Question:
IM AFRAID TO HAVE SURGERY IS IT SAFE ?

   — [Anonymous] (posted on August 5, 2000)

August 5, 2000
I think you need to discuss this w/ your surgeon. He/she is the professional and knows much more about this issue than we do. I understand that the more comorbidities that you have going in to the surgery, the more risky that it can be. I, too had fears of dieing. This is normal. Talk about it to people that care and can give you emotional support. Please take the time to ask your surgeon any and all questions that you have about this. He is the expert. Good luck!
   — kathy S.

August 5, 2000
Hmmm, hard question. Safe. Compared to what? Are you speaking of the surgery itself? Pretty safe these days. The immeidate chance of post-op complications? And do you mean more safe than some other operation? Or do you mean long-term safe? And then you need to factor in your comorbidities. For me, I was GOING TO DIE of sleep apnea, or diabetes, or asthma, whichever got me first. Sure thing, no questions. The chnace of dying from immediate post-op complicaitons due to it being an OBESITY surgery was less than 1%. The chances of dying from other complications common to any form of surgery (blood clot, pnuemonia--misc), well, that was another guarantee for me. Already had has gall bladder, hystie and one biopsy, so further surgery was a guarantee for me, as it is for most morbidly obese. So, then I asked me: die from co-morbs for sure? Die from complications, possiblly? That's how I reasoned out my choice. It was nearly 6 yrs ago. I gambled and won. But you have to sit down at the table with yourself and ask you those questions. Then run around to the other side and answer them for YOU.
   — vitalady

August 5, 2000
None of the weight loss procedures are without an element of risk. You and your doctor are the only ones who can decide if this surgery is for you. He can give you the statistics on the risks but only you can decide if you do it or not. What are your risks if you don't have surgery. There are a lot of co-morbidities that could kill you on any given day. The percentage of risks for this surgery are a lot less than you imagine. Bad things can and do happen. Reasearch all you can before any decision you make. Good luck.
   — char T.

August 5, 2000
Nope , we're all dead!!
   — [Anonymous]

August 5, 2000
Keep in mind we all have fears ! It boilds down to what scares you the most?
   — Tamaria W.

August 6, 2000
If you didn't have fear of surgery then I would say you have some thing to worry about. I have my surgery in less than two weeks. Do I have fear??? I do... Wanna know a secret? I did a background check on my doctor (as much as I could). I researched statistics. I should feel confident-but I still have fear. Keep the faith.....
   — V B.

August 7, 2000
Hi There, That is a normal reaction, but, yes it is safe, I am 58 years old, and had my surgery 2 years ago, and my surgon would never have allowed me to under go the surgery, if I was a too big of a risk, they do all the testing to make sure you are able to with stand the surgery. What was worse for me is I was too afraid I was going to die fat at 400#s, and I am now 156# and loving everyday I am alive and so grateful to God, for allowing me the faith, that I was going to get through it. Fear is not from God, and I know for me, I am a miricle to be here to encourage others to take a big risk and live thin, that is the way we were meant to live, and were created to be. Linda
   — Linda H.

August 9, 2000
Anytime you have anyone put anything inside your body and start mucking around, there is risk. People have died from having their teeth cleaned, although very few and very seldom. For me, having surgery (open VBG, 4/17/00, 83# gone forever) was safer than just waiting around for my heart to explode, or my joints to give out, or my lungs to permanently cramp up with asthma, or the diabetes to get me. The risk of dying from obesity surgery, as Michelle (bless you, darlin') pointed out, is less than 1%. I figured my risk of dying from the co-morbidities I had was about 100% ... so choosing to have surgery was a no-brainer. Also, as my surgeon explained it to me ... if you took 100 randomly-selected morbidly obese people and put them on a diet, ALL of them would eventually lose the weight they needed to lose. However (and this is the mother of all howevers, in my opinion) only THREE of them would keep the weight off for a year or more. So, for the morbidly obese, diet alone has a 97% FAILURE RATE ... and I think most of us on this site can testify to the truth of that statement. The choice of whether or not to have the surgery is yours, and yours alone -- you shouldn't let anyone "talk you into it" (that would be the same as going on a diet to please your husband, your mother, or your best friend) -- but don't let the process itself scare you. The complications and consequences of living life morbidly obese far outweigh (pardon the pun) the risk of having surgery to permanently correct it. Good luck -- and all good thoughts and wishes going your way, whatever you decide.
   — Cheryl Denomy