glad to...

You said "I just realized that I have gone through this entire process, and maybe I don't really want to do this." I don't pretend to have any answers, but if you are at a point where you are scheduling a data and you are still saying that "maybe I don't want to do this", then I would say you don't. Maybe you need to chill out for a while and do some more research, soul searching, praying, whatever you need to do BEFORE you make this life changing decision. For me, it came down to simple common sense. I am 30 years old, 5'5" tall, and I weighed 325 lbs. I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter, and to put it quite simply, I want to live a long time to see her grow up. My decision had more to do with her than it did with me. However, I will reap most of the benefits. I will lose this weight that is keeping me from being the best father I can. I will lose the back problems and knee problems that are starting to develop. I won't develop diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, strokes, respirtory issues, etc... Sure, I might get something totally unrelated, or have a car wreck or something, but the weight is a problem that I can do something about. By no means am I trying to say this is what will work for you, I just wanted to explain MY reasons for undergoing the surgery. However, I say again, you are only 18 days away from a surgery that is life altering. It is NOT a 6 month diet that you can cheat on or quit when you feel like. It is permanent, and you need to make sure that your head can handle what your body is going to throw at it. I would think that anyone with any reservations about it would choose to NOT go through with it. My advice would be to just hang back a bit. It took me over a year to make this decision. You can take your time. Don't feel pressured because some doctor has scheduled a date for you. Hope this helps...

I just received a call from my surgeon's office to schedule my Gastric Bypass surgery - they can schedule me for June 20th. I just realized that I have gone throught this entire process, and maybe I don't really want to do this. YES - I want to lose weight very badly. I have a BMI of 40, so I have been told I am on the borderline for being accepted. I am a 47 year old female with bad knees and high blood pressure. Other than that, I am healthy and not on any meds at all. I have been overweight since I can remember and put on mega weight after my kids were born - it just won't come off. I am afraid because I don't heal well - I have been told I am full of adhesioins. I also keloid scar when cut. I am afraid I will make my life worse then it is now if I have this surgery - serious cold feet. I guess I also can't help but wonder if I have done EVERYTHING I possibly can (non-surgically) to lose this weight.... I join Weigh****chers; I join Jenny Craig; I start an exercise program; I take diet pills; I vow to drink only protein drinks - I JUST DON'T STICK WITH ANYTHING!! I quickly told the woman from my doctor's office that I will call her tomorrow. I have to give this some more thought. Thanks for listening, Karen

The really interesting thing here is that no one has had any regrets posted to this thread regarding having the DS.

Hello Everyone, I am not really new to this site. Actually, I had my surgery 17 months ago and achieved goal without a problem. But, once I got to goal, even though I may have looked thin, I still wanted to lose more, and I became addicted to seeing the losses. I am now underweight - but not because of the surgery, its because I severely restrict my calories. I don't resent the surgery at all - it saved me. But, I was recently diagnosed with Anorexia, and I am now seeing a therapist and I am under treatment. According to my surgeon, Anorexia can occur in a very small percentage of post WLS patients who achieve great success with their surgeries, but for some reason or another, become addicted with weight loss, body image, and food control. I was totally shocked to come to the realization that I was one of these people when I went to the doctor for another illness, that I was causing myself by not eating. The reason I am writing this is because I am looking for others who may have experienced this kind of problem. I have so many questions. In truth, I am a well-established and respected member of ObesityHelp, and I purposefully created this new fake profile to log in with, so that nobody would know who I really was. I am so ashamed of this problem. Everyone who knows me on ObesityHelp thinks of me as a very successfull post-op, who has surpassed their goal weight, and is very active in ObesityHelp. I must admit, I look so terrific when I am clothed, but naked, my ribs and back bone stick out. I can honestly say that I have caused myself to lose too much weight, but just knowing about the problem doesn't fix it, which is why I am secretly in therapy now. Any insight would be great - I would really like to share this with someone who is having similar problems. Thanks much, Justa Mann