Hello, I'm 34 years old and I am scheduled for surgery in 11 days. Just saying I'm nervous right now is a major understatement. I have never had any kind of surgery before and I'm concerned about anesthesia and the fact that I will be put to sleep with a tube down my throat and not have control over either one. Although I am excited to have the banding done, I am just worried about the surgery.

My weight has grown to be out of control.....I am currently on the liquid diet to lose some weight before surgery, but when I was in the office for my first appointment I weighed in at 440 lbs with a BMI of 69. I know the band is just what I need, but I can't shake these feelings. Is there anyone out there that had the same kinds of things going through their mind before surgery??

Probably just about every single one of us!!!

Try not to worry....really....I know that's easier said than done, but try. Discuss your 'nerves' with the staff and they will take very good care of you. Before you know it, it's all over!! They give you some nice drugs in your IV and, believe me, you won't care WHAT they do!!

If you were not nervous about surgery you would either be seriously uninformed or just plain nutty. We are supposed to be nervous because we know there are certain risks with ANY surgical procedure.

Just know that the risk of surgery for banding is farrrrrrrr less than the risk of obesity.

I definitely appreciate the replies, the more the better!!

Hello, I'm 34 years old and I am scheduled for surgery in 11 days. Just saying I'm nervous right now is a major understatement. I have never had any kind of surgery before and I'm concerned about anesthesia and the fact that I will be put to sleep with a tube down my throat and not have control over either one. Although I am excited to have the banding done, I am just worried about the surgery. :phanvan

My weight has grown to be out of control.....I am currently on the "liquid diet" to lose some weight before surgery, but when I was in the office for my first appointment I weighed in at 440 lbs with a BMI of 69. I know the band is just what I need, but I can't shake these feelings.

Is there anyone out there that had the same kinds of things going through their mind before surgery??

I'm 39 and scheduled for the end of May. I have had a million surgeries (okay so actually it was 6) and I'm still really nervous. I think it is really, really normal for us to go through this. We'd be nuts if we went into it casually, this is serious.

I have had a major panic problem in the past but you'd be surprised what meds can do to help. Tell the anesthesiologist that you are scared, you'll be asleep long before they even wheel you in the room.

The surgery will go great and you'll be fine - we both will be. The worst part about any surgery is the worrying you do the weeks prior. The surgery itself isn't that bad at all.

Good luck. I'll say a prayer for you!

I am in the same boat as you!! My surgery is on Wed....never had any kind of surgery before, and never been in the hosptial before, other than working in one!!!!!

Don't worry, well get through it! I have the advantage of knowing all of the OR staff since I work where i am having it done, and they assure me everything will be fine. Ill let you know how I make out.

We all go through that, so all your feelings are normal! Just try to keep busy and think about how beautiful you are going to be!

I was just banded 04/20/2007, and was also nervous. But everyone was so supportive and it was over so fast. I'm VERY HAPPY I didn't let my nerves get the best of me.

I was banded at Park Plaza hospital in Houston. They are noted for great anisthesioligists. Also, they have a whole floor for recovering bariatric patients, and I think every nurse there had been banded or had the gastric by-pass. They treat you like family.

Everyone goes thru what you are going thru....I was so nervous...I really hated the thought of that tube being put down my throat, but I slept thru it all...never knew when they put it in and didn't know when they took it out....the meds in IV are wonderful...just take a little nap...and you will wake up and it is all over....you will be fine....let us know....great bunch of people here to answer your questions or just lend an ear to listen if you are not feeling so well....

Di

I wasnt nervous at all. i was so excited to find a solution to my overeating. i had a good experience. just ask them to give you something so when you wake up you dont get sick. anti nausea meds. i told my doc i was worried about getting sick and he made sure i didnt. so it all was fine. i was up and walking right after and felt fine. i hope it goes well for you too. good luck. soon you will be losing.

I noticed that you mentioned going to sleep with a tube in your throat, and that you wouldn't be able to control that.... You'll go to sleep before you get the tube down your throat, and it will already be gone when you wake up. You might have a sore or scratchy throat for a while after surgery, but it's not too bad. Chloraseptic makes a dissolvable thin strip for sore throats now, and that's what I used for a day or so after surgery.

You'll do fine! It's totally normal to be nervous. I was a complete basket case the day prior to surgery. I wondered the entire drive on the morning of my surgery (hour and a half) if I was really going to do this, and if it was the right thing to do..... and now I'm SO glad I did it!!

I got back from my pre-op today and YAY!! I lost 22 pounds on my "liquid diet" that they reccommend to do before surgery. I am all set for surgery in 6 days. Still a little nervous, but a lot of encouraging words from everyone around me is helping a lot!!

Also, thank you to everyone here who has answered my initial post, your words of encouragement have eased my anxieties.

Dawn, GOOD JOB!!22 pounds is awesome:high5: your on fire now!!

:whoo:

:wow2:

:humble:

I hope that was some good encouragement for you !! Deanna

Hello, I'm 34 years old and I am scheduled for surgery in 11 days. Just saying I'm nervous right now is a major understatement. I have never had any kind of surgery before and I'm concerned about anesthesia and the fact that I will be put to sleep with a tube down my throat and not have control over either one. Although I am excited to have the banding done, I am just worried about the surgery. :phanvan

I was nervous too before surgery. I have had a few surgerys before though so i kinda knew what to expect. I am sure each case is different, but with me what they did when i got there was called pre-opp. There they had me change into a gown, they wrapped my legs with Ace bandages and hooked up an inflatable device to my feet...it was kinda like a foot massage. Then they gave me an IV to start fluids. Soon after that the anesthesia dr came in and then the surgeon came in just to explain the process to me. I was then wheeled into the operating room and moved to the operating table...from there then strap you in (the bed is narrow) and then they make you breath some oxygen and then the next thing you will remember is waking up in recovery. You will be there for a few hours.

Just make sure to tell them exactly how you feel. Make sure they give you meds if you feel nausious. Here they hooked me to a morphine pump and then took me to my room. The worst part of the hospital stay, for me anyways, is when i am uncomfortable i want to move around, it is hard to do this when you are hooked up to an IV, but possible.

It sounds crazy, but move around as soon as you can and walk as much as you can. The sooner you get the anasthetic out of you the better you will feel.

Good Luck...Hope this was helpful

Id be more concerned if you wern't nervous. This is a big deal and a life changing event. The night before my surgery i cried uncontrollably for about 4 hrs and after that had random out bursts of crying. Its scary, but i wouldnt trade it for anything, im only a month out of surgery and ive never felt more connected to my body before.

Thank you so much for posting this thread.... I was so pumped for my May 16th surgery... until yesterday, when I had my pre-op meeting with the surgery coordinator at the clinic. She went over the risks, and what to expect pre-op, during the operation, and post-op. She made me sign a paper stating that I know there is a risk of death associated with ANY procedure (rare risk, I know... but still, seeing it written out....)... also that if they cannot do it laporoscoplly, that they would have to do an open procedure, and I would need to consent to that (Which I absolutely do not want an open procedure, she said it's a rare (almost non-existent occurence in clients who have never had surgery before).. I know all this stuff is stuff that they LEGALLY have to tell you, and that the chances are higher that you'll win the lotto than have any of these side effects... but still.

So when I got home last night, my crazy mind was going over all the 'what ifs', visions of my body laying dead on the OR table (I am so sorry if this scares anyone else), even the thought that the doctor would have my charts messed up and perform a bypass by mistake, or WORSE a heart removal (Now, I KNOW a heart removal isn't a typical surgical procedure.. but, hey, it COULD happen)..... Then my DH told me that if I had doubts, he'd support my decision to not have the surgery, just as he supported my decision TO have it... He told my that he noticed a new commitment to exercising and dieting and that I could probably do it by myself..

(Ok, sidebar, DH is literally the PICTURE of fitness, a personal trainer, with a basement full of 1/2 marathon trophies.. my husband doesn't have a 'pinch'able surface on his body...)

So, this made me upset.. (in my crazy, going thru something big, mind).... I told him... "If i could do it on my own, don't you think I would have? Don't you think there have been a million diets that I started truly belieiving.. OMG this is going to be IT, I'm gonna stick to this one.. Do you think I EVER go into a diet thinking "I'll try this for a month or so, and then go back to grotesquely overeating, because that seems to be working for me"... So he replies... "Ok, then you want the surgery??".. And at that moment, I realized all the 'risks', as much as I'd rather just have a lapband installed via a fairy's magic wand, I need this lap band. ..and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get it.

Sorry this was so wordy, I guess I just needed an outlet.

Thanks for reading.