Guest guest Posted January 13, 2004 Report Share Posted January 13, 2004 Candi, I understand your concern. My husband did not want me to havfe my surgery either, but I kept telling him this was not for him, it was for me and over time, he became a little more at ease with it. I also COMPLETELY understand your fear of the surgery itself. Trust your Dr. and the staff. They have performed hundresd of these and know what to watch for and how to keep you safe. Yes, there are hundresd of horror stories out there, but there are THOUSANDS of good stories, too. I am a full believer that things happen because they are supposed to and God saw fit to make you dream come true through this surgery. He also knows you ahve those little boys that need their momma and He will keep you safe to bring you home to your boys. Don't let fearcome in and take the excitement away from having your dream come true. Pray, be positive and know that I willbe thinking of you! Good luck! Tami > hi my name is candi i am 24 yrs old i weigh 257 pounds and am5''6'' > and am getting ready for sergury just waiting for a date i am very > scared i have two little boys anthony 1 and a half and angelo 3 and > a half and am scared i wont servie the surgey i have heard all the > horrior stories and good stories but i need someone to chat with my > husband is having a hard time with this i have done resherch and my > dr is very good we i am scared to death i am haveing a open rny > soon thanks candi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2004 Report Share Posted January 13, 2004 Candi, I understand your concern. My husband did not want me to havfe my surgery either, but I kept telling him this was not for him, it was for me and over time, he became a little more at ease with it. I also COMPLETELY understand your fear of the surgery itself. Trust your Dr. and the staff. They have performed hundresd of these and know what to watch for and how to keep you safe. Yes, there are hundresd of horror stories out there, but there are THOUSANDS of good stories, too. I am a full believer that things happen because they are supposed to and God saw fit to make you dream come true through this surgery. He also knows you ahve those little boys that need their momma and He will keep you safe to bring you home to your boys. Don't let fearcome in and take the excitement away from having your dream come true. Pray, be positive and know that I willbe thinking of you! Good luck! Tami > hi my name is candi i am 24 yrs old i weigh 257 pounds and am5''6'' > and am getting ready for sergury just waiting for a date i am very > scared i have two little boys anthony 1 and a half and angelo 3 and > a half and am scared i wont servie the surgey i have heard all the > horrior stories and good stories but i need someone to chat with my > husband is having a hard time with this i have done resherch and my > dr is very good we i am scared to death i am haveing a open rny > soon thanks candi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2004 Report Share Posted January 13, 2004 hi candi, pose any & all ?s to us. here's one for u: why an open surg w/ your low BMI? esp if u have little ones to come home to? lori h. > hi my name is candi i am 24 yrs old i weigh 257 pounds and am5''6'' > and am getting ready for sergury just waiting for a date i am very > scared i have two little boys anthony 1 and a half and angelo 3 and > a half and am scared i wont servie the surgey i have heard all the > horrior stories and good stories but i need someone to chat with my > husband is having a hard time with this i have done resherch and my > dr is very good we i am scared to death i am haveing a open rny > soon thanks candi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2004 Report Share Posted January 13, 2004 hi candi, pose any & all ?s to us. here's one for u: why an open surg w/ your low BMI? esp if u have little ones to come home to? lori h. > hi my name is candi i am 24 yrs old i weigh 257 pounds and am5''6'' > and am getting ready for sergury just waiting for a date i am very > scared i have two little boys anthony 1 and a half and angelo 3 and > a half and am scared i wont servie the surgey i have heard all the > horrior stories and good stories but i need someone to chat with my > husband is having a hard time with this i have done resherch and my > dr is very good we i am scared to death i am haveing a open rny > soon thanks candi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2004 Report Share Posted January 13, 2004 Hi Candi, I had surgery one week ago today and felt exactly as you do. I have two daughters who are 2 and 6 and was scared to death that I would not make it out of surgery alive. It took me about a year to finally go through with it and I'm glad that I did but it does have to be a decision that you make yourself. If is such a serious step that nobody else should influence your choice whether or not to have this surgery. As for myself, I read every book that I could get me hands on, talked with everyone I knew who had it, spent literally hundreds of hours on the internet researching the surgery as well as researching the doctor who I chose to do my surgery. I think it was because I took my own sweet time and armed myself with as much knowledge about WLS as I possible could, that I was able to finally decide that this was the only alternative left for me. I was so tired of living with morbid obesity, I didn't want to just continue existing - I wanted to LIVE. And so, I had surgery and am eagerly anticipating becoming more active, more healthy and more alive! My suggestion to you would be to take all the time that you need to research WLS as well as your surgeon thoroughly. The more confident you are in your understanding of WLS as well as in the capabilities of your surgeon, the more confident you will be in whatever decision you end up making. Good luck!!!!! Sunny Open RNY 1/6/2004 273/???/150 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2004 Report Share Posted January 13, 2004 Hi Candi, I had surgery one week ago today and felt exactly as you do. I have two daughters who are 2 and 6 and was scared to death that I would not make it out of surgery alive. It took me about a year to finally go through with it and I'm glad that I did but it does have to be a decision that you make yourself. If is such a serious step that nobody else should influence your choice whether or not to have this surgery. As for myself, I read every book that I could get me hands on, talked with everyone I knew who had it, spent literally hundreds of hours on the internet researching the surgery as well as researching the doctor who I chose to do my surgery. I think it was because I took my own sweet time and armed myself with as much knowledge about WLS as I possible could, that I was able to finally decide that this was the only alternative left for me. I was so tired of living with morbid obesity, I didn't want to just continue existing - I wanted to LIVE. And so, I had surgery and am eagerly anticipating becoming more active, more healthy and more alive! My suggestion to you would be to take all the time that you need to research WLS as well as your surgeon thoroughly. The more confident you are in your understanding of WLS as well as in the capabilities of your surgeon, the more confident you will be in whatever decision you end up making. Good luck!!!!! Sunny Open RNY 1/6/2004 273/???/150 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2004 Report Share Posted January 13, 2004 Hey I am Candi too!!!!!! Now I know why I kept reading messages that were addressed to me that didn't make sense!!!!! I guess we will have to use out last initial!! ) My hubby waffled as well. Mostly because he was scared something might go wrong. Which is very reasonable. He never told me not to do it. But he did say make sure you are doing it for you and not for me. He really didn't seem to care if I lost weight or not. But he did want me to be healthy. So try talking to your hubby from that perspective. I would never have done the surgery for just the cosmetic benefit of losing the weight. But the health reasons...I no longer have High Blood Pressure, arthritis, my glucose levels are finally returning to normal (I am averaging 115 now.....no insulin for the past month), I sleep well for the first time in years, I can run up my stair without feeling like I am going to die...Hell I can even stand up from the floor without the aide of chair or table. Keep your chin up and get hubby motivated to be your partner in creating a healthy life for your whole family!!! Candi need help scared hi my name is candi i am 24 yrs old i weigh 257 pounds and am5''6'' and am getting ready for sergury just waiting for a date i am very scared i have two little boys anthony 1 and a half and angelo 3 and a half and am scared i wont servie the surgey i have heard all the horrior stories and good stories but i need someone to chat with my husband is having a hard time with this i have done resherch and my dr is very good we i am scared to death i am haveing a open rny soon thanks candi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2004 Report Share Posted January 13, 2004 Hey I am Candi too!!!!!! Now I know why I kept reading messages that were addressed to me that didn't make sense!!!!! I guess we will have to use out last initial!! ) My hubby waffled as well. Mostly because he was scared something might go wrong. Which is very reasonable. He never told me not to do it. But he did say make sure you are doing it for you and not for me. He really didn't seem to care if I lost weight or not. But he did want me to be healthy. So try talking to your hubby from that perspective. I would never have done the surgery for just the cosmetic benefit of losing the weight. But the health reasons...I no longer have High Blood Pressure, arthritis, my glucose levels are finally returning to normal (I am averaging 115 now.....no insulin for the past month), I sleep well for the first time in years, I can run up my stair without feeling like I am going to die...Hell I can even stand up from the floor without the aide of chair or table. Keep your chin up and get hubby motivated to be your partner in creating a healthy life for your whole family!!! Candi need help scared hi my name is candi i am 24 yrs old i weigh 257 pounds and am5''6'' and am getting ready for sergury just waiting for a date i am very scared i have two little boys anthony 1 and a half and angelo 3 and a half and am scared i wont servie the surgey i have heard all the horrior stories and good stories but i need someone to chat with my husband is having a hard time with this i have done resherch and my dr is very good we i am scared to death i am haveing a open rny soon thanks candi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2004 Report Share Posted January 15, 2004 Dear Candi, Your husband has every right to be scared. This is major surgery and should not be entered into lightly. That being said, the mortality rate for this surgery is considered low (.05% or 1 in 200). It is a dangerous surgery because those of us having it are so large to start with. I had serious medical problems prior to my surgery. The doctors will be aware of whatever your conditions are. The worst thing that happened to me due to the surgery was that I wound up on a respirator for 24 hours immediately from the recovery room. Apparently my oxygen saturation level dropped down to 85% and they want you close to 98% so they left me on a vent. I wasn't even aware of it (they kept me drugged the whole time). When they dealt with me in the SICU and mentioned the vent, in my head, I was thinking, yeah, okay, it's fine. My breathing picked up and they removed the vent. It truly was no big deal. And chances are it won't happen to you. As for your kids, be aware that you will need help with them in the beginning because you can't lift anything over 5 lbs. for six weeks (at least according to my surgeon's protocol -- you don't want to create a hernia). My daughter was 4 when I had my surgery and she's a very loving little kid, used to me picking her up and holding her. I had to explain to her that she could lay next to me, but that I could not pick her up. She was fine. As long as she could have the physical contact, she was happy. The main thing that people need to worry about (in my opinion) is the formation of blood clots. They are unpredictable and that is what could get you. The thing you need to know about that is they put these " socks " on you in the hospital that pump air in and out and help the blood flow so that it doesn't pool and clot. But, your job, should you choose to accept it (hahaha... a little bit of Mission Impossible here) is to get up and walk, even if it's only a few steps, every few hours from when you are brought to your room from recovery. I don't know what your surgeon wants, but that's my surgeon's requirement. Get up and move. Do it as often as you can tolerate it. It's really not difficult. I know. I thought, get up and walk right after surgery? Are they crazy? But yes, it's necessary and it's the best thing you can do for yourself. Walking will help alleviate the gas that they put into you with the laparascopic procedure. It keeps the blood flowing and it proves to you that you can immediately, in some form, start exercising. Good luck. If your husband is still nervous, let him speak to the surgeon and find out what his personal mortality rate has been up to now. Maybe that will, in some way, be reassuring for him. I know it reassured my husband. My surgeon's personal mortality rate was way lower than the national average at .018 over a 24 year career. live each day like it's your last... love like you've never been hurt... Deb in Hazlet, NJ " Debbie Dancer " distal rny September 3, 2002 386/212/165 BMI 60/31/24 -174 -100 " Angel to Bill, Debbie, Ilene, Roy, and Ro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2004 Report Share Posted January 15, 2004 Dear Candi, Your husband has every right to be scared. This is major surgery and should not be entered into lightly. That being said, the mortality rate for this surgery is considered low (.05% or 1 in 200). It is a dangerous surgery because those of us having it are so large to start with. I had serious medical problems prior to my surgery. The doctors will be aware of whatever your conditions are. The worst thing that happened to me due to the surgery was that I wound up on a respirator for 24 hours immediately from the recovery room. Apparently my oxygen saturation level dropped down to 85% and they want you close to 98% so they left me on a vent. I wasn't even aware of it (they kept me drugged the whole time). When they dealt with me in the SICU and mentioned the vent, in my head, I was thinking, yeah, okay, it's fine. My breathing picked up and they removed the vent. It truly was no big deal. And chances are it won't happen to you. As for your kids, be aware that you will need help with them in the beginning because you can't lift anything over 5 lbs. for six weeks (at least according to my surgeon's protocol -- you don't want to create a hernia). My daughter was 4 when I had my surgery and she's a very loving little kid, used to me picking her up and holding her. I had to explain to her that she could lay next to me, but that I could not pick her up. She was fine. As long as she could have the physical contact, she was happy. The main thing that people need to worry about (in my opinion) is the formation of blood clots. They are unpredictable and that is what could get you. The thing you need to know about that is they put these " socks " on you in the hospital that pump air in and out and help the blood flow so that it doesn't pool and clot. But, your job, should you choose to accept it (hahaha... a little bit of Mission Impossible here) is to get up and walk, even if it's only a few steps, every few hours from when you are brought to your room from recovery. I don't know what your surgeon wants, but that's my surgeon's requirement. Get up and move. Do it as often as you can tolerate it. It's really not difficult. I know. I thought, get up and walk right after surgery? Are they crazy? But yes, it's necessary and it's the best thing you can do for yourself. Walking will help alleviate the gas that they put into you with the laparascopic procedure. It keeps the blood flowing and it proves to you that you can immediately, in some form, start exercising. Good luck. If your husband is still nervous, let him speak to the surgeon and find out what his personal mortality rate has been up to now. Maybe that will, in some way, be reassuring for him. I know it reassured my husband. My surgeon's personal mortality rate was way lower than the national average at .018 over a 24 year career. live each day like it's your last... love like you've never been hurt... Deb in Hazlet, NJ " Debbie Dancer " distal rny September 3, 2002 386/212/165 BMI 60/31/24 -174 -100 " Angel to Bill, Debbie, Ilene, Roy, and Ro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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