Hello everyone. So I started the process back in March, and I have my last insurance mandated appointment with my surgeon August 1st. The time has flown by faster than I thought it would, and it's really starting to sink in. If all goes well and my surgery is approved, I'm looking to be sleeved early to mid September. I know it's normal to be anxious before any type of surgery, but I'm feeling completely consumed by fear. I'm afraid not only of the recovery, but I'm also afraid I may regret the surgery all together. Any words of comfort and/or wisdom would be more than appreciated. Thanks everyone.

I think you will regret not having the surgery more

Thank you, I needed to hear that.

keep the reasons you started this in your thoughts all the time. The health issues you face. the path you are on if you dont change something. Its important to look ahead further than just that short period of time you will be in surgery and the short time you will be dealing with recovery. I know when you are going thru it each day and week feels like forever but in truth it is a very short amount of time in what will be a long and more enjoyable future.

there is a thread here that is several years old now and its people sharing the small victories they have found from this surgery. nonscale victories by wisecogal is a great read if you need a pick me up. start at the first post and see if you can see yourself in some of those.

you can do this and you will look back and be grateful you followed thru.

just so you know i had never had a surgery or been in a hospital except as a visitor.

this was the scariest thing i ever did to myself and i dont regret one second of any of it.

Edited June 15, 20197 yr by allwet
clarity

I felt the same way. But my thought was this... if I stay the way I am obese and metabolically not able to lose well I know where the leads me. Have bypass and give myself a fighting chance. What’s more important saving your life or staying the same eating what you want and doing what you have always done? I’m two weeks post opt and it’s a huge change but I’m off insulin.

And LT1968 I will celebrate my 1st Surgiversity on September 5th. And I have had a far from typical recovery, starting out, I am very old to have sought Bariatric Surgery, I was 72 years, 8 m9nths and I think 16(just counted up) days old when I received my RNY. I had sought it foe over 3 years, so yes I REALLY WANTED IT! Things started out fine , then I developed some rarer complications, had different interventions, not quite healed yet! So Hon, if anyone regretted surgery, wished they went back to the way before, it should be ME! But a funny thing happened on my way to victory--- I am not sorry. Would I go through it again? Yeah at least 85% sure I would. I started at 365+ pounds, at that point I put my Heavy little Foot down and said "You shall weigh me no more" last bit of spunk in my rapidly breaking- down body. PCP threatened I would be dead by 75, called me a Walking TimeBomb, the fact I had not developed all the diseases in my gene pool did not ensure I wouldn't. Well i might be fail8ng fast but I am a natural redhead, Mama called it Strawberry Blonde but it still is pretty red! And that and natural mid- to Old Age crabbiness, no young whelp not even one with a Medical License is going to get in my face and say "Die, dang you, die!" Since he lives in a gated community so I can't blow his house up, I shall vent my sleen by continuing to live. And a moment of clarity came! I shall seek Bariatric surgery, and I will do it to prove all my nay-sayers wrong! And it was an uphill battle, most programscaround here won't take you above 60, the majority of the rest 70, found a program , went through a program not once but twice, first time through I lost insurance coverage, after attempt #2 surgeon capriciously decided " I don't want to do your surgery!" Still have never deduced what HIS PROBLEM was, got some suspections, but I v am well rid of him ! And his home hospital, where he performed his surgeries? Embroiled in a very extensive LawSuit, quite the talk of this section of Mid-America. There was a doctor employed there, appointed himself the Death Angel & overdosed people to their death, 40 and still growing. Where will it stop? Not until the final total is reached. Oh he will be going away for a very long time when he is finally convicted. How my years is 40 times Life behind bars? Any way Thank God for getting me away from that place! I found a better surgeon at a better hospital,band although I am his oldest patient I intend to be one of the best!
And tonight I finally made it below. 200 pounds, 199.4, on Bariatric Pal we call it Onederland, and I know I would never have made here without commitment and my surgery. So Thanks to all who helped, My Dr Needleman especially , he believed in me and gave me this chance! Saved my life? I bel8eve so! Oh I could go on and on singing praises to him, he is not only a skillful surgeon but a heck of a nice guy.
And my new motto?
THE REST OF MY LIFE WILL BE THE BEST OF MY LIFE!
How much longer will I live? No person on earth knows that for certain But I do know it will be so much better!
I scarcely know myself, my size of course changed, but so did my appearance. I used to have chipmunk cheeks, now I have an angular one, there is gossip , often denied by my father's people that we have Native American/First Nations ( depending whether you are American or Canadian) well hello the high cheekbones have popped out. Been covered up since babyhood but Whoops there they are! Make everyone a challenge, if you have Wikipedia on your computer or smartphone pull up Peoria people or Peoria tribe. The lady pictured there is the spitting image of my Aunt Minnie, Daddy's sister. You get out the family scrapbook, my Great- great grandfather, yes they had film that long ago, looks just like Iron Eyes Cody, an actor I believe from the Lakota tribe. Oh I have far from sufficent blood to ever be on a tribal role but I find it interesting to be maybe be more initialed to be in Ohio than the average settler family. So I have started resembling dead relatives, some of which were real foodies. It's Almost like" Hiya Mirror! Who do I look like today?" But it is rather fun and I might actually turn out pretty cute! I am definitely a Work in Progress!
Fear is natural, you are entering a Brave New World, an undiscovered Land, there may or may not be signposts along the way, but I will promise you UT IS MORE THAN WORTH THE TROUBLE! Come join me on the? journey, walk with me a while. And who knows for certain we may each find??❤?

Hello everyone. So I started the process back in March, and I have my last insurance mandated appointment with my surgeon August 1st. The time has flown by faster than I thought it would, and it's really starting to sink in. If all goes well and my surgery is approved, I'm looking to be sleeved early to mid September. I know it's normal to be anxious before any type of surgery, but I'm feeling completely consumed by fear. I'm afraid not only of the recovery, but I'm also afraid I may regret the surgery all together. Any words of comfort and/or wisdom would be more than appreciated. Thanks everyone.

I started in February I can't wait to get mine done

Hello everyone. So I started the process back in March, and I have my last insurance mandated appointment with my surgeon August 1st. The time has flown by faster than I thought it would, and it's really starting to sink in. If all goes well and my surgery is approved, I'm looking to be sleeved early to mid September. I know it's normal to be anxious before any type of surgery, but I'm feeling completely consumed by fear. I'm afraid not only of the recovery, but I'm also afraid I may regret the surgery all together. Any words of comfort and/or wisdom would be more than appreciated. Thanks everyone.

I had my surgery June 13th so I'm a few days postop. The recovery has really not been that bad. I almost allowed my fear of having to give up my comfort foods and presurgery food addictions to talk me out of having the surgery. I literally, 2 days before my surgery thought, " the hell with this I quit. " I dug deep and was super proud of myself for sticking to the 14 day liquid diet without, cheating one bit. I want a healthier lifestyle and I want to learn to eat to nourish my body not to satisfy a craving or eat my feelings. I'm proud of myself for making a step in the right direction to do what's best for my health. It's not gonna be easy but I am committed to the lifestyle change. You can do this! Don't let your head play games with you because, you can do this!

If your past tries to call, don't answer. It has nothing new to say.

I'm scared too. I have a great psychiatrist who I saw today and she really made me realize that I need to do this if I want to live a productive and comfortable life. I've been dieting for thirty years and I'm extremely uncomfortable in my body in this world. Continuing to be able to eat the foods I want isn't enough to make it okay to continue living this way. At the same time, you need to do what is right for you.

hi ? it looks like we are being sleeved around the same time .... i have moments where i’m ok about the idea, moments where i’m excited and moments where i’m incredibly terrified and wondering what i’m doing and how i can go forward. I think it’s normal having fears .... it’s a life changing decision. If you aren’t ready yet you could also ask your surgeon to delay surgery to give you more time to decide what’s best... but think carefully about that first, it does need to be the decision that’s right for you though. Not the one that’s right for anyone else. To be at this point i think you’ve probably tried a lot of other things before, and that hasn’t helped long term, is this true? Are you working with a psychologist or counselor or anyone to help you through the fears? I think as others have mentioned here and in other places probably not taking this step is something we’d regret more; but it still has to be a decision you are happy to be making. I hope talking about it more helps

Thank you everyone for your input and support. Today I'm feeling fine about the whole thing. I'm actually feeling more excited than scared. I've lost a considerable amount of weight several times in the past only to gain it back. This time around I'm not having any luck losing weight, and am about 20 lbs. heavier than I've ever been. I keep having to buy new clothes because of the weight gain. I feel trapped in my own body, and don't exactly feel good about myself. I know this is the right thing for me to do, and until I actually have my surgery I imagine that my emotions will be all over the place. I'm so glad that I found this forum, and I'm extremely grateful for everyone's support. Wishing you all well.

On ‎6‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 7:49 PM, marissagil said:

I had my surgery June 13th so I'm a few days postop. The recovery has really not been that bad. I almost allowed my fear of having to give up my comfort foods and presurgery food addictions to talk me out of having the surgery. I literally, 2 days before my surgery thought, " the hell with this I quit. " I dug deep and was super proud of myself for sticking to the 14 day liquid diet without, cheating one bit. I want a healthier lifestyle and I want to learn to eat to nourish my body not to satisfy a craving or eat my feelings. I'm proud of myself for making a step in the right direction to do what's best for my health. It's not gonna be easy but I am committed to the lifestyle change. You can do this! Don't let your head play games with you because, you can do this!

How are you feeling today?

Honestly, there is really nothing to be scared about. If you read some of these posts on the forums, you'll read some people that are having bad post-op experiences etc. Those experiences are far and few between. Most people that have an easy recovery don't post to forum because everything is going smooth as silk. Of all the surgeries I had in my life, this was one of the easiest recoveries. I had no real pain after the surgery at all. If anything, I felt like I had a serious ab workout at the gym and was sore--but nothing more than that. I had some discomfort from gas for a couple of days, but again--nothing crazy. I have had much worse!! For the slight discomfort (and mean slight!!!!), the benefits have been unbelievable. This surgery gave me my life back!!!!! Well, I should say it helped me get my life back. The surgery helps, but I had to put a lot of effort in on my part. I stick to my new healthy lifestyle religiously! I am very careful about what I eat and I work out a lot. I don't mind at all because, unlike past experiences with diet and exercise, this time I actually see the results big time!!! If you qualify for the surgery, you really should have it--and commit to changing your lifestyle so you never have to go back to where you were before. This surgery can be the opportunity of a life time if you are willing to make the most of it.

On 6/14/2019 at 7:22 PM, LL1982 said:

Hello everyone. So I started the process back in March, and I have my last insurance mandated appointment with my surgeon August 1st. The time has flown by faster than I thought it would, and it's really starting to sink in. If all goes well and my surgery is approved, I'm looking to be sleeved early to mid September. I know it's normal to be anxious before any type of surgery, but I'm feeling completely consumed by fear. I'm afraid not only of the recovery, but I'm also afraid I may regret the surgery all together. Any words of comfort and/or wisdom would be more than appreciated. Thanks everyone.

well you should be concerned i know everyone is different but i have been in tremendous pain since my surgery even with pain meds...it makes everyday a day not to look forward to...

As my anesthesiologist told me right before the surgery “what wouldn’t be normal is not being scared”.

It was my first surgery ever and lots of things went through my head. But truth is that the only “bad” day was the first one. And the pain was really manageable with the meds they gave me. I even refused stronger pain meds on the second day after having an allergic reaction to one of them.

Recovery is tough on the mind, but it’s all about using all the tools you have around and trusting your support system.

I’m getting a bit frustrated at the time, but am trying to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. Doctor said my life expectancy was being cut short by 10 years if I continued on that path, and that certainly freaked me out more than anything I’ve gone through since surgery.