Needing to Vent

[Debbie1220 6]

Did anyone have gastric bypass and at the same time fix a hiatal and umbilical hernia. I have been fighting like crazy to avoid surgery and I know in my heart this is the surgery that will probably be the best thing in the world for me. FEAR has led me to believe it will be me who gets a stricture or me who has gallstones or me who has nausea and vomiting everyday or any other random negative thing. I suffer from anxiety and panic disorder and this is probably the 3rd time I have been in a Weight Center and every time the topic of bariatric surgery comes up, I fly right out the door. I was told today I have a small hiatal hernia and I feel like I have been given the final sign that it's time for me to "Grow Up" and realize it's what is best for me to do and have the surgery. I developed high blood pressure and chocked it up to "ok a pill will help," developed being pre-diabetic and put on metformin which does a job on my stomach and said "ok, this will prevent me from being diabetic(full blown). Now after being in the ER Monday night for a kidney stone, I was shown on the CT-Scan, a small hiatal hernia along with an umbilical hernia I developed a year ago. Sorry for the novel but I am at my lowest point and I needed someone to tell me "you can do this and come out ok". I know recovery is a tough road and it will require everything I have to not scare myself to death but I truly don't want to live this way anymore. I'm from Boston and will be at Mass General with some of the best doctors in the world yet the fear doesn't leave me, I'm sorry to vent and write a novel but I needed to write down what I'm feeling

[Kay07 734]

Hi Debbie! I am also from the Boston area, and MGH is an amazing establishment. I did not have bypass, but I did have the sleeve 2 days ago that also consisted of a hernia repair (although she said mine was small). Truthfully? You are going to be fine. It really is going to make a HUGE difference.

The gallstone thing, that is a possibility. I would discuss it with your surgeon. I actually had my gallbladder removed several years ago due to acute attacks and they are NOT pleasant. They may decide to remove your gallbladder alltogether.

But recovery is what you make of it. If you don't follow the guide book from your surgeons, then recovery CAN be difficult. But if you do, it can also be amazing. A few rough days followed by living a new life. This tool can and will open so many doors and windows for your life that you never knew existed.

Again, MGH is amazing. If it hadn't been a PITA for me to drive into Boston for each appointment, I may have gone there. I had Dr. Julie Kim who is the cheif of Bariatric Surgery at Tufts and Mount Auburn and she was AMAZING.

[James Marusek 5,244]

It is common to have patients get gastric bypass surgery and the surgeon repair other problems at the same time. It is important to take one step at a time and not get too wrapped up into fear. When I had my gastric bypass surgery, I had a whole slew of problems: diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, GERD, and several other conditions. These all went away very quickly after surgery. Today is my 5 year anniversary date from my surgery and I couldn't be happier.

[TakingABreak 2,733]

36 minutes ago, Debbie1220 said:

Did anyone have gastric bypass and at the same time fix a hiatal and umbilical hernia. I have been fighting like crazy to avoid surgery and I know in my heart this is the surgery that will probably be the best thing in the world for me. FEAR has led me to believe it will be me who gets a stricture or me who has gallstones or me who has nausea and vomiting everyday or any other random negative thing. I suffer from anxiety and panic disorder and this is probably the 3rd time I have been in a Weight Center and every time the topic of bariatric surgery comes up, I fly right out the door. I was told today I have a small hiatal hernia and I feel like I have been given the final sign that it's time for me to "Grow Up" and realize it's what is best for me to do and have the surgery. I developed high blood pressure and chocked it up to "ok a pill will help," developed being pre-diabetic and put on metformin which does a job on my stomach and said "ok, this will prevent me from being diabetic(full blown). Now after being in the ER Monday night for a kidney stone, I was shown on the CT-Scan, a small hiatal hernia along with an umbilical hernia I developed a year ago. Sorry for the novel but I am at my lowest point and I needed someone to tell me "you can do this and come out ok". I know recovery is a tough road and it will require everything I have to not scare myself to death but I truly don't want to live this way anymore. I'm from Boston and will be at Mass General with some of the best doctors in the world yet the fear doesn't leave me, I'm sorry to vent and write a novel but I needed to write down what I'm feeling

Believe it or not, the recovery isn't that difficult for most patients. I had a 5 day hospital stay due to my bowels not waking up, and I developed shingles as a result of the stress on my body. And even with both of those things, I don't consider recovery that hard.

The most difficult part is the pre op diet. It really messes with your emotions and sense of normalcy. I compared it to quitting smoking. I didn't know what to do with myself. I was so accustomed to eating with everything. Our whole day is designed around eating. And then of course there was social occasions. Once I got past the 2 weeks of liquids, things turned around quickly and I found it easy to oblige by the diet after surgery. But those 2 weeks were rough.

This surgery is an emotional battle, as much as it is physical. I think counseling should be required after surgery, but most programs don't have that in place.

Ultimately, best decision I've made in life. I would jump through a hundred hoops and go through all the pain over again to have this experience.

Congrats on finally coming to this decision.

[Orchids&Dragons 9,046]

1 hour ago, AshAsh1 said:

I developed shingles as a result of the stress on my body.

So sorry, Ash. That is so painful. Glad you're doing better.

1 hour ago, AshAsh1 said:

I think counseling should be required after surgery, but most programs don't have that in place.

I suspect they don't do this because they've got nothing to hang over your head to make you comply. What're they gonna do, sew your stomach back together?

[TakingABreak 2,733]

I suspect they don't do this because they've got nothing to hang over your head to make you comply. What're they gonna do, sew your stomach back together? [emoji6]

Very very true. I think people should know ahead of time that it is OK and Normal to have a difficulty with emotions afterwards. Let’s face it, our friends and family aren’t professionals and we should have someone to talk to about the ups and downs.

[KimTriesRNY 1,853]

I had bypass with a hiatal hernia repair. I had surgery in December. I’ve had no complications as of yet.

Although there are no guarantees you will not be in the small percentage of people that have post operative complications, most people will have serious health complications due to obesity.

It is a hard decision to make, but for me it was harder to stay morbidly obese.

[PrayingForWeightLoss 337]

I had the sleeve and large hernia repair in July last year. Had no complications and have lost lost 74lbs to date. I hope you get the help and support you need (and deserve ) to overcome your fears. They are real to you and should not be taken lightly. All the best on your journey to better health.

[insta_adventurer 1,046]

Did anyone have gastric bypass and at the same time fix a hiatal and umbilical hernia. I have been fighting like crazy to avoid surgery and I know in my heart this is the surgery that will probably be the best thing in the world for me. FEAR has led me to believe it will be me who gets a stricture or me who has gallstones or me who has nausea and vomiting everyday or any other random negative thing. I suffer from anxiety and panic disorder and this is probably the 3rd time I have been in a Weight Center and every time the topic of bariatric surgery comes up, I fly right out the door. I was told today I have a small hiatal hernia and I feel like I have been given the final sign that it's time for me to "Grow Up" and realize it's what is best for me to do and have the surgery. I developed high blood pressure and chocked it up to "ok a pill will help," developed being pre-diabetic and put on metformin which does a job on my stomach and said "ok, this will prevent me from being diabetic(full blown). Now after being in the ER Monday night for a kidney stone, I was shown on the CT-Scan, a small hiatal hernia along with an umbilical hernia I developed a year ago. Sorry for the novel but I am at my lowest point and I needed someone to tell me "you can do this and come out ok". I know recovery is a tough road and it will require everything I have to not scare myself to death but I truly don't want to live this way anymore. I'm from Boston and will be at Mass General with some of the best doctors in the world yet the fear doesn't leave me, I'm sorry to vent and write a novel but I needed to write down what I'm feeling

Hi! I’m from the NE, too. Albany, NY to be exact. You can do this! I will be having a hiatal hernia repaired with my bypass surgery, too. It is pretty common from what I hear. I have anxiety, too— and I’ve definitely have a few panic attacks over going through with this. But I’ve told myself that this is my best chance at a healthy, long life...

You may get gallstones, you may get them even without the surgery. I had them years ago. They are uncomfortable, but not... end of the world bad. The gallbladder removal surgery is quite simple for most people. As someone who has been through the gallstone thing, it wasn’t as bad as some of the things I may experience if l don’t address my weight- so I wouldn’t let the possibility of it deter you.

Best of luck to you and welcome!