I have the same anxiety attacks before flying and medical procedures. My doctor finally gave me a small prescription for Xanax and a half pill calms me right down.

As soon as you get to the hospital, explain your anxiety and they will give you something...in fact, I'm surprised that during your pre-op, they didn't give you a prescription.

You are not alone with your fears.  I think it's only natural. Just remember all of the work you've gone through in the last few months and don't give in to those fears and jeopardize your future.  

You will be fine and the will take very good care of you.

I wrote something similar to someone else a couple of months ago. Since then, she has done well and has no regrets.

I can't tell you what a difference this has made on my life. It's like I am alive again!  I don't have young children to worry about but it seems that they would be your primary reason for going ahead.

Sit down, take a deep breath and know that you chose your surgeon and program well and that a week from now you will be losing weight and on your way to a new life.

Don't give in to stories that you hear about from those who have NOT had the surgery.  Read through these posts and you will see that the majority of the messages are positive.

I hope to see your post op message saying how happy you are that you did this for yourself and, for your family.

marty

It is alright! Take a deep breath and grab a pen and write down all of the things that you'll GAIN by LOSING weight. You will gain years on your life, more energy, better health, small clothes (), better eating habits, and those are just A FEW of the many benefits to the surgery. Everyone is scared of elective surgery like this because it isn't human nature to want to have someone cut into you. HOWEVER, you will be asleep surgery and when you wake up, it will be the first day of the rest of your new life. The surgery isn't bad at all, and after a few weeks of taking it easy and learning how to eat with your new pouch, you'll be set. I would do this surgery over every time if you asked me, and I am not alone, everyone who I have talked to that has had WLS says the same! 

I am almost 6mo out and have lost 100lbs… I feel better than ever, I look better than ever and I know that I am adding on so many more years to my life with the people that I love. My surgeon always said… "there are risks with any medical procedure, we have to tell you about those but I also will tell you that those risks are small and very uncommon in comparison to the risks that you face if you continue living life at the weight that you are" It is true, I had no idea what I was missing before. 

As for looking at horror stories online, DON'T. You will drive yourself crazy. It's like when you have a sore throat or a rash and you look online and all of the sudden think it is cancer! Just talk with your doctor, or talk with your WLS peers but don't read horror stories online about the risks. I was approved for WLS 6 years ago and was so close to my surgery date and I chickened out…. I regretted it every day … it just wasn't the right time for me, my parents marriage was falling apart and I didn't have the support system that I needed (I was 21yr old). This time around I went for it and BOY! Am I glad that I did. :) Life is the best it has ever been! 

In the end, you have to be ready to change your life, but trust me, you will be fine! You will be better than fine, you will do fantastic! 

Always here if you need anything,

Ashley

Hi there! My surgery is tomorrow and I have been where you are. So you are not alone In your anxiety. What gets me by is the thought with the way I was living and my weight, who knows how long I was going to be around for my kids. By having this surgery I am giving my self a chance to dance at my sons weeding one day, I am giving myself a chance to be a grandma one day. To me the risks of the surgery don't outweigh the benefits for my future.

 Hope you find a little more peace with this by Friday! Good luck!!!

Thank you and good luck to you! I'll be thinking of you. See you on the other side. :)

1) Nobody gets out of here alive

2) Morbidly obese people typically have a shorter lifespan and a reduced quality of life compared to their normal weight counterparts

3) The risk on the OR table is small and if something goes wrong, you are in the hospital when it happens

4) Becoming normal weight AND healthy (i.e. engaging in/doing a healthy lifestyle) may potentially LENGTHEN your lifespan.

I would pick the surgery FOR my family

There are people who post here years out. I saw one the other day that was 13 years out. Surgery techniques and understanding of post op needs are much better now than what they were then too,so there are even fewer risks today. Where are you headed now on the course you are on. Will you be able to enjoy a life sitting and watching your husband and children do fun things like walking around amusement parks while you sit on a bench because it's too hard to get around. I used to tell my husband it was just fine and that I liked to watch people,but in reality I was miserable. I had knee and back pain every day,high cholesterol and high blood pressure and diabetes. I was out of breath with the least bit of exertion. I had been obese my whole life,even as a child. I hated shopping and never liked the way my clothes fit me. I thought this was what my life was destined to be. Then two years ago on August 29,2012 I made the courageous decision to trust my life to a wonderful surgeon and start this journey to a healthier me. Today I am 140 pounds lighter and my blood sugar,  cholesterol and blood pressure are all normal now. I walk about four miles every day and LOVE it because my knees and back don't hurt and I feel strong and healthy. I park at the far edge of the parking lot and walk because I can. I love to shop for new cute clothes and no longer cry in the dressing room because I look so bad. I can find nice clothes that fgit great anywhere and cab even wear high heels! I must say that trying to learn to walk in heels at age 55 is no fun--but that's OK! I would not change one thing in my journey and had very little pain and no I complications. I can't tell you whether you are ready for this surgery as only you can know that. All I know is that it is the best decision I ever made. If you want a chance at a healthy life able to enjoy your kids and husband and are tired of barely living,then trust your doctor and take the next step. You can do this and we are here for you either way!

I had the same fears.  

I can promise you, at 7 months out I have lived MORE the past 7 months than I had in the last 7 years.  

I had surgery because I love my family.  

What you said here really spoke to me. Thank you! :)

Last summer we went to Cedar Point.  I rode only the ferris wheel with my son.  I didn't fit on anything else.  This summer?  I rode every ride with him.  I take pictures with him all the time now.  I run after him and play soccer with him.  I climbed mountains this summer with my family.  Last summer, I would sit and wait for them somewhere.  I went swimming with him!!  My son told me yesterday that he really likes that i DO so much with hi now.  The thing he doesn't realize that I do is that he is learning to be active and to eat healthy by my example.  That means that, just maybe, he will not be afflicted with the same obesity curse that plagued my young adulthood.  He will be healthier and used to living in a way that encourages long-life.

I had no idea how much of my life was spent on the sidelines.  That isn't living.  It's existing.  

Please stop reading negatives.  Read positives and think positively.  You are about to take a wonderful journey and your worrying about your luggage!  

Hugs and love to you.  You are going to do wonderfully.

Thank you everyone for your replies.  You have no idea how much I needed an appreciated everyone of them.  I wish I never saw those scary posts of people dying after surgery.  They say it was another cause but it was related to surgery. Or people not making it past 30 days or just not having any long term data on post patients or being able to find old patients.  Hearing my lifespan may be only 20 to 25 years post op scares me too.  I'm only in my thirties with a 7 yr old and a 10 month old so I flew off the handle and had a panic attack.  I even had crazy dreams.  Waking up and reading your replies helped me relax more.  I needed that. Thanks again.