Panicking...

Lately I've found myself panicking about the risks of the WLS. I have four more weeks until my surgery. And I keep fretting over whether I'll wake up from the anesthia. Or if I'll have major complications. I worry about my family. I've tried to write letters to my loved ones. However I end up writing Dear Mom or whoever and then end up crying. I've got to figure out a way to calm my nerves. Thanks for listening Karee

no worries. this is absolutely normal. i never wrote anything because i knew in my mind that i'd wake up and everything would be just fine. dont let the fear get to you so bad. it's just fear. look at how many of these surgeries are done DAILY and compare that to how many make it thru. see, you never hear about all the good cases, just the bad. chin up, everything will be fine!

Karee, Hello! I can completely sympathize with you. I'm scheduled to have surgery 7/15 and I've had some panicky moments myself-- some more serious than I was expecting. However, the closer I get to surgery, the more I'm feeling excited rather than anxious, so there's hope! This is just my opinion, but I'm not sure writing "goodbye" letters are the best idea. Do you tell your family you love them? Do you show them? If so, what can writing a letter change? Obviously it's stressing you out to try and write these letters, so why focus on the negative? If it makes you feel any better too, I regularly email member Lisa H and she had surgery last Thursday. She said she wasn't nervous at all the day of surgery and everything went smoothly. I heard from her again Saturday and she said she can't believe how well everything's gone and how good she's feeling considering. Now that's inspiration!! Keep your chin up, you'll feel better. Just work through the lows and focus on how good you're going to feel after getting this new lease on life! Good luck and I'll say a prayer for you

I'm not quite in the stage so close to surgery as you are but, I do sympathize with you entirely. Just remember sweetie God has a plan for us all you are in the right hands! God will give you the peace you need as long as you allow Him to! Positive thoughts helps bring positive outcomes!Congratulations and my prayers go your way! You'll be great, keep your head up!!!! Johanna

Karee, I know how you feel! This whole journey has been a rollercoaster of emotions for me as well. I was so scared thru the whole process, the thought of something "bad" happening to me almost filled all my thoughts. I am now 2wks from surgery and have come to realize what ever happens is in Gods hands! You just have to reach down deep and find that peace of mind that exsist within you. You will be in my prayers! ~love and prayers~ MICHELLE

Karee~I have had a lot of surgeries over the past 12-15 years. I used to be just the way you are describing yourself right now. I would actually get so sick from worrying that I would vomit. A very dear surgeon took time and shared with me a way of calming myself. I just close my eyes and imagine myself insise my body, (now this may sound very silly, and I am a very logical person, but I swear this helps wonderfully!)...I imagine that I am watching the "work crew" work on whatever is ailing me. They are all top notch and I am seeing their work first hand which makes me feel better. I am happy because I know I am healing and getting better. When thinking like this before having any type of surgery or medical procedure done, I have went in totally calm and come out and done so well, even the hospital staff is surprised. Just remember to have control over your worries and don't let your worries have control over you. Good Luck! You will be in my thoughts and prayers! Kathy

Thanks you all!! I am so thankful for you all!! I am just going to try to have as much fun and keep as busy as I can for the next few weeks. Karee

Karee, the worst thing about fear is that it stops us from doing what we want to do or what we ought to do. In this case, however, I have a wonderful suggestion. I also have Aetna, so why don't we just switch? You can have MY date, but I warn you, I haven't been approved yet. I'm just trying to help YOU out. Seriously, you are going to be fine. Try to take your mind off the surgery itself and look at all the fantastic before/after pictures. I don't know if it would help you calm down or not, but I've visited several patients that had WLS in Ocala and maybe you could visit patients in your area that had your doctor for surgery, assuming it's not too far from where you live. You can see that they are fine and they came through like troopers. They may be a bit sore and they may be dopey (from the drugs, not that they are stupid or anything!!) but they are alive and well and on the losing side. Just a thought. Hey, if you are interested in emailing me about your Aetna experience, I'd love to hear it. I've got one more doctor visit before we try to send them my file. Keep your fingers crossed for me, k?

Karee, Panicking and worrying are normal, they are not very productive, but they are normal. If you have confidence in your surgeon, and you are willing to follow your surgeons instructions, then you have nothing to worry about. You have to trust your surgeon, and trust yourself, that you have made the right decision. Until you have your surgery, I suggest just keeping youself busy, so that you do not have time to worry about the what ifs. Good luck.

What you are going through is very much normal. It is something that you are not in control of and you feel are having a lot of what if's in the back of your mind. Rest asure that too is normal. Before I had surgery I wrote a letter to my family explaining why I am doing this and my feeling's. Yes, I did say good-bye to them in case of death. I gave the letters to my best friend to hold. When I returned from the hospital I got them back.........Needless to say they were shredded. I cried my eyes out for a couple of weeks but as the surgery had gotten closer I came to terms and felt positive about it. It is very scarey cause nothing is a sure thing. I have NO regret's that I had the WLS. Am happy that I was brave enough to say "Let's do it". But just to think if I did back out what quailty of life would I have had? What did my future hold for me? My future would have been a prisoner of my condition....OBESITY..... Is that the life I wanted????? No way. I fought hard to get the WLS. Now I am a LOSER...........Glad to be one.