Random Poll: What is your deepest, darkest fear about WLS or WLS-lifestyle?

I am 7 months out..I am afraid I am done losing. I am afraid of regain/"failure"

I am at 6mths and have hit the dreaded stall. I swore I wouldn't do it, but I am freaking out that maybe I am done.

I am afraid of regain. I won't buy new clothes because why celebrate a size 20 when it is just a matter of time before I am back in a 32?
I stress graze-eat and I am trying to get control of it again.

I am scared to death that I will never make it to goal, or I'll regain when I do make it to goal.  I think that's a pretty normal fear to have.  I'm still so early out that of course it seems really hard to mess up right now, but I know eventually it will be easier to mess up.  That's what scares me.

I fear that I won't achieve the weight loss results I desire.
I fear regain.
I fear complications.
I fear vitamin deficincies.

Regain.

I am afraid of the complications after RNY. RH, dumping over everything. That maybe I have now screwed myself up inside so much that I will constantly be having complications from RNY.  That maybe being obese was less of a risk than how I will be now. Like now I am damaged.

Funny thing, I am 8 weeks out. I haven't had any issues yet. And no complications with the surgery itself. Just overly emotional at times. Weird where you brain takes you.

I have a fear that I will not be comfortable eating anything ever again after surgery. I have had a lapband for four years and it has not been easy. I cannot eat hard proteins at all even with my band open meat just sits in my stomach and eventually I make myself throw up to stop the pain and pressure. My surgeon says that removing the band may help with the delayed gastric emptying but there is no guarantee so I'm scared that I will not be able to eat hard proteins, breads and that I will have reactive hypoglycemia after RNY. I'm scared that i am making a choice to live on supplements and protein shakes for the rest of my life. So scared.

Christine

i WOULD SAY WEIGHT GAIN, VITAMIN  ISSUES,,,, i am out almost 9 years, in the last 2 years had three major surgeries that kept me down including a brain surgery , double knee replacement and a foot reconstruction. i think different, i feel different, i had a 30 lb weight gain through all of this SO NOW HAVE TO GET IT OFF, so a huge fear i was hoping i would never have to deal with again is now fact, i have to watch everything i eat, it was such a way of life, i knew my limits, i exercised and now feel like i am starting all over again, i am back on track FINALLY:)

1.  I'm afraid I'll develop some kind of chronic wasting disease.
2.  I'm afraid I'll die on the operating table.
3.  I'm afraid I'll develop complications that will make me sick.
4.  I'm afraid of the pain I might feel after waking up from surgery.
5.  I'm afraid that the surgery just won't work for me.
6.  I'm afraid that I won't be able to maintain the lifestyle.
7.  I'm afraid of losing hair.
8.  I'm afraid of loose skin.
9.  I'm afraid of plastic surgery (esp. the lower body lift and the panni), because that looks like it HURTS.
10.  I'm afraid that if the surgery does work, I'll look worse than I do now.
11.  I'm afraid that people will treat me differently.  
12.  I'm afraid people won't treat me differently.
13.  I'm afraid I'll regain weight.
14.  I'm afraid my relationship with my husband will change.

Yep... all that.

While I can't speak to all your fears, I can on a few

#7 Go to my profile and look in my photo albums. There is a picture of my scalp. I have alopecia areata. This is code for "you will slowly lose ALL your hair and we have no idea why." Anytime you need encouragement about your hair, I invite you to visit that and remember that while you may lose some hair following WLS, it will probably grow back! I give you 100% permission to feel glad you are not me, whose hair will not ;)

#11 Be prepared to have feelings about that. People will treat you differently. But not necessarily just because you lost weight but because you will change. Not in the sense of the core of your person. If you are a good person now, you'll be a good person after surgery, but you'll start to develop different priorities and focus on different things. People will react to that.
 

 Thanks, so much!

You know... The hair thing is kind of weird.  A few years ago, my endometriosis had progressed to Stage IV, and I had a very traumatic surgery.  I lost a lot of hair that winter.  My hair is medium fine, and it really doesn't look that good short.  I've been dreading the visit to the salon to get layers cut into it, but I think I should.  It's just going to happen, no matter how much zinc and biotin I take.  

These hair things go to the very heart of who we are.   When my father died, I went to get a hair cut before the memorial.  The hair stylist pointed out these thick white streaks at my temples.  I couldn't imagine how they got that way virtually over night.  (Maybe two months of stress).  But, hair color will cover that, right?

People treating me differently... well.... Right now, I have an equal fear that they won't, so we'll see.  I may need therapy.  I haven't been in therapy for a few years now, but maybe I'll put the therapist on speed dial.  She can usually get me in within a week or two.  With my diagnosis of depression with anxiety, I don't have preset limits on therapy.  Thank goodness.