New to this board

Hi all. I am scheduled for surgery on 1/3/08 and I am alittle nervous. I am looking for some support from those who have been through it.

Hi Colleen, and welcome! During the weeks leading up to my surgery, I was totally nervous also. Fortunately, I have some wonderfully patient friends who were kind and patient enough to talk me down when I needed it. This is a very friendly board, you'll find some support here. Thanks for joining us! Zandra Q ~=====

WELCOME! :-D I'm a new person too. I had my surgery on 11/7/07. You'll find lots of kind supportive people here. What kind of surgery are you scheduled for? ~Shirley

Welcome Colleen! Good luck on your upcoming surgery - we're here for you!

HI COLLEEN !!!!!! You should be fine !!! We will support you any way we can !!! I hope you are feeling at home....

This is a great place. I'm new here too. I had my surgery 11/7/07. Welcome! ~Shirley

Welcome! You've come to the right place for encouragement and support. Being nervous is a normal thing before any surgery, quite common for us. I was crying on the operating table right before they put me under, but almost 7 mos. out and nearly 80 pounds gone, those nervous feelings are a distant memory. I am loving my WLS and so will you!!

I was scared too, mostly the day before and day of. I also wrote down what I wanted for my funeral and somehow that brought me some peace. My partner understands that my need to plan for the worst is just part of who I am. I also told her what I wanted done with certain possessions that she didn't want. We eventually laughed about all this after the surgery! She wasn't as scared when she had her surgery as I was, but it was 3 weeks after mine and she knew more what to expect. Keep checking in with this board and we will support you! Connie

Colleen, Good luck with your surgery...Let me know how everything goes.. I will be looking forward to hearing everything.. I am hoping to have my surgery this coming summer..

Welcome, Connie! I had my surgery on 5/2/06 and I kept anticipating that I would have a melt down at some point beforehand....and it never happened. Right up to the point of me being in my hospital gown and hooked up to the IV with my family and a few close friends around me, it never happened. (They were all nervous and freaking out a bit, but I was cool as a cucumber.) I've thought about this a lot...as to why I stayed so calm. I think for me it just took so long to actually wrap myself around the idea of having the surgery, that once I made that decision to do it I only looked forward and focused on my goal. I was at peace with my decision. So when you find yourself getting nervous (which is absolutely normal, by the way), just focus on what you want in your life at the end of the journey. It is ALL worth it. The profiles and before/after pictures on this website were inspirational for me and I dreamed of the day that I could be one of them. Hopefully you find them inspiring as well and know that you have a community here that supports you. It will be great!