VSG Surgery 11/06/2018 and never been more scared!

Hi everyone! This is my first post!!! I have surgery in 10 days! I swear it does not feel real. I think I am still in denial or maybe I am on auto pilot. I have never been more scared in my life. I have had some major surgeries before. I've dealt with heart wrenching fertility issues and losses (children and my mom) and I still fear this surgery. I feel completely out of control. I feel like I won't be successful or that I will somehow sabotage myself. I am so scared of being nauseous all the time. I'm worried to never be able to eat normal again. I have a very supportive husband who is doing the 2 week liquid diet with me and a sweet 2 year old baby boy I'm trying to stick around for. I fear my staples will pop open. Honestly I can't get worst case scenario out of my mind. Any positive vibes??

You sound just like me. Every single one of your fears I had myself. My mind always goes to the extreme. I started reading some of the posts on here and kept foxusing on the positive. One of the best things I did was exactly what you did and that was post my fears on here so people who have been through this could give me words of encouragement.

Focus on your end game. You know why you're doing this. Just keep that in mind and everything will go great.

Sending positive vibes your way.

I know the feeling. I just got my date, and the fear, doubts, and worries are creeping in more than ever. Just remember why you are doing this, and that the success rate far, far exceeds any complication rate. I have found it helpful to just keep reminding myself of how dangerous it is to remain obese, and it seems to calm me a bit.

You have got this!!

It sounds like you may need to take a deep breath and step away from your research and preparation for surgery for a day or so. I had to do this when I became overwhelmed with information and my own thoughts. Do something nice for yourself, take your sweet baby boy for a long walk, something to take yourself away from it all for awhile. Come back to it with fresh eyes, make a list of all the things you want to do on your way to reaching your weight loss goal. Crossing your legs, fitting into booths at restaurants, flying without a seatbelt extender and playing with your child without being out of breath. You might sabotage yourself, but hopefully you have learned ways to pick yourself back up again. You might be nauseous, but they will provide medication to help you. You will be able to eat "normal" again, it's just a new kind of "normal", a healthier "normal." Your staples won't pop open:-) If you don't have a therapist, you might want to ask your surgical team for a referral. Keep coming back to OH, join one of the menu boards, it's a great place for information and support.

Thank you so so much. My husband and I decided last night I would post pone my surgery by two or three weeks. My husband is going to join me over the next few weeks in therapy. I do go weekly. I started about 16 weeks before I got a surgery date. I do just need to refocus.

Sounds like you have an amazing support system, especially your husband. Good luck over the next few weeks, please keep us posted on your new surgery date and how you are doing!

Stepping back for a couple of weeks seems very sensible. I had previously had many major surgeries. But I only had 2 weeks from consult to surgery so didn't have much time to focus on anything but the pre-op liquid diet.

That said, I was 65 last October when I had surgery; I had a minor complication (a second surgery required due to minor bleeding, and had 2 units of blood). I was still up walking around that evening, and there were NO staples, just those glue strips and I didn't feel like after c-sec where it felt like things would fall out, lol. I felt pretty good. Didn't need anything but tylenol for discomfort, and walking took care of the gas pain.

I was able to go home with only 2 days in the hospital, and had planned on 1. So truly, its not as bad as you were feeling it would be.

So glad your husband is in your corner! You'll do well when you're ready.

Girl, I can relate!! I struggled with all-of-this-too! Anxiety and anticipation is normal. If you feel like you are freaking out more than normal, step back, breathe, and refocus! It's so difficult, but keep your eye on the prize!!! The reason you are doing this!!

may I suggest... Make a vision board! I did, it helped me to stop freaking about the bad thoughts, and allowed all the good to pour out onto my board!!

Hugs! This group is wonderful!! I'm so glad I found it!! Mutual support is key. It really does take a village (even for us adults)

It's completely normal to be nervous about surgery! I wrote out notecards before my surgery with quotes like "you can do this", "this will get easier", "deep breathes", "it's ok that it's hard",

i then taped them in places I'd see a lot, mirror, fridge, doors. I need/like the reminders that this it's normal to be scared and a reminder that it will get better

I am so glad you decided to pursue more therapy. I think it's normal to have anxiety, especially with regards to surgery. But when (anything) becomes all consuming and it's the worse case scenario, you need help to tame those feelings and process them. I am a big fan of therapy.

I had the VSG on 10/2/18 and besides some normal pain around my incision where they pulled the stomach through, I have had minimal bad effects. The first two weeks were sore and cautious but now 4 weeks out, I feel great. I wish you the best!