If you are scared, maybe my story can help.

[Rocks_Wife 6]

Wow. You've read my mind. I'm going through with it but I'm scared of everything. Scared of failing. I've had 38 surgeries to date so the idea of surgery is fine. But the emotional roller coaster afterwards is scary.

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[sleeveisa 333]

Good luck and keep the faith

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[InShapeRae 9]

Thank you for the encouragement

Truly means a lot ????

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[cassandramarie93 199]

You were beautiful before and after! Congratulations on your success. You must be so proud of yourself!

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[chynadoll619 247]

Thank you for sharing! I went through with all the requirements and found I am in great health so I really want to get rid of these extra 100# and hopefully say goodbye to my sleep apnea. But as I sit here waiting for the insurance approval or denial I am terrified that I won't go through with it. Part of me hopes they deny it, even though I worked hard to get this far in the process. I've never had surgery and the being out under is the only thing that really scares me. I know I can handle everything that will come my way after the surgery. You are so strong and encouraging.

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That's my exact fear, I have no health problems and I'm young .. I mentioned to my doctor he said I will be fine.. Think of old heart patients with a list of health problems and they come out so I'll be s breeze.. I'm still on the fence..

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[jdk524 12]

Thank you for sharing! I went through with all the requirements and found I am in great health so I really want to get rid of these extra 100# and hopefully say goodbye to my sleep apnea. But as I sit here waiting for the insurance approval or denial I am terrified that I won't go through with it. Part of me hopes they deny it, even though I worked hard to get this far in the process. I've never had surgery and the being out under is the only thing that really scares me. I know I can handle everything that will come my way after the surgery. You are so strong and encouraging.

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That's my exact fear, I have no health problems and I'm young .. I mentioned to my doctor he said I will be fine.. Think of old heart patients with a list of health problems and they come out so I'll be s breeze.. I'm still on the fence..

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Most of the time I am so ready to do it, but then when I start thinking of being prepped for surgery my anxiety takes over and I start to chicken out.

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[K1V990 29]

Thank you for sharing! I went through with all the requirements and found I am in great health so I really want to get rid of these extra 100# and hopefully say goodbye to my sleep apnea. But as I sit here waiting for the insurance approval or denial I am terrified that I won't go through with it. Part of me hopes they deny it, even though I worked hard to get this far in the process. I've never had surgery and the being out under is the only thing that really scares me. I know I can handle everything that will come my way after the surgery. You are so strong and encouraging.

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That's my exact fear, I have no health problems and I'm young .. I mentioned to my doctor he said I will be fine.. Think of old heart patients with a list of health problems and they come out so I'll be s breeze.. I'm still on the fence..

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The anxiety before having surgery is a reality, that is true, but you come to find that you trust your medical team and it will melt away. I was 20 when I had surgery to remove an ovarian cyst. I was so nervous, but I was in even more pain. And I knew my doctor(s) would do anything and everything to help me to not feel that pain any longer. That's what got me through. I imagine the same goes for weight loss surgery, even if the pain is more psychological/emotional :-)

Nerves are a natural response to things unfamiliar, but I promise that surgery is a breeze :-)

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Edited December 4, 2016 by K1V990

[Rochelle72 7]

You look fantastic, bet you feel amazing. Inspiring, thank you.

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[olivejuice 32]

Thank you for sharing your story. I'm so sorry about your husband!

You look amazing!

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[Blueyesnca16 14]

Thank you for sharing! You are amazing and a true inspiration! I just decided to start this process, still struggling mentally with the restrictions post op! I keep reminding myself, Pepsi helped me get to this point

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[ladyslim2015 74]

Love your story great inspiration.

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[larry971 279]

When I was preparing to have my sleeve surgery, I spent a lot of time on this forum. I found most of the people here to be very helpful. Even though there's every kind of personality here, we all have one thing in common: we wanted to lose weight and be healthier.

Approaching any surgery is scary. There are real risks, and real rewards when all goes well.

I have struggled with weight my whole life. Total sugar junkie. Used food to replace every unmet need I had, to repress every emotion for which I was unprepared to deal.

I gained and lost hundreds of pounds over the course of my life. Hundreds.

When my husband died eight years ago it broke me. I shattered, and it took me almost a decade to put myself back together. During that time, I lost everything: my beloved, my home, my income, even my sense of self. And I spent the next eight years eating to fill this giant empty void inside my being where someone who I thought of as the love of my life used to be.

I ballooned up bigger than I had ever been, surpassing my previous high weight and moving into the 320s.

I avoided social situations, and only left the house when necessary. I was afraid I would have to ask for a stronger chair when invited to sit down for dinner at somebody's home. I was afraid that I would need to sit down every 20 or 30 steps during a leisurely stroll through the mall with a friend. My body ached; sometimes the pain was so bad that I could scarcely move-even sitting still was painful.

Life had become extremely small.

Deciding to get the surgery was surprisingly easy, but getting through the approval process and going through with the surgery summoned up terror in me that had been there since my first surgery when I was three years old.

I thought it would be a miracle if I were able to get the surgery, simply because my trauma was so severe for so many years that it seemed like an impossible feat to put myself in the hands of medical professionals, who I have never trusted all my life.

With lots of support from my mother, my sister who had already had the surgery, and my therapist, I was able to get the sleeve.

And it changed my life!

I also decided that I was going to make up for lost time now that I was going to be able to physically get around again. I sold all my stuff, ditched my apartment, bought an RV and moved in! And it's wonderful! I could not have fit in here, nor could I do the things necessary when living in an RV, at my previous weight.

This surgery has allowed me an opportunity for a whole new lease on life. I am officially one year postop, and I am down about 130 pounds, with another 30 to go. It's amazing the difference a single year can make!

If you know that this is right for you, and the only thing giving you pause is fear that is not coming from your true intuition: there are many people on these forums who feel that this surgery has saved our lives.

I am one of those people. Here is a before and present a photo of me, in a year, this could be you! ImageUploadedByBariatricPal1480776848.497729.jpg

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Wow that's a pretty amazing transformation. And hearing your story makes it even more amazing. Congratulation and awesome job. You look awesome.

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[Armygalbonnie 643]

What a GORGEOUS, strong woman you are! Thank you so much for sharing your life story with us. God bless you in your journey!

[recefightforfit 13]

When I was preparing to have my sleeve surgery, I spent a lot of time on this forum. I found most of the people here to be very helpful. Even though there's every kind of personality here, we all have one thing in common: we wanted to lose weight and be healthier.

Approaching any surgery is scary. There are real risks, and real rewards when all goes well.

I have struggled with weight my whole life. Total sugar junkie. Used food to replace every unmet need I had, to repress every emotion for which I was unprepared to deal.

I gained and lost hundreds of pounds over the course of my life. Hundreds.

When my husband died eight years ago it broke me. I shattered, and it took me almost a decade to put myself back together. During that time, I lost everything: my beloved, my home, my income, even my sense of self. And I spent the next eight years eating to fill this giant empty void inside my being where someone who I thought of as the love of my life used to be.

I ballooned up bigger than I had ever been, surpassing my previous high weight and moving into the 320s.

I avoided social situations, and only left the house when necessary. I was afraid I would have to ask for a stronger chair when invited to sit down for dinner at somebody's home. I was afraid that I would need to sit down every 20 or 30 steps during a leisurely stroll through the mall with a friend. My body ached; sometimes the pain was so bad that I could scarcely move-even sitting still was painful.

Life had become extremely small.

Deciding to get the surgery was surprisingly easy, but getting through the approval process and going through with the surgery summoned up terror in me that had been there since my first surgery when I was three years old.

I thought it would be a miracle if I were able to get the surgery, simply because my trauma was so severe for so many years that it seemed like an impossible feat to put myself in the hands of medical professionals, who I have never trusted all my life.

With lots of support from my mother, my sister who had already had the surgery, and my therapist, I was able to get the sleeve.

And it changed my life!

I also decided that I was going to make up for lost time now that I was going to be able to physically get around again. I sold all my stuff, ditched my apartment, bought an RV and moved in! And it's wonderful! I could not have fit in here, nor could I do the things necessary when living in an RV, at my previous weight.

This surgery has allowed me an opportunity for a whole new lease on life. I am officially one year postop, and I am down about 130 pounds, with another 30 to go. It's amazing the difference a single year can make!

If you know that this is right for you, and the only thing giving you pause is fear that is not coming from your true intuition: there are many people on these forums who feel that this surgery has saved our lives.

I am one of those people. Here is a before and present a photo of me, in a year, this could be you! ImageUploadedByBariatricPal1480776848.497729.jpg

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@JupiterinVirgo you have no idea how much I needed to hear your words. I too have struggled with trust issues in med field along with self doubt and fear of complications. As I get closer to my surgery date (12/21/16) my addiction is trying everything to win. I know this isn't a cure all, and I know there is lots of work to be done, but fear has held me back for so long, that I have listened as if it is a trusted friend!

Your words were exactly what I needed to hear to tell fear, once and for all, to take a hike! I will not let fear rule my life any longer!

This is a Weightloss adventure, but the journey is in finding out what we are made of, what we have been missing, and what we are meant to be!

Thank you again!!!!!

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[Mili 56]

Beautiful story it really inspire me to continue in my journey to my new life.

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