Question:
i thought 3rd time was a charm??

ok my first attempt at surgery was aweful i woke up in icu on a ventilator and was told i couldnt have the surgery because i had a lung infection and when i went under my oxygen level plumeted then surgeon dropped me from his practice...attempt 2 with new surgeon everything was going fine and then i had a darn anxiety attck on the operating table (never had any type of history with pannic/anxiety attacks)now im rescheduled for next friday and im coming down with a bad cold obviously not good!!! is god tryin to tell me that wls isnt for me --what do i do if i cancel i wont be able to go back in for at least a month cuz my surgeon is going out of the country and i cant go back to work its so hard on me im 430lbs and have to be on my feet 8 hrs a day lots of bending and cleaning i come home and im in so much pain i dont get back up till its time for work again... any advice --- am i ever going to be able to have wls?    — TRULUV2329 (posted on June 22, 2002)

June 22, 2002
Gee? I thought I was the only one let me tell you my story I was suppose to have surgery on feb 19 but they cancelled it because the hospital didn't have enough staff and they decided that I needed to see a cardiologist (abnormal ekg) and a urologist (blood in urine)and I had to get a tested for hepatitis C because I have my tongue pierced then after I was cleared by both of those doctors they gave me the date of June 7th then less than 24 hours before surgery they call and tell me they need to postpone it because my white blood cell count was high and they wanted me to see a hematologist. I got cleared by her the next week I had a cold that made the count high two weeks later I was given the date of June 27th then yesterday (june 21st) They called back and said I could have surgery on Monday the 24th of June. Let's hope it happens. But it's nice to know that I'm not the only person that thought maybe I'm not suppose to have this surgery. but if you are detrimined it will happen!!! I will pray for you good luck!!! Samitra
   — Samitra D J.

June 22, 2002
the exact day I went for pre-ops, I developed a terrible cold in my chest. The anesthes. told me to get in touch with my PCP for an antibiotic because they would not operate on me with a cold. You might think about doing that. I wondered if I was trying to tell myself something- like don't do it and I have no idea if you feel conflicted about it or not, but I wonder if you do, because of the panic attack the 2nd time. Are you afraid you'll end up in ICU again? My problem was simple fear- I knew, not thought, that I was going to die. Of course, it was irrational. I talked about it with the Psych. attached to this program when he came to see me in the hospital, and he told me he thought it was symbolic- a rebirth sort of thing. I probably would have had a panic attack too if they hadn't started my IV's really early. Ask them to do that for you next time. Is there a psych attached to your program? If so, get in touch with him/her. If not, is there a hotline in your town? They call it a suicide hotline most places, but they will not hang up on you if you call. Tell them you're slowly committing suicide with your weight if they push you. Do you have a pastor to talk to? Get some support!!! And, worst case scenario is that you get put off a month. You've been carrying this weight for a long time. A month, realistically, is not that big a difference compared to all the years you've managed it up until now. I KNOW how hard it is to get around. I was there, too. I feel really bad for you. You MUST think about all the positive things this WLS will do for you. Picture yourself 6 months down the line when you've lost almost a whole person and how much better and happier you will be. I know that may sound lame to you, but it kept me from chickening out. Good luck to you.
   — Loretta E.

June 24, 2002
Your not alone in this. I was scheduled for WLS on May 10th, 2 days before the surgeons office called and said my thryoid level was too low to have the surgery. Now I have to work with my PCP to get my throid in check-she estimates it will take at least six months.
   — Jennifer P.