Need Help With Hesitation Before Surgery

[Redo2017 247]

I am scheduled for the sleeve on July 10th and I am brimming over with worry and hesitation. I am scared about altering my body forever and nervous about the transition into post-op life. Do any post-ops have advice for overcoming these worries? Did anyone have hesitation going into surgery and have input from the other side? Thanks!

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

I'm probably alone in my opinion but I think if you have any doubts you shouldn't have surgery. You should only have surgery if you feel it is the best and only option.

That makes post-op life a lot easier to deal with, other than that, any doubt you have pre-op just get magnified post-op and the hurdle you have to jump post-op seem harder.

[YeaMe 246]

I think that a majority of people are scared about surgery and doubting it because there are so many what ifs: will I have pain; will I have complications; will I lose weight; will I be able to change my eating habits.

You can ask these questions to 10 people and get 10 different responses. Complications are rare and this is one of the safest bariatric surgeries available. Of course I was hesitant about altering my body, but realized after 40 yrs of dieting I was still obese and I needed to go a different direction. As far as pain, I had very little, just nausea. Transitioning into post-op life, I am almost 4 months out and so far there are just a few things that have been hard. Eating too fast and not chewing enough - both of these you can start working on before the surgery (which I did not). Success so far - I am elated with not having the carb and sugar cravings that controlled my life. My primary food sources are Protein with a few complex carbs. As of now, I can say this is the best decision I have ever made for my health.

The one worry I still have is the long term outcome. I just have to stay focused and realize this is a "forever" change and going back to eating fast and processed foods will only take me back to square one again.

Only you can decide in the end if this is right for you.

Good luck!

Edited June 12, 2017 by YeaMe

[Joann454 1,329]

I was very nervous about complications. I loved my life before surgery and was nervous that surgery might somehow alter my happiness. I think nervousness and some worry are perfectly normal. If you aren't sure you can handle the changes that are required then it might be time to rethink surgery.
I didn't have any complications so I am very pleased I went ahead with surgery.

[Redo2017 247]

43 minutes ago, OutsideMatchInside said:

I'm probably alone in my opinion but I think if you have any doubts you shouldn't have surgery. You should only have surgery if you feel it is the best and only option.

That makes post-op life a lot easier to deal with, other than that, any doubt you have pre-op just get magnified post-op and the hurdle you have to jump post-op seem harder.

Thank you for your input. I appreciate the honesty. I agree that if one has doubts that they will be able to make the necessary life-style changes surgery may not be successful for them in the long term. I think the struggle for those of us who have lost large amounts of weight in the past only to ultimately regain is that the fear of failure is palpable, and that is what may give us pause. At least that is where my head is. And ultimately, I cannot dismiss the possibility of failure - either in the surgical process or in my post-op journey. I think I would be remiss not to acknowledge the risks and statistics associated with this procedure. I cannot go into this with blind optimism and I have not dismissed the possibility that surgery is not for me. So ultimately, I am hoping to hear from anyone who had similar fears and concerns pre-op in effort to assist me in assessing whether my fears are misplaced, common, unique, warning signs, etc. How about you? Did you have any fears or doubts in the months leading up to surgery?

[tabula 54]

I think it'd be weird if you didn't have doubts. Surgery is a big deal and shouldn't be decided lightly.

For me, it was really my last option, the trajectory I was on was going to put me at significant medical risks, so I looked at the pros vs cons and realized the pros were more than worth it. I was worried because my life is work and food and for me this takes a great deal of satisfaction out from eating, however, there is still enjoyment from a sugar free Jello and other foods I took for granted.

Nearly 7-weeks out, I couldn't be happy with how I feel and I've been recommending it to all my obese friends who have struggled with their weight their entire lives.

It's a legit game changer.

[Redo2017 247]

54 minutes ago, YeaMe said:

I think that a majority of people are scared about surgery and doubting it because there are so many what ifs: will I have pain; will I have complications; will I lose weight; will I be able to change my eating habits.

You can ask these questions to 10 people and get 10 different responses. Complications are rare and this is one of the safest bariatric surgeries available. Of course I was hesitant about altering my body, but realized after 40 yrs of dieting I was still obese and I needed to go a different direction. As far as pain, I had very little, just nausea. Transitioning into post-op life, I am almost 4 months out and so far there are just a few things that have been hard. Eating too fast and not chewing enough - both of these you can start working on before the surgery (which I did not). Success so far - I am elated with not having the carb and sugar cravings that controlled my life. My primary food sources are Protein with a few complex carbs. As of now, I can say this is the best decision I have ever made for my health.

The one worry I still have is the long term outcome. I just have to stay focused and realize this is a "forever" change and going back to eating fast and processed foods will only take me back to square one again.

Only you can decide in the end if this is right for you.

Good luck!

Thank you for your help! Long-term outcome is a worry of mine as well. I know how to eat right and I know how to lose weight. I am completely confident that I will be able to make the necessary life-style changes in the short term, but I do worry about 5 years, 10 years, even 30 years down the road. I've been around the block a few times and I know that life is not static and people are always evolving. I am in a good place currently to have this procedure and make the changes, but will this work for me when I'm 60? 70? What if I develop a serious illness down the road? Will this procedure impact my ability to recover? Maybe I'm worrying too much!

[Redo2017 247]

19 minutes ago, tabula said:

I think it'd be weird if you didn't have doubts. Surgery is a big deal and shouldn't be decided lightly.

For me, it was really my last option, the trajectory I was on was going to put me at significant medical risks, so I looked at the pros vs cons and realized the pros were more than worth it. I was worried because my life is work and food and for me this takes a great deal of satisfaction out from eating, however, there is still enjoyment from a sugar free Jello and other foods I took for granted.

Nearly 7-weeks out, I couldn't be happy with how I feel and I've been recommending it to all my obese friends who have struggled with their weight their entire lives.

It's a legit game changer.

Thank you! I already have medical complications associated with obesity and I am right there with you on the trajectory - my knees are starting to ache and I'm pre-diabetic. Scary stuff. Doing nothing is definitely not an option for me as I'm not willing to accept chronic pain and illness and early death. Yikes.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

21 minutes ago, Redo2017 said:

How about you? Did you have any fears or doubts in the months leading up to surgery?

I didn't have months leading up to surgery,

I had been working on improving my health and losing weight for about 2-3 years before surgery. Then I moved and had to get a new Dr. This Dr did a complete workup on my and my health was just tanking. My weight wasn't going anywhere, I was developing high blood pressure in addition to the diabetes I already had. My heart was enlarged and acting abnormally (that is genetic but the weight was not helping). All of this before the age of 40. Those are all old people problems. My grandparents didn't have blood pressure issues until their 70s. No one in my family is diabetic. I come from a family of slim athletic people. All my issues boiled down to my life choices.

I decided enough was enough. Surgery was my last ditch effort to improve my health. I felt like I was dying slowly anyway, and I felt the worse outcome I could have with surgery would be a faster death.

I felt like I had absolutely nothing to lose. The process to get qualified for surgery because of my heart went all the way from EKG to Cardiac Cath. No one my age should have been undergoing a Cardiac Cath. The fact it was happening to me just because I was basically crushing my heart with fat was just too much. Signing those waiver forms was a pretty frightening experience.

So no after that I had no fears. I also didn't have months to wait for surgery. I went from first visit to surgery in 8 weeks. I saw my new Dr for the first time in early April. Attended a bariatric seminar at the end of April. Saw the Surgeon the first time mid May, had surgery mid July. Once I decided that was the path I was on I rushed and made it go as fast as possible. If I didn't have insurance I would have self paid at that point to make it happen quickly.

Post-op early on I had moments of doubt because I had low carb dieted before, lost weight but plateaued. I had moments of doubt that this would be no different. The difference is there is no quitting your diet post-op. When you stall out and are frustrated there is no ordering a large pizza and downing it with a 2 liter (even though people that post here still manage to do it). You are just kind of stuck eating the same, so you work through plateaus and you keep losing. Even by the time I had my first stall though, my health had improved so much, it was already well worth it.

[Joann454 1,329]

"The difference is there is no quitting your diet post-op"
Right! We ended up in the ER (nothing surgery related) last night and McDonald's is right there. Normally I would've just blown my diet but this sleeve made me think about better and safer options. This is exactly the type of tool I needed. In those moments of weakness it helps.

[Redo2017 247]

I didn't have months leading up to surgery,
I had been working on improving my health and losing weight for about 2-3 years before surgery. Then I moved and had to get a new Dr. This Dr did a complete workup on my and my health was just tanking. My weight wasn't going anywhere, I was developing high blood pressure in addition to the diabetes I already had. My heart was enlarged and acting abnormally (that is genetic but the weight was not helping). All of this before the age of 40. Those are all old people problems. My grandparents didn't have blood pressure issues until their 70s. No one in my family is diabetic. I come from a family of slim athletic people. All my issues boiled down to my life choices.
I decided enough was enough. Surgery was my last ditch effort to improve my health. I felt like I was dying slowly anyway, and I felt the worse outcome I could have with surgery would be a faster death.
I felt like I had absolutely nothing to lose. The process to get qualified for surgery because of my heart went all the way from EKG to Cardiac Cath. No one my age should have been undergoing a Cardiac Cath. The fact it was happening to me just because I was basically crushing my heart with fat was just too much. Signing those waiver forms was a pretty frightening experience.
So no after that I had no fears. I also didn't have months to wait for surgery. I went from first visit to surgery in 8 weeks. I saw my new Dr for the first time in early April. Attended a bariatric seminar at the end of April. Saw the Surgeon the first time mid May, had surgery mid July. Once I decided that was the path I was on I rushed and made it go as fast as possible. If I didn't have insurance I would have self paid at that point to make it happen quickly.
Post-op early on I had moments of doubt because I had low carb dieted before, lost weight but plateaued. I had moments of doubt that this would be no different. The difference is there is no quitting your diet post-op. When you stall out and are frustrated there is no ordering a large pizza and downing it with a 2 liter (even though people that post here still manage to do it). You are just kind of stuck eating the same, so you work through plateaus and you keep losing. Even by the time I had my first stall though, my health had improved so much, it was already well worth it.

Awesome success story. I am so happy that you took action and improved your health. Thank you you for sharing!

[Apple1 2,572]

I have zero regrets, but of course I was nervous a little the week before my surgery. I am self pay and I went to Mexico so I was very sure about my decision. I was on my way to needing insulin to control my diabetes so this surgery was a lifesaver for me. I am just a month out and I already feel so much better.

I think it is normal to have some nervousness, but if you are seriously questioning your decision maybe you should hit pause and make sure this is what you really want to do.

[Iwanttofitinmyweddingdress 31]

I am scheduled for the sleeve on July 10th and I am brimming over with worry and hesitation. I am scared about altering my body forever and nervous about the transition into post-op life. Do any post-ops have advice for overcoming these worries? Did anyone have hesitation going into surgery and have input from the other side? Thanks!

Hey, I was sleeved on June 6th recently. All I can say is be brace. At the hospital, ask for pain medicine when your gas pain because really uncomfortable. It will help you sleep better. Bring something to do while you are there, bring a travel pillow that goes around the neck. Drink warm tea before you go on walks around the hospital. Focus on the cute clothes you will be able to fit in, and how great you will look when you reach your goal. That was how my mindset is. When you get home, be active, treat yourself to a pedicure a few days after, and take good care of yourself. You will have a incision with a dent around it, that is where your stomach was taken out, it will bruise around it and will hurt the most out of all incisions. Don't take your pain meds unless you really need them. Have somebody beat you home from the hospital by an hour with prescriptions, get stool softner if it isn't prescribed. It will save your life. Just expect watery poop. They may send you home this breathing tool because of the anesthesia, you gotta suck the air and get it past a certain number, gotta do it so your lungs don't collapse and you get pneumonia. It will hurt to cough, put keep a huge long pillow on your side so it doesn't hurt so much when you cough.

If you have anymore question, let me know.

[GassyGurl 428]

Thank you for your help! Long-term outcome is a worry of mine as well. I know how to eat right and I know how to lose weight. I am completely confident that I will be able to make the necessary life-style changes in the short term, but I do worry about 5 years, 10 years, even 30 years down the road. I've been around the block a few times and I know that life is not static and people are always evolving. I am in a good place currently to have this procedure and make the changes, but will this work for me when I'm 60? 70? What if I develop a serious illness down the road? Will this procedure impact my ability to recover? Maybe I'm worrying too much!

I asked my surgeon if there was anything that could happen down the road where they would say "sorry, you're SOL because you now have the sleeve". He said no, with a chuckle.

The anatomy isn't rerouted, so scopes and such still can be done . If you need a peg (feeding tube) they are inserted into the lower part of your stomach which is still intact. I was worried about developing cancer or something and not being able to get treatment because of my smaller stomach. He said it's not an issue.

Sent from my XT1254 using BariatricPal mobile app

[Redo2017 247]

On ‎6‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 7:23 PM, Apple1 said:

I have zero regrets, but of course I was nervous a little the week before my surgery. I am self pay and I went to Mexico so I was very sure about my decision. I was on my way to needing insulin to control my diabetes so this surgery was a lifesaver for me. I am just a month out and I already feel so much better.

I think it is normal to have some nervousness, but if you are seriously questioning your decision maybe you should hit pause and make sure this is what you really want to do.

Thanks for the input. I had my pre-op education class yesterday and I am feeling much more confident about my decision.