Pre-surgery paranoia

Hey guys,

I've been a bit absent since I have been battling an awful plague like chest cold/flu thing.  I am 6 days into my pre-op diet, doing really well, better than I expected, BUUUUUTTTT.... I am terrified I am not actually losing any weight.  I don't feel different, my clothes aren't fitting differently, and my household scale can't tell me how much I weigh .

I am horrified that the day of my surgery I'm going to drag myself down there and my doctor is going to weigh me, see that I haven't lost any weight and decide he won't do the surgery because I haven't been compliant.  Compounding this is the lingering cough I have.  I am afraid that one cough and they will pull the plug on the whole thing.

I NEED this surgery, I WANT this surgery.  My surgery date is super important because I am currently taking 12 college classes this semester and my surgery date marks the first day of a week long break, can't just reschedule willy-nilly.

How do I handle these feelings???

First of all HUGS!

Second, DEEP BREATHS!

Just keep doing what you are supposed to do, and everything will be fine. Drink lots of water & get lots of rest for your cold. Can you take vitamin C or anything like that to help you?

Remember this preop diet is for shrinking your fatty liver. You will probably lose weight while doing it, but don't focus on that! Focus on making the right choices, and have faith that it will be fine!

Take care

Thank you for the kind words! I've been doing EVERYTHING I can to kick this bug.  Multi-vitamins, Airborne, zinc, Emergen-C, EVERYTHING, I have asthma, so whenever I get one of these things it just seems to linger and linger. I'm on Day 9 of this sickness, and still have seven more days until my surgery.  Logically, I know I should be just fine, but emotionally I am just scared.  Having the support of people like you in this forum makes a big difference.  Thank you.

Oh yes, I remember that feeling all too well. A few weeks ago, I went into my last pre-op appointment and was terrified that I didn't lose weight.  I was totally slacking off on the diet and really just wanted to get the surgery DONE and I was so anxious I made myself so worried!  I walked in, they took my weight and I was down a few pounds.  I was happy, they were happy and the approval was ON!  In my opinion, do your best and don't worry about it... it will all work out.  Hang in there... I know the stress of those pre-op months!!!

Thank you for taking the time to reply and express some empathy.  In my head I know that worrying won't actually make a difference in the end, so it's just not productive.  All I can do is what I am supposed to do and after that it is out of my hands.  I suspect part of the reason why I am still feeling so "fat" is that even with the dietary changes I've made, due to the sickness I haven't been able to be as active as I usually am, making me think that it has just evened out and become neutral, less calories + less activity = no weight loss.  I am still feeling a lot of stigma about having weight loss surgery at all and am probably a bit hyper-sensitive to the additional scrutiny and judgment that still has to occur prior to the surgery.  In my head my weight should be "proof" enough that I need the surgery without me having to demonstrate an additional level of "worthiness".

Thank you for taking the time to write to me, without people like you on this forum I probably would have gone crazy long ago!

I think the medically supervised weight loss thing is a joke actually.  I mean it's really stupid to make all of us that NEED the surgery try ANOTHER diet and feel like we HAVE to lose weight.  The pressure on us is enormous enough, and the insurance company makes these decisions, not doctors.  It really makes me angry.  I remember then worrying if I lost too much weight, they may not approve the surgery lol.  I know exactly how you feel and exactly what you're going through.  Yes, if you do what you're supposed to do, it's out of your hands.  Don't feel bad about what you've done so far and the other changes you've made as well.  I know that I had to look at the scale as just ONE measure of success.  If I actually changed my eating habits, tried new foods, drank more water whatever, I was happy.  Focus on some smaller, ha*****anging goals and that may help you feel better.  Hang in there... I know how it is :)

As long as the congestion isn't in your chest, they'll do surgery on you.  If it IS in your chest, it's too dangerous (anesthesia), and it really is a case of better safe than sorry (dead).

Unless your doc said that you have to lose weight on the pre-op diet, don't worry about it.  Most of the time, it's more about making your liver less slippery so that they can get a good hold on it to pull it away from your stomach.  All of those organs (stomach, liver, pancreas, gallbladder) are jammed in there pretty tight, so the easier it is for the doc to navigate his way through, the better for him and you.

As you've said, control what you can control and let the rest take care of itself.  I suspect that you'll be good to go for the surgery and all the worry will be for naught!  Good luck!

I swear this is what I think my surgery check-in is gonna look like!! LOL!