Reading horror stories + an update

I had my psych eval today and it was super easy.  The psychiatrist started off by saying, "this is such a common surgery these days, I don't even know why psych evals are still required."  Heh.  He mainly asked about my mental health history (both my own and in my family) and simple things like that.  Nothing to have been worried about!  

I was also wondering - are you the sort of person *****ad a lot of horror stories prior to surgery?  Do you like to know what the worst case is or have you avoided the horror stories and kept to the success stories?  

If you do/did read horror stories, did any of them make you second guess your choice?  

I read the horror stories all the time. I want to be eyes wide open! And that's why it's taken me years to choose a surgery. 

The so-called horror stories are (a) a very small minority of cases and (b) generally related to people who didn't follow instructions both pre- and post-op.  Based on that, it was pretty easy to ignore them.

Also, not to downplay any surgery, but this is a fairly routine surgery (if there is anything that's routine about surgery).  Removing parts from people's bodies has been a fairly common occurrence for a long long time.  The "art" of a VSG is ensuring the new stomach acts like a stomach without creating future complications.  I had faith in my surgeon's ability as he came highly recommended, had a record of good outcomes and our meetings all went well.  I could tell he was the right guy for the job.

The only other area is the actual surgery center.  I had some knowledge of that situation beyond just showing up and hoping for the best.  I knew the staff was good and that I'd be well cared for.  Again, that made it easy to rest my mind in that area.

Never second guessed the decision once.  Always knew this was the path for me.

A psyche eval is to weed out those who have mental issues related to food other than overeating. That is to say, a history of anorexia or binge and purging, addiction and so on. After surgery, you will no longer have food to turn to for comfort, at least for a year or so. You must have other coping mechanisms in place. Transfer addictions are more common than people think.  Drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, spending..you name it, it's been done.  

Glad you passed your test. One more step towards surgery completed!

I never saw a lot of value in the horror stories.  There is such a low percentage of terrible complications.  With that said though, I read a ton on here to learn the nuances of the surgery and best practices.  The great thing about OH is that if post surgery something is freaking you out, you can post here and get feedback pretty darn fast.  No worries!

While there are a few so called "horror" stories with VSG patients, there are very few.  I liked to be informed as far as possible complications but don't dwell on them.  They are the exception.  I know the people who have lived through them really had problems and I don't want to belittle their situations but they are the exception and not the norm.  I would just make sure you have checked the history of your surgeon and if the record is good then don't worry about it. 

I'm someone who "likes" reading horror stories and this is one of the things that really reaffirms my choice of VSG - there are so few horror stories out there!  :)

Nope, I did a lot of research about VSG and the alternatives.  I read about statistics and expected results.  I am very pleased with my own results.  I wish health and happiness for you as well.