where do you get the courage?

Even if WLS is for me, and VSG is the specific surgery that is best, and I have dug up the money to pay for it, and I have found a surgeon I trust....how the heck do I get up the courage to make the appointment?  it's surgery for heaven's sake, I am scared to death of it!  How did you-all do it?

I was more afraid of dying than surgery and the weight was killing me.....it was a no brainer to me once i got past the mentality of being too proud to have wls and past the mentality that I could do it alone....It was obvious i couldnt do it alone at 371lbs......Once i found that center in myself then it was exciting and not scary .....and xanax is awesome stuff!!!

I'm more scared of NOT having the surgery- pain fades- fat lasts forever

im scared too dont feel bad just pray!!!

I second Noel. I knew for certain I was facing a long, miserable life of debilitating illness and injury. Year after year I realized my aches were more pronounced, my sleeplessness greater, the lack of playfulness in my life was gone gone gone.  Is that what I wanted to be for my kids or me? No. I had to finally love myself enough to acknowledge that I didn't want that and the VSG was what was going to help me fix me. MC

There are 2 types of motivation:  positive and negative.  For me it was negative.  I have a 37 year old brother who got up to 420 lbs.  He had a heart attack so big that they were discussing calling the time of death when they decided to shock him one last time.  Now, he has an internal pump with external wires for batteries and one of those heart shocker thingies if he gets out of line.  He's near the top of the heart transplant list for his region of the country.  That was all I needed to make my final decision.                                                     Fear of dying > Fear of surgery!

WLS is less risky then driving a car..... yet we get in a car everyday. Just think of it as another ride to the mall. Okay.... easier said then done. The thought of recovery can be daunting but you have to convince yourself it's tempoary. Keep reading everyones post and keep looking at the before and after pictures. Good luck in your decision.

 

Well, I think I got a lot of my courage by reading other folks posts on OH.  I figured if they can do it, and have the successes they are describing, I should be able to do it too.

And, as mentioned above, the alternative is to watch my co-morbids get worse and worse until I am no longer a surgical candidate.

I think that once you commit to a decision, the fear abates, and you reach a sort of peace with your inner being.  Not to say you won't question yourself if you read about somone elses complications, but the odds are way in your favor with surgery, and somewhat against you if you don't get it done.

Am I making sense?  Or just confusing you?

Fred

I haven't said this before because many folks have suffered and had difficult recoveries, but mine has been uneventful.  I had about 5 minutes of anxiety when they whelled me into the OR.  Maybe 1 day of pain and 2 days of gas pain while the air from the surgery passed out of my system.  I am three weeks post op tomorrow.  The scars are completely healed and I don't have any problem eating at the mushies state.  Conversely, before the surgery and the pre-op testiing I spent every day wondering if today would be the day I die!  I had high BP, high blood sugar and a high rate of cancer in my family. TODAY i LIVE.

p.s. 16 pounds gone

God Bless YOU!

 

Debbie

     It really is healthy to have a bit of fear.. "EVERYONE DOES"    ... "In one way or another".. "You have a Problem", As we ALL do on this forum,  and in our individual cases,.. This was our ONLY CHANCE, for a better,.. more healthy shot at life. Only "YOU" can choose if this is worth it. "Just look at All the SUCSESS stories within this forum". You would be hard pressed... to find anyone of us that regrets our choice, for this surgery. It's time to slip on your Big Kid undies... and as they say.."Poop... or get off the pottie !" What do you fear More.....Continuing the way you are now, and slowly but surely getting Worse??? Or making the descision,.... To change your life for the better. It's all up to you....