I'm Certain That Vsg Will Kill Me.

[kimmr 5]

I'm 4 days away from a band to VSG revision, so I'm sure I'm extra nervous, but I'm just convinced that VSG will be the death of me. I'm just hoping that it'll be in 40-50 years, and not 10-15 (I'm 31 now).

I don't know what to make of this. I'm just scared, I guess.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

I'm 4 days away from a band to VSG revision, so I'm sure I'm extra nervous, but I'm just convinced that VSG will be the death of me. I'm just hoping that it'll be in 40-50 years, and not 10-15 (I'm 31 now).

I don't know what to make of this. I'm just scared, I guess.

Hello kimmr...

I am a band to sleeve revision too. I'm still alive!! I'm also healthier than I've ever been in my life, smaller than I've been in 2 decades and best of all HAPPIER than I can ever remember being.

All the best to you in your journey.

[emily_0192010 168]

Google Hans Rueffert... he is a chef who had to have his entire stomach and part of his esophagus removed due to cancer... but seeing him thrive (and he's STILL a chef!) without any stomach was a big inspiration to me and remembering his story always reminds me that I can work my sleeve to the fullest. It also helped my nerves about long-term side effects or complications. I spent hours researching people who had this surgery or surgeries similar due to other reasons (ulcers, cancer, etc) and when I saw them doing well years and years and years down the road, it calmed my nerves.

I'm sorry that you are feeling so nervous and scared about this. Good luck, you'll do great!

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

So your afraid your gona die? You have had the band and you didn't die. So the probability of dyeing from the sleeve is extremely minimal. You would more likely die from a band due to the severe complications it poses. If we stop and think about it, there is no guarantee that we won't get hit by a car and die tomorrow without the surgery. So I voted for living my life to the fullest by becoming as healthy as I can today and also enjoying the benefits of being slim. Our fear stop us from doing so much in our lives that would make us happy. Please don't let your fear rule your life. The sleeve is a life saving tool that helps us become healthier, more confident, and looking really good. Remember, there's no guarantees in our lives so we have to make the best of it. You will do great and if you have been reading the posts on here, pretty much everyone has said that this procedure has saved their lives. These are true testimonies about the benefits of the sleeve. It is not easy, but worth the journey. It's a learning experience for us all. My sleeve has saved my life.

[VJSlim 156]

Awww dont worry. You'll do great! I agree with what Dorrie said - because, in my research before the surgery, I found that lap band seems to have an extremely high percentage of complications than any other WLS. You survived that! So I'm sure you'll do awesome with the sleeve and you're going to be one of the great VSG success stories

[nowatgoal 77]

I'm a pretty adventurous person - I take calculated risks because I want to live my life to the fullest. I grew up with an older brother whose motto to this day is "Take A Risk". He even has pins with that saying on them and he hands them out to everyone he meets. BUT, for some reason, a few days before my VSG surgery I became really overwhelmed with the idea that I was going to die on the operating table. I knew it was irrational because I had done so much research leading up to that point, but I couldn't shake the feeling. I kept thinking to myself that if I could just survive the surgery (in other words, just wake up from the anesthesia) that I could get through anything else that came along in recovery.

Now, 7 months later, I feel amazing. I KNOW that my life is more fulfilled because the weight is off. I no longer suffer from weight related health issues and I can once again imagine myself living a long life. THE SURGERY DIDN'T LEAD TO MY DEATH - IT LED TO MY LIFE!

[topgun 63]

Who wouldn't be nervous?? I am too and I'm 5 days pre-op. I went thru one of the earliest bypass operations in 1976 and it's still intact, it just didn't work as well as advertised. I am nervous about the upcoming procedure but, on the other and, I can't wait to jump up on the operating table and get on with my journey. Best of luck and keep us posted!

[kimmr 5]

Thanks everyone, I totally know what you're saying. I know what the risks are, and I know that the risks I took with the band were significantly higher than those I'm taking with the sleeve.

I'm a huge advocate of CORRECTLY calculated risks...I have issues with parents who freak out about allowing their child to play in a friend's house containing guns, but have no issues sending that kid to a friend's house that has a pool. Statistically, pools kill lots more kids than guns do. Or the same parents who freak out about the possibility of their kids being kidnapped walking to school, but then have no qualms about driving them to the mall. Statistically, your kid is much more likely to be injured when you drive them down the interstate at 80 mph than be kidnapped walking 8 blocks to school. I'm a fan of Freakonomics.

Anyway, my point is that, logically, I know I'm not being rational, but I can't help but acknowledge my emotional fears.

And to Sara...for some reason I'm the opposite of you. I'm sure I'll be fine through surgery, but I'm scared about something going wrong in 10 years and I don't get to see my kids grow up.

My husband's 24 year old sister is currently dying of ALS. I think this has lots to do with it. I have a very real example of someone leaving this world way to soon. Stuff like that makes you step back and think.

And before anyone suggests it, I've got a great counselor. I've been seeing him for over a year now (not just my bad band, but the previously mentioned situation, too), and he's been wonderful. I know it's perfectly reasonable to be scared at this point, but I can usually 'logic' my way out of it. For some reason, it's different this time around.

[mnbsleeve 87]

Hi Kimmr! I will be perfectly honest. My kids are in their mid 20's. If I had small children I don't know that I would consider the surgery. Not just for fear of death but also complications and becoming a burden on the family as I worked through. I would probably put my energy on healthy eating and excercise till they got older.

I really hesitate to write this because I have so much respect for the people who have made such difficult decisions to take care of themselves and I would never, ever judge them or not support them for a minute!!! I am just being honest about my own process. I passed up another important thing when my kids were very young when weighing the pros and cons honestly.

My point is that your feelings are legitimate and if you deep inside feel it's not time, then maybe it's not time yet. And no one would blame or judge you for honoring your thoughts and feelings about how you assess your personal situation. It's a tough decision with many real consequences and we have to be in it 100% -- especially as parents.

Good luck to you with all of this. I feel how hard it is!!!!

[kimmr 5]

@MNB...all good points, and I appreciate your honesty, but I've already been down that path. What about being happy and healthy for my kids' younger years? Why wait to take care of myself? That's what has motivated me the most through all of this.

Plus, I already made the band decision, it failed, I have to have it taken out anyway, and I do want to do something.

Bottom line is, I'm typing cause I'm scared, and the folks on this forum are so freakin' supportive.

Thanks everyone, truly.

[Amanda 3.0 140]

Hi kimmr,

You are just being normal. I think most people are at least a little frightened of this surgery. I know that I refused to think about it in the days leading up to surgery and then, when I got to the hospital, I freaked out! I knew surgery was the right thing to do, but it is also a huge (HUGE!) step, as you know.

The nurse gave me a few valium and knocked me out or I might have left the hospital before surgery. If you are not opposed to it, you might ask for something to calm your fears these last few days. Just an idea. It sure helped me!

Good luck, I am sure you will do great!

[Wheetsin 714]

We may be kindred spirits on the logic aspect of things. It may help you to know that this procedure has been around for a long time, just not specifically as a bariatric procedure. The majority of gastroectomies are still performed for treatment of gastric cancers.

Did you know surgeons have been doing gastroectomies since 1881? Well, technically they were done before then, but that was the first successful one.

And remember that you do not need a stomach to survive.

So what types of long term fears are you considering? Or is it more generic than that?

[kimmr 5]

You know what's funny, Wheetsin? I don't even know if I can put a finger on specific fears. Just that we'll discover that this surgery is completely horrific and I won't be able to continue living.

This just highlights how irrational my fears are.

[Wheetsin 714]

As a former banded person, maybe you have anxieties around taking a permanent step. When I see your concerns focusing on far future times, that's what it makes me think of - that this isn't something they can just go in and unclip.

We were all attracted to the band's adjustable/removable nature at some point in time, I'd guess.

"It's not about the weight I'm going to lose, it's about the weight I'm never going to have to lose again."

I'm not really a pep talk kind of person, but when I need perspective that's what I tell myself.

I'm 36 and doing this as a parent. I wasn't a parent when I had my band. That's a part of it for me, too. I have more at stake if something goes wrong. It's not just about me anymore.

[IowaAndy 95]

I think everyone is nervous as you are and as I was. I also thought that maybe I would not make it through the surgery but then I thought......well itf it is my time then it is my time. I do not think that any of us know when that time will come. I was 56 when I had surgery last year and I was at a point that I knew that if I did not do something soon that I would not be around in another 5 years.

I too was a band to a sleeve and you hear many stories. I think that you have a right to be nervous and scared but I think that once the day comes you will be so relieved to be on your way to a new life that all those fears will melt away. I know that it does help to talk about your fears. I know that after surgery you will have some pain and probably some nausea but this too shall pass. In no time at all you will wonder what all the fuss was about.

Just remember that slow and steady wins the game.