Question:
Less than 4 weeks and very nervous
I guess this is normal, right? I have 26 days until my surgery and for the first time I am starting to question myself. I find myself fluctuating between "this is going to be amazing" and "maybe being fat isn't so bad". I think I am going crazy! Also...I am stressing myself out more than I should be, I think, because each day I struggle with eating. I sometimes feel like I might as well get it while I can and at other times think I am bad and should stick to eating like I'll have to post-op. You know...for practice. I want to be prepared. Help!!! — PaulaM (posted on October 31, 2001)
October 31, 2001
Paula,
Sorry I don't have an answer to your question cause I am having the same
feelings. I am 30 days from surgery and getting a little nervous too. But I
know this is the best place to come for support and encouragement. Good
luck with you surgery! Take Care...
— toni D.
October 31, 2001
I just wanted to let you know that I didn't modify my eating behavior
pre-op--I gained 11 lbs!!! Also, I was scared and second guessing my
decision to have WLS. But, you know what...I've amazed myself. For a
while I regretted it...I mean we're talking weeks. I had some trivial
problems that really took their toll on me. I must have been depressed
because I would cry cause I could barely drink...couldn't eat...missed food
etc. Then the final straw was a stricture. I was always vomiting for over
a week. I said to myself "i hope this is something fixable" and
it was. Can you believe I was happy to have a stricture!!! I can barely
believe I've lost 50 lbs and after all my misery I'm glad I did this. I
shock myself everyday when I actually feel full and stop!!!! I shock
myself when I choose good, healthy, wonderful foods when I used to eat
crap. Not that I'm afraid of dumping, but I have this feeling that I'm not
going to fail, so why sabotage myself. It's a feeling of pride. I'm
succeding and it's practically effortless. If you keep moving, make smart
choices, understand that there may be hard times but they will get better
and keep a positive attitude, you will shock yourself also. Keep faith in
yourself
— Kristin R.
October 31, 2001
My mother had a Snoopy night gown that said "Here I am again, still
looking for the answers...." and you know, I feel that way EVERY
DAY..I battled my insurance for 9 months to get approval, I have it, adn
came withing 3 days of having surgery (my surgery was delayed, new date
hanging in the balance) but I know I want the surgery, without a doubt in
my mind.... and then there's that darn... whatif bug.. and it got worse
and worse as I approached my surgery date the first time.. So you're not
alone, by no stretch of the word... If you ever need confirmation of that,
just visit our chat room =) But I tell you what, especially in the last two
weeks, I've read this board more than ever looking for anything I might be
missing "still looking for the answer" and it's nice to know ..
I'm not alone either.. Good luck on your journey..
— Elizabeth D.
October 31, 2001
Paula, I am 12 days from surgery and have experienced everything you
mentioned, fear, anxiety, self-doubt and an olympic appetite. Here's what
I think. I'm under a great deal of stress and have historically turned to
food so I'm not going to beat myself up about that. Relative to self-
doubt, I just remind myself that I'm opting to have this surgery. I don't
have to. However, if I choose not to, then I have to be prepared to live
with myself the way I am. It's at that point that my self-doubt
evaporates. Stress and fear are normal responses to an event like surgery.
You'd be an idiot if you approached it without experiencing those
emotions. Evaluate your situation, decide what you want to do, deal with
the flood of emotions as they present themselves and the day of your
surgery you'll be fine. Good luck.
— Aloha D.
October 31, 2001
hi i went through the same thing i would get the runs just thinking about
the surgery. put yourself in GODS HANDS everything is going to be fine.
read the wls befores and afters that helped me alot. now i am 9 days post
op lost 18 lbs in 8 days and glad i did it. GOOD LUCK AND MY PRAYERS WILL
BE WITH YOU.
— aida M.
October 31, 2001
Your perfectly normal, and my pre op questioning my decision was unreal,
and scary. Being a post op for a few months and looking back, surgery was
easier than any serious diet attempt. Read my profile, it covers much of
what your going thru. I have lost 85 pounds and although I have had some
minor problems, mostly a achey back, surgery was easy. Dieting I felt
deprived and horrid. Post op is the place to be...
— bob-haller
October 31, 2001
Ohhh you are soooo normal!!!! I have my surg. Dec 6th, and i still shake in
my boots from time to time. I've always been the type of person when i get
nervous i get diarrhea
and "ralf" a lot. So far so good with that part but I FEEL IT
COMING!!! Thanks to people on this site i found out it was Normal to be
scared. I know i'm going thu with it, i'm just not used to VOLUNTEERING
FOR PAIN!!!!
SO GET IN LINE!!!!! We'll hold hands together!!!! jacki
ps..if you read my prof. when i first found out i ran out on the pourch
like a scalded chicken!!!!
— Jackiis
October 31, 2001
I'm with you - I'm 11 days away from surgery. I can't say I'm nervous
about the procedure itself, and I absolutely KNOW that I don't want to
continue being fat. But I have loads of anxiety about whether I'm going to
succeed in taking (and keeping!) off the weight. I'm scared to death that
I'm going to be one of the ones who loses the weight only to gain it back,
as I've done so many times before. All I can say by way of encouragement
is that we'd all be crazy NOT to be anxious about surgery as major as this
one, so that's very normal. As far as being "bad" about eating,
I plan to eat whatever I want as much as I want till midnight the night
before. Why stress about it now? Enjoy, and know that life is about to
change for the better.
— Danette H.
October 31, 2001
I am 4 months post-op and down 72 lbs. Before surgery I did have a few
fleeting thoughts that life wasn't so bad at this size. It is major surgery
and to be anxious is normal. But I looked forward to my surgery day as a
new beginning. I didn't alter what I ate before surgery. I just enjoyed it.
It didn't matter to me if I "practiced" post-op eating as I knew
I wouldn't have a choice afterwards. My whole outlook on food was
different, especially in the beginning. It is a life changing decision. You
must change your eating habits to be successful. It is a small price to pay
for the great rewards. Good luck!
— wilkywanch
October 31, 2001
Hi!! I just wanted you to know that I am exactly THREE weeks today away
from my date, and I am a NERVOUS wreck! I feel like an eating machine on
wheels, going straight down hill with no brakes!! I want to eat
EVERYTHING!! And I feel guilty, bloated, etc, and stop myself. So, you
are SO like me. I, too, feel that I am in need of modification to get
"prepared", but I don't want to lose the chance to eat the things
I want to now! But rest assured, everyone on here that is post op will
tell you that they went through the same emotions, and now they have NO
regrets. I want to be like them. I'll be praying for you. MC
— Melinda C.
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