Surgery in one week MAJOR PANIC

Hi all One week from today i will have had surgery - i think. I was organized and buying protein drink samples - getting house ready. I have to start my clear liquid diet on thursday. As i keep preparing my kitchen for eating following surgery I keep wondering what is going to make me follow this diet for life if I cant do it now ??? It reminds me of atkins - lots of protein and no carbs. what if i rearrange my insides and then fail like i have failed every other diet? I am ready to cry at the drop of a hat and cant focus at work. I am overwhelmingly fearful of complications. I read everyones problem questions on the board and wonder if the good days out number the bad? or am i just trading one type of problem for another/ Did everyone have this panic?? sorry to be so down HELP Mari C.

Hi! Mine is a week from Wednesday. And yes... I've panicked. I think right now I am so focused on this 10 day liquid diet, that the surgery isn't bothering me. But, the panic will return, I'm sure. What's helped me is to meet some who have done it. And see the success they have had. I found relief and joy that way. Take it one step at a time. That's all you can do. Sheree

Ok Sheree. We have all panicked and we have all thought and cried about the complications. It is just past of the process. I had my surgery a week ago and I too wanted to back out . I was really scared. Just remeber that this is a good thing. If you LOVE food like I did it might be a little hard but the good things definetly outweight the sandwich or pizza I want to eat. I just found out today I have already lost 31 lbs. In one week. I could have never done that on any diet. Just know that we are all here for you if you have any ???'s or need any support . Patricia

Thanks.. Hope my post didn't sound too rude or anything. Darn liquid diet... It is getting better though! Mari, from what all tell me on the Minnesota board, panic is normal. It's a excited but yet afraid moment.

My surgery is on the 25th. I'm experiencing panic attacks!!! I pray the end results outweigh the bad days. My mother had the surgery on 2/14, she looking really good now. She's had some pain and some adjustment problems. She's hanging in there. Obesityhelp really does help. This is so supportive!!! Good luck. I'll be checking for your updates.

I had my surgery 5 days ago, and the first thing I will tell you is the liquid diet is tough when your stomach is the size of a football, but when they convert it to the size of an egg, the hunger is gone, I promise! You can do it. I love food too, but you'll see after surgery, it isn't hard only putting the liquids down, and you have to do that slowly too. As for panic, we have all been there. I don't think we would be normal if we didn't. I even wrote letters to my family in case I didn't come home ( i have 2 daughters 6 & 9). As for complications, trust in your surgeons abilites. I didn't doubt mine at all. His success rate was great and he had only lost one patient that had decided to go home after surgery and eat steak & shrimp and he burst his pouch. Why anyone would do that I have yet to figure out. Any ways, you'll be fine. I didn't really concentrate all that well on work my last week there either. Your whole focus becomes this surgery and that's fine, because this is a big life changing event. Take care, try to not worry so much, trust you are in God's hands. I pray that you will have an uneventful surgery ad a speedy recovery. You are going to do great! Amanda

Dear Amanda, Thanks so much for this post. I knew everyone gets scared but I was really a basketcase on Sunday. I spent the whole day on the internet researching stuff and buying protein drinks and all that and then I decided to look at the memorials page because I felt like I had to be informed. There weren't very many, of course, and of those listed a majority of them hadn't even passed because of a complication with the surgery. I think I only found three or four that did, but it caused me to have a major freak out, I spent 2 or 3 hours writing letters to my loved ones in case I didn't come home. My surgeon has done over 3000 procedures and has not lost one patient! (I think, this may be him and his partner combined but his profile says he has done 2000 and he said he has never lost a patient) Thank goodness I have a great support system and a wonderful fiancee. When he came home from work I was crying my eyes out and I told him about everything that I read that day and gave him all the straight up facts and he really helped to calm me down and realize that however slight the risk was that it was okay and natural to be scared but that I couldn't let that fear make me be irrational. He knows I really want to do this and has been behind me all the way, but as much as the support from him has helped me. It also helps to hear that other people are afraid of the same things I am! So there is my story and thanks to all of you for sharing yours. Best wishes to all of us for a speedy recovery!

When my surgeon said he hadnt lost a patient, I said I wished he'd lost one last week since lightening doesnt strike twice in the same place. LOL But he was very competent and did a great job!!! You will be fine!

mari, we share the same day !!!! and yes everyone goes through it jeeze i was a basketcase the day before yesturday , but yesturday was a good day and i wasnt too terrible teary . MY DH is being really supportive which helps and everyone gets scared, my big fear is that i am gonna get all the way to the hospital and then back out .

I'm the same day Mari, and I am feeling the same way. My problem is that I have been eating anything and everything I can get my mouth on! Darn emotional eating. I am thinking of going on a self-induced liquid diet since my doctor doesn't require it. But I better do it fast before I eat myself right out of qualifying for this. I wonder if surgeons ever refuse to do the surgery on the surgery day because of something like this. That alone should scare me into not eating, but it only makes me eat more.