CoffeeAndMagazines

Oh man, Cowgirl Jane I can totally relate. I'm scheduled for January 12. A few months ago, I felt terror. Then I visualized and worked on things and got over a hump, putting my trust in my doctor's experience (Dr. Cirangle). I was feeling pretty good! Then a couple weeks ago, I got a batch of additional pre-op documents, including a lengthy informed consent doc. It itemizes ALL the things that could go wrong, and I had to wade through them yet again. Some info was new and scary. I started to worry. I had a panic attack a few days later. Then a couple days after that, my primary care doc asked at my pre-op physical, "So, to get macabre for a moment, do you have estate planning in place?" Wow, the blood just drained out of my face at that. And ever since I've been in full-on fear mode. Imagining horrible things. I have to get through the next !!!8 WEEKS!!! without killing myself with anxiety, fear, panic!! I would love to go to a support group where we all cheer each other on through the fear. The facts are that millions of people have surgery every day. My doctor has done this surgery more than 2,200 times. None of his patients have died. Very few have had complications. Most people's comments I've read are very positive -- they had a stellar experience with Dr. Cirangle, and many say they wish they'd had the surgery sooner. But if I have to remind myself of this multiple times a day for the next 8 weeks, I'm going to explode.

My surgery date is January 12. Yay! But now it's all real and I'm very nervous (read: petrified) of the surgery itself. I'm seeking counsel with a hypnotherapist who specializes in pre-surgery hypno. I'm an anxiety-ridden person as it is, and I need all the tools I can get to make sure I don't freak out before the surgery. I'll report back on the hypno thing in case anyone's interested in it. I'm so glad to have found this website where we can all talk and work stuff out. This surgery is a big ding-dang deal and scary, but it seems like a lot of people have done so well and that helps allay some of my fears. p.s. if you know of any Bay Area in-person support groups, let me know!

Thank you guys!! I can't even express how much I appreciate the support!! I definitely have that "alone" feeling, even though I've told a bunch of people. There's just no substitute for people who are going through the same thing! My biggest challenge at this point is the anxiety, which is actually great progress. I feel very confident and excited about "working the sleeve" and I'm ready to tackle all that head-on. I just need to keep working on my anxiety around the surgery itself (and post-op healing so I don't have complications). Acupuncture, hypno, mindfulness meditation... I'll get there. I'll get there! :-) Thank you again!

I'm paying $17,500 in San Francisco with Dr. Cirangle. (ouch)

Are you sure it's gas? I thought I was having gas attacks and recently found out it's gallbladder attacks. I have two large stones and need my gallbladder removed. Weight loss surgery can cause gallstones. And then eating fat can trigger a gallbladder attack. If you're not sure whether it's gas, tell your doc about your symptoms and ask for an upper abdominal ultrasound -- that'll suss it out. Hope that's of some possible help...