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I am scheduled to have surgery at 11:00 at mercy hospital with Dr Keating I am so scared!!! I am a nurse and know the complications that can happen... I also a mother of two I want to ask how scared were you?? Did you worry you were going to die? Do you have any suggestions on how I can overcome this fear and bring it to a positive light?? Also can you describe the pain that goes with a open procedure and how you dealt with it? Please if you have any suggestions let me know and thank all of you for your support Tiffany

Maybe it was easier for me because I'm not a nurse but my philosophy is, if I put myself in the hands of an experienced surgeon I trust I am doing everything I can to optimize the experience. Dr Keating did my surgery at St Lukes and I have no complaints. He seems very serious about what he does and is training a new guy now too! I had fears in the back of my mind mainly because about 8 years ago I coded on the table 2x during a fairly routine surgery at UIHC and they never did find out why. Talk about an act of faith to go under again!! But I did several times after that. I have 3 children(1 by invitro) and my husband and I talked briefly about the "what ifs." But again, I had confidence that all would be well and it was. They can give you drugs to help calm you down before they put you totally out. Another way I looked at it was to compare the way my life was at that time to the life I COULD have if I lost the weight. Well, surgery won! And I feel it was worth the temporary misery(which is collectively just a dot of time in your lifeline). The pain is bearable, between the morphine and epidural. Just be determined to get up and around as soon as they will let you. You will feel so much better and it will help you recover faster. I am a seasoned surgical patient- my belly is a maze of scars. I look upon recovery as a challenge. Surgery is just a necessary evil to get where you want to go. How many other painful things do we do to our bodies to look good? LOL!!! Please feel free to email me if you have any other questions.

Thank you for the input you have been so helpfull to my questions .. I am happy you are doing so well and you are right... Thank you Tiffany

My daughter was getting married 2 months after my surgery, so I made detailed notes on how things were suppossed to go before I went into the hospital. I also wrote notes to loved ones, that were to be opened if I "didn't make it". I think, as a mother, you always have that fear that you won't be there to raise your kids. Now that I have had the surgery, I am no longer considered diabetic, have a "normal" blood pressure, can walk on my own without fear of my knees giving out, and have gone from 9 daily medications to 2- and one of those is my trusty vitamin! It's your doctor's job to keep you alive throughout the surgery- it's YOUR job to follow his directions and become the new you- so that you are there to see those babies through! You'll do fine! Jeri H. -70/3months

Tiffany, This post is a little delayed because I've been busy. My husband and I both had the surgery and we have 17 month old twins. I was very nervous for both surgeries. I prayed alot and we both wrote letters to our kids. My therapist told me to address all my fears, and to research them. Such as complications, mortality rates of WLS, and my surgeon. The day before surgery I was very emotional and tried to think nothing but postive outcomes, a great recovery, and my children not missing me. It worked, no complications, and today, 2 weeks post-op I feel back to normal: going on walks with my kids, shopping, teaching and moving easier. we both had it done open, and there is pain, but you do forget it, just like childbirth, and you have to believe in your heart this is the right choice, this pain will go away, and you will have a better life! Deb and Jason Paul