JerseyJules

Well here goes...I literally backed out of Gastric sleeve surgery last minute and I feel like a looser having failed myself yet again..I was sitting there waiting for surgery for hours and hours all hooked up to the IV and within 1/2 hour before surgery I backed out. I guess Im not mentally ready for it and couldn't bring myself to justify cutting half my stomach out on an otherwise healthy body. Im 295 right now, but have always been very active and have no real health issues other than a genetic blood thing that would pre dispose me to clotting. Im just afraid to do the gastric sleeve, and was wondering if the lap band was a viable option for me at this time. I havent explored enough mentally and figured out why I should permanently remove a part of me to lose weight, and see the lap band as a good alternative. What are the long term success rates with the band and how well does it actually work?

I agree it has to be a complete lifestyle change and you have to really educate yourself on the effects of foods on your body. What I really have been looking at is the effects of sugars on your body and metabolism...Its really impossible to metabolize fat while ingesting sugars in your diet. And it doesnt matter if its natural sugars from fruit, its what your body uses as a primary fuel source, you need to trick your body into using your fat storage for its supplemental fuel source. This combined with calorie restriction is the only way to do it, until you get to your goal weight. Once you achieve a healthy weight, you can increase caloric consumption to a maintenance level, and start adding back in different foods and some occasional sugars. For me sugars were my #1 downfall, hands down....

Just figured I would throw it out there but im down from 307 to 286 on my own with no surgery by simply eliminating Caffeine, sugar and starches ,bread and Pasta. Im not completely taking surgery off the table in the future, but as of right now Im gonna see how far I can get on my own. I have been filling up on Proteins and veggies and taking in less that 1500 calories a day. And let me tell you, Im not really hungry and have no cravings lately. Once I eliminated the sugars and hidden sugar, I feel so much better. The inflammation in my legs is gone and my energy level is more stable. I walk the dog twice a day totaling 4 miles, since I cant go to the gym yet due to my shoulder. I also started doing Vitamin B-12 MIC injections which is supposed to help your body metabolize fats within the liver..Wish me luck this time. I think being minutes from someone cutting half my stomach out was like a "scared straight" program for a fat dude..LOL... I never want to feel so helpless again in my life.

Im meeting with my surgeon on Thursday and putting myself on the schedule for the Lap Band, but for 2 months from now, this way I have time to think about it, but the insurance stuff is all approved If I decide I want to back out, I can do it within the 2 months. I honestly believe I just need a little help to get this going but dont think Im ready for the Sleeve, but i do need a little help..

Well they left me sitting there for 4 hours in the pre-op...Thats enough time for anyone to second guess themselves and run out even if you were "all in"...

Well if they had not left me sitting there for 4 hours perhaps I would have went through with it. The time i sat there thinking I second guessed myself..Im gonna slow down take a step back and see if WLS is an option for me in the future.

My doctor told me he couldnt give me anything until I was being monitored in the OR. I guess each doctor has different policies.

Men with bellies are better lovers, proven fact...The extra fat gives the extra energy reserves...

Who is your physician? I can not see them agreeing to do the procedure when you have clinically diagnosed anxiety. That issue NEEDS to be addressed cause trust me, I do not have anxiety and being there waiting was the most stressful thing in my entire life..I developed anxiety waiting there. You will need to be heavily pre medicated IMO, but Im not a doctor...Im 100% ok with getting surgeries, and I was terrified of this..Talk to your doctor seriously..Cause they cant give you any drugs to knock you out until your in the OR being monitored..

Actually I found his post quite smug and arrogant, kind of a quit whining that I didnt get it, and he is better than me cause he got it post..at least that's how I interpreted it. Also what were your reasons? Just curious to hear what drives certain people to take the plunge..

What to do look like now? Any after pics?

Here is the creepy part to my story...I was going to wear a hooded sweatshirt that advertises my friends business the day of surgery, but decided against it for some reason I cant explain.. Later that day after I backed out, that same friend explained to me that he didnt want to say anything to me, but his mother had WLS and was back in the hospital 2 weeks later and put in the ICU for one month. She was home 2 weeks from the ICU and passed away due to complications caused by the surgery. I really wish he would have told me before I almost did it at the time.. I really need to try one more time on my own and here is why..I was sitting there waiting for surgery across from a very large woman who was waiting also for surgery. she barely walked in on her own and looked very unhealthy. At that moment I asked myself, "AM I REALLY AT THE SAME POINT SHE IS? DO I REALLY HAVE ZERO OPTIONS LEFT?" To me at the time the risks of surgery did not outweigh my current state of health.. I walked in on my own, I can still run and do all sorts of stuff, I can still make love to my wife (and very well I might add..lol), I can still care for myself and my kids..I have not reached a point in my life where I was ready to quit on myself. I was not defeated like that poor woman looked. I understand the WLS is a tool to help, but I really need to make 100% sure its the right and only tool for me...I have shelved the idea of WLS totally for at least a few months. I want to see where I can get myself on my own with the tools I already have.. Thank you all for your caring support, as I said before, you guys are the best people on the internet..

I think Im giving myself one more shot to do it naturally and gonna try and change my lifestyle back to when before I had a family. Im not stranger to the gym, so that part is easy. My biggest downfall is SUGAR...I LOVE SWEETS!!! So recently i have started an under 1800 calorie a day eating plan and have eliminated caffeine and sugar from my diet as well as breads and pastas. The inflammation has gone down already and I feel much better. The past 3 days I have barely hit 1200 calories and actually feel full cause i have been filling up on good calories and eliminated late night Snacks..Also I am getting some behavioral counseling for my eating habits cause my eating has been one bad habit. I have to try one last time and have to absolutely know that surgery is MY ONLY OPTION LEFT.. I have to believe in myself I just have to.

As the title says, what do I expect immediately after waking up after surgery? What will I feel in my abdomen? What will it feel like to drink liquids when I wake up? What should I expect? I'm less than a week out now..

I actually backed out of surgery last minute..Im not mentally ready for this.

I have to disagree that the bands dont work. Just like the sleeve they are only a tool. If you combine a tool with your other tools they will work together. WLS regardless of type is only as successful with compliance. Right now I want to work on compliance so if and when I decide on WLS its only another tool added and not a literal shock to my system..

I completely agree..

But the lap band can be reversed if your not dealing with it well. The sleeve is a one and done deal. There is no going back if you have complications. Im just so afraid about the sleeve option for me where I think I would feel more comfortable just knowing I can go back if I choose to. Also I would assume the complications for the lap band are far less worse than the complications from the sleeve. Im guess temporary was a bad choice of words, but "reversible" is what I should have said.

This is probably the most compassionate and understanding group of people I have ever seen on any internet forum..Perhaps its all the abuse we have taken most of our lives for being overweight..Thank you everyone for your words and advice, it means a lot to me, it really does. Im going back to see my surgeon next Thursday , firstly to apologize for wasting his time, and secondly to discuss the Lap bands as a less permanent option for me. The whole permanent part of the surgery is too much for me. At least with the lap band if my life is miserable and I regret it, i can undo it.. I think with my weight loss goals Im more of a lap band candidate anyway..

Thank you everyone for the advice. I concluded that I need to beat the mental thing first and comply with a healthy lifestyle first. I went into the gastric sleeve option living it up to the last moment and was in no way ready mentally to comply with the program. However, the feeling of helplessness laying there waiting to have someone cut me open, was a real eye opener. I said to myself, "has my life really come to this?" I felt helpless and weak and defeated at that moment. I felt I need to take control of my life and take it back and by NOT doing the surgery, I felt in control for once in my life!! I made the choice to pull the plug, no one else..I did. And it felt good to back out and give myself another chance and not give up on myself. It was sort of like a scared straight program for overeating actually, where I really didnt want to be in that situation and realized I had the power to control it and I need to give it just one more shot before I give up. Cause if i cant comply now, I certainly will do worse to myself not complying after the surgery.

I can tell you for me it is about 30% physical and 70% mental when I eat. I eat when Im not even hungry just to fill a void..Im in behavioral counseling to determine what that void is how to stop it..I can tell you one thing, from Clear liquids all day Sunday to virtually no food on Monday till Monday around 5:30 pm after I backed out and got home, my body feels better. I was able to move my shoulder in therapy today a lot better and my feet dont hurt as much, a ton of the inflammation is gone just from that one day cleanse. I started eating clean again today and am determined to do something for myself for once. Once i get this mental thing figured out, if Im still a candidate for surgery then I shall revisit. Right now Im going to use the threat of surgery as my motivating factor to get down in weight to a reasonable weight and prolong my life and quality of life..

I think I just rushed the whole process and didnt really 100% think it through.. Like I said in another posting to be mentally on board means 100%, not 50% or even 90%...It has to be the full 100% and for me I need the following: 1) I need to know I absolutely can not do this on my own 2)I need to know that surgery is the ONLY option..Period..

I also was considering the lap band originally. The thing that made me back out the most was the whole "permanency" of the whole process...I just could not bring myself to go through with it. Im going back to him next week to discuss what happened and discuss the band as an option that psychologically might help me better. I think i rushed the process and when it was time to pay the piper, I got cold feet..I need to be 100% on board mentally to do something like this, I was 50% on board..I need to know for myself that: A-I absolutely can not do it on my own. B- surgery is my only option..

I feel as it I failed myself yet again. I cant believe I backed out last minute like a big sissy...I know deep down inside I probably need this but I just cant grasp that mentally and bring myself to do it..

Waking up today, I cant believe I backed out and am back to trying to lose weight on my own again..I feel insane cause the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over again and expecting different results... Like I said, I failed myself again..Im having non buyers remorse now..