PreOp Anxiety

[Rashi 25]

So glad I found this forum as I'm looking to calm my nerves. My procedure is scheduled next week and my anxiety is BEYOND. 3 years ago I made it until the night before my surgery where I had a total meltdown and canceled the procedure. This time around the process was shorter (less nutrition visits) and I feel like I'm on the speed round, while that may have seemed helpful at first... the countdown has me so frazzled. I'm open to any feedback, tips, suggestions... anything to get me through these next 6 days.

Thanks in advance

[Bypass2Freedom 711]

Heya!

I think it is so normal to have nerves. I know I was an absolute bundle of anxiety pre-op - it was the first surgery I had as an adult, and I didn't know what to expect.

Just keep reminding yourself that you are in safe hands, you will have a professional team around you, and the surgery you are having is safe, otherwise they wouldn't be doing it!

My advice is to just focus on how you will feel after - maybe write down what you are looking forward to post-op, and what things you are excited to experience as you start losing weight on this journey. That really helped me focus on the reasons why I did the surgery, rather than the fear of the surgery itself. Because in the grand scheme of things, the surgery is over so quickly and is such a small part of the journey, and it is all worth it!

Best of luck

[GreenTealael 25,335]

I cleaned my house 2x the night before surgery. Then I decided to just stay up and watch a bunch of movies and listen to music. I never slept. Looking back, I was very anxious. Likely of the unknown. So here’s what happened the morning of my surgery:

I drove to the hospital, parked and checked in. I was given a clipboard with tons of paperwork to fill out. There was a lot. I was give a scannable wristband to confirm my identity.

I talked with the person who came with me trying to keep my mind off of what was happening. We talked about a lot of random things, but mostly what I was doing the next month. That helped me to believe that there was a future beyond the surgery.

The nurse called me in. I gave her a the clipboard and was asked to verify my info. My wrist band was scanned. She measured my weight asked me to give a urine sample. I brought back to a room and given the preop gown to change into a bag for all the things I brought with me. My companion was also allowed in this room. The nurse asked me to confirm name and my date of birth and scanned the wrist band. She measured my blood pressure O2 levels and started an IV line with saline.

Next in was the anesthesiologist. I once again confirmed my info and was asked questions previous responses to anesthesia. Since this was my first surgery with general anesthesia I asked what it felt like and he it explained everything very well.

The surgeon came in and once again I gave my info but this time he asked me to verify what surgery I having. He asked if I had any questions or concerns I did not.

Last person to come in was the nurse who is brought back to the OR. This is where it began to get real for me I was a little nervous. When I rolled into the OR everyone was clapping like it was a party and they were congratulating me in advance. It was pretty special.

One by one they introduced themselves and their positions. I was moved from one bed to another. Then the dance to hook me up to cardiac monitors and other devices began. I was giving instructions on how to move which way to roll and everything that they were going to do before it happens. I was never left in the dark.

When anesthesiologist came in I was hooked up to the IV he explain what would be administered. The oxygen mask went on and I was told to count backwards from 10 to 1. I didn’t get very far. I felt extremely tired, blinking a few times before drifting off to sleep. This was a dreamless sleep that felt like only a few minutes when I began to awake in the recovery room. I asked no one in particular if the surgery happened. I drifted in and out of sleep for a while.

When I finally woke up I was in the hospital room, I would stay until I went home.

I Hope that helps!

[NickelChip 1,211]

Anxiety is so normal, but don't let it get in the way of what will almost certainly be one of the best things you ever do for yourself. My suggestion over the next few days is to look at the thread of before and after photos to help remind yourself of why you're doing this.

I had my surgery 6 months ago and a lot of my experience was similar to GreenTealael's, except I was given a sedative before being wheeled to the OR, and all I remember was being pushed toward the hallway. Next thing I knew, I was in my hospital room. The pain was very minimal and the nurses were so attentive. It turned out I had been in the OR for a lot longer than planned because of some scarring in my abdomen that caused a few minor complications, but I had no memory of that and it hasn't been a problem. I was in good hands the whole time.

The first few weeks will be an adjustment, but after that, you'll start getting the hang of your new lifestyle. If you've canceled before only to be back 3 years later to do it, you know this is something you need. A year ago, I weighed over 250 lbs and could barely squeeze into a size 22. Today, I'm the lowest weight I've been in 30 years and I was actually able to put on a pair of my 12-year-old daughter's size medium pants (stretchy ones, but still...). It's an amazing feeling.

[summerseeker 2,138]

Every surgery is super scary and nobody is dumb enough to be without the jitters. We are handing ourselves over to others and we don't know who they are or what their track records may be. However in real life this surgery is one of the safest going. The surgeons and their staff are accountable to the government bodies who oversee them.

Only you will know if you are ready to do this. More people than you know have bolted BUT they all said they wished they had toughed it out. It is worth it. Try and get through this week

[Rashi 25]

Thank you soooo much everyone! Certainly appreciate the idea writing things down I'm excited to experience. To be continued

[ShoppGirl 4,785]

Others have covered the majority of what I was going to say but I would like to add that I suffer from a pretty bad anxiety disorder. I literally stress over things that others would and sometimes do feel are so silly. Just one of my quirks but if you can only imagine the surgery was beyond stressful for me. The best thing i did was to tell everyone that was helping me that I was super anxious. I told them that I could get through this but i was going to need them to be extremely patient with me.

They were so great. They answered every single question I had and believe me I had alot and they distracted me with idle chit chat when that was appropriate. I have my own anxiety meds that I take as needed on a normal day and i was allowed to just take that pill like 2 hours before I had to be at the hospital but they should be able to give you something in your IV to help relax you a bit once you get there if your super anxious still.

If music relaxes you or guided meditation (there are some good ones on the Calm App’s free version) bring along your ear buds to use with your phone and use them if you need them. Honestly once you get there you will hopefully pretty quickly realize just how many people are assigned to take care of you and how many times they check and recheck everything just to be sure they get everything right and this will make you feel like you are in really good hands.

The other thing that pulled me out of. A couple moments was to remind myself that as scared as I was about any risks associated with the surgery that there are so many more risks associated with NOT doing the surgery. Also, there is a thread called “weirdest non scale victories” you will find if you type that into the search box on this site that I highly recommend . They turned out to not really be weird at all but there are so many non scale changes that you have to look forward too and many of them are mentioned there.

Keep posting here too. There are so many really great people to help you through this every single step of the way. You’ve got this!’

[Arabesque 7,240]

Feeling anxious is very understandable especially when this is something completely new to you. I mean have you ever had bariatric surgery before? You may never have had a surgery before so have nothing to base your expectations upon.

Give your surgeon or team a call and let them know how you’re feeling so they can answer any questions or concerns you may have about the experience. There may be something you can take before to calm your nerves a little too. (No harm in asking.)

I had very little time between when I saw my GP to discuss the potential of the surgery and getting the referral, seeing the surgeon, seeing the dietician & my surgery day. In some ways I appreciated it. I was ready and it probably didn’t give me a lot of time to develop any real nerves. Though I remember feeling a bit apart from everything going on around me from when I entered the pre surgical area until I walked into the waiting area outside the theatre (yeh, my surgeon makes you walk to the theatre). Everyone was very friendly from the pre surgery team, to the nurse who walked me to the theatre, the anaesthesiologist and my surgeon. There were jokes and lots of reassurance. The recovery room nurses were great too. I’ve had two surgeries since then (about to have another) and my experiences have been much the same.

I’m a researcher. I like to read up on what to expect & I’ll talk to anyone I know who’ve been through the same surgery if I know anyone. If you do what to do a little reading before (may be helpful if you decide to contact your team or surgeon) go to reputable medical sites like the mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, etc. no social media (except for this forum of course 😁). Check out the you tube sites of Dr Matthew Weiner and Dr John Pilcher - they have a huge library of videos & are extremely informative not just for pre surgery but post as well. Highly recommend them.

All the best.

[ShoppGirl 4,785]

17 hours ago, Arabesque said:

Feeling anxious is very understandable especially when this is something completely new to you. I mean have you ever had bariatric surgery before? You may never have had a surgery before so have nothing to base your expectations upon.

Give your surgeon or team a call and let them know how you’re feeling so they can answer any questions or concerns you may have about the experience. There may be something you can take before to calm your nerves a little too. (No harm in asking.)

I had very little time between when I saw my GP to discuss the potential of the surgery and getting the referral, seeing the surgeon, seeing the dietician & my surgery day. In some ways I appreciated it. I was ready and it probably didn’t give me a lot of time to develop any real nerves. Though I remember feeling a bit apart from everything going on around me from when I entered the pre surgical area until I walked into the waiting area outside the theatre (yeh, my surgeon makes you walk to the theatre). Everyone was very friendly from the pre surgery team, to the nurse who walked me to the theatre, the anaesthesiologist and my surgeon. There were jokes and lots of reassurance. The recovery room nurses were great too. I’ve had two surgeries since then (about to have another) and my experiences have been much the same.

I’m a researcher. I like to read up on what to expect & I’ll talk to anyone I know who’ve been through the same surgery if I know anyone. If you do what to do a little reading before (may be helpful if you decide to contact your team or surgeon) go to reputable medical sites like the mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, etc. no social media (except for this forum of course 😁). Check out the you tube sites of Dr Matthew Weiner and Dr John Pilcher - they have a huge library of videos & are extremely informative not just for pre surgery but post as well. Highly recommend them.

All the best.

Great suggestion to call the surgeons office if you feel yourself wavering and ask if they can fit you in because you have a few more questions. I went to THREE additional appointments over the normal requirement until all my questions were answered. I was wavering between the bypass and SADI revision though and It was a really tough choice for me and because it’s so new there was little info online to answer the questions. Also as @Arabesque suggested they may be able to give you an anxiety med to relax you the morning of before you go to the hospital. I didn’t even think of that.

[ShoppGirl 4,785]

So how are you feeling today, @Rashi?

[Rashi 25]

47 minutes ago, ShoppGirl said:

So how are you feeling today, @Rashi?

Thanks so much for asking. Well, I'm 5 days away... still nervous. Similar to your mention; I think of the most illogical and irrational things to worry about. However I find comfort in now realizing how "popular" this procedure is, though I worry about the long term outcome, let alone just getting through my post op liquid diet and the healing process. It's a lot, it's heavy but I'm centering myself with thoughts of things I'm excited for, grateful for this platform annnd I think I'll op for the ear buds and music for as long as I can on surgery day. *On a plus, I'm down 4lbs since Monday in prep for Tuesday 🤷🏽‍♀️

[ShoppGirl 4,785]

On 8/29/2024 at 8:43 PM, Rashi said:

Thanks so much for asking. Well, I'm 5 days away... still nervous. Similar to your mention; I think of the most illogical and irrational things to worry about. However I find comfort in now realizing how "popular" this procedure is, though I worry about the long term outcome, let alone just getting through my post op liquid diet and the healing process. It's a lot, it's heavy but I'm centering myself with thoughts of things I'm excited for, grateful for this platform annnd I think I'll op for the ear buds and music for as long as I can on surgery day. *On a plus, I'm down 4lbs since Monday in prep for Tuesday 🤷🏽‍♀️

I totally understand the anxious mind, trust me. That’s awesome your weight loss. A great start to this truly amazing journey. I am a little over three weeks post op. Not sure I if I said that before but I have a friend of a friend that had her surgery like a year ago. I touched base with her today and told her how excited I am that I ordered pants that are a size smaller and they come today and they already Fit!! Also I ordered new walking shoes and my friend and I are planning to walk at the same time everyday and chat on the phone since we live over an hour apart. We are starting tomorrow. The goal is 30 minutes but I am going to just do loops around my block the first time so I’m not far from home if it’s too much. She replied and said that she has been biking several miles and that I will soon need to get myself a bike so I can join her. I was like no way. I’m wondering if I can do a half hour walk between the heat and my knees. She was like I started with 15 minutes walking and worked my way up. She said this surgery is Life Changing. She said she has SO much energy now and she feels amazing. She has lost well over100 pounds and has only 8 more to get to her goal. I Just thought I would share a positive story that you can take and try ti picture what your version of amazing looks like. Then you can use that when the anxiety starts to creep in. Seriously. I’m telling you. One step at a time. You’ve got this. ❤️

Edited August 31 by ShoppGirl