Excited but extremely nervous!

I am so excited that I finally have a date. It has taken almost a year to get approved. Now that I have been approved I feel very nervous about this surgery. Has anyone else experienced these feelings. I guess I just didnt think that I would ever even get approved and now that I have I am just overwhelmed. Please let me hear from someone.

Bobbie, I'm with you. My approval took three months but in that time I had decided it wasn't going to happen and I had almost resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to have the surgery... I was called yesterday and told I was approved. I was shocked. I've even quit my job (last day is Friday)... how's that for timing? But a couple months of Cobra won't be as bad as the full surgery. Now I'm finding my self unsure and a little apprehensive. I don't like to sound gloomy but there are serious things to think about. I feel certain that I will go forward but I am going to make darn sure I ask all the questions that need to be asked. I want to know what I can do to minimize any risk, I want to know what precautions they take to make sure the staple gun is working right, how often they are changes and checked, and so on and so on. I would like to know what questions others feel need to be asked to help me feel that I have done everything possible to make this a safe and healthy experience. I wish you the best...

I have heard all the horror stories about the mishaps and things that can go wrong. I know that if I dont have the surgery my weight is going to eventually be so bad that I wont be able to do anything. I will go through with the surgery. I have worked to hard to get approved not too. I know that God will be with me and I just pray that everything will go ok. Thank you so much for responding. Every word of encouragement helps.

Bobbie, I wish you the best. I think being informed is the best way to take on the fears. I remind my self that nothing for sure but I do know that the quality of my life as it is today is not what I want it to be. May God bring us both peace and be with our surgeons and all involved. Take care, Tamara in Texas

YES YES YES!!! Every single day! Just the other day I heard the song "here without you baby" and just started to bawl, I imagined my husband singing that after I died on the table. I always get these weird thoughts and it is VERY NORMAL, so I have been told..Since hearing that song and posting about it on the message board I feel better. I got a lot of positive feedback. I haven't had any "bad" moments since. I've been just trying to think positive. I tell myself "I will be just fine." I am finally starting to believe it. Just have faith, and you will be just fine. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you have a safe and speedy recovery! Keep us all posted. Kelley MARCH RULES

Thanks so much for all of your support. It does make me feel better to know that I am not alone. I guess in a sense we are all one big fat family and are hear to help each other. Thanks to both you Kelley and Tamara for writing. I will say prayers for you two to have a speedy recovery and a surgery with no complications. Good luck and please keep in touch. BObbie

Bobbie, thank you for posting this. I know just how you feel. I have wanted this so bad, but now that the surgery is actually on its way, I am really, really doubting myself and my decision. I think it will help a whole lot to "talk" to you guys on the forum because we're all going through the same thing! I feel like Forrest Gump and Bubba. Remember? "You lean against me and I'll lean against you and we'll keep our heads out of the mud."

It seems that it's normal... the night my doctor's office manager called, I heard Surgery March 17th. If she said anything else I didn't hear her.

Maybe I can share something that explained a LOT to me about having this surgery. And, actually, I didn't even REALIZE this 'til after I'd made my decision, so it was like a lite-bulb going on, another confirmation that I was doing the right thing. I had to go to a seminar presented by my surgeon prior to meeting with him. This was my 2nd surgeon, so I thought I pretty much knew the basics about this surgery, how "they" determine whether or not you qualify for it, etc., and didn't really want to go to it, but thought "wha' the heck, I always learn something from everything", so NBD. Well, someone asked "Why do you have to have a BMI of 40 (or 35 with co-morbidities) in order to have the surgery?" My surgeon then explained that when you hit a 40 BMI, that it's a 50/50 chance that you'll either die from the excess weight (and morbidities) or could POSSIBLY have complications from the surgery - it's an even gamble. As your BMI creeps up further, the lesser the chance of of the complications from surgery as compared to the higher the chance of death/problems from your excess weight/morbidities. The higher the BMI, the higher the risk that you're going to have serious problems if you DON'T have surgical intervention. When he explained this, I looked around the room and saw us all sitting there. There was A LOT of "mortician bait" there that night, and it made total sense. Some people had oxygen cannulas on, a lot had canes and walkers - all from their weight. But they wanted the surgery 'cuz they realized that the "BMI/Morbidity Equation" crap-shoot was NOT on their side. Anyway, hopefully that'll put you a bit more at ease with your surgery. If your physicians and your insurance company said you're "medically appropriate" for it, go for it. There's a whole bunch of post-ops (and pre-ops, and families of pre-/post-ops, and on and on...) praying for us during this scary journey, and I'm a FIRM believer in the power of prayer. Kim March Rules!

Thank you Kim. You have really helped me. I am going to go through with. Not just for me but for my kids too. Thank you so much. You dont know how much prayer really has worked for me over the past 8 months. Please say alot of prayers. Bobbie