My Good Friend, Fear

Enchanted · April 17, 2008

Glad you're doing better, Nicole.

Best..

Christine

flyaway · April 20, 2008

I do not know what I am asking for here...
I read a thread.... and now I am completely, totally, and utterly panicked about my surgery.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f18/hi-everyone-i-think-i-ll-contrarian-voice-here-58983/#post804331

Please tell me, does anyone know the hard statistics of something really bad happening? Not the things that can be fixed through removal or adjustment, but the death percentages and messing up your organs stuff?

I'm sorry, it's just... I'm not really brave about medical stuff. I'm shaking here... surgery is on the horizon (May 9th), and I am inches away from cancelling it because I can barely breathe from the fear. I need this surgery to save my life. But fat is a slow death, my insides getting all twisted up has got to be pretty imminent and painful.

Nicole, besides doing research, which helps me too BTW, have you tried to do some relaxation stuff? Start now so you'll have it down by surgery time. You can get books from library or bookstore on breathing meditation, which really helps slow those thoughts down. Go to a healthfood store and get some aromatherapy oils for relaxation. There is a great CD called "Reiki, Hands of Light" that I listen to when I do the breathing stuff. I found that if I kinda train myself to see these things (breathing meditation, the oils, the music) as a trigger to bring my anxiety down, it kinda becomes a reflex for my body to start relaxing. Also, if it's an option for you to do a one or two time visit with a good counselor, you can work on some positive self-messages about the surgery itself "Everything will go smoothly", "I will recover perfectly", etc.

It sounds corny, but these things might give you some tools (I'm starting to hate that word!! :lol: ) to deal with the anxiety and fear. Also, ask your doc for some surgery day anxiety meds if you are really freaking out!:tongue_smilie:

Edited April 20, 2008 by flyaway

kathystrick · April 20, 2008

Nicole, besides doing research, which helps me too BTW, have you tried to do some relaxation stuff? Start now so you'll have it down by surgery time. You can get books from library or bookstore on breathing meditation, which really helps slow those thoughts down. Go to a healthfood store and get some aromatherapy oils for relaxation. There is a great CD called "Reiki, Hands of Light" that I listen to when I do the breathing stuff. I found that if I kinda train myself to see these things (breathing meditation, the oils, the music) as a trigger to bring my anxiety down, it kinda becomes a reflex for my body to start relaxing. Also, if it's an option for you to do a one or two time visit with a good counselor, you can work on some positive self-messages about the surgery itself "Everything will go smoothly", "I will recover perfectly", etc.
It sounds corny, but these things might give you some tools (I'm starting to hate that work!!) to deal with the anxiety and fear. Also, ask your doc for some surgery day anxiety meds if you are really freaking out!:thumbup:

Actually, this isn't corny at all. Part of my pre-op requirements through my doctor's office included learning a relaxation technique with the psychologist nurse. It really does work!

gone 4 ever · April 20, 2008

From what the dr. said at the seminar I went to it is like a 1-2% chance of something bad happening.

jpb67 · April 20, 2008

I think the thread you read, is a poster searching for something----not sure what to call it besides attention.
My take on it is--he has been over 300 pounds overweight for so long, he is used to negative attention. He was banded, he DID NOT follow a post op diet--mistake #1. He did not apparently return to the Dr. at the first sign of trouble or it would not have burrowed into any part of him--mistake #2.

This list could go on------but there is really no sense in it. YOU have some control. You chose a Dr-------then it sounds like you changed to one more in tune with you! GREAT!! Now when you have your surgery--it IS going to be hard sometimes to stick to that post op diet--but it is there for a reason---one of them being to reduce complications!!! Follow your surgeons directions explicitly!

Complications such as the poster over on the other thread mentioned are so few and far between as to not even have statistics on them! The problem is, when he sues--and makes his infamous talk show tours------the band will get the bad rap----how much you wanna bet he glosses right over shoving massive amounts in a week after banding! It boggles my mind that someone purposely comes around to upset people because they themselves screwed up.

Morbid obesity is a proven killer! You are slowly killing yourself every day that your blood pressure or cholesterol is high! Yes there are some issues with being banded. Sometimes patients have problems eating some foods---I personally don't but it happens. I can tell you I have learned amazing things from this band. It picked me up out of my horrid eating habits, made me stop, and set me back down in a new frame of mind when it comes to food. Do I still occasionally want to eat from emotional triggers? Oh yeah! But by far and large, I have learned huge amounts of information, on Portion Control, and nutrition---and had the band to help me through the hunger, and the need to overeat.

I hope you do not let one unhappy person, looking for recognition throw you off course. He couldn't do it, and I see him as someone who dislikes others doing what he could not.

Good Luck....please read those things but also read between the lines----look for the missing links----did you see where he said he ate all that a week out? Lights flashed in my mind!

When you get the doubting Thomas' of the world--dig a little they will usually show you why they are trying to rain on your parade!!!

Hugs~

Kat

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THIS WAS SUCH A WELL THOUGHT OUT REPLY TO THE WORRIERS. I TOO WORRIED, EVEN CANCELLED MY FIRST SURGERY DATE. WELL, ALL THE LBS. I HAD LOST PRE-SURGERY CAME RIGHT BACK. I WAS SO DEPRESSED I WANTED TO KILL MYSELF. I THOUGHT I COULD JUST STAY ON A DIET FOR LIFE. WHY HAVE SURGERY WHEN I COULD LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT IT? WELL, THE ANSWER WAS I WAS DOOMED WITHOUT LAP BAND. JUST REMEMBER THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POSSIBLE EFFECTS AND PROBABLE EFFECTS!! POSSIBLY THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH SURGERY,(NOT OFTEN, NOT ACTUALLY, NOT EVEN MOST LIKELY), BUT CONTINUING TO BE OBESE PROBABLY YOU WILL DIE AN UNPLEASANT DEATH FROM COMPLICATIONS OF HYPERTENSION, HYPERLIPIDEMIA, DIABETES. YOU ARE VERY SAD, UNCOMFORTABLE, AND UNHAPPY RIGHT NOW BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN OVERWEIGHT ALL YOUR LIFE. I AM 70 YEARS OLD, AND HAD SURGERY 3/17 2008. I FEEL WONDERFUL AND HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY. WEIGH THE POSSIBILITIES AGAINST THE PROBABLITIES. SEE WHICH SIDE WINS, MAKE A DECISION THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER FOREVER.

Edited April 20, 2008 by jpb67
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