Second Thoughts.

[Teriiann 34]

K so I was excited to get all this going, now I am having second thoughts. That I should leave my body alone and just stay heavy. Is it gods plan for me to be this way, a lesson to learn. I have all these what if thoughts. Anyone else feel like this? Anyone who has crossed over to the sleeve side? Help! Advice? Anything....

[gaye jarvis 751]

I used to think the same way, this is how God made me, but I think he wants me to live my life rather than just exist, because 3 months ago when I weighed 334 lbs I was not living, now 72 lbs lighter I now can participate in life! There is no doubt in my mind that had I not been sleeved I would have died young!

[Giselle3264 175]

That's exactly what I thought a few days before Dr. Kim's commercial came on my TV. I truly felt he was talking to ME, telling ME I could have a second chance and actually succeed this time. My post op was without complications, I was back at work after a week. I'm two months post op and down over 50 pounds (including the pre op diet). It was the best decision I've ever made for myself. No regrets here.

[FishingNurse 1,210]

I felt like this pre-op, but trust me this was the best decision I have ever made. Nothing compares to feeling good about your body and being healthy!

[SkinnyWannaBe 6]

I think that God GAVE me this opportunity to be sleeved- for a better chance of living more healthier and doing more acivities. I have already experienced the life of a heavy gal- it's time to make a change!! Go for it Teriiann!!

[slojo 150]

I believe God want us to take care of our bodies and be healthy. He gave the Dr.'s abilities to help us to do this with these tools that are available to us....

[desertmom 297]

Hi

I know that the Lord knows our hearts.He knows our efforts thats been made to lose weight and have the self control we need.He loves us and now after the sleeve I m not a glutton anymore.My weight isnt the centre of everything my life anymore.My relationship with Him is better as I have had to learn to trust Him more and rely on Him more through this whole process.

I felt like you for many years.Felt the band failed because I was not in the Lords will when I did it.Tried and tried and tried to lose the weight by myself until I realized I had to trust the Lord to help me get my life back and become normal.The sleeve was a life saver and God is good all the time...

[Babysteppin 165]

I remember thinking that getting the sleeve was a pretty drastic thing to be doing to my body....But then I'll never forget what another VST member told me once - That continuing to stay at this weight is just as drastic of a thing to be doing to my body, if not more! That way of looking at it really helped my mind turn the corner. Good luck with whatever direction you choose, and know that God is with you either way, and through it all.

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

terriiann

many people have 2nd thoughts before and after WLS, it is human nature to be scared and nervous for any surgery.

prior to being sleeved after all those yo yo diets - all my health problems - i knew i had to have some kind of intervention

since being sleeved 9 months ago, my health issues have lessened a lot, or are gone for good.

I never had 2nd thoughts pre WLS or post WLS

the sleeve will always be my BFF - DH close, but he never saved my life

hope you feel better about having the sleeve done and continue the process - the sleeve is a very successful tool, you be good to it, and it will return the favor

after being sleeved, you will feel healthier and happier - whole new feeling towards life

good luck

take care

[Teriiann 34]

Thank you ladies for all of your encourging words!! It means a lot and it makes me rethink things. I am a over thinker and sometimes I just stress out over things for nothing.

First Nut visit is the 20th.......

[LizInTexas 125]

My surgery is coming up fast and I'm having all the same doubts and fears. It's a normal part of the process. I'm an over thinker too and can drive myself crazy with the greatest of ease, so I've just been telling myself to "get over it and get on with it" ! I spoke to a good friend of mine last night who used the same surgeon for his sleeve and he's lost 110 pounds in 5 months !!! He said even with a stricture he had to have stretched, he's do it again 100% no question... Hang in there, think good, positive thoughts, and visualize what your life is going to feel like when you're so much less the physical person you are now ! I've decided my mantra/prayer going into surgery is gonna be "keep me safe, and wake me up" ! I'm sure that it will get much longer as time gets closer... :wub:

[RJ'S/beginning 5,357]

I will be sleeved also....it is a huge decision...I feel being heavy is not for the faint of heart...we take a lot of abuse over it by so many people who do not understand it is a disease...but going to get sleeved is not for the faint of heart either....it is a life changing choice ...and by no means the easy way out......the unknown is scary...for everyone..It is not surprising that we start challenging the idea of a new you.....We are so used to the way we are...I know I have been....I feel that now is my time to do this for me....to make my life better and rewarding........I am nervous..but I know it is the right choice for me.....sooner the better..I say.....all the best to you!

[Teriiann 34]

Wishing you both the beat too! We can do this. I have a friend here at work who supports my decision 100%. And tells me what all of you have said. Hard part will be I work in a grocery store as a cashier, i hope I do well with that. Thanks ladies for all your responses it really does give me the motivation to keep going.....)

[RJ'S/beginning 5,357]

once you have the surgery....you will lose the chemical in your stomach that tells you you are hungry...that will be a huge asset....then I understand from a lot of sleevers that your taste changes as well...not to mention if you eat too much you only pay for it once........I have given up tea started today because i do not want to deal with with-drawl of caffeine and Liquid Protein diet for 2 weeks...I would rather deal with one issue at a time.....see we are all worriers...your in great company kid!

[SunnyCox 245]

God gives us all lessons to learn, and he provides us with tools to be able to handle those lessons. He gave obese people skilled surgeons who can perform the sleeve surgery.

I know how you feel about being scared. I made with myself which prompted me to have WLS. Just before Thanksgiving, my parents talked to me about my weight, and I told them I had considered WLS but decided against it. I just wasn't there yet even though I had held a stable super obese heavy weight +/- 10lbs for the previous 7 years.

Even though I told them that I decided against surgery, I schedule an appointment for a consultation to discuss the lapband at a bariatric surgery center. After I talked to the doctor about all the issues I had with lapband (foreign body, fills, slippage, all the complications), the doctor recommended that I have the sleeve. I told the doctor that I was just not ready, and I only came for information. The man who does the consultations is a family practitioner who specializes in bariatric medicine and not the actual surgeon. He told me that he does medical weight loss in his family practice as well as pre and post op care for people considering WLS. His clinic is an hour away from my home, but I told him that I wanted to come see him. He warned me that while he would help me, he found that very few people that had BMIs as high as mine were successful at dieting (5'1"@ 265 is a BMI around 50). He said maybe 1 out of 100 will lose the weight and keep it off. This made me even more determined to be that 1 person.

So I made a deal with myself, if I could lose 70lbs over the next year (which was half of my excess weight), then I would not even consider WLS again. If I was unsuccessful, I would take the steps to have surgery. Over the course of that year, I would save money for the surgery. If I didn't need WLS, then I would spend it on new clothes or a breast lift as a gift to myself.

In January, I joined Weight Watchers. By the end of Feb, I was down 13lbs. I also took a cheat day on my SO's bday trip to San Antonio, and I never went back to a meeting. At the end of March, I decided to go see the bariatric family practitioner. He gave me a full work up. He started me on meds for the deficiencies I had and on appetite suppressants. He gave me an outstanding eating plan which is very similar to the solid food stage of the sleeve diet except that it had a 300-400 more calories a day.

I couldn't stick with the diet, and I never went back to see him. By the end of May, I had regained the weight I lost on WW plus a few pounds, and I had been reading this forum off and on since my initial surgical consultation. I saw the women who had surgery 5-7 months ago who had lost 60lbs. I decided I was tired of failing at diets. I figured even though I had 7 months to go for the year I promised myself to lose 70lbs, it wasn't likely that I was going to lose anything because I had actually gained weight (265 to 279). I scheduled my surgery.

My advice is to give yourself some kind of measuring stick by which to hold yourself accountable. You can put off doing it forever if you don't.