I am a little ambivalent about the surgery. I was okay when I went through all the testing and classes for 8 months, but now it is down to the wire. I am nervous that I will have complications and have to have it taken out, or not be able to have the will power to follow the prescribed diet. I have tried so many other things and npot very successful at it. Is there anyone else out there that had it done and felt the way I do or is close to having it done like me?

Someone respond and let me know I am okay.

Thank you.

You are having perfectly normal thoughts. Surgery is a scary thing. I had never had surgery before and I was terrified. I remember being wheeled into the surgery room and them helping me move from one "bed" to another. They started to put me under and when I woke up in the recovery room, I didn't even realize it was over and I was telling the nurse I had changed my mind. She informed me it was over and I did great!

As far as following the diet. Keep reminding yourself why you are doing this. You want to lose weight, not miss out on life, be there for loved ones, whatever it may be. I have heard a saying several times and there are many times that I remind myself of it: Nothing taste as good as skinny will feel. Adopt that and when you are tempted to eat something you shouldn't, tell yourself that over and over again. Our minds play a huge roll in all of this and we have to fight it but you can do it and win! Keep your eye on the prize!

Best of luck to you and as soon as you feel up to posting after surgery, let us know how you are doing!

Your feelings are definitely very normal. I am one week post-op. As they wheeled me into the operating room, it all suddenly hit me: THIS IS A LIFE-CHANGING THING! ONCE I DO THIS TO MY BODY, I CAN NEVER GO BACK! Not that the thought hadn't occurred to me before, it just suddenly became very real. I burst into tears, scared to death. The nurses were great and calmed me down.. "are you sure?" "are you sure?" And I knew that I was sure that I could no longer go on living morbidly obese - not in the suicidal way, but in the hey, I'm miserable and I'm going to die young if I don't do this - I had 15 years to try to lose the weight and I couldn't so here goes - and they put me out.

One week out, I am not regretting it. But I WAS regretting it about 3 days out - I was miserable. I had a hiatal hernia repaired at the same time, and I've been told over and over again that a lot of my pain was due to that, not to the band. At any rate, I am past the peak of the misery (I hope), and I am really glad I did this.

My particular doctor makes you all-liquids for TWO WEEKS prior to the surgery. I lost 20 pounds in two weeks, now another 10 post-op. Thirty pounds down is a real motivator to keep going!

I go in tommorow and am scared to death, I hope the nurses will re assure me, My mom cannot go to the hospitol with me, and I am so scared!

I was so scared.. I was more scared about this surgery than I was when I had open heart surgery...I think it was because I had three weeks to think about it...I didn't have that much time to think with open heart...

The nurses at the surgery center was wonderful to me...they reassured me every step of the way...once I was taken into surgery and moved to the bed, they started giving me the medicine and the next thing I knew I was in recovery...went to surgery around 9:00 and was home by 11:30

I pray that you will have an easy surgery and a fast recovery.....but you are perfectly normal to have these concerns...

Di/Texas

Thank you so much for letting me know that I am not the only one to have second thoughts or be nervous about this. I just want to be healthier and see my kids grow up and be able to do more things as a family.

I would imagine most of us had some serious second thoughts!!! It is after all a serious decision!

As for being able to follow the diet, the liquids ARE hard! Both before and after surgery. And there IS some pain involved. But it IS SO WORTH it ALL!!!!! It was not terribly painful for me. And once the liquid phases go by, the band helps you behave with the "diet". I have not cut anything from my diet, I eat everything, not just diet food---I just eat dramatically less! I eat the same old food in a whole new way!!! And where I used to have a love/hate relationship with food----loving the taste, the texture the smell, but hated the guilt that accompanied eating the vast quantities I used too. Now I just have a love of good food. I don't feel like I failed yet again----the band helps me stop.

I have no problems chasing my grandbabies now---they were the straw that broke the camels back---I wanted to be in the floor playing with them---I couldn't a year ago...I already have been today!

Log on, and share with us when your nerves get to jangling---we understand, and can empathize, we have been there---and have little scars to show for it instead of a Tshirt!!! And the Tshirts keep getting smaller!!!!

Relax if you can---it will be ok!!!

Kat