Defending my decision

Hi - I'm about a week away from surgery and the tension in the family is starting to rise. I have a lot of support, but I feel the constant need to say, "I'm not scared, I'm excited!". The truth is, I do have some fears - I'm going into the great unknown, and I'm making this choice all on my own! I've always been someone who will strive for goals, but they're usually socially accepted, mainstream goals like education & career stuff. This decision I've made for surgery is seen as very drastic by most of my family, and although I appreciate their concern, it's starting to stress me out. I know in my heart that I've made the right decision, and I can only hope that my friends & family will understand when I'm a 'loser' just how unhappy I've been in this body. I believe in this decision; it's just kind of lonely and very unfamiliar exerting my independence! I guess I've finally grown up (at 39 - ha ha!). Any tips on how to keep confident, positive and on track with the decision to have WLS? Thanks...

By now you're on the other side, and I'm sorry this is late, but this is the first time I've been to this forum. Your loved ones can sometimes have a hard times coming to grips with this life changing event that you're giong through. They haven't done nearly the amount of research that you've done on it, and they don't fully understand what you will be doing. You may have or may have not done this already, but those in your family that are skeptical about it, you may want to take aside and teach them about the procedure and what exactly is going to happen. They need to realize that when you're morbidly obese, morbid means "death", ultimately meaning that you will die from it if you don't do something about it, They need to realize that this is a new lease on life not a death sentence... your current condition is. It's normal for your family to be worried, they love you and don't want to see anything happen to you, but if they're flat out not being supportive then they need to be talked to and informed of the realitites of the situation. Know that you've got a second family on these boards, and we're a great support if you need us. Please don't ever hesitate to send me an email or anything if you need a word of encouragement along the way. It's a long road, and we've all gone down it. *hugs* I know you just had your surgery, and you may just now be getting home from the hospital. I hope your recovery goes well, and don't forget to keep us all updated. I'm a regular on the "post-op" forum board, and it's a very helpful forum. I can't wait to hear from you again! ~Katie