I'm beginning to have doubts

Thanks for your posts guys, My Cholesterol is 255 & my Triglycerides are a whopping 550+ 

Also, there is quite the buzz about iron infusions. Women seem to need those the most, as they tend to lose blood for a few days every month. (Who knew?) I say go for it. Stay on top of your medical care, and you will be fine.

What you are feeling is normal.  It took me 2 years of research to finally decide to have my surgery.  My DW and I got some really negative feedback from a family member just a few weeks before our surgery, and it really got our spirits down.  If you've come this far, you've probably tried other options and not been successful.   I am a nerdy financial person, and so I looked at all of the statistics and facts including the following: 1.  Actuarial tables:  these are statistics that insurance companies use to determine your life expectancy and risk.  I didn't like my projected life-span if I didn't lose weight quick.  Life insurance companies wanted to charge me an arm and a leg for coverage, and health insurance companies didn't care for my potential medical bills, and funded my surgery. 2.  Diet previous to surgery:  Prior to my surgery I ate a very unhealthy diet, and never took any vitamins.  I now figure any vitamins I absorb will be more than I would have otherwise absorbed. 3.  Medical history and experience:  I was glad to find the wealth of medical experience and research on the effects of RNY.  Over 20 years of history for this surgery is on your side for problem-shooting any potential problems. 4.  Assessing personal risk:  Many people getting this surgery had already begun to have very serious medical problems prior to surgery.  As a result, some of these problems continue to exist post-surgery.  Others are completely and consistently eliminated within a few months following surgery. 5.  Personal references of post-surgery folks:  All scientific folks recognize that there is statistics, but there is also a high value which can be placed on individual case studies.  I did my own case studies prior to surgery by asking questions to people who had surgery.  The most common and consistent response I got from people is that they wished they had done the surgery sooner.  This surprisingly came even from folks who had serious post-surgery issues and even surgeries.  

You can do it!!!

--Dave

Do it BOB. Because if you could change your habits and drop the weight you would have done it all ready. We all would have! I started this trip at 389lbs, my six months will hit here on the 12th, I am now hitting the scales at a whopping 255lbs.  My diabetes is nonexistent. My sleep is great, no more cpap. I am engaged to be married now, we met because of WLS today is her 6 month anniversary. I feel better now than I have in years.

well, since i've written a letter for you and have come to know you over time i'm going to say something you may not want to hear. i think you ought to think about cancelling this surgery for a while. there will be hard times and some struggles to encounter and in the end, we all have to diet and exercise and watch that we don't go down that road again. this is a tool. i hate saying that but it's only as good as the guy using the tool.

i vote you hold off until you're ready to proceed no matter what the odds. do the old ben franklin close. make a list with positives on one side and negatives on the other. then weigh them and see who wins. if surgery wins, then be ready not just for surgery but all the work it's going to take to get through the first 18 months. this is a life changer and a head banger. yeah, some guys fly through it. others, like me, it's a ball buster. you just don't sound ready to me but it's an opinion and bases solely on what you've been posting over time. i'm not qualified to make decisions for people but you asked and this is my gut feeling. you might be ready in a few months. something usually clicks in our heads and says, let's rock. i don't think you got that full steam ahead surge in your brain yet.

so take a vacation, eat some fun food, get some exercise and take time to reevaluate your commitment and situation. maybe this will be a better solution next year. i hear a lot of hand wringing going on. i think i can speak for all of us when i say there will always be a place on the bench for you. i hope you keep coming here should you decide to hold off. you're great for the board. ok, just my two cents. take a vacation and then think it over......carbonblob

Hello Bob, Whew! You're in that horrible what-if spot many of us have to pass through. I know how you feel. I canceled my first scheduled surgery out of the same fears and because I was deluding myself into thinking that I could do this all my self. But . . . At the time, I was 57 years old and weighed 320 lbs, had been obese for decades, had joined gyms, Nutrisystem, Optfast, blah-de-blah. And still I thought, well this time I can do it myself. Jump forward 2 1/2 years later: I now weighed in the 340s and  was 60 years old (the upper limit at the time for surgeons in my community). And I was different inside. I accepted who I was and what I could and could not do. I reasoned that all my fears about malabsorbtion issues as an old fart in an old age home would be beside the point if I dropped dead from obesity related issues. For me, it made a huge difference to have the surgery when I was psychologically ready (eager). You've been given great feedback from the guys and you'll have noticed how it ranges from go for it to wait--all reasonable. My hunch is that "just do it" is the way to go, but CB makes a good point. Still, either choice is risky and you may regret whichever you make for a time. But--and again it's only a hunch--if you opt for surgery, with any luck, your regrets due to post-op discomfort, etc. will disappear along with your excess weight and health problems. Know this, whichever way you go, we'll be here.

Hi Bob, I just wanted to take a minute and let you know how normal those feelings are.   My quality of life had become so horrible, that I had come to the decision that dying on the table while giving myself a chance at a better life, was better than continuing on the way i was.   I won't go into a lot of detail, since i just posted a lengthy update on my post-surgery life, but please know that you aren't alone in what you are feeling.   It took me almost 4 years to work through my fears/anxieties about surgery before i went through with it.   And, i haven't regretted it for a minute. I was on a 3 week pre-op diet and lost 25 pounds.   So, about 3 days before surgery, i was having a heart-to-heart talk with my sister about why i was going through with surgery when i was able to lose so much weight so quickly.   But, after reviewing my life of up-and-down weight loss (starting to diet at age 15), it was obvious why i had made the choice to have WLS.   i ended up telling my sister, "I know how to lose weight, but if i knew how to keep it off then i wouldn't need the surgery."   But, clearly those of us opting for WLS need a more permanent TOOL to use for the rest of our lives.    Hang in there, and keep reaching out for support.   There is an amazing new life waiting for you on the other side of your surgery date..................    Chuck

Well said there Chuck.  Thanks for chiming in on this one for Bob.

Very happy to do it.....    Bob - last night i went to the theatre and saw a show with a group of friends.   It's the first time i've gone to the theatre in over 4 years because the seats were just too damn small for my large BUTT.   Last night i sat very comfortably and my hips weren't PINCHED by the sides - and, i wasn't POURING over the arms of the seat...     Hang in there man - the rewards are waiting for you too....   Chuck

Just thought I'd also mention that since the surgery on 6/28/07........... Lost 36 pounds the first 3 weeks. ( and I'm a lightweight for this surgery. AT 5'11 and starting weight of 285)   I haven't been weighed since the 3 week mark, and next Thursday will be 6 weeks out.  No more CPAP ( I was diagnosed with SEVERE sleep apnea couple years ago and couldn't sleep a wink without the machine before surgery) No more high blood pressure meds No more diabetes meds (my blood/sugar is good now) No more cholesterol meds No more squeezing into my jeans and having my thighs trying to rub each other out. No more food hangovers after overeating No more insulin spikes after consuming copious amounts of sugar and carbs.  Need I say more?