night before surgery, changing my mind about d.s.?
Hey all. I dont know if its just my anxiety or not since its the day before surgery. But i have been scared about the intestinal part of this surgery since before i even knew about the surgery. I wanted the sleeve. And said no way no how am i ever letting someone mess eith my intestines. Well..then i heard the stats as far as losing and keepijg off weight and thoughf it be my best option long term. But the rate of bowel obstructions is higher for someone who has bypass or d.s. becuase of surgical adhesionz. So my dr. Keeps saying oh this is all very rare. 2-3 percent of people. And calms my fears a bit becausw hes so sure that everything will be fine. And said to just always losten to ur body and call me immediatly if something doesnt feel right. So im watching youtuve videos last night of drinking the magnesium citrate and i click ok this guy and watch his videos cuz it said he was d.s. patient. I see one of his that says. Emergency surgery and i watch it. Hes 3 days post op and bowel obsturction hiccuping and saying he might not make it and in alot of pain. And saying goodbyes and i lovee youz to each of his kids. And thats the last video he made. So i go see his other videos just to be sure that was the last one. And hes talking and says ... dr. Blank. Is a good surgeon. But dr. Blank. Is MY surgeon!!! omg that irked me soooo so so bad! My stepsister just had him do hers 4 months ago. And my stepmom had his now deceased partner do hers 10 years ago. And did her ex husbands to. I met another lady who had hers 15 years ago from him and said hes wonderfull blah blah. But i seriously feel like just asked for the sleeve. Im terrified absolutely scared outa my mind about being in that small percentage of people who gets a bowel obstruction and dies. My son is 3 he needs me. And yea being fat has its complications i know. Which is why im even doing this to begin with. Am i just being super paranoid?i know no one can say ill be fine cuz u dont truely know that. Except everyone does keep saying that. Its less than 24 hrs till surgery ! =0
Yea well thats why i want the d.s. im feeling a littls better right now. Im sure in anither few hours and when i get there ill be freaking out again. But i guess im trying to tell myseld that if something happens i know the warning signs and to get help right away. And that i am doing this because i know if i dont i will never lose the weight thats bringing me down in every aspect of my life. Im ready for a new year and to be healthier. Im gonna take some before photos today. And we decided to bring our son to the hospital with us. I feel better with my little family close to me today. Im getting my stuff all packed up and trying to relax as much as possible. I really appreciate everyones support on here, and from my family. It really helps so much.
Having any kind of bariatric surgery is a big, scary decision. But in reality, the risks are lower now than they've ever been because of improvements in both the operations and the anesthesia over the years. The silver lining of our obesity epidemic is that doctors and hospitals are now very experienced in working with MO patients.
I am sorry for this individual who apparently (we don't really know for sure) had a bowel obstruction and maybe died. However, you need to understand that many, many people have bowel obstructions every year from having had all sorts of abdominal surgery, not just bariatric surgery, and almost everyone survives. It isn't the obstruction that kills someone, it's either the failure of the patient to get help promptly, or the failure of the medical team to recognize the problem and deal with it promptly.
You have the knowledge to get help promptly. If there is any question of an obstruction, you need to demand (not request) a CT scan with contrast, because sometimes, in people with the DS, the usual x-rays won't show the obstruction like they would in someone with a different surgery. It helps to have a card of something you can show to ER docs to explain your anatomy and why this is so. And these days, many ER's have computers with internet access so a doc can look up the DS on the spot and see the anatomy.
I can't tell you what operation to have, and you are obviously well aware that staying MO is not healthy for you and has its own complications. I hope, though, that you will be able to get past your fears and do what you need to do for your health and long term success.
Larra
