Weight loss surgery is a big deal. There’s a lot to be excited about. It’s a chance to start your life over and get back to the activities you love. It can let you lose weight and improve your health and energy levels.

But it’s scary, too. If you’re pre-op, you might be afraid that people will judge you, that you’ll get a major complication from surgery (or even die on the operating table!), or that it won’t work for you.

If you’re post-op, you might worry about regaining the weight over time, either because you don’t keep up the diet or you get a stretched stomach. You could worry about plastic surgery. If you have the band, you might worry about slippage or leakage down the line.

So, what is your biggest fear about weight loss surgery? Is it something you worry about a lot, or is it just an awareness that it could happen? Is there anything you can do to prevent it from happening?

My fear is that I won't get to my goal, or anywhere close. I've lost over 80 pounds since my highest weight, but am currently at a weight that I was stuck at and somewhat comfortable with for several years - from about age 18-23. I lost about 12 pounds in the 3 weeks before hitting the 245 mark, and since then, the scale has been moving very slowly. I have this fear that I am going to be stuck at this weight. It would definitely be a very inopportune time for a stall, especially considering I haven't encountered a real stall yet! I've also been a somewhat slow loser in general since my surgery. I'm trying to be extra vigilant with my diet just so I can get away from this specific weight and rid myself of the paranoia.

I'll admit that I get scared when the weight doesn't seem to be coming off or I gain a couple pounds back. Flashbacks fill my head from all the yo-yo dieting of the past.

Outside of that I fear an outlet blockage leading to another EGD. Well, not fear that as much as dreading the possibility of the procedure. I also have many of the same fears already stated especially that the weight won't stay off and I'll be right back in the same boat in a few years.

I'm afraid of regaining as most of us are. I've just been down the weight loss path before only to have my pounds return with a few friends. I'm worried that once the monitoring becomes less often that bad habits will return.

I'm also nervous about complications… that I'll be that 0.14 in the statistic.

Lastly, I've never been good at advocating for myself, I'm a "fixer"… afraid that new confidence and success will not go well in my relationships.

That my band will erode or slip or just stop working. It's been fine so far.

My surgeon just closed his practice. He was a wonderful and amazing resource and very easily accessible since he was just a couple miles away from my house. He closed his practice because of local hospital restructuring and lost a lot of general surgery patients, who comprised most of his business. Now I'm left without my surgeon, the PA, and the awesome staff at his office and the nearest bariatric center is 1.5 hours away

My biggest fear is having complications or needing help and not being able to access it anymore.

Fear triggers anxiety and I don't need that. I am not really afraid of regain because I won't let it happen. So it's more like it is an area of focus, but not a fear.

I have some niggling doubts about my health. I feel like I can do anything but the truth is I have damaged joints and am vulnerable to injury. Complications from a recent surgery remind me of my fragility,of the uncertainties in life.

I also have some unease about my next phase of life. It is a new experience for me to not be completely driven toward a goal and I continue to strive to find my next "passion" or become at peace with not having a passion.

I am pre-op (surgery on Thursday) and right now I am so scared of the general anethesia during the surgery, I am almost in tears when I sit and dwell on it. I've had a C-Section, but it's not the same. I have every faith in the fact I'll be fine after surgery, it's just the getting there that's the hard part for me. I really hope that there will be some anxiety help for me on Thursday and I'm scared of looking like an irrational drama queen, but I just can't help it. :/

My main fears for after are regain and loose skin.

I am pre-op (surgery on Thursday) and right now I am so scared of the general anethesia during the surgery, I am almost in tears when I sit and dwell on it. I've had a C-Section, but it's not the same. I have every faith in the fact I'll be fine after surgery, it's just the getting there that's the hard part for me. I really hope that there will be some anxiety help for me on Thursday and I'm scared of looking like an irrational drama queen, but I just can't help it. :/

My main fears for after are regain and loose skin.

I have not had my gastric bypass yet....but....every procedure or surgery I have had they have given me something to relax me ( for anxiety) well before they brought me into the OR . If it's not a given routine I would just ask for some, it really helps . Good luck!

@@Eric@@ash - definitely a normal fear! I've been under twice and I didn't even know it happened until after I woke up. I was taken to the OR and it is scary to sit there and see everyone in scrubs preparing. But the anesthesiologist is there and he or she will reassure you and you'll see a needle enter the IV bag and then the next thing you know you'll be in the recovery room with a nurse helping you wake up.

My dad had a double-knee replacement and they gave him a strong relaxant before he entered the OR. You can ask for it if you're nervous.

I am exactly 4 months out today. My biggest fear is never reaching goal, or gaining weight back.

My biggest fear is definitely regain. I've successfully lost massive amounts of weight many times in the past, but always regained. Now I've been maintaining for about 6 months and I am still terrified some switch is going to flip and I'm suddenly going to start regaining and not be able to stop. Rationally, I know how it would be almost impossibly for me to regain ALL the weight without willfully eating around my sleeve. Even if a few sweet treats and carbs crept back in, I probably wouldn't gain more than a few pounds before I got it back under control. But I still have this panicked part of my brain that thinks "if you eat that Peanut Butter pie, you're going straight back up over 250 pounds!"

Mine:

Stretching out my stomach and regaining.

Not being able to lose what I want to.

I moved to a new state and will be seeing a new surgeon this week. I haven't lost a pound in a month because of the move and the stress level. My body is changing shape I can tell but the scale is kind of stuck. I also slid into bad habits of not writing down what I eat which in turn sometimes I ate more or sometimes less.

I have issues getting calories in because if I am not hungry I just don't want to eat and have to make myself do it.

Im pre op and im scared im gonne die. I know that very few people do but it freaks me out

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Alex,

Being 1 week pre-op, I'd say my biggest fear is complications from surgery, keeping me unable to return to work and provide for my family. I know the statistics, and am confident in my choice of surgeon, but as a father it is always a concern.

My biggest fear is malnutrition down the road... Neurological damage from vitamin deficiencies, osteoporosis at an early age, being stuck getting iron transfusions for the rest of my life... I'm facing my surgery date now (4/4) and I actually put the entire process off for almost 6 weeks just to talk myself into it. I don't have any comorbidities right now, so I'm really scared to trade off my weight for other health issues.