I'm really excited to get my surgery date after my consultation on the June 6th! I look forward to the results and being able to not have to think about calories all day long for the rest of my life! But I am absolutely terrified of anaesthesia! Not the procedure itself, oddly enough, just the experience of being put under.

I got my wisdom teeth extracted with a local because I was so frightened of "going under". Obviously this is not an option with bariatric surgery, so I'd like some advice--what should I do?

What was your anaesthesia experience like? Did you have any time to get scared or did you just fall asleep? Can a light sedative be given so I won't panic?

I absolutely WON'T let my fear of anaesthesia stand in the way of my getting a body that I can live in comfortably, so any advice or stories would be a great help to me!

I think Anesthesia is least of my fears....my top fears are: 1. Catheter. 2. Lead' date=' 3. Unable to operate cause of liver size, 4. Lovenol injections for blood clots daily for 2 weeks post op.[/quote']

Patrick, I'm 3 1/2 weeks post op, and my doc did not use a catheter, but I kinda wish he would have. The whole rest of that day and night I had a pressing feeling of needing to go badly, but it was extremely difficult. I could only squeeze out a few drops at a time. It got a little easier each hour but it wasn't till the following morning before I got full relief. The nurses told me it's not uncommon with this type of surgery.

Patrick, the lovenol (lovenox?) shots arent' that bad. The worst part is figuring out how to give them to yourself the first time and the bruising they leave. Since I wasn't showing my abdomen to anyone, I didn't really worry about that too much. I had to go online and watch a video on the lovenox website to figure out how to open the syringe and give one to myself. If I'd realized that would be so difficult, I'd have asked the nurse at the hospital to show me before I went home.

Do you already have clotting issues or are the shots from an abundance of caution?

You can request a sedative before being put under. I had that done when I had surgery in Mexico because I was really freaked out that I was there, not because of anesthesia. I fell asleep before surgery!

I am one of those people that hates that loss of control you have when you faint, get really drunk, etc... But going under anesthesia is nothing like that. I've been put under about five or six times and it's no big deal. The last time, my doctor told me she was putting a margarita in my IV! That's the last I remember. It's not gradual, it's like one minute you're there, the next your dead asleep. It's like taking a nap, and you feel really groggy when you wake up. You don't blackout or slowly fade into it. I usually say "bye!" and I'm gone!

Also, wanted to comment on the calories thing. Just got me a little worried for you. You are unfortunately going to still have to worry about calories for the rest of your life. After surgery, food becomes a much bigger part of your life in a different way. I had lap band surgery thinking the same thing. I am now ten pounds higher than I was when I got the band. You can eat around it. You can cheat and drink with meals and help wash things through. You can get lots of calories into a small amount eating crappy foods. You can eat bits of high calorie food all day long. It's not a panacea, and WLS means something much different to me now than it did before. It's just a tool. I have to change my behaviors in order for it to work!

Best of luck to you!!

Excellent point you just made! No, I don't expect sleeve surgery to be a panacea, and I realize that it will drastically change the way I relate to food and I am actually looking forward to that!

My Nutritionist was impressed by my healthful diet that includes lots of vegetables, fruits, lean Protein, whole grains, and how well I'd integrated all the little "tricks" to help one feel fuller longer, eating more slowly, chewing more, etc. It's funny that my diet is actually much healthier than my mother's, and she's 115lbs and I'm ....um....not lol I also get more physical activity than she does. My father is also morbidly obese, is a vegetarian, and trains in a gym 5 days a week for an hour. I take after him, and my genetics are definitely against me!

I guess this is the long way of saying this surgery is going to give me the boost I need to be able to get me to the point where I can take over the weight loss myself by being able to move my body more comfortably. I was born with deformed knees, and have a broken tailbone, so it is hard for me to move comfortably with all the excess weight and exercise is agony for me at this size. I don't expect my sleeve to be able to force me into a healthier lifestyle. I'm just gonna use it as a crutch until I can walk on my own

Thanks for your marvelous advice, too!

I'm from Missouri, so IDK what Cedar Point is, but if it's a big coaster I'll make the trek.

That sounds like an EXCELLENT idea! Yeah, Cedar Point is pretty much the funnest thing to do in the midwest (if you like roller coasters)! Back about 10 years ago, they had the tallest one in the world "Millennium Force"

I think we should have tee shirts made up and do prizes and everything! That would be an amazing motivator!

Patrick, the lovenol (lovenox?) shots arent' that bad. The worst part is figuring out how to give them to yourself the first time and the bruising they leave. Since I wasn't showing my abdomen to anyone, I didn't really worry about that too much. I had to go online and watch a video on the lovenox website to figure out how to open the syringe and give one to myself. If I'd realized that would be so difficult, I'd have asked the nurse at the hospital to show me before I went home.

Do you already have clotting issues or are the shots from an abundance of caution?

It's a caution thing because of my size - he was going to do a Filter, but decided against it and to do the lovenox instead.

Sorry to sound silly but do you need a catheter for this op?

I think some people do and some people do not. It is probably down to the surgeon's preference. Unless your surgeon tells you specifically that he or she wants one placed, I just assume that the answer is no. If it were standard practice with everyone, you'd think more people would be mentioning it on the forums (yowch!)

You will be fine.. I too was terrified... I had never been put to sleep either.. and had a fear of waking up during and not being able to tell them I was awake and feeling everything.. I told everyone around me who would listen..LOL..so when they came in to get me ready for the OR.. they gave me a "Margarita" as they called it.. thought this is nothing.. don't feel a thing... got to the OR..moved over to the "teeny tiny" table.. I remember one nurse loosely strapping down one arm as the other said.. "OK,..here is your second Margarita".. that was all I remember.. they really had me under.. took 2 hours to get me awake!!! But was the best sleep I have had in a long time.. so just think about the great sleep you are going to have!!!

Patrick, If they decide to do the filter, say yes as long as they will remove it afterwards. As scary and PITA as mine was, it caught two clots that could have killed me. Adding in the exercise pre-op like you're doing helps tremendously as well!

It's a caution thing because of my size - he was going to do a Filter' date=' but decided against it and to do the lovenox instead.

[/quote']

Patrick, Lissa's knows what she is talking about. She was one of the people that helped me to the other side. Her blog is great,too.

Awww, thanks, Kai!! I need to update my blog. Yikes!!

I walked into theatre and hopped up on the table kind of surreal as other surgery I was always wheeled in there! I have difficult veins so when the anesthetist failed his first attempt at the iv with me he opted for gas first and iv once I was out. It was great! All I remember was laughing and laughing with the gas and then I was under. Woke up later when it was all done.

I think the recovery room staff force you awake as part of the process. They need you awake and vitals all good before returning you to your room.

I had no catheter and no problems there either.

It seems as though a lot of things are very different depending on where you are from. I am in New Zealand and here, we are given yoghurt the day after surgery. There is no requirement for clear liquid diet at all and from discharge, day 3, I was on pureed foods or foods the consistency of porridge. I have had no issues at all. I will start soft foods just before the 2 week point.

So, while advice on these boards is good, listen first to your own medical specialists, second to your body and then seek support and commonality from others who have been through this.

Well he was originally going to do the filter, and then told me that I didn't have to do that.. kinda worried cause I definitely don't want a clot that's the very last thing I want out of this... is my surgeon taking a shortcut by not doing a filter? Should I request he do that instead of lovenox?

What is in my best interest?

Well he was originally going to do the filter' date=' and then told me that I didn't have to do that.. kinda worried cause I definitely don't want a clot that's the very last thing I want out of this... is my surgeon taking a shortcut by not doing a filter? Should I request he do that instead of lovenox?

What is in my best interest?[/quote']

I have the filter (it's coming out June 19th) and it was a compromise. I saw a hematologist before surgery because blot clots run in my family and surprisingly he was anti-filter. My sleeve surgeon usually uses the filter in all patients my size and leaves it in. So...we agreed for me to have it as long as it came out within 4 weeks. I was also put on low dose Coumadin after surgery, but I have to stop that now so it will be out of my system by the time I have my removal surgery on the 19th.

I think it just depends. I was up and walking four hours after my surgery, so that was good.