Question:
Terrified of Surgery and not sure what to do.
Did anyone else have the desire to go through with surgery, the will to LIVE through anything afterwards but were scared to death to trust someone to operate on them? I think that it is my brain that is scaring me the most. When I think about WLS, I do not think of the weight I will loose or the energy I will feel after the weight is off. I think about the tubes, the knives, the masks and everything that can go wrong! I have never had a manic moment in my life (except when I pulled the drill from the dentists hand) but when it comes to medical procedures I am so scared and squemish. Did anyone else have these fears and actually go through with the surgery? — meliss0725 (posted on March 26, 2003)
March 26, 2003
I felt the same as you and you know what? Your completely normal! Any kind
of surgery is scary!! I had never had ANY sort of surgery before in my
life: no childbirth, broken bones, etc. NOTHING!! I was scared out of my
mind! But, I did it anyways cause I knew I was making the right decision
for me and I did try and focus on the new me. Don't worry about the knives,
masks, etc because you will be put out and won't see any of it anyway!
Focus on your life after the surgery. You can have them give you something
before to calm you down too. Your going to do fine!!
— Kris T.
March 26, 2003
Melissa, I am also a pre op and feeling a little bit scare too of the
surgery, most because is the kind of surgery that you choose to do, and I
have a nine year old son, that really needs me, but the way I see it is
that my weight is killing me , and in any moment I can develop diabetes, or
have a hart atack and die, so I guess the risk is worth it. What you have
to do is research your surgeon, ask how many surgeries he performs a month
or year and also what is the death rate. And if you are religious just
leave your life in God's hands, Remember he wants the best for us, and then
relax, and look for the support of your family and friends that's the most
important thing . Put in your mind all the great things that you are going
to do, when you feel healtier after the surgery, and also the quality of
life that you are going to have, and why not, all the nice clothing that
maybe today you can't wear today and you you are going to be able to enjoy,
I left everything in God's hands, and I try just to live day by day, I am
kind of excited......Please email me if you need to talk to someone it will
help me too because I am in the same boat, I just finished my tests and I
am ready to ask my ins for approval...Take Care.and Good Luck...
— Rosa M.
March 26, 2003
Hi Melissa - I find that the best way to combat fear is to research,
research, research and more research. Research your surgeon, research the
hospital, research the procedures, research your family's history with
illness and surgery (the expereince of relatives is every bit as relavant
to how you will do as is the skill of your surgeon and his team - so gather
medical facts on your 1st degree relatives - parents, siblings,
grand-parents), research anything and everything that concerns you. Ask
questions! Ask questions! Ask questions! Lastly, remember, fear is
<u>F</u>alse <u>E</u>vidence
<u>A</u>ppearing <u>R</u>eal. That means that our
greatest fear is often of the unknown, or of letting go of control because
we don't know what will happen. If you've done everything you can do and
you still are experiencing great anxiety, perhaps finding a counselor to
talk about your fears and anxieties with would be helpful. One thing I've
learned about myself and fear is that when it comes to doing new or risky
things, if my fear is greater than my ability to give myself comfort and
assurance, then I'm probably not ready yet to do that thing. Be gentle and
give yourself time. This is a big decision and has more ramifications to
our lives than we could even imagine. Blessings, Robin Open RNY 3.13.03
254/242/120 -11 lbs
— rebalspirit
March 26, 2003
hiya {{hugs}} i was fine until the night before surgery when i panicked
and begged my husband to take me home. i was convinced that i would die on
the table (this was my 10th surgery and only one "by choice"). i
swore i'd live at the gym and never let another piece of chocolate cross my
lips and he gently said, "honey you are way beyond the gym..now take
your valium" lol...so i did and the next morning i panicked again but
i had a great nurse who held my hand and had me tell her all the reasons i
was having the gastric bypass.
it was scary yes...but i would do it again in a minute. it saved my life --
HAVING GASTRIC BYPASS GAVE ME A LIFE!!
i highly recommend attending wls support groups pre op -- it is great to
meet with people face to face who've gone through what you're going
through.
{{hugs}} kate
www.geocities.com/katebme2002
— jkb
March 26, 2003
Hi Melissa! Yes, oh my yes! I'm 33days from my surgery. It took me 4-5yrs
of people suggesting the surgery and one year of being on Prozac before I
could even think about maybe starting to research it. It has been one year
since I first thought - maybe I should check into this. I also am terrified
of the surgery and all the possibilities but I've made up my mind and done
my research and know it is the right decision. I know there are risk with
the surgery but I'm also at risk for all kinds of medical problems if I
don't do something. I've chosen to do this now before I'm at even a higher
risk for the surgery and I hopefully will have a quicker recovery. It is a
very monumental decision. It has to be made by you and for you, because
you're the one that will be dealing with all of the consequences both
positive and negative. I definitely reccomend counseling if you haven't
already done so. Keep focused on the reason why you've even considered it.
There are risk with everything in life and you have the power to control
your future with the decisions that you make. I wish you luck in your
journey with whatever you decide. If I can be of any help with any
additional information please email me. Karla
— Karla G.
March 26, 2003
Hi Melissa. When I was pre-op, someone suggestd making a list of all of the
reasons that I was having surgery. I did this, not really expecting a lot
of benefit. I couldn't imagine ever forgetting! About 2 weeks before
surgery, I suddenly couldn't remember WHY I was doing it. I had forgotten
and was extremely scared. I was reminded to get my list and read it. I did
and it really helped me to regain my focus. I would highly recommend making
this list and refer to it whenever the panic and fear set in. Good luck!
Shelley
— Shelley.
March 26, 2003
The first time I had this surgery I wasn't scared at all. I didn't know and
didn't care, I just did it. I had so many problems afterwards I'm having
anxiety attacks (little ones) just writing this. This is a major event. I
am not worried about missing food. I am worried I will end up in the
hospital like the last time flat on my back unable to stand etc. BUT if you
follow doctors orders like I intend to this time and make sure you take
enough vitamins. Join a support group etc. You will be fine. The surgery
was the easiest part of the whole journey. Once they put you out you won't
know until you wake up.
Good luck to you.
— snicklefritz
March 26, 2003
I wasn't afraid at all until they wheeled me into the OR and I saw the
surgical techs counting the instruments. I had a surge of fear and then a
nurse put a warm blanket on me and I woke up in recovery! That was one nice
blanket, LOL! Hang in there.. you will be just fine! Sarah.. RNY 2/3/03..
-50lbs
— SarahC
March 26, 2003
Melissa, I also did the list. I had a list of all of the things I could
not do in life because I was fat- it was LONG. Then I had a list of all
the things I wanted to when I lost weight-it was long too! I took that to
the hospital with me, asked them to give me drugs to calm me down while I
was waiting in pre-op (ahhh, it was relaxing), read over my list as they
wheeled me into surgery and then drifted off to sleep. You wake up in
recovery and its all over-no knives, tubes, masks etc...and the drugs they
give you the first 24 hours keep you blissfully pain free. We were all
afraid of surgery-all of us. But trust in your surgeon and the knowledge
that there is life after WLS will get you thru.
— Cindy R.
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