Really scared, nervous and feel like chickening out

[sidmoe 4]

Hi everyone,

I am on my liquid pre op diet and keep thinking about the gastric sleeve. I think and read a lot about it and love the positive sides that i will be a fitter person but then get stuck up on the negatives like -

1. What if I have complications like leaks

2. What happens if I develop issues like acidity, GERD, infections, clots etc.

3. What if i don't make it out of the procedure and it becomes a fatality.

4. What if i can't handle the pressures and stress of working in a high stress environment (I am a consultant working in a top accounting firm)

I am a 34 year old Indian guy with a young infant at home & am 290 lbs. I want to be fit to enjoy life, see my son grow and play with him in the yard without huffing and puffing and most of all fit into smaller size clothes.

My nervousness is causing me to have a weird feeling around my tummy or maybe its the pre op liquid diet. Eitherways i need help and support from you all....please advice and encourage me to take my first step in the right direction instead of chickening out

[casper_808 44]

Do the positives out way the negatives? That's what I keep asking myself. Stress can cause corresponding pains / aches.

I'm nervous too, but to remain the same unable to run, and keep up with the little ones, in my case my nieces ( I suffer from infertility, from PCOS) and you could potentially get diabetes, suffer a heart art k or worse.

The odds of death or complications are minimal. The odds of the other comorbidities are greater.

Maybe you can also talk to your surgeon to help you decide.

Do you have a date yet? Mine is September 14, next Monday. I'm nervous too. I thinks it's natural.

[Folly 308]

I was checked for leaks before discharge from the hospital. I believe this is S.O.P. so you won't have to worry unless you overeat until you hurt yourself - you have total control over this happening or not happening.

If you develop GERD then you might have to take an antacid, maybe even daily. GERD is extremely manageable so how big a deal is adding a capsule or tablet to deal with it going to impact your life?

Statistically, at your weight, the chances of not making it out are so low that I couldn't find stats on it. (The procedure overall yes - but it seems most of the *VERY FEW* overall fatalities during surgery were among those with a BMI over 75.)

WLS doesn't cure obesity or food issues. You can choose healthier ways to manage your stress than putting more or the wrong food in your mouth. Before you have surgery you can start putting a plan in place to help you learn alternate ways of dealing with life.

Hope that helps.*HUGS*

[MzB 297]

Nerves are natural for all of us I think. I had all those same questions/concerns. Just remember this is your journey and you need to be comfortable with your decision. I just needed to talk to a few friends who had the surgery and they helped ease my fears. Good luck with your journey. .

[sidmoe 4]

Thanks for the replies folks...

I am scheduled for the 11 or the 12 of September. I will find out today evening as to when it will really happen.

I really appreciate your support and hope that all goes well on the day.

I guess I just have to keep focusing on the positives and speaking to my Doctor as I get closer to the surgery.

[Jefferyc79 103]

Hey there Buddy! I think it's pretty normal to have all the thoughts that you're having as this is a major surgery and change for our lives. You should really search around on this board and try and read as much stuff as you can. I was having the same thoughts as you as I've been in my process for about 3 years trying to decide if I really want to have this surgery. Let me tell you my friend- This will probably be the biggest and best thing we all will ever do. I have other issues that started that made my decision a no-brainer. I have high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and I'm borderline type II diabetic. I don't know about you but all of those are things that can kill you. I'm not trying to go out like that. I'm getting this surgery mainly due to my health issues. Being smaller would be great although that's not my main goal. I'm bigger than you at this point. I'm 5'8 and I'm now at 325 but I started out at 342. Trust me when I say this, rid yourself of all the things that hold you back because of your weight. Yes, there are risks but try and focus on the reward! We're all here to help. Stay on the site and let us all help you get to where you wanna be!

[twinhappy 79]

I thought about all those same issues. I just had to stop over thinking the process and just go with the flow. Take it one step at a time and don't think too much about what you will have to do months from now. Just know that the outcome is soooo worth the trouble you go through in the beginning of the process. You will not regret this decision. The hardest part of the whole process is in the pre-surgery stage through about 6 weeks out. Remember to tell yourself that each day you get through is a day towards feeling AWESOME! Good Luck :-)

[livvsmum 2,369]

I think it's definitely normal to have these "what if" thoughts before surgery, especially as the date nears and it becomes more "real". Early on in the pre-op process I wrote a "surgery bucket list" on my blog. It was basically a list of things I wanted to do (most of them with and for my kids) after surgery and basically reasons I wanted to have it. Whenever I had these "what if" feelings pop up, I would go back to that blog post/list and remind myself of why I wanted to do it. For me, it was ultimately about increasing the possibility of living a long, long life with my husband and kids. So about 2 weeks out from surgery when I had a total freak out and meltdown about the surgery, losing my emotional-eating coping mechanism, etc I went back to the list one last time and reminded myself of all the reasons why I made the decision to have surgery. Since the first couple weeks post op I have never once regretted it. Not one time. The first couple weeks were hard....I"m not gonna lie....but it was more emotional than anything for me. Since I got through that, there have been no regrets. Good luck to you on your journey!

[Nomorethickchick 13]

I am scheduled for 9/17 and I am feeling like chickening out too. I am so concerned about GERD and esophogeal dilation and nausea and Vitamin deficiencies. Losing my beautiful hair which is so healthy and also, looking gaunt- sickly- and not well- after this is all said and done. It's easy to say- hey you're on a death march - if you've got over 100 lbs to lose. I don't, I have about 65 lbs to lose. Still not a small number- and I have never been successful at it. But going through this with a 35BMI and sleep apnea- it can get crazy anxiety weighing the postives and negatives. Postives, should it work, are really encouraging. I just need to hear from other people- who haven't had complications. It looks like when I read the internet, that EVERYBODY has complications. GERD can lead to another surgery. OR a doctor might want to convert to a gastric bypass to fix it. I am only 65lbs overweight what if that becomes my only option? These thoughts are insidious- and are filling my head and my stomach- which has been feeling really bad over the last 2 days as I am inside of the 2 week window.