HI! I am new here, but have been lerking for awhile. I'm 5ft and weight 207lbs. My surgery date is March 1. I'm very worried and scared! I know that is normal but I can't help but wonder if I'm doing the right thing. My husband and my friends know about it. I can't bring myself to tell the rest of my family! Especially my parents! They are really negative people and I just don't want any negativity around when I go through surgery. Any way, I am most scared about loosing my hair! I have really thin hair to start with and I'm loosing it now. Has anyone used Ovation Therapy for their hair? I hear from a friend that it worked for her when she went through chemo. I think I will try it...

Welcome! I'm pretty new myself

Hi Izzy, welcome! I am new here too, just sleeved last week. I started at your weight and we are the same height, pretty much.

My parents are pretty negative too, and I am not in communication with them at this time. If your surgery is in March, do you really want to hear two months of negativity? If it were my family I would not tell them.

I am also determined to not lose my hair. I don't know how long it takes to notice the thinning hair, but I got back on my thyroid pills the fourth day after surgery and I am getting a minimum of 60g Protein a day (seven days out from surgery).

Oh, and I was petrified the day of surgery and seriously almost took my own IV out to run away, but the doctor gave me some Valium. It's all good now, I have lost eight pounds this week, all of those since coming home from the hospital last Friday. And, I am not hungry.

So, hopefully it will be all good. Just surround yourself with the supportive people. Two months is too long to hear people rag on you about your personal health decision!

Welcome to VST!! I'm glad you decided to post. It's nice to see who is hanging around.

Congrats on having a surgery date! As for telling people, that's entirely up to you. Just so long as you have a support system in place to help you with recovery, you should be fine.

On the hair loss, I suggest Biotin. It's relatively cheap at the drug store and you can sometimes find it B1G1 at Walgreens and CVS pharmacy here. It's way cheaper than a lot of those miracle hair regrowth potions sold on television, so I'd def try the biotin before paying big money for something else. I've been taking biotin since 2 months post-op and I've had a little thinning, but not as bad as I expected.

You're right, it is normal to be worried and scared before surgery. And you've got a lot of time before yours to get through. My best advice for dealing with the anxiety is to write your fears and worries down then look at your list. Figure out what you can do something about and do it! Then, pray, meditate, or literally burn the list and let the issues you can't do anything about GO.

For example: I was terrified that I would die on the operating table, no, I was CONVINCED I was gonna die. So, I made sure my estate planning docs were put together, then I talked to my surgeon about my thoughts. He reassured me that he would not let me die, but I still had that doubt. I made sure I told my friends and family that I loved them, put the estate planning docs where someone could find them if they were needed, then put my faith in God and my surgeon. Once I relaxed about it, it made things much easier. Obviously, I lived!

You're in the right place to research and ask questions about anything that has you worried. There is NO question that is TMI on this board, I've found.

Good luck on your journey!!

I agree with Amanda. Sometimes families can be a huge obstacle. There are many experienced sleevers on this site who can help you with your concerns, and offer you support. If you know that your family is negative and wouldn't support you, there's no obligation to tell them. This is your decision, and you've already told the most important people. BTW, I'm a Lap-band to sleeve revision, and I would do it all over again.

Welcome and congratulations on your decision. Like the others have said, it is normal to be scared about the surgery, we all feel that way. But you just have to keep reminding yourself how this is going to make you healthier, improve your quality of life and extend your life. It will be so worth it.

In my case I did tell my Mom. But if I had to do it over again I would not. You learn from your mistakes. If your parents are anything like my Mom. You will have Three months of negativity you do not need. Good luck and God Bless.

Thanks everyone for your kind words and support!