week from surgery ..... scared and unsure

hello everyone, newbie to the forum here.  self pay candidate here w/ a personal bmi of 38.  surgery is scheduled for july 5th and with about a week to go i am terrified.  not scared of the surgery, but knowing personal habits and tendencies, scared of not being able to follow thru w/ the correct diet. ( i love my chicken wings and sushi :( ).  not big on sweets but just the idea of giving something up forever scares me.  also i love my tennis softball and golf and scared that i will never be able to play without worrying what it might do to hurt the surgery.  just wanted to vent ... ty for listening

 You won't "hurt your surgery" exercising.  You will have to comply with a dietary regimine, eating habits and water requirements.  There will be foods you won't be able to eat after banding.  Realize that if you have complications from your surgery, you will be self pay for those, as well as fills and unfills.  Good luck, let us know how the surgery goes!

I think we all were somewhat scared. The band will make you full on less, that's it. You will have to learn to eat smaller amounts, chew chew chew, drink lots of water, exercise. The head part of any WLS is the hardest. It gets easier as time goes on, you start to look at someone with a "normal" sized portion of food and think, I could never eat all of that. You do not have to give up anything forever. You can still have it in moderation. After your healing time, all your old activities will be fine, to do. Post anytime and feel free to ask any questions. I personally learned a lot from this site. Good luck!

 Mari, this was wonderful. Thanks for posting. I enjoyed reading this and really needed to. Again, why I came to this forum in the first place.

I had my surgery in Oct and have lost over 70lbs. I feel great! I joined W****t Wa****rs, it has really helped me to get away from those old habits!! Good news is I have no problems with Sushi! With the points system you can eat the foods you love and still be successful!
P.S. I was nervous beforehand too, you'll be fine!

You don't have to give up anything. Moderation is key. Either don't have it as often, or don't have as much.

My biggest concern for you (aside from the safety issue) is that being self-pay, you may end up paying a LOT more than you anticipated. We have a lady that posted on this forum within the last wk. or 2 that is 2 1/2 months out. She has already had 2 band surgeries, and now requires a 3rd! There is also a lady in the failed band group that had her band paid for, but lost her insurance after that. Her band almost killed her and she currently has $90,000 in Dr./hospital bills as a result of the band. Now granted I don't know your finances, but for many of us that can be financially devastating!

Think twice, cut once!

I'm kind of torn on whether I should reply here or not as it is completely normal to be scared prior to surgery and I wouldn't want to feed that fear.

However...the band is a particularly poor choice for self pays. There is nothing more heartbreaking than reading a post from someone on here who can't afford to have the band removed or maintained when needed.

I won't say anymore and wish you nothing but the best with whichever route you take, and if the path you choose is the band, please be sure to maintain an emergency fund for any potential follow-up surgeries should they come up.

Best,
Lindsey

Good info for a self pay Lindsey!

I am almost 5 months out and I haven't found anything I can't eat, but I am watching everything I eat. I was a big carb and desert freak! Now if I want a desert I have one bite (maybe once or twice a month). Haven't really missed it as I am eating foods I really like.

Good luck!

I do not have a lot of time to post right now , But I was self pay 5 yrs ago . I lost 125 lbs with my surgery . Great ! Huh ? today I am back to 200 lbs , unable to eat and miserable . My band slipped twice  ( of no fault of my own , i followed the rules to a T ) I have such bad scar tissue build up from throwing up that if my band is filled again it will close off the opening to my stomach , I now am to the point that i can barely eat solid foods, Meats are not possible to eat .
I LONG to eat normal foods , solid foods. I throw up daily and i have been totoaly unfilled for 2 yrs !
I am not a band hater, I wish those who have the band all the luck , but I URGE YOU to re think the band .. Nearly EVERYONE I know who was banded when i was has lost their band . Please read my blog. And decide for your self. I am NOT An isolated case.
Because i was self pay and still am i am un insurable now bcuase my band has failed, I cant get a full fime job because i cant find out , private health insurnace companies wont insure me .
I cant get my band out becuase i cant afford it . I wonder how long I can physically go on thorwing up nearly everything I eat ? 
http://tryingtostayskinnyintexas.blogspot.com/search/label/revision
Here is my blog read from the oldest to the newest
Good luck in your choice please re think it though 
Mindy