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Surgery Tomorrow and The Anxiety is Kicking in



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Hi everyone, I have been reading the posts here for a while but today is the first time I am posting. I am having gastric bypass tomorrow and my nerves are setting in. My anxiety is through the roof. I am thinking and over thinking every complication and bad possible out come. I am doing this to be Healthy and be here for my kids for a long time. But I cannot stop thinking what if something goes wrong and I have a worse quality of life after or even worse I die and it is my fault that I willing put myself in this situation and leave my kids without a mother. I have been thinking about this surgery for 10 years and I always chickened out, But not this time. I want to do this. I am just scared. Any suggestions on calming my last minute nerves would be greatly appreciated.

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2 hours ago, kmalagon said:

My anxiety is through the roof. I am thinking and over thinking every complication and bad possible out come.

You said it, not us. ;-D

It's entirely natural to be nervous right before surgery. Here's wishing you a good night's rest, a safe, uneventful surgery tomorrow, and a quick recovery so you can get home and get busy losing. You got this!

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I understand the nerves - I have also put off the surgery for about 10 years. I think the best thing you can do is remember how low the level of complications are, and think about how you're doing this because the risk of death/illness from obesity is much higher than from surgery. But anxiety before surgery is totally normal!

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I've gotten freaked out before every surgery I've ever had, and I've always sailed through just fine.

Don't get fixiated on the horror stories, as those are rare. They seem more common than they really are because people are more likely to post when they have problems than when they don't because they're looking for support or advice. Of course, those things do happen and it's good to be aware of the possibility, but again, they're pretty rare.

the mortality rate on RNY is 0.3%, and it's even lower for sleeve. So you have a 99.7% chance of not dying - which are excellent odds. Major complications are also rare. Many of us don't have complications with these surgeries - and for those who do, most are minor and "fixable". I also contemplated surgery for 10 years (maybe longer), and I came to the conclusion that I had a much greater risk of complications from staying at over 300 lbs than I did with having the surgery.

you always have the option to cancel or postpone if you're not ready - but I did go through with it (obviously) and am so glad that I did.

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I have these thoughts too (I'm pre-op) so what I have is a list of things I want to experience in various places through my house. Sitting in a chair without having to do mental physics first. Not having to ask for a table instead of a booth. Being able to fly coach and not say a prayer to whoever the patron saint of obesity is that the seatbelt will just close. Being able to run more than 400 m without dying.

And honestly? When the "what are you even DOING right now" feeling gets overwhelming, I come here and just lurk. Y'all have no idea how many times you've kept me from canceling things... thank you.

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15 hours ago, kmalagon said:

Hi everyone, I have been reading the posts here for a while but today is the first time I am posting. I am having gastric bypass tomorrow and my nerves are setting in. My anxiety is through the roof. I am thinking and over thinking every complication and bad possible out come. I am doing this to be Healthy and be here for my kids for a long time. But I cannot stop thinking what if something goes wrong and I have a worse quality of life after or even worse I die and it is my fault that I willing put myself in this situation and leave my kids without a mother. I have been thinking about this surgery for 10 years and I always chickened out, But not this time. I want to do this. I am just scared. Any suggestions on calming my last minute nerves would be greatly appreciated.

Sent from my SM-N986U using BariatricPal mobile app

I went through 2 other surgeries and well, I'm scared this time too. You're not alone in your fears. What I keep telling myself is... I have a much higher chance of dying earlier if I don't do this. This is for our long-term health and well being. You got this. Hang in there.

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How did everything go? Did you end up postponing or did you have the surgery? Just for any future reference, I read that this type of surgery is less dangerous than a C-section as far as mortality and complication rates.

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On 7/29/2021 at 12:09 PM, kmalagon said:

Hi everyone, I have been reading the posts here for a while but today is the first time I am posting. I am having gastric bypass tomorrow and my nerves are setting in. My anxiety is through the roof. I am thinking and over thinking every complication and bad possible out come. I am doing this to be Healthy and be here for my kids for a long time. But I cannot stop thinking what if something goes wrong and I have a worse quality of life after or even worse I die and it is my fault that I willing put myself in this situation and leave my kids without a mother. I have been thinking about this surgery for 10 years and I always chickened out, But not this time. I want to do this. I am just scared. Any suggestions on calming my last minute nerves would be greatly appreciated.

Sent from my SM-N986U using BariatricPal mobile app

How did you go kmalagon? Did you end up having the surgery? If so, I hope all went well. Looking forward to hearing about your journey :)

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Hi everyone, I have been reading the posts here for a while but today is the first time I am posting. I am having gastric bypass tomorrow and my nerves are setting in. My anxiety is through the roof. I am thinking and over thinking every complication and bad possible out come. I am doing this to be Healthy and be here for my kids for a long time. But I cannot stop thinking what if something goes wrong and I have a worse quality of life after or even worse I die and it is my fault that I willing put myself in this situation and leave my kids without a mother. I have been thinking about this surgery for 10 years and I always chickened out, But not this time. I want to do this. I am just scared. Any suggestions on calming my last minute nerves would be greatly appreciated.
Sent from my SM-N986U using BariatricPal mobile app

Dud you postpone or are you climbing the mountain!

Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

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