Feeling a little crazy!!!

Hi folks. I am set for surgery on Jan. 10 with Dr. Kuri. I am running the gammut on emotions lately. Up...down...scared.... guilt...you name it i have felt in the last few weeks. Is this normal? My husband is 110% behind me so i have great support at home. I just feel like i am whirling around in my head, not able to focus on much. I do love the holidays so i am just trying to focus on that and enjoy my family. On another subject, I have decided not to tell ANYONE other than my husband and my parents. I don't need the food police keeping an eye on my every move. Has anyone else kept this experience to themselves? What was your excuse for not feeling well for awhile? What about my children? (two little girls 6 & 9) I don't want to scare them or make them think that what you weigh is the most important thing in the world. They are too young to understand the health complications of being overweight. I am not a person who fibs well so this is going to be a *****allenging for me...any suggestions? I just want to say this board has been a life saver for me. Although i don't post often i read here everyday. It's nice to know other people are feeling the way you feel. Thanks in advance for your help.

Hi Jackie - I decided to keep it secret from everyone except my husband. I had surgery on Oct 21st and am finding it is a little more difficult to come up with constant excuses to adults/family. I often use I ate earlier and am still full or I tell them I am having IBS (irritable bowel syndrom) issues, which has never been un-common for me. My mom worries, she thinks I am starving myself to loose weight... My kids (5 & 11) are luckily very wrapped up in their own world and do not notice how little I eat. I also did not want to scare my kids, they are just to young to understand what and why we are doing this. Good Luck to you! If you come up with any other good excuses, please share them! My nosey in-laws and grandmother will be staying with us for the next 2 weeks, YIKES!!! Kim

Hi Kim, I was thinking of using the "Food Poisoning" excuse. Although that only works for a few days. When i go down for surgery i have told everyone that i need to go to San Diego for business. My excuse for not feeling well when i get back is going to be that we went over the border to tijuana for dinner or something and i accidentally drank the water thinking it was safe...."montezuma's revenge" will get me. My brother and sister-in-law went there for their honeymoon and both came back with the "revenge" they were sick for at least a month and they both lost close to 20 lbs. I guess it is like some sort of bacteria that lives in your intestines and it can make you sick for quite awhile. Anyhoo, as far as after you heal and people notice the weight loss and how little you eat...one lady told me that she just simply said she had cut her portions in order to lose weight. And really what business is it of anyone's what you eat? Someone else told me that overweight people tend to do more for everyone else than themselves (oh how true) so if nosy people want to be in our business maybe we just say that we are taking time for ourselves and our health because we want to be around for a long time. I don't know, i have a feeling that after being asked a million times (i too have VERY nosy in-laws that live right down the street)i may come up with an answer that throws them so far off that they will quit asking. Maybe something like "just because this is a SUPERSIZED world doesn't mean i have to get the BIGGIE everything..i feel full on much less!" Well, i have gone on and on, thank you for listening and responding to my post. Us bandsters and future bandsters have to stick together!!! Jackie Boise, ID.

Hi Jackie--I'm also banding on January 10 with Dr. Kuri--I've told only my mother, husband, and some of my co-workers---afraid to tell my daughters (32 and 27) yet--both are skinny and don't understand--they even opposed their stepdad having RNY even though it was a lifesaving measure--they feel it's a vanity thing and people can lose and keep the weight off if they're disciplined--will have to tell them soon, expecially since I'll be gone for my oldest daughter's birthday and have to have an explanation as to why...

Hi Jackie! You are right in not telling everyone you are having WLS. People are VERY opinionated on this subject and feel they have the right to make very negative comments about your decision and will voice them very loudly! Many people will tell you the same old line, you should just eat less and exercise more, blah blah blah. You will never ever convince these people otherwise so don't waste the energy! As for your kids, you'd be suprised how educated they already are about maintaining a proper weight. Public schools teach healthy eating and exercise starting in kindergarten, as well as potential health problems from not eating and exercising properly, like diabetes. My son is 9, I had surgery in June, he understood very easily. Of course, you need to explain it very simply. I said, "Mom and her doctor have decided that having an operation to make mom's stomach smaller will help me to get healthier because I can't do this without some help. You've seen me lose weight by eating better but it isn't enough. There wil be some changes, like I will be eating less than you now, but it will be ok...." I think it's the details of surgery that overwhelm them, as well as scaring them with the chance you could die, etc, never let them hear that, of course! But you could be underestimating how much your kids can understand. On the downside, my son is knowledgeable and sometimes tells people about my surgery that I do not want to know! I wish you good luck for surgery! Bonnie

Hey Jackie, My name is Ronda and I am set to have my surgery with Dr. Aguirre on January 10th (yeah we have the same date!). I feel just like you, I am so anxious, yet nervous, yet afraid all at the same time. I can't sleep and when I eat I just keep thinking about how this food would taste after the surgery. I know my life will be changed for the better but I am just so afraid. I keep seeing stories of people who had the surgery with all these complications and it makes me even more nervous. I just hope after the surgery we can look back at this and laugh. I am with you in prayer. Good Luck Ronda in OHio