens to be the best available option for ME... and possibly for all of you as well.

Good luck on your journeys! Yes, it's normal to be nervous, but what you do with it is up to you.

I am having my VSG surgery on 12/20/2011. I am terrified of the surgery and the road ahead. I know it is to make my life better, but I still have some fear. Does everyone feel this way right before their surgery?

I am having mine the same day as you and I also have some fears. I was planning on getting a lap band, perhaps seven years ago, and chickened out. This time it feels more right.

So I think it is natural to feel this way. Odds are that everything is going to be great. We're going to be okay, I just know it!

But yep, still a little scared!

Thank you all for your words of wisdom! I am not backing out of the surgery, I was just posting my fear and I wanted to know if that was normal. I have a good support system at home, but it is different when talking to people that are going through the same thing I am. Thank you all again!

Ladies,

Yes it is normal. I can also tell you that my biggest "buyers remorse" day was day 2 AFTER surgery. I was lying hte hospital after a sleepless evening wondering what in the world had I done to my body. This phase passes quickly. Just keep focusing on healing and being healthy.

Best of luck on your surgeries and new healthy lives.