A very serious question

Okay this might sound a little crazy but I really need to know this. Can anyone tell me if they had second thoughts about surgery. See I am so close on getting a surgery date. And all off a sudden I hear people telling me all this scary stories about people they know that had the surgery and things did not go as planned. Or people saying o I hear a lot of people die from this surgery. As it is I am very anxious and nervous already please I need your opinions and sorry so long. I just cant believe how bad I wanted to have surgery for the past months and now I am so confused PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The day before surgery I started having doubts.  When I woke up fully from surgery I was thinking "what the hell have I done?".  Now, 10 weeks out................ I'm so happy I could bust!  I'm glad I did this.  Is it easy?  Hell no.  Is it hard work?  You betcha.  Do I deserve it?  You got it!  Right now I have lost 68# and am doing wonderful!

My Type 2 diabetes is gone.  My blood pressure is normal.  My cholesterol is perfect.  I no longer snore so loud my hubby has to sleep in the next room.  My sleep apnea is gone.  I sleep so soundly and restfully I feel great.  My knees, hips and feet don't hurt.  My hands are doing great! 

My gallbladder has gone south, but what the heck.  Who needs a gallbladder after WLS?  I have so much energy now it's crazy.  I have to stop and think about meals and what I want to eat.  Can I still go out to dinner - yes!  I make wiser choices. 

Thanksgiving is coming up.  Ya wanna know what I've learned?  It's all abou the F worrd.  Not food but FAMILY!!  True, food may be a central part, but it's not what it's all about.  I can eat my tiny bits and still enjoy my full serving of FAMILY!  I will be around longer to enjoy them.

Would I do this again???  In a heartbeat!  Do I wish I had done this 5 years ago when my friend tried to talk me into it?  You betcha. 

I LOVE MY WLS!!!  This tool Rocks!  But, remember, YOU have to control what you eat.  You have to make this tool work.  You have to make excellent choices.  YOU are in charge of your life - not the food you eat!

Take back control!  Remember to LIVE!  Enjoy Life.

The Incredible Shrinking MoMo (As my hubby calls me)

Ok in my bluntness, do not listen to those uninformed and ignorant ones.  The statistics are one in 500 people.  THat is why your dr puts you thru all the tests that they do,.  You know you do not hear people talk about the person who goes in for a routine knee replacement, gall bladder or heart surgery and hear all this.  Well, guess what it happens with those too.  Actually the risks are less with bypass.  I know that I had my thoughts, when I had my surgery the stats were 1 in 200.  So thats all I can tell you
Liz

I a tell you if I was not scared to have sugery or you were not...I would say we all need our heads examined. This is a huge step in your life and there is no turning back. I am nearly 6 and half years out and I would not have changed a thing even though I thought like Maureen as to what and the hell have I done waking up from surgery.

When you get yourself on the losing side....you are going to say to yourself....now why didn't I do this sooner!

Don't listen to all the negatives people are telling you...people are scared too and they are scared of you changing. And yeah baby you are going to change for the good!

This is all normal, everyone has these feelings at some point. Do you know what that means? That means that you KNOW its a life changing surgery.

If you have been doing you "homework" hear on the boards and reading profiles, you know most of feel that way at some point along the road. The day after my surgery, some idiot (who also had the surgery) called me in the hospital to tell me "so & so just died and she had her surgary yesterday also." Yap you bet I started freaking out. What kind of jerk would call someone and tell them someone just dead. There all kinds out there.

But Since this the site for WLS, when was the last time you heard of a death? I have not heard of one in a long time. What does that tell you?

But on the other hand, if you are not ready, you are not ready, You don't have a date yet, so that might change when you get one, but make sure you are ready, THIS IS A LIFE CHANGING surgary.

Best of luck

I first considered having WLS about five years ago, but having heard stories like you, I decided it wasn't worth the risk.  The stories were always about a "friend of a friend" or "the wife of a guy my brother works with," but they were enough to scare me off.  Then I became friends with two people who had actually had the surgery, and I was able to see first-hand what a difference it had made in their lives.  I started actually researching WLS, and learned that the scary stories are very rare exceptions to the success most WLS patients experience. 

Yes, there are risks, but for me the risks of staying obese were even greater.  Once I made up my mind to have the surgery (after thorough research, and meeting many more people who had done it), I never looked back.  Even on the morning of surgery, I was excited about my new beginning, not scared or nervous. 

My only regret is that I dismissed the idea five years ago based on scare stories rather than researching it then!

I thought of WLS for years before I had it done.  I had it done because it was the last straw for me.  I could not loose on my own period.  I did many times but the weight only came back plus some.  I had to weigh the risks for me vs the benifits to me.  I went into this surgery thinking I would not come out of it alive.  I prepared to not survive it.  I made out my will and let everyone I care about what I wanted done with my body and my things.  I said my goodbyes to each and everyone I loved, because in my heart I knew I was not going to make it.  I obviously did make it and to tell you the truth, the day I gave myself to die was the day I started living my life.  From that moment I started to take care of me.  I have a long road ahead of me and yes I have to work at it, but this surgery gave me life.  I now can play with my kids without getting winded.  Last we this fat girl actually ran across the parking lot of the costco pushing my kids in the grocery cart.  I climbed a mountain 3 weeks ago, and I jumped on a trampoline for the first time in my life.  I can do anything I want to do.  I can fit in a chair anywhere now, I can fit in a booth.  People notice me now and the did not before.  Was I scared you betcha.  I think I did die the day of surgery and this new woman (ME) was brought to life through that death.  I thank God I made the choice to have this surgery.  I have not looked back since.  YOu have to come to your terms to have this surgery be successful.  For me it gave me life, you and you alone decide if the cost is worth it to you.  You will be in my prayers.

Rhonda

 When I desided to have the WLS, I told myself it was ment to be then I would feel it deep inside me. I woke up on March 6th,08 and made "the call", Dr Owens office sent me the papers in 2 days. I faxed it all back and in 3 hours they called and said that I met the requirments of my insurance. With in 2 weeks I had seen my doc had my labs and my " head examined" By March 28th the insurance said OK. Surgery was April 11th. I knew that everything was going to be OK. Everything just fell into place so perfectly. The thing that gave me so much peace within myself was signs from above that my mother was watching over me. Every place we stopped that morning on that long drive from Victorville to San Diego(for theWLS) I saw purple iris' . Even in the examination room in the Docs office, a beautiful purple iris painting. My mothere LOVED everything but Purple Iris was her favorite. I can not explain how it made me feel inside, but I can tell you, I had no fear or second thoughts, just peace.

Take a quiet moment and let your mind rest. You will find your answer deep within yourself, if the WLS is ment to be.
GOOD LUCK..............................................Laura

Hi hun, it's normal to have second, third, even fourth thoughts about having this surgery. Don't focus on the negative things people "hear" about this surgery. The fact is, less than 1% of people having WLS die from it. Focus on the positive things you've heard, from people who've had the surgery. Just take a deep breath and relax. We're here for you. xoxoxo

I spent the entire month between getting a date and having surgery freaking out.

However, I never listen to people who want to tell stories about how they know someone who knew someone who.... Most of the time these stories are at least third hand, if not more distorted, and are about people who had the surgery in the dark ages or had the surgery and didn't follow the rules.

WLS is like having a baby in some ways. When you are pregnant people really get off on telling you stories about horrible pregnancies that led to horrible outcomes, but most people get through it just fine.

My freakouts were more about fears of the unknown and about how permanent this surgery is. I suspect that at least half the people who freak out before surgery about dying are really freaking about the unknown and it just crystalizes for them around the "people die" stories.

The other thing to keep in mind is that you probably did a lot of research and soul-searching before coming to the decision. Remind yourself of the thought processes you went through. Let your head be in charge of this one, not your heart. Your heart is a big fraidy-cat but your head is smart!

Some people make a pros and cons list too and find that very helpful. Do pros and cons of having the surgery and pros and cons of not having it. When I did that is when it became clear that all my arguments against WLS were fear-based. Once I realized what was driving the negative thoughts, it was a lot easier to ignore them.