I was excited to get it until my Mom said "What if you die?" Now I can't stop crying because I'm terrified of anesthesia. Does anyone have advice for dealing with thoughts like this. Words of encouragement? I have no support from my family on this journey.

Taylor, mine is Monday too. I alternate between excitement and nerves. You’ll do great, I know it!

Nerves are normal. And I wouldn't worry about the anesthesia. I've had general anesthesia 10 or 12 times over the years. I get nauseated, but the nausea meds are good.

You are changing your life for the better. That's the thing to remember.

I think everyone goes through the same fear. I had even written scheduled emails to my loved ones out of the fear of not seeing them again ?

I am day 11 post-Op and doing quite well. Don't worry your surgical team is there to take care of you

Because of issues with schedule, no one could be at the hospital for me either and I was on my own till the next day of discharge. So don't worry, you'll swim through and make it. This was my first ever surgery and first ever experience with general anesthesia. I was almost on the verge of crying when I was outside the OR speaking to my aesthetic. Nerves will definitely get to you but keep positive thoughts and focus on why you're opting for it. Is being overweight and miserable better than facing the fear of a small percentage of risk? No right? Then don't get overwhelmed by such thoughts. Watch something breezy, sleep well and take music with you to relax till it's right for the surgery.

All the very best, you got it!

6 hours ago, TaylorA said:

I was excited to get it until my Mom said "What if you die?" Now I can't stop crying because I'm terrified of anesthesia. Does anyone have advice for dealing with thoughts like this. Words of encouragement? I have no support from my family on this journey.

First off, imagine how many patients they have every single day that go under and come right out. Even if something goes 'wrong' while you're under, where in the world would you rather be than on a literal operating table if that happened?

You'll be fine!

Next time someone asks 'what if you die', show them how many years obesity takes off our lives. In fact, depending on your weight right now, you're more likely to die from a heart attack or stroke due to obesity than from anaesthesia.

And still that somehow doesn't even cross people's minds when they make comments like this.

You decided this for you. To live longer, better, happier. Congratulations on making that choice. You're much, much stronger than you think.

the mortality rate on RNY is 0.3%. It's even lower for sleeve (can't remember the percentage for that one since I was an RNY patient, so that's the one that mattered to me). So you have at least a 99.7% chance of not dying. That's an excellent stat as far as surgeries go. Better than the stats for hip replacement surgery, and they do those all the time.

people have died from things like tonsillectomies and wisdom tooth extractions. But how often does that happen? Almost never. Same with this one.

your mom may be remembering weight loss surgeries 30-40-50 years ago, when they WERE dangerous and some people died from them. That just isn't true anymore. Today's surgeries are very safe. You'll be fine.

Edited to add that I agree 100% with the above poster. You're more likely to die from an obesity-related complication than you are from the surgery.

Edited December 12, 20214 yr by catwoman7

I was very scared when I went to have my surgery even though I was so ready for it. I am 21 years out and still here! It's going to be fine and you will wake up knowing that you have made a really positive step to change your life and health. Keep this post and look back on it next year, I can guarantee you will wonder why you were scared. Hope your surgery goes well tomorrow, stay positive and think happy thoughts x

Thank you everyone you've made me feel a bit better about tomorrow. It means a lot.

Hey there surgery buddy. How’d you do today? I had mine today. Doing ok. Walking the halls at intervals. Drinking my sippy cuts of water. Just super tired.