Surgery Date and Post-Op Anxiety

Hi All,

 I've been lurking for a while, but this is my first post.  I've been considering bariatric surgery for the past 10 years, but finally felt ready to do it and settled on getting the sleeve. (It helped that my insurance finally covered that procedure.) I just got my surgery date for August,  but this weekend I was suddenly overcome with a wave of fear and anxiety.  I'm not worried about the procedure, but I'm suddenly terrified of what life is going to be like without this "shell"  of fat around me. I'm beginning to feel like an exposed anfg vulnerable child, and I was wondering if any of you have gone through the same thing? If so how did you deal? 

I think a lot of people go through that type of anxiety.  It IS a total lifestyle change.  I went through it myself.  But, I quickly got over it when I started seeing the amazing results I was getting!  And I totally wish I had done it a lot earlier.  Good Luck to you Gerry!  Keep reading on this forum and get all the info and advise you can.  The vets on this board are super helpful! 

Life is going to be AMAZING without the shell of fat around you! All those little things I used to consider and think about when placed in so many situations are all gone! No more eating and thinking people are staring at me because I'm a big girl stuffing her face. No more checking weight limits before buying chairs. No more fear of not being able to go on rides in the water park. No more feeling huge because I'm taking up more space when sitting on a plane, subway, or even sharing the backseat in a car. No more scootching in and pulling my arms in when in a theater seat. No more back pain when walking a while. No more shopping at the "big" stores.

While those reasons may be personal to me, I hope they can be somewhat relate-able! I know that, for me, being fat was something that was ALWAYS at the forefront of my mind. I didn't even realize how many times a day it played into my thoughts and decisions. Not having that burden is such a welcome frame of mind. :)

It is actually quite terrifying. As many NSVs as you will have, it doesn't negate the anxiety. We literally have to go through a process of getting to know ourselves on a different level, and we also have to learn to interact with the world from a different perspective. We will treat others differently and they will treat us differently. At least for me, having WLS and losing a ton of weight made me vulnerable, and I have literally felt every kind of emotion that I didn't even know existed when I was heavy and stuffing food down my face.

All I can say is if you have the resources, find a really good therapist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (or at the least, read up on it, get some workbooks, etc).

I had scheduled surgery for May25 th but go so overwhelmed with fear and anxiety I cancelled. Then I prayed and felt I really needed to ahead with it so it is now July 13 th. It will be ok

Thank you everyone for the support and encouragement- it really helps to know I'm not alone or unique with this anxiety! And I apologize for taking so long to respond, I knocked over my drink shortly after posting and fried my laptop!! So yeah, I guess I'm a bit nervous, LOL.