I needed to postpone my surgery. Anyone else lose their nerve and later have their surgery?

I asked that same question. All my intake coordinator would say is "You'd be surprised what I have had to explain to people", while shaking her head. LOL

Special shower --- Hibaclense !! antibacterial nasty ass soap.. some Surgeons swear by it

I would have pushed and shoved anyone in my way.  I couldn't get to the surgery table fast enough!

Many people have posted here that they have been in your situation, so you should get some answers.

I did not delay, but here in my perspective:.

You have ONE best chance for the surgery to work - if you are not ready, you are better off waiting - even if only for a short time (or a long period of time****il you understand the changes needed and see them as a good trade off for the improvements in your health.  If you would have nothing but 'buyer's remorse' you are right to hold off.

However, I would not expect the education to calm you down - you need to understand that at first, post-WLS life can be a lot to grapple with. 

The perspective that was helpful to me was to be very clear on why I was taking this drastic step.  It may help provide clarity on what your reasons for having WLS are. I wrote this while back to someone who was nervous as they went through the pre-op process:

Be as nervous as you like, that's normal, but also use this time to get clear on why you are doing it.  Most likely your reasons are more than your appearance. I would suggest making a list and then you can check them off over the next months and have motivation to keep the weight off.  For what it's worth, here is the logic I had for surgery: 

   1 - My knee is messed-up and if I do not get the weight off, I will be looking at knee surgery.

   2 - I just lost 100+ pounds with a conventional diet and put 90% of it back on within 2 years, so I am not one of the lucky 3-5% who will keep the weight off.

   3 - WLS is easier to recover from than knee surgery.

   4 - WLS was (and is) the right option for me. 

   5- Things that will be better:  enjoying the outdoors, clothes, . . .

I was more than nervous - before surgery I updated my will, changed my insurance benficiaries, had everything notarized, made sure a lawyer-friend had a folder with all my important papers, (I had the advanced directives form to fill out but I did not get around to it).  That is just me - be prepared.  But, now all that stuff is done. 

But, when it was all said and done, and I was in pre-op and felt the first wave of sedative kick in, I looked at the clock and my reaction was - 7:42, my new lucky number!  I had difficult times - most of us had, but pre-op clarity will help you get through a lot of post-op crap.

May I humbly suggest you generate a list and write down your motivations for surgery.  It might help you prevent 'buyers remorse' and give you focus to get through any difficult times. And give you something to do while you are waiting for the insurance approval. 

Best of Luck, or more currently, MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!!

No I didn't lose my nerve b4 I had the surgery, but yes I did have some second thoughts as I was in the waiting area with my stylish robe, cap & matching booties. I had thoughts of, you know I can leave right now, I can go. I didn't tell anyone, no one would know. I can try 1 last time (my original avatar name) on my own, then I took a deep breath, remembered why I was there, & let them wheel me into the operating room.

Being nervous is ok, use the time to reflect if you really want this, cuz if you're not fully committed to this you can end up failing. 

Good luck in whatever you choose to do.

I thought about surgery for several years but didn't seriously pursue it. When I reached the point that I no longer cared what it took or whether I ever ate any specific food again, I pursued surgery. At that point, nothing would have stopped me because I was ready to do whatever I needed to do. Maybe you just need some more time to process before you are ready to make that commitment. I believe that it is better to wait until you are ready unless you are facing an urgent and serious threat to your health. I do not regret waiting because I know that I wasn't ready.

I did.  I was referred to the hospital for RNY by my bariatric doctor.  We determined that I had more than average troubles with hunger and he thought that going throught the pre-RNY process would at least help me get more help for my eating issues than what he could offer.  The hospital has mandatory psychologist and behaviourist visits pre-surgery before you can qualify.  He wanted me to have access to those to see if that would resolve my issues, and to get the RNY if not.

When I was referred for RNY I was of the firm mind that I would not be getting surgery under any cir****tance until I had tried every other possible avenue aside from fad diets or obvious marketing ploys.  I put myself through the process to get access to the resources the hospital had and to learn what the surgery was about.  Half-way through the process, I decided I would give myself a shot eating low fat, low carb, high protein, watch my calories and work on emotional eating issues I had discovered with the help of the hospital.  After losing 30lbs, I decided I did not need the surgery, and I quit the RNY program.  After losing 70lbs, then gaining it all back, I had to come to terms with the fact that I had officially tried all of the healthy weight loss strategies and they'd all failed me.  My hunger was not something I could fight every day of my life and have success.  

I had to eat A LOT to stay full.  I was averaging around 120g of protein per day as a 5'5 woman.  I realized that this was not a healthy way to live.  The extra protein I was eating was just getting converted to carbs, then being stored as fat, which made all my efforts in vain.  

I realized I WANTED to eat just a cup of food per meal.  I wanted the lifestyle I could have so badly.  If I used the tool correctly, I had a decent shot at getting to a healthy weight and more quickly than I could do on my own.  I wanted to stop wasting years of my life and just start living now. 

I took a trip to my therapist and used a session to just talk about my feelings around the surgery.  We talked about if I had any doubts, why, and if they were realistic.  We talked about my preparedness.  At the end of the session, I had no doubt in my mind that this is what I wanted to do and that I would handle any situation that arised from the surgery using the information that the hospital had given me.

Surgery day, I wanted to run out of there so bad.  But then I kept thinking back to my therapy session and how I knew this is what I wanted after all we had discussed.  I forced myself to stop running everything through my head like I had been doing for the three years since I had been recommended to get the surgery.  I just focused on relaxing and keeping myself in the bed.  If I started thinking again, I'd just want to bolt out the door.  I was so scared.  I'd never had any surgery in my life and I was doing THIS.  

The moment I woke up from surgery, the first thing I noticed was the gas pain.  The second thing I noticed -- I wasn't hungry.  At all.  I was euphoric.  I was so relieved.  I didn't know how long it would last, but I wanted that feeling forever.  It's been 7 weeks and it hasn't come back yet.  I'm enjoying this thoroughly while it lasts.

In the end, I wish I had been ready 10 years ago.  I am only 7 weeks out, but I have experienced so much more of life in this short time.  I am so grateful for just these 7 weeks I have had.  Being able to walk again without pain and blood from chafing.  Being able to enjoy a nice long walk without getting hungry in the middle, preventing me from enjoying the fresh air, the sounds, the smells.  Being able to enjoy social company without being emotional and hungry every second, then getting *****y because I'm hungry and embarrassing myself.  Being able to dress myself without being completely winded. Putting on my seatbelt without struggling.  

I had moments after the surgery where I WOULD have felt regret had I not been completely sure that this is what I needed to do.  The recovery was psychologically difficult for me.  It still is some days, because the unfamiliar new feelings cause stress, even though I'm happy about what I've done.

When I chicked out of the RNY process the first time, then went back, it took me a year to get the surgery.  I had emotional eating issues I had to resolve before I could qualify for the RNY.  I think my process would have been about 6 months had I been ready when I went back.  These wait times of course depend on the place you are going to for your surgery.

tl;dr chickened out, came back, went through hosptial's rny process, took a year to get surgery

  I was fine all through the process leading up to surgery. I was ready. I knew what I needed to do post-op and I embraced it fully. No one could stop me. The morning of surgery, I had some second thoughts, I was nervous, and as the surgical team was wheeling me into the OR, I had a brief desire to hop off the gurney and make a run for it, but I knew that I needed this surgery to get healthy. As they were transferring me to the operating table, I'd made peace with my decision and was back to being 100% dedicated. It was a brief "Oh ****!" moment, followed by "Here we go!" moment. (  I think we all have those moments in life. )

  If the thought of surgery, and all that goes along with after, messed with your head that much, I think you did the right thing. It's good you're in counseling, and can get help with moving forward from this, whether you decide to reschedule or not. It is definitely a huge lifestyle change and you have to be 100% committed to that change in order to get to and stay at your goal weight and stay healthy. If you had gone ahead with surgery, you may have come out of the hospital completely not ready for post-op life, possibly been overwhelmed-and might have become non-compliant-so I really have to commend you for having the courage to postpone the surgery rather then go ahead and not be 100% ready.

  I wish you much luck with whatever you decide.

I think some nerves are normal before something with the potential to be very life changing. Just had surgey about a week ago , flew across the US, then drove to Mexico, and anyone that would've attempted to get in my way was going to face major life threatening serious problems !

Just try to focus on your goals, why you are wanting this and it should make it a little easier, plus the counseling should really help too.

Wishing you the best whatever you choose

I had what we now call " The Great Freak Out". I jumped through all the hoops, did all the tests, got insurance approval, weekly wiegh ins, ect. When I heard that I had insurance approval, I went into panic mode. I tried to convince myself that I didn't need the surgery. I canceled everything and went into an eating binge. It took several months to come to calm down. In a way, I'm glad for that experience. I am now more committed than ever to getting this surgery and becoming healthy. My brain knew that it was the right choice, but I needed to come to terms with it in my heart. I am now at peace with the surgery and looking forward to my new active life.

The only bad thing is that during "The great freak out" I waited too long and had to resubmit for insurance approval. I am almost at surgery and can't wait!