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

Thanks to everyone that has responded, your words are helpful.

The whole process leading up to the surgery, instead of reassuring me had the exact opposite effect, it stressed me out. I was worrying about everything even down to the smallest issues. It was making me sick, manifesting itself as the dry heaves. I wish the doctor and his staff were helpful but they process people for surgery almost like on an assembly line, I think I need more than that.

I sought counseling with a woman who deals with people like me. She says she has a number of patients like me and her feeling is that if I could somehow skip the 2 weeks before and after the surgery I would be fine. Right now we are working on calming things down. 

While I was nervous and scared (this was my first MAJOR surgery) I was also excited.   The fear of the unknown and the what if couldn't have kept me from having surgery.  I knew that if I did not do something at that point, I would not be around later.   Here it is 15 years later and I would do it again in a heartbeat! 

Yes, this is a change that you need to make for life and you will need to have labs and take vitamins, for life.    It is good that you sought out counseling, at least you are recognizing you are not yet ready for this and can work towards it.   

Good luck!

~Nik

I had it paid for and called it off twice before I finally went through with it.  There were years in between each time.  I finally just made up my mind and did it.  I wanted to jump off the gurney going into the operating room, but I knew I'd never have another chance to do this and have it all paid for if I didn't go through with it.  I kept thinking, "maybe I could try just ONE more thing".  Then I looked at a picture of my sister, who is built just like I was, and that put my mind to rest and the decision to go through with it.  I'm SO glad I did it, and was remorseful every time I cancelled.  However, I did change my mind on the type of surgery to have from the previous two times.  I was going to do the lapband the two times before.  The more I'd research, the more I decided that wasn't the way for me to go.  I finally settled on the VSG and am very glad I did.  My daughter wants to get it done as well, and now my sisters are thinking about it. From my highest weight, I've lost 110 pounds, but from my surgery, I've actually lost around 60 pounds.  (My ticker doesn't always reflect the amounts correctly). 

No, after several years of therapy I was ready! I applaud you for not only postponing your surgery, but also for talking about it. This isn't like getting your appendix out. That is basically no after-care once the wound has healed. WLS is a lifetime commitment to regular lab testing and proper supplementation of vitamins and other things.  The results of nutritional negligence after WSL is devastating.

I liken my WLS to tending a fire. Think of all the many benefits one can get from fire; it's only dangerous when not treated with respect. My WLS has given me so much more in life that I ever could have gotten while SMO. So I tend to my body like I would with a fire, vigilantly and respectfully.

As for how long it will take to re-commit, that I cannot say. Yet if you are honest in your therapy, when the day comes for surgery, you will be much better prepared.  Best wishes.

Yes I was scheduled for surgery on a Monday back in March 2014.  I had gone to my pre-op and was almost finished with my 2 weeks of protein shakes.  On the Friday before my surgery I cancelled.  A sense of relief washed over me and I promised myself that I would keep up with the shakes and lose the weight on my own.  That didn't happen.  I kept eating and my A1c went up.  My fear was not with surgery itself it was a fear of the hospital room and also a fear of never being able to eat anything good again.  I got myself past the fear of never being able to eat anything good again when I learned that I would soon be diabetic and would have to adjust my eating anyway.  I called back to the nurse about September of 2014 and they said that all my tests were still good and all I would have to do again was the pre-op with the doc.  At that appointment he told me if I cancelled again he would no longer see me as a patient.  After that I was too scared of him to cancel.  I had to do the 2 weeks of only shakes again.  The fear of the doc charging me for all the office visits and the insurance not paying since I didn't go through with the surgery kept my from cancelling a second time.  My fear of being enclosed in the hospital room did not subside and the 2nd day in the hospital, after all the meds wore off I had a panic attack and demanded they let me go home.  They walked me around the corridors with someone else pushing a chair behind me in case I needed to sit.   Talk about buyers remorse.  On the 3rd day things looked better.  I stopped taking the pain meds and focused on using my bladder so I could go home.  It took over 5 hours to get home in bumper to bumper traffic  My story only got better after that and I also realized a lot of people had it worse than me.  All I can say is now I am so glad I had it done.  I have very few restrictions on what I can't eat (chicken always gets stuck for me).    Only you can make the decision to get it done but I can honestly say that it is a positive, proactive tool that improves peoples' lives for the better and you get to buy nice clothes. :)

 

 

 

Yes. It was the best thing I ever did. i was on track to be scheduled for the RNY...I called off everything...because I got nervous. I gave it 1 year....and at the end of the year I was heavier than ever. I got a 2nd opinion and ended up with the DS and at 10 years out I'm still maintaining a weightloss without any effort.

SOOOOOO it worked out for me.

Yep, i did cancel my surgery also, a year and 7 months ago.  I was scheduled two weeks out from a Gastric Sleeve.  I had lost 20 pounds on protein shakes.  One day i was sitting here at the computer and happened to go to youtube and look at a vid on having a gastric sleeve, and found out there were several vids of the actual operation.  actual films!  I looked at those and figured, well no thanks.  lol.   I felt that since i had lost 20 pounds, i could do the rest without having someone cut up my body.  I was 69 at the time. 

Stupid me.  whatever made me think i could keep weight off when i haven't been able to do it ever before?  anyway, NOW i have arthritis in both knees, my right foot, I have high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.  I didn't have the knee problem before and my blood pressure was good.  

bottom line?  I KNOW i cant do it by myself, and I have rescheduled surgery for 2 weeks.  May 11th!!  no matter what, I HAVE to do this.  I should have known better.  my opinion is for you to do it. there just didin't seem to be any other way for me.