No need to be afraid, this will be the best decision of your life.

I had my surgery on the 10th of August, and actually my expectation for after the surgery was worst than what I have received.

The operation is very easy, moderate pain, the only thing you will be facing, watching food in front of you that you cannot eat. Other than that, it's a piece of cake.

Good luck

Don't be afraid you will be fine .you hear people say things don't listen I was so scared I almost didn't go through with it but it is the best thing I ever did I been out for 2 1\2 years and I was 262 and now I am 170 . the thing you need to remember this helped me is to ask f meds for nausea it helps and get up walk right after you get your room the more you move the better of you are less pain ..good luck my friend and keep me posted on how things go.

Hi-I fit the scared category too. Keep vacillating do it/don't do it. Don't want any complications, don't want to end up so sad I can't eat food. I guess it's just hard to imagine what it's going to be like after surgery. My date is Sept 15th. Please keep posting words of encouragement! Thx.

Dear Ellen,

It's my 16th day after surgery, and I have already lost almost 25 Lbs. I see food and I feel nostalgic, but deep inside I feel great. Although I'm still now on semi liquid and Proteins shakes, but still I don't feel any regret. I feel lighter, healthier, more energetic, and enthusiastic about life. After few years of using it for cloth hanging, I started to use my treadmill again. My blood pressure dropped from 140 (my normal range) to 110 (the real normal range), I have back problems, and my pain started to decrease. So overall I'm so happy I took this major decision.

Since your operation is soon, here what you'll need to do:

* Cut on your Carbs: No pizza, no rice, no Pasta, no bread

* Increase your Protein intake: chicken, meat with salads or Protein Shakes, preferably stay on the first 2.

* If you are a smoker, stop it.

* Drink a lot of Water, if you don't like it, consider it as a medication, keep always a bottle of water with you, and have a sip of water every 10 min. Start practicing this habit, as this bottle of water will become your best friend after the operation.

By decreasing your Carbs, it will allow your Liver to shrink, allowing your doctor to be more comfortable during your operation, and therefore less complications during and after the operation. Increasing your protein, will promote fast healing. 1 week after my operation, I was swimming in the pool with all my cuts healed up. smocking is essential, when you smoke, all the cilia in your lungs becomes inactive, therefore leading to accumulation of all the dirt and sputum in your lungs. During the operation, you will receive a medication that will dry up all your secretions in your body (saliva and Sputum), so after the operation will feel like having cement inside of your lungs, you'll be coughing trying to expectorate the sputum. So the easiest way to prevent this is STOP SMOKING. Couple of days after you stop, you're cilia will become functional again, and will start cleaning up the lungs, and you'll be going to your operation more in ease.

Waking up after your operation will be a little bit annoying, You'll be having dry mouth, sore throat (expect some blood in your mouth) from the respiratory tube inserted during your operation, nausea, drowsiness, and cold. most of these symptoms will disappear after a couple of minutes after you wake up, except for Cold and Drowsiness. you'll have this drowsiness almost the whole day and night, and you'll keep on sleeping and waking up.

In your room, 2 important things needs to be done:

* start using your incentive spirometer, a respiratory machine that you will be using a lot to be able to expend your lungs after the operation and allow the secretions to loose up and spit it out. It will be great if you can have 1 spirometer before your operation and start using it.

* walking, walking, and walking, very important, as it will decrease the chance of having a Thrombus or Blood Clot, and at the same time, it will allow the medications taken during the operation to flush out, and it will allow your stomach and intestine to start moving again. Until you pass Gas, you will not be allowed to have anything by mouth, therefore walking will help you achieving this.

You will not be feeling pain, as your nurses will be giving your plenty of pain killers. Expect some moderate pain after you go out of the hospital, but it's not a rule. In my case, I did not feel any considerable pain that cannot be controlled by a Panadol tab.

That will be your journey through the Valley of the VSG, wishing you the best of luck and never be discouraged, it will be your best decision ever for yourself and your body.