Advice need because I'm SCARED!!!!!

The medical folk have been removing stomachs for over a 100 yrs. This is nothing new. Only doing it for weight loss is new. Relax. And tell the fat guy in your head to go visit a skinny person. lol

Well from a person who is going to be sleeved in..... umm......5 hours time..... I am sitting here with not a worry in the world. I am looking forward to it actually. Now first things first... normally I am a nervous nelly....... but with this surgery I know I am doing the right thing. I am doing it for my health and to live a happier longer life. Sure there was the doubts before, but as other people have said... you won't need your stomach later on. What if you got cancer... what do they do.. remove the stomach and give you a bypass op! Leaking has gone from 1.5% chance to now 1% chance with the glue that they spray onto the cut line.

So don't worry, relax, take a deep breath and realise that you are doing this for all the right reasons and you will be healthier, happier and be able to live longer !

Take care.....

they don't actually throw it in the trash. They test it in a pathology lab to double check everything is ok, and then it gets put in biological hazard waste. Secondly what if your appendix burst? it is doing you more harm than good to keep it? SURE IS! as most of us will attest when having our full stomach it is doing us more harm than good. I have not looked back since my op 7 months ago. I have lost over 45kg, and Im healthier, and so much more happier knowing I don't have to keep visiting the surgeon for fills and whatnot. its done, and now its time to live my life again! good luck!

Hello and Welcome to the site.

I think everyone on here has been scared about this surgery in one way or another and I can understand where your coming from with the stomach actually being cut out and thrown away but like Chrisbychic says why would you want it not to be permanent. Having had the Lap Band surgery myself I know that the moment the restriction wasn't there I would over eat and after I had it taken out I put on 10-15 kilos. You can never over eat with the Sleeve surgery. That is the BIG positive.

I hope you work through your fears/concerns.

Hi ya and welcome to the site.

I know its easier said than done but please try not to worry too much. Everyone worries before they have their op done, its totally natural to think OMG! I think people naturally go through those fleeting moments of worry and self doubt.

If after you have read up as much as you can, weighed up both the positive and negative aspects and still think its the right decision for your health... then go for it.

I found that reading up on all WLS options a good idea as I wanted to know as much as posible before I made that commitment. Listening in on seminars the hospital has and talking to people who had all different types of surgeries is also a good way to go.

As for the the permanant side of the stomach removal, for me it was not that big of a worry. Yes I was worried about having surgery as Id never had an operation before, but the worrying beforehand was the worst part as once I was in the hospital I relaxed and it all went to plan.

Again this is just my opinion but for me the health benefits far outweigh any worries I had and I would have it done again in a heartbeat. My medication has reduced so much already and Im feeling healthier and losing weight too so its all good.

Good luck in whatever you do and all of us are here if you need a chat.

Take care

Hi there
So you're scared.
Well, guess what - we all were!
You're not alone at all, and being scared about surgery is eminently normal.
But, to address the specific fears, it's very simple really...
1. Why would you want a WLS op to be reversible - all studies seem to show that the weight goes back again - so what would be the point in the long run?
2. After your stomach heals properly, that's what's holding it together. As I understand it, the staples are then superfluous. But they're made of titanium and don't do any harm, so removing them is unnecessary.
3. What would you need the rest of your stomach for in the future? To fill it up again? I specifically asked my doc if there was any foreseeable reason I'd need it in future, and he said no. Then I asked him about stomach cancer specifically, and his reply was "no stomach, no cancer"!
I urge you to discuss your fears with your doctor - and even to make a separate appointment to do so, if necessary.
In the meantime, perhaps my reply might help a little.
Best wishes to you both.
Chris

i hope some one repies to you 'cause i am scarred too. You voiced my feeling with incredible accuracy. I am booked to be sleeved on the 5th of january.

One thing though different...i have the band. Currently it is inside me undone...it slipped. My doctor is leaving the discision to do it back up after my stomach had a rest or give me the sleeve. I have opted for the sleeve because it seems like it has less complications....I was only banded august the 5th 08. But like you I'm scared.

I'm in the midst of getting ready for surgery. Originally I was planning on doing Lap Band Surgery but recently my surgeon brought up the prospect of VSG, mainly because I am a weightlifter and very active and he thinks it may be a better option for me, THAT, and the fact that my insurance is one of those that pays for VSG in full. So I've been researching VSG which is how I ended up here.

I've decided to have WLS because I'm 40 yrs old and I have a 2 year old daughter and a 1 year old son. And I need to lose about 125-150 pounds. I, like a lot of people have tried everything under the sun and lost weight and gained it back again. It's time for something more serious.

When I decided on the band I was scared to death of having that band inside of me forever, etc, etc. But I mostly got over that. NOW, as I consider VSG I am SCARED TO DEATH, shitting a brick because it is irreversible and the thought of a big portion of my stomach basically getting thrown in the garbage is REALLY bothering me. I mean what if I need that 10-20 years from now!!?? Maybe I'm just being silly but that is driving me crazy at the moment. After everything I've read/heard about the band it seems as though VSG is better, EXCEPT for that whole "stomach in the trash" thing. Is this something you guys have dealt with, or are you still dealing with? I'm real curious to hear people's thoughts on this. Thanks!! So after that I will also add........

This is something I'm going to have to work through. I KNOW I need help, and I KNOW I need WLS in order to live a long and healthy life. Somewhere in the back of my mind there is something telling me "how can you live a long and healthy life without most of your stomach?" I think it's the fat guy in me trying to sabotage what I need to do. Part of my problem is mental. At the moment I am 366lbs, but you would never guess it, I carry it well. I'm a weightlifter and just a big guy all around. I like being big, which is part of my problem. BUT, a lot of that stems from being abused as a kid and now it's my defense mechanism. I've learned this through therapy over the last year, long before I decided to have WLS. When I think about having surgery my fear rises to the top and I end up worried sick. When I first decided to get the Lap Band it was "oh my God, I am going to have this thing inside me forever." and "oh my God, how can I wear a weight lifting belt with that port just underneath my skin.", etc, etc. NOW that I am about 98% commited to VSG it's the same thing, "how can I live the rest of my life with only 15% of my stomach?", and "oh my God, those staples are gonna be in there forever", "what if those staples leak two years from now?", etc, etc. It's just my subconscious defense mechanism rising up to sabotage. The problem is, I realize this and I still let it scare the crap out of me.