Scared Spitless - ThinnerTimes

okiegrl · 01-21-2006, 08:14 PM

Okay...I had my consultation yesterday and everything went great. Dr. Kellum said that I was the "perfect" candidate because I am at the right age, right weight and basically healthy. He normally recommends people lose 10 lbs before surgery, but said he didn't feel that was necessary for me. He has started requiring all of his patients to be on a liquid diet for two weeks before surgery to clean out the liver.

He makes you sign a form saying you will swear off high calorie beverages, sweets, and junk food permanently as of TODAY. He is sending me for a gallbladder ultrasound to see the health of my gallbladder and if it is still healthy, I will be required to take 6 months of a medicine to keep gall stones from forming.

Now to the scared part...I cannot believe that this is actually becoming a reality and now that it is, I'm so scared that I won't be able to give up everything that I have to. Candy has been my life...obviously! I am afraid that I won't be able to give up the breads and cake. I know that these things give you the "dumps"

, but I can just see me being the one in however many that it does not affect. I am concerned about the risks of the surgery, but my doctor said I was in the lowest risk category 1/2 of 1 percent!

Anyway...I guess the reality of this is setting in and I just want it to be over and I'm am the thin person I know I can be. Oh...and the doctor told me that the average weight loss for someone in my category is 75 lbs...which would put me at 170...I'm not sure that is a good enough goal.

sdgrrl · 01-21-2006, 08:36 PM

Cindy,
3 months ago I would have completely agreed with you. Chocolate is the perfect food, dark chocolate comes from the gods. Then I had my rny on 10-28-05.....

Trust me, there is no stronger aversion therapy than dumping. I didn't think I would be able to avoid sweets, but now that my body no longer tolerates sugar or sugar alcohol, I'll pass, thanks. Dumping is much more than an upset tummy. It affects all your systems--your legs get weak, you get dizzy, you want to puke, and you are lucky if you can. It really ruins your day.

sUzYzPLaCe · 01-21-2006, 08:48 PM

Hey don't sweat it, your new pouch won't let you eat stuff you can't eat. If you do you pay the price! Trust me I was addicted to cookies and milk. Suzy

Bypassingme619 · 01-21-2006, 09:12 PM

Which procedure are you having? The RNY or you having the band? Depending on which sergury you are having there is a certain percentage you will lose. It is normal to be scared, anxious, or a little nervous. Just take it one step at the time and be at peace with the whole process and everything will works its self out.

ajmoe · 01-22-2006, 12:48 AM

A friend of mine had the surgery 3 years ago, so I talk to her all the time about it now that I am thinking about it. She said that most junk foods she has sworn off because she has lost the taste for them. Some though she has found that she can eat a little and be happy with it.
She used to eat the whole bag of M&M's but now she eats a few, likes the taste better and is ok with not eating anymore for a while.
I think that you have to sign the paper with your doctor if that is his hoop for you to jump through. But understand that like any diet when you try to deny yourself something simply by will power it is nearly if not completly impossible to do.
You will probably willing give up most junk foods, the dumping thing will probably be enough of a motivation and some things you might just lose a taste for but others you will eat. But the difference between now and then as I understand it is that you won't eat as much then as you do now you just won't be able to.
So take it a little at a time and see how it goes.
Good luck

lealphachienne · 01-22-2006, 09:06 AM

Okay, the reality is that you can override your pouch given time. Having WLS is giving yourself plenty of time to learn new habits. Many of the side effects are disagreeable. Everyone experiences it differently and to varying degrees of severity. The thing is, you don't give up everything for life. You learn to modify and learn to enjoy food in a different manner. Don't think of surgery as an all or none situation. Catastrophic thinking is counter-productive. WLS isn't a magic bullet, it is a tool in your arsenol against obesity. As for the 75 lb thing...it's an average....some lose more some lose less. I was told no more than 80-100 lbs...I have since lost 120. There is a commitment you need to make to yourself. It isn't the easy way out. Also, though you are the "perfect" candidate, don't discount the fact that life is quirky and things may not turn out the way you think. I'm not saying this to scare you, just keep it in mind. No matter what happens, you take what you know and do the best you can.

coptergirl · 01-22-2006, 09:16 AM

The surgery is a tool that will aid you in wanting sweets. I was put on Optifast to lose 30 pounds before surgery this past week. I get hunger pangs, but am discovering that I am truly dehydrated and that 64 oz per day isn't enough for me right now. The liquid diet is only for a short time - think of the reward at the end of the tunnel - this liquid phase isn't the next fad diet you're going to fail at - your proze is the surgery that will give you a tool that, if used correctly, can help to make you successful forever!

Hang in there - we can empathize with one another through the liquid phase (and running to the bathroom every 20 min...hehehehe!!)