thinking......

[darkangel 0]

Anxiety.... fear....stress.... all normal right?

but what if you keep asking yourself if you really want the band? ...... I want to be healthy...I want to loose weight... but because of the anxiety and fear every now and then I think...I don't want to do this! .... why should I have to go through surgery??? why me?

but, then I tell myself I need this to get healthy.... and live a healthy life for my family and I....

or...OR it is because in a way I don't mind my weight......my husabnd and daughter love me the way I am...... BUT I do care that my health is an issue.........

what were your thoughts days before your surgery??????

[btrieger 21]

My thoughts were, let's hurry up; get this over with and move onto the next phase.

Life is not a race and nobody is forcing you to have surgery or even lose weight. Don't do it until you are positive it is the right thing for you.

Good luck and you will be supported in what ever decision you make.

[Bell1138 1]

I am going to be honest with you I had the same thoughts, it got to the point that i said that I would no longer think about it and just go forward with the surgery. I hate that I let myself get to the point that I would need to do something so drastic like get Weight loss surgery. I am 5 weeks post-op and I still question my decision, I worry that something will go wrong with the band, and to be honest with you, this is not a quick fix. Having the band doesn't mean you are going to lose weight. I feel like I am just dieting, and I have to have a lot of willpower if not I will not lose. My advice is don't think that just because you get the band you will eventually be skinny, this weight loss surgery doesn't work like that. There are days when I just want this thing out of me.

[Humming Bird 275]

The band is working well for me and for many others, but only you can know if it is what you want for yourself.

There are several things that helped me make up my mind about getting banded. All the yo-yo dieting over the years, my own BMI (morbid), the fact that the band is adjustable, fewer complications with the band vs. bypass, other people I personally know that have had bypass and the band ...... the list goes on.

[liquidbluegal 0]

I was super excited and was counting down the days. I wanted to be healthy and I knew diet and exercise alone were not enough. I needed another tool.

I have had plenty of surgeries before so I wasn't nervous about this one. This was a life changing surgery, because I wanted to change my life.

I knew this surgery would help me be more active in my sons life. It meant I would be happy and healthy.

[jmunks2000 8]

Anxiety.... fear....stress.... all normal right?

but what if you keep asking yourself if you really want the band? ...... I want to be healthy...I want to loose weight... but because of the anxiety and fear every now and then I think...I don't want to do this! .... why should I have to go through surgery??? why me?

but, then I tell myself I need this to get healthy.... and live a healthy life for my family and I....

or...OR it is because in a way I don't mind my weight......my husabnd and daughter love me the way I am...... BUT I do care that my health is an issue.........

what were your thoughts days before your surgery??????

I felt the same way you do now. I even cancelled bypass twice over the last five years. I was banded on the 25th of February 2010, and I just keep thinking...I should have done this sooner. I have no regrets. Let her heart be your guide.

[Drasan 23]

I had those thoughts for months while I was investigating the band, even after I was approved and started the process.

I found peace with my decision when I took a good hard look at myself and my motives.

My health began to seriously decline as a result of my weight. I knew if I didn't do SOMETHING I was not going to live a full, healthy life.

I know that I have the strength to diet and lose weight. I've done it many times before. The problem is, I've never been able to keep the weight off which has been so discouraging. I believe the band will be the tool to help me finally accomplish maintenance.

It's not an easy process. It would be a mistake to think it is. But my research has shown me that the end should justify the means.

Best wishes finding your peace, whichever direction it takes you.

[rainbow_runner 1]

If you don't want to be asking yourself these same questions 20 or 30 years from now, then the answer is simple. How many people on this forum have said "if I'd only done this sooner"?? Probably close to all of them, especially those over 40 who have been obese all their lives (like me).

You've made a decision to have this life-altering surgery. Presumably you've done your homework. Time to stop doubting yourself and instead expend that energy thinking about how you are going to make it work for you.

[darkangel 0]

ALL good points......great advice.... thank gawd for this site!!!!!:frown:

... I will be getting my band on wednesday the 24 of march..... Oh and yes I'v done my homework...LOL..... 14 months of reading and asking and thinking..... I think Im just worried about everything and it makes a person doubt their decision........

Thank you all soo much!!!

.....everyone has their down days right???? there will be many more..... Im just going to have to keep on walkin forward!! :thumbup:

[dontgoggilme 0]

when my friend had her lapband surgery in sept of 08, i told her she was crazy. i was adamant that i would never do something so drastic just to lose weight. of course, i was supportive but there was no way i would even consider it. a year later, after seeing her go from size 18/20 to size 8/10 and become healthy and etc. i started rethinking my original thoughts on how i felt about wls. then i started researching and then i made my decision. i wanted it, too. i didn't really go back and forth about wanting it all that much until the day of surgery. i had to wait about four hours from the time i got to the hospital til the time they took me into surgery and all that time to think had me second guessing myself. i started to wonder if i was making the right decision and freaking out that i might die on the table. i got over that and had the surgery. now i worry that i will have bad complications or that it won't work for me or i'll have to get a revision. i'm always bad about second guessing everything in life though from the kind of car i buy to the color of my hair. i'm trying to just remind myself that, like someone else said, almost everyone who has had it says they would do it again or that they wish they had done it sooner. that says a lot. and look at all the success folks have had with it. i try to remind myself of these things and keep myself in the mindset that i've done it now and all that's left is to see the weight come off. and it already is!

[babsy 0]

You are so close now. Good luck with your surgery if you do go through with it - only your choice.

I think most people have doubts.

Even though I had made an educated decision to have this procedure, the morning of surgery I looked in the mirror, and thought "I look OK, I don't need surgery", cause I could already see the difference my pre-op diet had made.

Then I remembered all the diets I have started before, always determined to succeed. And here I am, my heaviest ever. I have averaged an increase of 1kg/year for 32 years. For me - time to stop. If I could do it myself, I wouldn't be wearing tight size 18 pants. Haha. I can lose weight, but I'm even better at putting it back on (and quicker).

Now I'm 2 and a half weeks post-op, losing 2lb a week, 2nd week back at work, no pain, eating mushies, not hungry, and wearing clothes that were too tight a few months ago. So happy. Already walking taller and liking the mirror 'cause I feel proud of myself.

[kll724 3,055]

Lets hear a big, "Amen" to what everyone said!

All of the above for me, too. I, also, knew someone who had it done. She was always a real big girl, and had gotten bigger with 2 pregnacies. Well, there she was a size 6 and holding. So, my daughter and I both decided, now is the time. She chickened out for a few months, I was 1st to have the surgery. Now, my fear is, will it stay off. I have been known to go on vac and gain 20 lbs, after 6 months of dieting.

Well, my vacation starts in May for a month long journey across the USA. I now have a good support system in my belt restriction and husband. With their support, I should be ok.

[BetsyB 9]

Your day is almost here! Good luck--you will do wonderfully! I know I haven't regretted the decision to go forward for even a split-second.

[HappyMom 1]

darkangel -

I am having the exact same thoughts that you are. I can lose weight easily...I have proved that over and over again over the last 20 years. But, I cannot keep it off to save my life. I guess that is what it comes down to for me....am I going to make a change to save my life.

I know that this is going to be a hard journey for me, especially when everyone else is pigging out on food all around me and I can't partake....but is that really good for me and is it really what I want for the rest of my life? I know that I am ready, but I am have a sense of loss of the comfort of volume eating. I am hoping that it will go away and gets replaced by something else more healthy in my life.

I really wish you luck on your surgery on the 24th...I am right behind you with surgery on the 25th!

[coloradobanding 5]

Everything you are thinking is completely normal! I was on teh other side of the spectrum and counting down the days until my surgery. On the operating table I was questioning, but I took a big deep breath and woke up with a band inside me

I don't regret the decision at all, and am SO HAPPY I finally did it!!

As a little side story, my best friend of all time was going to have WLS about 4 years ago. Went through all the hoops, got insurance approved to pay 100%, pre-op, etc. Literally, the day before surgery, her sister talked her out of it scaring her to death, so she cancelled. To her credit, she did take off a considerable amount of weight (about 45lbs) over the course of about 2 years. Fast forward to today. When she lost her weight, I didn't, in fact, I gained. I was always slimmer than her but was about 2 sizes bigger than her surgery day. Today I am 2+ sizes smaller than her and healthier than ever. She has regretted not taking advantage of the surgery at the time because now her insurance doesn't cover any portion of the surgery. She and I are very close but have always been ultra-competitive when it comes to weight (very similar in size for over 20 years). Although she would never say it, her eyes tell me how jealous she is even though she is thrilled at my results. She had the opportunity to be even smaller than I am now, but continues to struggle with her weight.

She has told me over and over that she wish she had just gone through with it, she would be at her goal weight long ago. As it stands now, after 4+ years of yo-yo dieting, she has lost a total of 30lbs and is still at least 50lbs over weight.