Feeling unsure...

Hello Everyone. I'm scheduled for VSG in January but lately I've been having second thoughts. I've been reading a lot of posts where people are having problems after surgery; nausea and vomiting, bad reflux, vitamin deficiencies, hernia issues, etc. I'm so worried that I will be among the group of people who have a difficult time after surgery. I'm not living the life I want to be living right now but I'm not sick. I work, I have hobbies, and I spend a lot of time with my family so overall, I have a good quality of life. The thing is, I'm only 30 right now and I fear that as I age, my obesity is going to cause me a lot of health problems. So I know that surgery will be beneficial and probably life changing, but I can't seem to push aside the fear that I might be one of the unlucky ones who develops complications. Did anyone else struggle with these thoughts? How did you get over them? Do most of these problems occur because people aren't following their doctor's plan or does it just come down to being unlucky? Any advice or words of encouragement would be appreciated. I just don't want to make a decision that I'll end up regretting!

Of course many of us have these thoughts- major surgery is scary! I think it's actually reassuring that you think about these things, it means that you understand the magnitude of what you are about to do.

i had a lot of fears of having complications. I didnt want my husband or kids to see me sick or in pain any more than they had to. But to me it came down to the fa.ct that I wasn't living the life I wanted to...I was tired of being tired and of being left out of things because of my weight. I am 7 weeks pJustvost-op today and down 26 pounds. It's hasn't all been easy but at this point I would do it again.

Just make sure that you are ready for this new chapter in your life. It changes everything and can't be undone! I wish you the best of luck in your weight loss journey!!

((hugs))

It's healthy that you are having these thoughts and fears. It's a big surgery you are about to have. You have to figure out if the risk is worth the benefit for you. For me, it was one of the best things I did in my life. Totally life changing, but in a good way. I can still eat my favorite foods just in much smaller amounts. And as far as complications, some occur because people don't follow surgeons directions, others are just plain unlucky.

It is only normal to have these fears. Does your Dr have a support group where you can talk with some of his staff and swho have had the surgery? Will he give you info on how many of patients end up with problems afterwards? Everything in life is a gamble (eg going out in your car) just we don't think about that very often. Though you are healthy now if you are significantly overweight the chances of health problems down the road is very high, I am sure far higher than the chance of problems after surgery. Also remember many people who do well with surgery don't post things anymore, they are busy living. Those with issues stay around longer. Good luck getting through your fears and with your surgery.

I had very much the same worries as you and as the previous poster said, it means you are thinking fully about the serious nature of this surgery. That's a good thing - this is not a decision to make lightly. Here's another thing, at your age I had the same weight concerns as you and knew it could cause problems in older years and I didn't want that either. But, you know what, with all my good intentions and "should-ing" all over myself (I should lose weight, I should have more willpower, I should eat better, I shouldn't have a second, third helping, etc) I never was able to lose the weight or keep it off. Ever. My self esteem plummeted over the years, health problems developed (hypertension, osteoarthritis, knee pain, not to mention increasing weight as the years passed) and I found myself 46 still should-ing all over myself and not losing the weight. And these are the years the problems start creeping in, and they did, so I got serious, researched, stopped cocooning my life and got a referral to the Calgary program and it changed my life.

100%, I would've done this at your age if I'd had the knowledge, clarity and the medical availability. It has changed my life and given me the chance to further age with lower risk of so many things. Yes, I had struggles with dizziness, fatigue and figuring out my new eating/drinking schedule, plus, this year I had to have my gallbladder out, BUT, I also now have normal BP so dropped those meds, virtually no knee pain, significantly less issues with the arthritis in my back and I can move and breathe and sleep like a new person.

Yes, there can be complications as with any surgery. Those can happen getting your appendix out or having a c-section, too. You must commit to following the program and what your surgeon and dietician set out for you. Changes will need to be made with volume and speed at which you eat and you'll have to play attention to what goes into your mouth going forward but it can do so much good if you're struggling with obesity. I thought I would feel "different inside" after surgery but it just feels like you get full faster. That's it.

I encourage you to talk further with your health care team and use your fears to learn and be armed with information. Think of how much harder this all gets as you get older and the health complications that come with that:, carrying excess weight, diabetes, hypertension, joint pain, sleep apnea, heart and breathing issues, etc. Those are realities, too. Most people have none or very minor post-surgical issues, recover well and their only problem is keeping up with the rapidly diminishing clothing sizes. Good luck! Put your health first!

You've already gotten some great responses and I agree with what everyone already said. I was also very anxious about complications and other issues because similar to you I did not have any illnesses or health conditions prior to surgery. My only problem was the weight and losing and keeping it off. The thing that helped me mentally was to do as much preparation before hand as possible. So I read a lot of books about the surgery and the changes one needs to make to be successful in the long term. I did all my pre-op tests that my US insurance would cover even though I had my surgery in Mexico. This helped me to have a sense of whether my body could endure the stress of a surgery or not. I did an endoscopy, echocardiogram for my heart, sleep study etc.

I also started exercising regularly 2 months before surgery and incorporated a lot of the dietary changes well before my 2 week pre-op diet so that my body was not stressed in anyway. I have had a great recovery which I am very thankful for and I attribute it to a great surgeon, preparing well, my age (32), my health and probably a bit of luck!

Try to focus on your reasons for doing this, talk your fears out with people you can trust and with your surgeon and then just take a deep breath. You will be okay.

I know exactly how you feel because I had the same questions and concerns. I am know 6 days out from having surgery and feel that I have made the right decision. I was worried about the changes that I was going to have to make, but I looked at the big picture and realized that this is something that will be the best thing for me in the long run, I will be able to do all the things that I want to do, not just some of them due to the limitations that I have now. If you are in doubt, definitely see if there is a support group that you can go to to get some more answers. Good luck.

I think its very natural to feel the way you do. I had similar thought going into my surgery. Like you I never let me weight hold me back and I had good quality of life. I kept on thinking I could do it on my own again and that I was weak for having surgery. I got over it and I realized I was strong and that I needed the help of surgery! This is the best choice I have ever made. I wish I would made it sooner!

I am a few years older than you (I'm 35) and I don't have a husband and kids to worry about me. In fact my biggest support in my til lives 1300 miles from me and the on that live close are friends. I worried about the complications but what made it worth it was thinking will give me the chance to have kids, if I choose too because I am getting to that age where the risks go up for having kids. But I also was surviving, I wasn't living and there is so much i wan to do and that outweighed worrying about complications i may not have. I'm one month post-op and the recovery has been so easy. In fact I flew back home for a long weekend only to be too I looked amazing and happy. I'm up front with everyone when i tell them what i did and that it is probably the hardest thing i have ever done. But i would do it again without batting an eye.

It took me 12 months to be approved for the surgery and i used that time to make changes. I gave up carbonated beverages, started eating a low Carb high protein diet, joined a gym, completed a paralegal certifate, took NALA's certified paralegal exam (get the results in November - fingers crossed), still worked full time and changed positions at my job and now I'm job hunting back home because I'm not as happy as I could be. Use the time leading up to you surgery to make the changes that will be your new normal after the surgery it will help keep you focused on the positives.

Hi Sammy. What you're feeling is normal. I think most of us felt that way too. Obviously, there are no guarantees, but for most, this surgery is safe and successful if you follow your SWL program's guidelines, both before and after surgery. I'm many years older than you. I had the surgery 4 years ago at 56. For me, everything went smoothly, with no problems. Because I had this surgery later in life than you, many of the complications from being morbidly obese had already occured, with more on the way. Everytime I got scared, I realized that not having the surgery and staying morbidly obese, was a sure death sentence for me, whether it be a stroke from uncontrolled high blood pressure (on 3 meds), from a heart attack (runs in the family), complications of diabetes, etc... The risk of me becoming permenantly disabled or dying from not having the surgery were far greater than they were from having the surgery. I don't regret having the VSG, and wish I had had the opportunity when I was younger. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Life is so much better now. I am living, not existing. I offer only my experience. You have to decide what's best for you. Good luck in whatever you choose! Mary