New here and very nervous...

[OhioSparkle 9]

Hi everyone!

A little history on me.. I'm 33 years old, married with 5 children. I have ALWAYS been overweight. I have no other current medical issues and I'm scheduled for the Bypass August 27th. I'm nervous. I've never been put to sleep before...I'm hearing all kinds of horror stories about people passing out, getting tube feedings, etc. IT SCARES ME!

I often think about my 5 babies and wondering if I'll even make it out of surgery okay... this is normal right?

I just want to be HAPPY. Being big it's hard to keep up anymore, hard to find cute clothes... etc.

I'm ready for CHANGE!

[Sosewsue61 3,185]

It is major surgery, but the percentage of complications is very low. You will most likely have an EGD as part of preop diagnostics and be put under for that, so you will experience being put under prior to surgery - then you will get an intro to anesthetic that way.

Why did you choose bypass? Do you have reflux? Do you want the 'dumping aspect' as a deterrent to sweets? I am just curious....

Welcome and try to read the forums, and ask questions.

[Matt Z 4,138]

1 hour ago, OhioSparkle said:

I've never been put to sleep before...I'm hearing all kinds of horror stories about people passing out, getting tube feedings, etc. IT SCARES ME!

Being put under General Anesthesia is easy, you don't have to do anything, you just fade off to sleep.< br />
As far as passing out and tube feedings... not sure what or when this occurred to folks in the stories you are reading, but, passing out is pretty much what General Anesthesia does, you *will* have a tube placed into your airway (call Tracheal intubation) and you will be on a breathing machine. This is all normal and 100% common practice.

Understand that medical practices change and update often. The horror stories I read were old information. The death rates for Bypass surgery have dropped quite a bit from the old "1 out of 1000 people will die on the table" rhetoric.

Being nervous/scared is normal. Just remember, all those horror stories, look up all the weight / age related horror stories and compare them to the WLS stories. Not doing something is often much worse than taking the limited risk and reaping the rewards.

[KimTriesRNY 1,853]

Gastric bypass was my first surgery. I’ve had no ill effects so far at over seven months out.

It is normal to fear a major operation and be a bit nervous.

Focus on positive things. Stay away from negative postings.

[Frustr8 7,886]

Hi Ohio Sparkle, I am also a Buckeye, live 15 miles from Ohio' s Center which is Centerburg. FYI,My Mama graduated from there in 1935. I meet with my surgeon Dr Needlman next Tuesday 7/17/2018 for my presurgical appointment, I am hoping yet that day I am assigned a surgery date. I will be having a RnY bypass at Ohio State University-Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. I stand 5ft8in, weigh 321 down,from a high of 356 last October. I have strawberry blonde
(redgold) hair fair skin, walk with a cane because I have 2 replacement,knees, wear glasses mostly because of Old Age, also I have had a cataract removed from my riight eye plus I have been near sighted since childhood. And last but not least i,am 72 years old. Betcha, I. can beat,your obesity story. I was born at he end of the Second World, only child 0f my parents. After every nursing,i was to be fed a 8 oz bottle of Carnation Milk formula. At I year,i was 36 inches,tall and 35 lbs. That is roughly the size the size of 2 1/2 year olds. So I have been big my entire life.

[crumbcruncher 1]

I was nervous also, but had a great doctor. In the end it has been one of the best choices I have made. I would focus on the other side of the surgery and how great it will be after. It is life changing in a great way. I wish you nothing. but the best. Good Luck and Well wishes.

[Orchids&Dragons 9,046]

12 hours ago, OhioSparkle said:

I often think about my 5 babies and wondering if I'll even make it out of surgery okay... this is normal right?

Think about being around to see your grandbabies and being healthy enough to chase after them! Your odds are much better with the surgery than without.

[Missouri-Lee's Summit 1,256]

It's good that you found your way here. At least now you can get accurate information and helpful advice from people who've been where you're thinking about going.

It's normal to be nervous. I'd be worried about you if you weren't nervous, but it's important to separate your rational fears from your irrational ones because it's the irrational fears that frequently do a number on us, and can prevent us from moving forward.

Anesthesia is a piece of cake. That's one of those irrational fears. Anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists are highly-trained professionals. I honestly don't know anyone who's had a problem with anesthesia.

Do you have any medical conditions that might be of concern... problems with your lungs? Heart?

[LindyPablo 29]

I used to be soooo scared of anesthesia until I had a gyno procedure in January... and now I love it, lol! It’s so amazing to fall asleep (you don’t even realize it’s happening) and wake up knowing it’s all done. Don’t let the anesthesia anxiety get to you. Focus on the positive outcomes and try to wake up ready to be positive. Staying positive helped me a lot on Tues when I had my RNY.

[Missouri-Lee's Summit 1,256]

I mentioned on another post a game I like to play when being put under. It's silly really, and not worth repeating.

[Frustr8 7,886]

But Missouri-L.S. now you have me curious what it might be? If it gave you,peace it might help me too!😊

[Nnoi 50]

Hello!

I am another Ohioan, had my surgery last month at Riverside (this way you will know two people Frustr8 - OSU and Me @ Riverside in case you are going through either place and have questions) It is perfectly normal to be nervous. General Anes can be scary, I work in surgery at a different hospital and it is often something people worry about before going under the first time. Often if you left them know before the surgery that you nervous they can give you something to calm you down, or make you sleepy so you don't even remember going into the OR. I know my mom had RNY before me and she did not even remember being wheeled into the back let alone see any OR's for me they shot something in my IV in the hallway right outside of my OR wheeled in me told me to introduce myself and confirm my surgery which I did and then I woke up in recovery. The risks of complication are very low, but it is scary and they will make you sign some papers before surgery with a list of all the scary complications to prove you are aware of them. Try to get through it the risk of a leak and tube feedings is very very low.

As for thinking of your babies. Of course you are, that is part of being a Mom and feeling guilty for doing this. You have to remember all the wonderful memories you are going to be able to make post-op when you are lighter and healthier and feeling better. You have so many games of tag to play, and laughs to share, and memories to be made. You are making a choice to do what is best for you right now so that you are here and healthy enough to invest in their futures! So it may feel selfish right now and but you are doing something so selfless and ensure you are in their lives so much longer.

Hang in there!

[Frustr8 7,886]

Hi again @OhioSparkle. There's also @ CMD516, she will be going to Riverside late Autumn- Early Winter, hav8ng the same Dr Rana Nnoi had. There's Lynn in Cincinnati, Marcus,up in Fremont, DRoseman in NW Ohio, I think Bowling Green And there is my other Bari-pal Merc Merc, now she is extra-special. She had her surgery on July 25th at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Until her I wasn't aware they,have,an Adolescent Bariatric Program. Since she had her first,surgery there, she,had her Bypass done there also. And Dr,Marc, the head guy and Dr Needleman, my own guy ,did it together. Ask any of us any questions and we will do our,best to answer. You are a good mother by investing in their future, insuring they will have and keep their mommy. And you will,be a more fun mommy when you can do more, play more and be fun to be around.
Don't believe the horror stories, that's all they are, stories. Keep talking to Nnoi and me, we will tell you the up side to it all, lots more joy than sorrow to this. And go ahead and answer Sosewsue61 if you like , I also will be a bypass, I havemy reasons why it's better for me, but notwithstanding, I love everyone of my sleeved buddies, we are all fighting the same weight wars, after all! So smile, be sweet to the kiddos and we will talk more when you have time, okay?😝

[nevertoolate 14]

Hi friend! Welcome and thank you for being so open with your fears and apprehensions.

The reality is that this is a not wholly uncommon procedure that has been around for decades. So long as you have a skilled surgeon with plenty of experience, you're almost certainly going to be fine.

In the same breath, this surgery doesn't come easy. You have to jump through hoops, see a range of medical specialists, have a bunch of exams and then, after all that, there's the preoperative diet, followed by Clear Liquids and then surgery.

Follow the plans. Do what they tell you. Lean on others for support and ask whatever questions you've got cooking. The potential returns in terms of quality of life are immeasurable.

Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

[CyclicalLoser 155]

There's not much more that I think I can add to what other people have said except that I feel I win the prize for anxiety - I passed out on a routine blood test because of anxiety.

So I can say this, I asked the anesthesiologist beforehand if I could take a xanax because I already knew I'd nearly pass out from anxiety. They gave me the approval to take it 2 hours before my arrival time. In short, it helped quite a bit. It took them 20 minutes to get the IV in for the EGD because I was nervous, but it took them less than 30 seconds to put the IV in when I was on the xanax.

I don't want to sound like the xanax made the anxiety zero, but I think it took it to what a normal person's level of anxiety was. For being put under, they gave me something in the pre-op room and all I can remember is being wheeled out of the room. I don't remember the hallway, or seeing the OR. When I woke up, I was a bit groggy (Kind of out of it and my voice was a little hoarse...not pain though), which they said was because of the tube that goes down your throat. By the next day though, I was back to normal.

Like others have said, you're doing this for your kids. I can tell you as a research fanatic, study after study (Peer-reviewed medical journals) show that WLS has the best results for permanently keeping weight off. Also, at 33 years, you are quite young (IMO) and can heal much faster than someone more senior to you. You're going to do great I'm sure.

BTW, I was as a Wright-Pat baby