Scared
jackierhof
Posts: 17
I had my EGD today and now I am more scared about my VSG. My EGD went well and I have no complaints, but it made me realize that this is happening! I am so happy and scared I don't know what to do with myself. I am supposed to lose 10lbs before my surgery on July 10th, but I find myself shoving my face because I won't be able to eat like this anymore. Is this all normal?
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Being scared is normal for many of us. It is totally expected. I mean, they are gonna go inside your torso, remove some of your stomach, then staple it back up again.
Try to stay relaxed, and focus on the positive things. Before long you'll be on the losers bench!!!
Personally, I was over the top scared. I went as far as writing a letter to my five year old daughter, my hubby, and my parents just in case. It was horrible, I just cried like a blubbering idiot while writing my daughters letter. I was freaked out, and it got worse as the date got closer, then I started to feel excitement along with the fear a few days before, and then the oddest thing is the morning of I woke up at 4am so I could get there at 5 like they requested (my surgery was scheduled for 7am) and I was as calm as could be. I felt a sense of peace. I just knew that my life would be different when I woke up and it would be a good thing. It really is true, too. I'm 7.5 months out and my quality of life has improved dramatically and it gets noticeably better every month, week, day. Seriously. It's crazy awesome!
As far as the 10 lb loss. I personally did not have to lose any weight, but I was put on a very restricted diet for two weeks before surgery. (for me it was 2-3 protein shakes per day, one lean cuisine or other frozen meal that was under 300 calories, and if I wanted a cup of plain veggies (not corn or peas, but anything else). It ended up being about 800 calories per day and I lost 11 pounds during that two weeks.
Do you have a pre-op diet? If so, you will see a drop in weight then. Most WLS patients have some kind of similar diet and often lost between 10-25 lbs depending on the diet (some people it's protein shakes ONLY!!)
On the stuffing of the face thing - while I didn't have an "all out" food funeral for days I did go out to eat almost every night for a week or two before I started the two week special diet. They were my favorite restaurants and I just got a normal meal. I didn't gain or lose during my "tour of favorite restaurants" thing.
Good luck with it all!!0 -
It's normal to be scared. The night before my surgery, I decided I'd be a no-show! Fortunately when I woke up in the morning, I felt okay to go through with it. It's a huge life change and if you weren't nervous, you wouldn't be taking it seriously.
As for the diet...I didn't have to lose a set amount, but my doc was very clear about the liver-shrinking diet. It is very important. If you don't follow the diet and your liver is too big, they will not be able to do the procedure. My doc told me that he has had patients on the table, taken one look at the huge liver and had to close them up and reschedule. Maybe give yourself one more day to eat what you want, but then get serious about the diet. It's part of the change you have committed to.
Good luck! Keep us posted.0 -
Hi Jackie,
I think it is normal to feel scared and happy all at once. I am very much feeling this too, my surgery is booked for the 26th July. I have a 2 week liver shrinkage pre op diet consisting of 5x slim fasts a day which I know isn't going to be pleasant but I am looking at it as preparation for after surgery because I will be on clear liquids and shakes for a while after too.
I was shovelling food in too and gained weight which made me panic. My pre-op is due 16th June and I have lost a few of the pounds I gained but cannot bring myself to get on the scales. I think its an unconscious thing to do when you know that you wont be eating 'food' for a while. My nurse advised that whilst I have gained, it is not the end of the world and to try and get some off before my pre op appt. She said the Key is the 2 week liver shrinkage pre op diet. If the surgeon cannot lift the liver via keyhole they are likely to either not do the operation or they will do open surgery which really is not an option for me as it will be even more invasive with too many weeks/months off work to heal.
The other thing I did was remove my trigger foods so there is nothing in the house for me to have and not to buy any. I go shopping with friends that are aware of what I can/should be having and that helps lol so I'm not tempted to buy anything I shouldn't. If you choose to give it up it is different to being forced to give it up. I got that tip from one of the ladies I'm friends with on MFP.
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Jackie, your feelings are all normal. I too did the 2 week preop liver shrinkage diet, lost the 20 he asked me to and everything was fine. For me the surgery was not a big deal, but I know that's because I have had so many surgeries in my life, this was really just one more. Afterwards I felt this big empty space inside, no pain, just empty, very much like I did after giving birth. But compared to all my other surgeries, and a few of them were abdominal, this was by far one of the easiest to recover from.
Try and focus on the excitement part of what you are feeling. And also try and remember, you are not being forced to give up anything food wise. We all have foods that we have chosen not to reintroduce into our lives, they are what I call our "trigger foods". For me it's ice cream and flavored chips. I can't control myself with those, so I CHOOSE not to eat them any more. My choice, so I don't feel deprived and frankly I don't miss them either.
Look, even skinny people have the occasional piece of candy or cookie. As long as we are maintaining control, have one and done, we can too. Again, it's all about choices. The surgery is a great tool. How you use that tool determines success.
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Yup, it's normal to feel that this is your last chance to eat as much and anything you want....however, IT IS NOT!
I'm almost 3 months out and CAN eat anything I want BUT I can't eat much of it. That was the toughest part for me...quantity. I still feel like I want to eat the buffet out of business (head hunger) when we go out, however I can't even hold a kids meal and I feel uncomfortably stuffed. I've had to learn to quit eating before feeling so stuffed.0 -
It is normal to have some fear, but this is not your last chance to eat! From about month 4, I could pretty much eat what I like, just in very small quantities. The only time I have a problem is when I eat too fast or too much which typically results in my "shock collar" rejecting whatever I put in there. At 8 months out, this happens rarely, but on occasion I am reminded, which is a GOOD thing. I realize now that for me the issue was never with WHAT I was eating, it was with HOW MUCH I was eating. I'm sure a lack of exercise wasn't helping either. I am ever so grateful for the freedom to eat what I like now with the ability to control myself on the quantity.0
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If you were not afraid you would not be normal. It is an exciting ride for sure.0
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To be afraid is 10000% normal! I was afraid and excited too. If you need support, feel free to friend me and we can share information any time. I was sleeved on 5/28/13.0
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You won't be able to eat the quantity that you have in the past. That's a given, but for me at least, the sleeve has allowed me to become a "picky" eater. I know I can't hold very much so I focus on quality over quantity. I do protein first, almost always, but I haven't found anything that just doesn't agree after full post op healing and I've found that if I stick with regular exercise, (which was not a part of my life before), I have the flexibility to have a treat now and then. I no longer feel like I'm on a "diet". This is the absolute best gift I've ever given myself!0
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You won't be able to eat the quantity that you have in the past. That's a given, but for me at least, the sleeve has allowed me to become a "picky" eater. I know I can't hold very much so I focus on quality over quantity. I do protein first, almost always, but I haven't found anything that just doesn't agree after full post op healing and I've found that if I stick with regular exercise, (which was not a part of my life before), I have the flexibility to have a treat now and then. I no longer feel like I'm on a "diet". This is the absolute best gift I've ever given myself!
I love this! "the sleeve has allowed me to become a picky eater"! That's a perfect description of what this life is like long term. At 3 years out I can eat anything I want. It's all about what I coose to eat now. I choose to eat chicken and salad rather than a burger and fries, or I had a treat yesterday because it fit in my calories, but it doesn't today so I choose not to have it. Easy? No. But it is so much easier than prior to surgery. Maybe it's the idea that I didn't go through all this just to fail. Maybe it's the emotional change for me that now makes me want to avoid eating when I get upset/stressed/angry/depressed (don't ask me why this is, I really don't know). Whatever it all is, I am now a picky eater! Thanks bikrchik!0 -
Thank you everyone. I need to be picky and have smaller portions. I am so excited but scared. It upsets me that some of my family doesn't understand why I am doing this, but they support me. I am just full of emotions. I know this is the right choice. Just scared!0
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“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.”
― Mark Twain0 -
Most people are scared, the ones who are not are probably not wise enough to understand the significance of this surgery and will suffer later mental anguish.
Now as for the eating, this is where I would suggest to stand fast and start to make the commitment to your upcoming lifestyle change. The importance of the pre-op diet is to shrink internal organs so as to lower the probability of potential complications during the surgery. Keep this in mind when you are tempted to cheat. By breaking the pre-op diet, you endanger the success of your pending operation. I had only one week of pre-op to drop 20 lbs. I went for a strip down liquid fast on low carb protine shakes. I dropped 25 lbs in 1 week. It was hard and I don't recommend it. I suggest you stick to the 2 week pre-op. Don't allow your fear to get the best of you.
I have often described the differences in personalities as a person standing on a ledge. Their are souls who fear the edge, and want to recourse to safety! Yet their are others who feel this insane urge to jump! Its time for you to familiarize your self with the urge to jump.
I had my sleeve on the 13th of May 2014. I am now down 71 lbs! I feel incredible. I feel full on minimal amounts of food. Every day is beautiful because I don't worry about not fitting into my cloths. I feel AWESOME! Trust me in a couple of weeks, you will feel the same way too. Let go of the urge to flee to safety and just jump into the new lifestyle, you will not regret it.0 -
I have a silly question. How do I get the "pounds lost" picture for my posts?0
