Facing Death if I don’t get the weight off

[ccrensh1]

So, I’ve posted in this group before about being uncertain about Bariatric surgery but knowing it’s a tool to literally save my life. I had an initial appointment booked with surgeon Dr. David Brandon Williams at Vanderbilt (where all my specialists are), but canceled it again (5th cancellation).

Well I’m back in the medical hospital again with erratic blood pressure, severe headaches due to my IIH, and off and on chest pain and today the internal medicine doctor seeing me point blank said “you’ve got to get this weight off you or you may not survive the full life you want to live. This weight is killing you”.

So I’ve rebooked the appointment and it’s on 9/18. I’ve got to do it, no matter what.

I’m almost 33, 5’1” 271 pounds, BMI of 51.2, (I’ve gained about 5 pounds in 2 weeks).

My current co morbid conditions are Right Heart Strain/Heart Failure (just diagnosed), labile hypertension, severely high cholesterol and triglycerides, fatty liver disease, Type II Diabetes that is not well controlled, past history of PE, Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension, widespread arthritis, frequent shortness of breath, Sleep Apnea, PCOS.

My mom died at 50 of a massive heart attack and lung failure, maternal grandfather passed at 76 of a massive heart attack. Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension run rampant in my family.

I don’t want to be next in the line of deaths in my family due to weight related conditions. So I’m finally ready to start this.

 

[AliceWoolf]

Hello! I hope you are feeling better. Deciding to have bariatric surgery is a great place to start to regain control of your life, so congratulations!

My family also has a long history of obesity and early deaths, with comorbidities too long to list. I’m glad you decided to break the pattern.

What makes you feel so unsure about going through with the surgery? Are you anxious about the surgical procedure itself? Are you uneasy about the idea of having part of your digestive system permanently altered? Does anesthesia scare you? I believe all fears and doubts are valid, but addressing them might help you put your mind at ease. It’s possible someone here can sympathize with your feelings and help you navigate them (which does not substitute mental health professionals). Welcome to the group

 

[ccrensh1]

Hello! I hope you are feeling better. Deciding to have bariatric surgery is a great place to start to regain control of your life, so congratulations!

My family also has a long history of obesity and early deaths, with comorbidities too long to list. I’m glad you decided to break the pattern.

What makes you feel so unsure about going through with the surgery? Are you anxious about the surgical procedure itself? Are you uneasy about the idea of having part of your digestive system permanently altered? Does anesthesia scare you? I believe all fears and doubts are valid, but addressing them might help you put your mind at ease. It’s possible someone here can sympathize with your feelings and help you navigate them (which does not substitute mental health professionals). Welcome to the group

Anesthesia scares me but honestly I know I have to do this. Doctors are saying I won’t see 40 if I don’t and that’s a grim reality. I feel this Heart failure diagnosis so early is my rock bottom and reality check needed to do this.

 

[missyinacage]

I know it can be scary. I don't love the idea of surgery in general and thought about having the surgery, while actually doing nothing, for years. Now, I WISH I'd have had it all those years ago.

Aside from the oh so obvious health benefits, at 53 I feel better than I have felt in decades. Literally.

You can do this. You deserve this. Keep us posted! Good luck!

 

[AliceWoolf]

Anesthesia scares me but honestly I know I have to do this. Doctors are saying I won’t see 40 if I don’t and that’s a grim reality. I feel this Heart failure diagnosis so early is my rock bottom and reality check needed to do this.

Anesthesia is very scary. My mom actually got cold feet in her bariatric surgery the first time around, because she was terrified of dying during the procedure. A few months before her surgery, she had an exploratory endoscopy to help diagnose some issues. Shortly after the procedure started, her blood pressure started to drop, and the team’s anesthesiologist had a couple of very stressful minutes. I was in the waiting room reading and was none the wiser. Her endoscopy took about a half an hour longer than scheduled, and her recovery also was delayed. I was told what happened, but was not allowed to be there when she woke up. Once awake, the doctor filled her in and she was terrified. She doesn’t remember anything.

When bariatric surgery was later proposed as the only chance for her to recover her health and mobility, she accepted, but she got cold feet shortly before her date. After I had my own gastric sleeve, she got the courage to go ahead with it and it went beautifully. She is very happy with the decision.

Nonetheless, when going in, she was terrified. To be honest, while before my surgery I was pretty calm (I even have a video of me happily waving to the camera when being rolled out), before hers I was so scared I had to take deep breaths in order to not cry. Her face when she looked at me was that of someone trying really hard to be brave. The day before her surgery I slept next to her, though I kept tossing and turning.

Even so, complication rates are fairly low and you can do a lot to make the process easier for your surgeon. The most important thing to do is follow the preop diet strictly. It is hard, but they designed it in order to shrink your liver and reduce blood loss. The better you behave before surgery, the quicker it will be. I was done is forty minutes. Make sure to stay hydrated, do not drink caffeine the days prior to surgery, and try to walk as much as you can. For what is worth, I think it is a great decision. Your life is worth living for many years to come.

 

[Ange6012]

This will be the best thing you do for yourself in your life. Your life is so worth getting this done!
Don't be afraid, it will be ok! Look at anesthesia as the best sleep you will have in a long time
I told the drs, I don't sleep well at all and am looking forward to a solid sleep hahaha.
Good luck and hope to hear from you after your surgery

 

[Enjoy Life]

I know it's scary, I'm very nervous to, my VSG is on 8-29-23. Just started my liquid diet and due to the health problems, that happen as we age and being overweight makes me want this tool. I'm trying to think better health and being able to more activity in my future. I'm 66 years young and want to live my best life. Make the best healthy decision for you.

 

[dianeseattle]

I’m almost 33, 5’1” 271 pounds, BMI of 51.2, (I’ve gained about 5 pounds in 2 weeks).

My current co morbid conditions are Right Heart Strain/Heart Failure (just diagnosed), labile hypertension, severely high cholesterol and triglycerides, fatty liver disease, Type II Diabetes that is not well controlled, past history of PE, Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension, widespread arthritis, frequent shortness of breath, Sleep Apnea, PCOS.

Hi cc, I hope you really do follow through because if you back out for the sixth time, you should be seeing a mental health specialist and talking about suicidal ideation. You KNOW this stuff is going to kill you--you flat out tell us that in your post. You are only 33 and I cannot even begin to tell you how intensely angry that makes me to know you're willing to die young, when so many people are desperate to live but cannot have this surgery because they don't have insurance or money or... whatever.

If I were the kind of person who mocks us, those who are obese, etc., I'd get deeply into this. But I want you to know I have my arm around your shoulder and I'm whispering encouraging thoughts in your ear. You have a bigger problem than weight. Your self-esteem has been raped. Your belief in your right to live has been stolen. Someone is fucking with you, nudging you to death. You have the access to technology and medical and mental support to live a great, long life, but you're allowing the gremlin of doom to live in your temple of a body.

There's a psychological condition which manifests by seeking attention, doing things to get attention. It's the condition that allows behavior like standing on the ledge of a building threatening to jump until a whole bunch of people come to rescue you. It's a compulsion, but it's not built-in. You choose it. You have the power to reach out for help, or to reach out for attention. Stop it.<<<----- inserted for shock value

We mostly have the power to make healthy choices. And yet most of us know what it feels like to choose to be unhealthy and stay that way. I'm gonna get yelled at for being so blunt in this post, but let me try to frame it in a nicer way. This is a support group. We don't come here to list our problems any more than alcoholics go to meetings to tell how many times they fell off the wagon. We come to support each other and then there's the surgery... most people can't make a problem go away by having surgery. But we are SO LUCKY to be able to have a surgery that's tailored to our needs, so we have a tool... if we have the surgery and still go on destroying our bodies.... well, you can finish that sentence.

I really do hope you'll find a way to love yourself and stop hurting yourself. You have a treatable condition. If you choose not to use the tools to treat it, you are abusing yourself. If that's the case, why would we want to hear all about it? Please give us something we can work with. Make a decision. Start journaling your food. Make promises to your body, even if only tiny ones, like walking around the block once a day. You'll get a big "attagirl" from me every time you overcome an obstacle. I want you to be happy, and would love for you to wish for my happiness, too.

Anyway, please believe me when I say I want you to be happy and live the best life you can. The fact that you're here indicates that you are looking for support, and guess what? We're here for the same reason, and when you get into that relationship, it goes both ways. Almost no one in this group is here because they want to be obese and die young. Let's share some support, eh?

Search the group for "affirmations" and you'll be at a good starting place. Then post again and tell us how you're doing. I'm crossing my fingers for luck for your.

 

[KristiLyn]

So, I’ve posted in this group before about being uncertain about Bariatric surgery but knowing it’s a tool to literally save my life. I had an initial appointment booked with surgeon Dr. David Brandon Williams at Vanderbilt (where all my specialists are), but canceled it again (5th cancellation).

Well I’m back in the medical hospital again with erratic blood pressure, severe headaches due to my IIH, and off and on chest pain and today the internal medicine doctor seeing me point blank said “you’ve got to get this weight off you or you may not survive the full life you want to live. This weight is killing you”.

So I’ve rebooked the appointment and it’s on 9/18. I’ve got to do it, no matter what.

I’m almost 33, 5’1” 271 pounds, BMI of 51.2, (I’ve gained about 5 pounds in 2 weeks).

My current co morbid conditions are Right Heart Strain/Heart Failure (just diagnosed), labile hypertension, severely high cholesterol and triglycerides, fatty liver disease, Type II Diabetes that is not well controlled, past history of PE, Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension, widespread arthritis, frequent shortness of breath, Sleep Apnea, PCOS.

My mom died at 50 of a massive heart attack and lung failure, maternal grandfather passed at 76 of a massive heart attack. Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension run rampant in my family.

I don’t want to be next in the line of deaths in my family due to weight related conditions. So I’m finally ready to start this.

What is holding you back? 5 cancellations. Are you afraid you will die during the surgery? I'm asking this in gentleness because many people have a real fear of surgery. The program I went through was a year long and was full of zooms with groups of all stages in surgery before and after, nutritionists and nurses, things to practice to get ready for a changed life, etc. Maybe you haven't been given all of the information for how to live after the surgery. That's more important than the surgery itself. I can feel your fear of being in the middle of both your current dire situation and major surgery. Your best bet is on the surgery for survival. That being said you really need a program that will prepare you, answer your fears and take you into what will be the rest of your life.

 

[KristiLyn]

This will be the best thing you do for yourself in your life. Your life is so worth getting this done!
Don't be afraid, it will be ok! Look at anesthesia as the best sleep you will have in a long time
I told the drs, I don't sleep well at all and am looking forward to a solid sleep hahaha.
Good luck and hope to hear from you after your surgery

Anesthesia is my favorite part! Only time one can fully relax. Ha, ha, ha.

 

[Roni]

A good hospital will have you meet with an anesthesiologist. This is where you can discuss your fears, ask questions. In this age of technology you can research any medical topic at good sources like Mayo Clinic or John Hopkin. I would be Leary of other sources unless linked to those two. First time I had surgery I was out for very long time, dr was ready to panic I was out that long. Learned afterwards that I am very sensitive to the medication for surgery, I now inform the anesthesiologist of this and it makes a difference. For some reason I can put me in a zen place in my mind and they would barely need to put me under.