Close to setting a date, and scared to death.

I am jumping through the hoops that my insurance has in place before I can get my surgery. I am scared.. I have researched weight loss surgeries for the past 5 years, and I was set on getting the gastric bypass, and recently (this past year) I changed to the DS. I dont know what to expect after surgery. I can read all day but I want to talk to people who have had the surgery... Help me overcome my fear.

I'm eleven days out.  You will do FINE!   Yeah, everyone I'm sure gets the fear thing going at some point... I wanted to make sure I was going to wake up.  That was my biggest fear.  Funny too, because the anesthesiologist said I looked calm.  I wasn't. *smile*

Discuss with your doc how you want to make sure your pain is managed etc.  My pain, frankly wasn't from the DS but was from something my body doesn't like about CO2 gas.  (it causes spasms in my back.)  My pain was well managed and I could have done without the morphine after the first night.   The staff was AMAZING! and honestly... my advice... speak freely with your doc about your fears, goes a long way to dealing with questions etc that you may have.

Ps: I'm already eating sunflower seeds, had some ham and cheese today (been eating cheese since day 6.  Pain meds, I took them one night after I rolled on my stomach while sleeping and got stuck that way.  Trying to recover out of that position pulled my stomach muscles.  Took a pain pill and that was the last one I took. :)

HI I am 10 days out and would be happy to answer any question you have. Physically I had a pretty unremarkable recovery. Pain was well managed and I was happy to go home. Mentally I am having some challenges as my doctor requires 2-3 weeks of liquids only post-op. I would really like to eat something! But as other posters will tell you every doc has a different post-op diet and progression.

Is there something specific you are focusing on?

You're in a good place. Read, read, read here on the forum and on people's profiles. The stories are here for the taking. Just soak it all in as you go.

Are you more concerned about recovering from surgery or about life thereafter?

I'd like to invite you to read my profile and check out my photos.

Some people have had an easy time of it and there are some that have complications but then it is Major Surgery and it is to be expected. I found (by reading here) that a recliner was a life saver and it was I spent the first 2 weeks sleeping in it and i never had any problems... I walked 14 laps the 2nd day post op I set a record but i have laying in a hospital bed so i did whatever it took to keep me out of it.. I actually started sleeping in the chair reclined back in the hospital room, it was fun seeing the nurses hunt for me in the dark every night LOL... I took pain meds and i did fine, i have a high threshold of pain ( I had twins) but i had no desire to be in pain at all... I sipped water and walked as soon as i could and never stopped. those are your most important things to do after surgery... as long as you do that and get your rest because your body is going to be so tired, you will do just fine... Good luck!

it is normal to be scared for any surgery, DS included, if you were not scared I would think there would be something wrong with you.    you have to ask yourself what the fear stems from, surgery, pain, unknown, potentially not making it to goal, all the misinformation about the DS, etc.  once you know what it is you can work on educating yourself, this site has a lot of info.  ask lots of questions, research, the first few weeks you will be recovering from surgery, if you have never had surgery you don't really have anything to compare it to, if you have, they you know how you feel PO.  read the book:  Prepare for surgery, heal faster by Peggy Huddleston......do what you have to do to give you peace of mind.....essentially it comes down to 2 choices, stay MO or get the surgery......

I had the same fear about waking up..It is normal..I was freaking out.. BUT everything went well. I am now almost 6 weeks out.. haven't had any issues except with some head challenges but seem to be working through those.. Pain wasn't bad for me at all. I took advice from folks here and kept reminding me why I was doing this.. You will be fine.. Good luck.

I was surprised how I wasnt too nervous before my DS 6months ago but then in the past 5 years I was close to a friend that I watched go thru about 5-10 surgeries and I had also had a few myself (tho minor) so I learned it was a process and I also learned to trust and even admire medical science. 

I did also have the stomach stapling  25 years back and didnt remember being in pain. Maybe it is a learned thing but up until I was there waiting for surgery I didnt give it much negative nervous thinking- I just felt hopeful about it and felt it would be a miracle and it was. I remember a little panic waiting for anesthesia in the hospital and that is all. It was over before I knew it. Just keep positive thoughts- I can do this - I will get thru this- this is the right thing to do- and it will help. Everyone is different so it is hard t predict tho how another person will do based on how I did but the fear can be reduced with thinking . . Sometimes the fear is worse than the thing we fear . .ponder that . .

Sometimes it helps to view the surgery as a means to an end, and nothing more then that. Everyone here has had different recovery experiences and the first 3-6 months are the roughest, but most of us (most, not all), would do it all over in a heartbeat if we had to :)

Thank you all for replying. Yes I am afraid I am not going to wake up, I am afraid of the pain as well. Maily because I had a friend who at 17 got a tummy tuck, lipo and breast agumentation and she died the next day from Pulmonary embolism. So I am sure that is where the fear stems from. My mom is coming to Utah from Alabama to stay with me about 3 weeks. Is there any tips you can give her when she is helping me? How long does it usually take to recover enough to go back to work. I work at Ancestry.com in the corp call center, so I am sitting a long time. How is eating afterwards? I am so new, I have researched for 5 years and finally got enough courage to call a surgeon. Dr. Simper in Salt Lake City. I went to the seminar already and loved him, so I do hope I am making a good choice. ....  I dont have a computer at home that is why I it took so long to reply... I am at work lol