SECOND THOUGHT'S

A while back I read a post that said she was having second thought's and was it normal. I said to myself how crazy,you've been going through this process for about a year I think your mind's made up. Well here I am, it's 4:30 am and my head is reeling. I'm not fretting about not eating or drinking when and what ever I want for the rest of my life, it's the complications. NOT DEATH I know that's low odds. It's the leaks, strictures etc and what if I can never tolerate any kind of food again. I have never had an operation of any kind before and now I'm making this huge step. I know I'm not going to back out but these thought's are still there. 

Well good morning. ..this sounds like what goes on or should I say went on in my head for months....i entered this long process knowing I needed the help ...i did my research and still knew I wanted to go further....now after reading about complications and horror stories I'll admit got scared... like you I have never had any kind of surgery or even been admitted in the hospital so needless to say I'm terrified lol... don't get me wrong I'm super excited to start a new healthy lifestyle with this wonderful opportunity however still a little nervous.  My date is October 9th, exactly 2 weeks today ....

My surgery date is Oct 3 and I too am nervous, but super excited. It's totally normal to be scared. But think of why you're doing this. Keep going back to your reasons for having the surgery. Hopefully that will help.

I am 2.5 yrs out. I have had no complications. You tend to hear from the people who are looking for support from problems on here. Not always from the people that sailed through. There are a lot of us out there.

I can't say you will not have problems but I am pretty sure the odds are in favour of you not having complications.

This is the best thing I ever did and would do it ovber again

Hi,  what did you do in your first year to reach your goal? Congrats!  WHat type of surger did you have?  I am afraid of losing my hair and teeth and access skin.  Did any of this happen to you?

I had an RNY. I stuck to the plan as close as possible to make the most of my first year. It is when you malabsorb so you lose best then. I found exercise I enjoyed and got out an enjoyed life. I should mention I am 63 and now bike 8.5 km to and from work a couple of times a week.

I was lucky my hair did not fall out. Most people will have thin hair but it grows back. I have no problem with my teeth. I do have loose skin but it is better than fat. There is always shape wear!

I wish I had done this years ago

Know that you are not alone in having these second thoughts. It's actually quite common; most of us go through that as surgery day draws near.

What I did to ease my mind... read.

I read all the stories on these forums about what COULD happen. And what CAN be done to resolve problems, when/if they arise. So, like you, I knew about strictures, leaks, the need to go back into surgery to repair something, etc. For each problem, there was a resolution. There IS a way to fix it. Somehow, someway, it CAN be fixed.

Now it's likely that none of us will be able to eat like we could before, but that's the whole point of having surgery. It's not even a question of tolerating food... I'd say that most of us can tolerate MOST foods, in some quantity. It's a matter of learning new, better habits and going forward. It is rare to have an extreme complication that doesn't let you eat real food at some point post-op. Essentially, go in prepared to deal with whatever problems MAY arise, but hope for the absolute best.

Wishing you luck as you move forward with your journey and hopefully you can find a way to put your mind at ease before you go into the OR.

Mine is in 24 hours, I also have had may second thoughts in the past week, the what ifs...but at the end of the day I am doing this for my health and to be there for my family long term.

Thanks everyone for the encouraging word's.

Hello.  I fought for over 3 years with my family doctor to be referred for this surgery.  The process took me just over a year to go through.  But I too had second thoughts, on and off right up until they wheeled me to wait outside the operating room. At that point I took a deep breath and thought what would be would be.  I knew I couldn't go on the way I had been, and that I needed this surgery to get healthy.  And it was weird, but a huge calmness came over me and I knew I was ready for whatever happened. 

 What  also helped was knowing what I went through to get to surgery, looking at the long list of things wrong with me that would be helped with wls...and lastly, I would look at people's before and after pictures and would get a little teary eyed.  I am just over 4 months out and down over 80lbs.  And I feel great. 

I cannot tell you you wont have any complications, but if you don't have this surgery will you have weight related health complications?  I also cannot tell you that you won't regret this surgery at some point.  I had a few minutes here and there the first few weeks after..when I got sick of liquids, and when friends ate big macs in front of me...but now I absolutely have no desire for junk food, or big macs, and I don't care what other people are eating.

I haven't strayed from my Centre's guidelines, so I don't know if I dum*****t, and have been able to handle all the foods that I have tried for the stage I am at. 

I wish you the best of luck.

Vicky