surgery concerns !!!!!!!! need helpful answers

Okay, my surgery date is 09/07/04 ,, I am extremly excited, however in speaking with family they have brought up things that now make me terrified. My mom says that I could have a heart attack and die on the operating table, or they could give me too much of that stuff that puts you under and not come out of it. Being that I haven't had surgery other than when I was younger and had my tonsils taken out. I don't have a clue. My family says because of my size my chances for these things happening are great. I am 28 yrs old and 375 lbs. I don't have many hlth problems, general overweight , borderline diabetic, lower back pain.. haven't had an ekg to check my heart,, should I? should I be concerned ?? or is my family just crazy ???? any info is greatly appreciated. aimee

Hey Aimee, Don't get all worried!! Your Doc. knows what you need and when you go in for surgery they will put you on a monitor. If you have any problems they will know way before you have the surgery! My day is 2 days after yours 9/9/04. We will do excellent!!!! I will be praying for you!! I am 35 and about 375. I gained about 20 pounds before surgery because I fell and sprained an ankle. I have sleep apnea and Hight Blood PRes. I am not worried because I have turned it over to the MAN UPSTAIRS!! Take Care!!! Marcus

Your right,, the man upstairs will take care of me. He has guided me this far. I just hate when people make you second guess your self, or when you let me!! thanks, and yes we will be just fine,, I will keep you in my prayers as well!!

Aimee- Do you think your family would tell you these kinds of thing so you will question your own judgement? You have come this far and maybe they have had these fears all along and are trying to get you to change your mind, before you do this life changing act? Are your family members overweight as well if so this might be a slight jealousy because you are doing something about your problem that will save your life, when they are not? You might want to sit down with your family members and explain to them the long term benefits of wls. Yes there are always some risks that go along with wls, as there are with everything. Am I sure you have weighed (no pun intended) the risks and still wish to go forward, right? This being said you might just let them know that if they are not supportive of this descion you do not want to hear about the negative aspects of it either. ~Rachel

I love it when family members help out! LOL Hon, the chances of things going wrong in the surgery room is a fact of life. When I had my hysterectomy I was told both the pros and possible cons. Surgery is serious, no matter who you are. Our weight puts us in a high risk category, but the doctors who perform this surgery are trained to deal with high risk people like you and me. This isn't always the case with other surgeries. Trust your doctor and have HIM give you the truth. Then either take the time to educate your family or smile knowingly when they start their counselling service. The only other option is to find a nice way to tell them the following: "If you can't say something encouraging and supportive, kindly skip the subject." JB (surgery september 20th)