Questions! Please help

I had some questions since im still in the 'not sure' stage of weather I really want to go through with this. One is, im scared of surgery. I've never had it for any reason and ive never been under, sometimes im afraid ill go under and never wake up, so can you please share your experience of what it's like to go under the anestesia and wake up? I've heard some different stories on it, some people say it's like going to sleep and waking up, others say it's like you close your eyes and all of a sudden your opening them and it's over, and another said it's like being hypnotised, so please share what it was like for you. I'm a person that likes control and the loss of control scares me quite a bit.

Also I wanted to know what the psychological testing was like and what they look for? I happen to have a mental disorder and im wondering if this will automatically disqualify me and if maybe I should try to hide it...I don't want them to use that to say 'hey see she has issues and will fail it so we shouldn't approve it' kind of thing

Another question is, how many of you have had the sagging skin after a big weight loss? I'm scared of having a lot of sagging skin which I will never be able to pay for surgery to get it removed. Recently ive seen some horrific photos of horrible sagging skin on image search and im almost thinking if it's that bad, it would be better to stay fat maybe...

And my last question for now is, how expensive is the after care diet? I'm on SSI and have no other income so sometimes my food budget is extremely low. My husband also has SSI but even with our combined income sometimes we run out of food all the time, we even applied for food stamps and got denied saying our income was too high

Hey MsRobyn,

Most people are afraid of surgery, especially their first.  There are dangers involved but there are also dangers involved with being obese.  For me, it was a combination of going to sleep and waking up and close your eyes and open them, then its over.  It is not unpleasant at all!  Recovery, can be a little difficult, but only for a couple of days and pain meds cover that nicely.

You will be questioned on your mental stability, but from what I've seen, you not be disqualified for it unless, the professionals don't think you fully understand everything and are not prepared to follow all the rules.  

Sagging skin will depend on how long you have been obese, how much you have to lose, your age and your genetics.  I lost 100 lbs at 47 and although not perfect, I can pull off a bikini.  Check out those on the beach, there's always someone worse, lol.

Aftercare, was not a concern of mine,, having my surgery and post op care in Canada.  What I spend on vitamins is more than made up for with my lower grocery.

This was my experience, your mileage may vary!

All the best!

Anestesia was not a big deal, I got queasy after my first surgery so a friend told me to ask the anestesia doctor to give me everything in his bag of tricks to prevent it with my rny.  I had no problems, they say count backwards from 10 and before you reach one you are waking up in recovery.  There are no dreams or anything like that to remember, I dream a lot and always remember, I remembered nothing from being put under.  Recovery they handed me a pain pump and said pu**** off I went back to sleep.  I remember them moving me to my room, I could hear my boyfriends voice talking to his mom but I couldn't open my eyes.  Finally I opened my eyes and was alert and awake.  It really wan't diffecult at all.  I have had two rounds of plastics since then both equally easy and I HATE needles and anything to do with hospitals.  Seriously if I can bring myself to do this ANYONE can.

As for the psych test, its not to rule you out, its to help you out if you need it so you can be successful.  I have an anxiety disorder, it can be horrific at times, and I have learned to cope with it the best I can, I still take Xanax when needed.  Your doctors want to see you succeed and want you to get extra help if they think you need it so it won't be this huge shock when you cannot eat after surgery.  Some people really can't handle that part.  So be honest.

My skin was a mess afterwards, but I was MO from the time I was 20 to 40 and had stretch marks starting in 6th grade even when I wasn't overweight.  Youth and better skin will definately far better.  I had a friend who had wls before me, starting weight of 480, ending weight of 180 and she had better skin then I did and way less stretch marks.  She never got plastics.

The after care diet is one of healthy protein rich foods, switch to it now so you can see what you would spend and what it is like.  You need to retrain your brain to eat to feed your body and not because you are bored or upset or whatever else makes us indulge.  I know I was the Queen of Ben & Jerrys, I had to admit it was all making me sick and to force myself to always say no.  This isn't easy, success means work, you have to be willing to do your part.  Too many people come back crying the surgery didn't work, when in reality they started eating as they had before they had surgery, that is guaranteed failure for sure.

Good Luck!

 Heidi is speaking the truth, and since you like to be in control, stick around and learn all you can.  Knowledge is power, and the more you know, the more you feel in control.

 Learn about the 4 main procedures (RNY, LapBand, VSG and DS).  They are all represented here and on their own respective boards if you look under surgical procedure specific boards up above.  You can see what they're asking, sharing, and complaining about.  Know how they work, and then compare them to your own physiology and weight history to determine what makes sense to you, because wls is NOT one-size-fits-all.  Once you've selected a procedure - then you find a doc who performs it.  There are very few docs who do all of the procedures.