I'm scared.......................

Ok I know I shouldnt be but I cannot help it. As weeks and days pass I get more worried and scared about my procedure.. I know its just getting banded and its the easist of all procedures but I do not know what to expect.. I have never had any surgery and it just freaks me out that i must trust myself over to a couple of people.. UUGH!! Sorry I just had to vent....

Gntle J,

I totally know how u feel. I feel the same,except I don't have a date yet. I went to my consult yesterday and I too want the band. They informed me that my date could be as early as Jan. Whoa that's 3 months. They were moving fast they have me going here there and everywhere. They don't play. You figured I would be ecstatic right, well I wasn't i was saying to my self is this what you want. I know you want the weight loss, but do you realize what this entails. The good thing is they did assure me that i had 2 years to make the decision if I was unsure, but to proceed with the process now so I have anything done. As far as the trust tgoes the only thing i really would suggest there is to reach out to your higher power whoever or whatever it may be. I think you will be okay, and if you should get too overwhelmed post it these folks here are encouraging and I'm grateful for them all. You can always pm me if you want, I'm good with helping others I just fall short when it comes to me sometimes LOL, but as long as I post I'll get all the help I need and then some.

thepose

Perfectly normal to be really nervous - especially since you have never had surgery before. If you are losing sleep and really uncomfortable ask the surgeon for some anti-anxiety meds. You shouldnt have to be that uncomfortable.
Yes, the gastric band is considered to be a relatively simple procedure but, it is still surgery so even I, who has had a lot of surgery in the past was really nervous.
I think, for me, part of the nervousness was about the surgery but most of it was about the committment to the lifestyle change. Remember, the band is only a tool and if you dont use the tool the right way it will not work.
Best of luck - are you on the LapBand Board as well? Much more activity there.

Gentle J .. what you are going through is normal. Even up to the last minute you will be asking "What if ... Should I ... Can I ...".

I won't sugar coat it - it IS surgery. I too never had one until I had the band done. And I am the human Ziggy - if anything can go wrong, will go wrong. And (Thank God) nothing DID go wrong. I had all the faith in my Doctor.  I looked at his record, and that's what really put my mind at ease.

Know we are here for you. Feel free to PM with any apprehension you have. I will see you through this !!

Tom

It is normal to feel scared...even the most seasoned of patients is nervous. Banding and RNY are very similiar, you still have 5 small incidisions for the instruments to be inserted and the procedures are done laparscopically. You still need anesthesia so both surgeries are just as invasive. After the band you will have a "port" where you will get fills. Just remember to find out if your insurance covers the fills because many do not. RNY is considered the gold standard of weight loss surgery and it produces permanent weight loss as long as you make the lifestyle changes. With the band you will lost about 60-75% of your excess weight. I went with RNY almost 3 years ago and I think that was the right decision for me. I am able to maintain the weight loss and still cannot eat much. Good luck and be nervous, it's normal....once you wake up in the recovery room you will feel relief!

Hi J. I know about feeling nervous. Until a little over a year ago, I had not had any surgery either. Unfortunately, at that point I didn't have a choice. But, I learned several things that prepared me for the lap band surgery a little over a week ago.

1. Tell them you are scared and they will give you something to relax.
2. Once you are out, you're out and don't have a clue, so don't think about that part.
3. The incisions don't usually hurt because they cut through the nerves as well as the skin, so the most irritating part is the glue that they put on to "stitch" you back together.  The one with the port under it is also a little bit sore, but the others....you won't feel them in a week.
4.  Its better to sit up a bit to start getting the gas out of your body....they use it to inflate your insides so that they can see all the organs or something like that. It just makes you burp a lot or comes out the other end!

Once I woke up, I felt like I had eaten a 12 course turkey dinner! I kept that feeling for quite a while as well. I wasn't hungry at all. Even when I smelled food cooking. My mind said oh, dinner time...that smells good. Then I sat back and thought about it....gee, I'm not hungry! It was such a victory...small, but a victory none the less!

Often I find that because of everything I watch on tv, my fears were much greater than the reality of what was happening. If the fear is overbearing....call the hospital and ask for a tour about a week before your surgery or even a couple of days before. It may make you feel better to see where you will be and maybe even have a nurse walk you through it step by step.

Just remember, that its not silly....if you were not scared, I would wonder what was up! If you have any questions, please ask. I just went through this and I am probably as big a worry wart as you will ever meet!

Best,
Heidi

vent away!!! thats what we are here for!

I think it's natural to be scared. I have had a few surgeries too and am still scared but mostly about afterwards. I've had the nutritional counseling and keep looking over the after-surgery plan and worry about eating what I need to eat while working in education. I don't have a date yet but should have one soon.

I've been trying some of the protein drink samples I got and am having trouble with them repeating on me. Hope that passes.

Good luck with your surgery this week....