Pre surgery jitters!!!
Hi everyone,
Just wondering if anyone has had the pre surgery cold feet? Im not afraid of the change or commitment to what will be my new normal, what scares me the most is all the horror stories I've read.....
Leaks, dumping, ulcers, acid refux, nausea, unable to keep food down, serious complications etc....
If there is anyone out there that can help me see that this is all just ME faking myself out and I really have nothing to worry about and those situations are very rare. Please reply.
I'm having VSG surgery this month on the 20th and I'm scared something will go wrong. Ugggg.
I had cold feet, yes. Of course, it's natural to feel anxious about any surgery, but second-guessing the decision is particularly bad with WLS because of the guilt and because it feels more "optional". If you had something else wrong, like say gallstones, and your doctor advised surgery, you'd still be nervous, but you probably wouldn't agonise over the decision so much, and you wouldn't feel guilty about needing the surgery.
Those complications are rare. In my answer, I'm going to assume you've discussed the risks with your surgeon, and the logical part of your brain has decided this is the right thing for you to do. Now you need to give the emotional part of your brain something practical to focus on. Here are some things you are likely to experience, so you can be mentally prepared.
- Most people have a short period (a few days?) of "buyer's remorse" after surgery. I think it's a combination of short-term depression which is common after any surgery or illness, and guilt. It doesn't mean you've made a mistake.
- If you get on the scale right after surgery, you'll probably find that you've "gained" 15-20 pounds! This is temporary. It's because they pumped you full of fluids during surgery. You will pee it all out over the next week.
- Dehydration is a serious risk after surgery. Take it seriously! Getting enough fluid is going to be a challenge and a tiresome chore for a while. Eventually it will become second nature.
- Most people have a stall in their weight loss roughly 3 weeks after surgery, but it can happen earlier or later. It usually lasts no more than a couple of weeks.
- You will be low on energy for a while. Even once you feel able to work again, you won't be at 100%. This is normal after any surgery, but it's worse because you're taking in so few calories. Most of the time I felt better than I had in years, but I could go from I-could-run-a-marathon to I-need-to-sit-down-NOW! in the space of a few seconds.
- Eating is going be a chore for a few months, figuring out what agrees with your new stomach and learning how much you can eat.
Despite experiencing all of the things I listed above, it was one of the most exciting and wonderful times of my life. I lost all my excess weight, and -- touch wood -- have kept it off so far.
Thank you sooo much, this put me at ease. I did go over the risk with my Dr and I'm relatively low risk per my lifestyle etc. But I've had an uncle, sister in law and father in law all have complications with bypass right after and several yrs down the road, (which is why I opted for sleeve) and is contributing to my fears. I know I'm making the right choice for me and my life and have mulled it over for 3 yrs now trying this diet and that but never being fully successful on my own. I'll get through it, a new me is going to emerge strong and impowered with a new tool to get my weight on track!
