Scared to death!!

I am scared out of my mind! I have fought my insurance company for over two years to get this surgery and now that I am near my surgery date 3/18, I find myself getting more and more scared. I mean I know I MUST have this surgery, I have severe sleep apnea, high bp, aches and pains and my BMI is astronomical!! I am not big on pain...but then again who is??? I am just worried that I will be the one in a million that will have a problem. I am realistic that I will not ever look like a supermodel...but I worry that I will have even more of a body complex issue after surgery due to the skin.

Anyone else have these concerns? Please help!

I had my surgery 3 weeks ago tomorrow...

I understand the fear... although I personally was excited since my fiance had his surgery 5 months before me and did amazing.

... but I have to ask you to reread your post... if you are severely overweight enough to have such health issues... than surely there already are body issues there as well.

As I've read before... I'd rather be healthy at a healthy weight and able to move and enjoy my life with extra skin... than stuck in pain and unable to move with health issues and at min 100 lbs of extra fat.

I'm not trying to be mean... your feelings are normal... but deal with the other issues as they come... with therapy or plastics or whatever you need... right now it sounds like you need the surgery to potentially extend your life and definitely increase the enjoyment you can get out of it.

As for pain.. tell them when you have it... tell them what meds they are giving you work... and which ones don't.

Best of luck to you... I wish you a complication free procedure and a speedy recovery :)

KAT

You know how it is...you know one thing...but then those demons start creeping in...lol.  I have my mind made up...I absolutely can do this, and you are so right...I will be able to live life..not jus****ch it go on around me. Thanks for your kind words. I just wanted to get an opinion of someone who has been where I am and use that to help me get to where I am going. Thanks so much. Best wishes.

It's totally normal to be afraid. You're making a major lifestyle change and sometimes it can feel overwhelming.

You may be bothered by the excess skin and you may not. I get self-conscious about it sometimes, but then I remember what used to be there and see it as a reminder of how far I've come along this journey. Okay, so I have a droopy belly and no boobs, but I'm not winded going up the stairs, I walked all over Prague and Berlin this summer, I've jumped out of a plane, gone on amusement park rides without fear that I wouldn't fit in the seat, shamelessly worn a two piece bathing suit, and done so much else that would have felt impossible when I was obese. For me, the positive has always outweighed (no pun intended) the negative and I wouldn't change a thing.

And hey, if there are some issues that arise following surgery, it's always okay to talk to a therapist or visit a support group. You can find good, healthy influences to make this transition as smooth as possible. Come talk to us here on the boards when things come up; that's what this is here for: community.

You can do it!!!

Thank you. I know I have the strength to do this. I have a great support system. I have been married 24 years to the love of my life and I have 3 grown sons...grandchildren cannot be that far off. I want to be able to run and jump and be the grandma they need....not one stuck in a prison made of fat.

I appreciate your kindness. I can't wait to ride that rollercoaster

I had my surgery on 1/28 and I was sooooo scared--but---was determined to help myself. Think about it all our life we have been unsuccessful with weight loss. We have watched others lose and keep it off. We have had to look our loved ones in the eye knowing we have failed once again. We do not want to expose our fragile selves again just to disappoint our selves once again. This (in my opinion) is your fears and rightly so. Acknowledge them, stuff them in a ziplock bag and put them in the freezer. Then when you have the fears come up take the bag out of the freezer and acknowledge them, zip them back up and put them away again. This is what I do and it works for me. Ihave the same fear that I will be the one in a million also, just remember that this is your past failures speaking, but guess what--you and I have finally found the answer!!!!!! Gastric bypass. This is now our turn to succeed.

Thank you for your support! I know exactly what you mean... I am determined to succeed. This surgery will be the blessing that I need to help me do just that. I pray for not only my success but other that are on this journey as well.

Best wishes, and thanks again for your kindness. :)

Of course it's scary. But if your BMI truly is "astronomical", you KNOW health problems are only going to get worse. Think of it this way---this is a planned-for surgery, where the surgeon works on morbidly obese people all the time. You're getting all sorts of pre-op tests to make sure you're as physically ready for surgery as possible. Which is more likely? That you'll have complications from this well-thought-out surgery, or that you'll have to have some sort of emergency surgery, done by a surgeon who rarely treats the MO?

Just be certain that you've researched all four surgery types and are choosing the one that's the very best for you.

Yes ma'am, my surgeon and I have weighed my options and RNY seems to be the best fit for me. I am just a nervous...I trust my doctors and I know that I cannot continue to live as I am. My future depends on this surgery. Pray for me, as I will be praying for all of us.

Thanks for your support. : )