Terrified of surgery.

[Guest guest]

To Rasley,

Yes, I can relate to that as gastric banding was my first general

anaesthetic. It put me off for years having this done as I thought fat

people died under the knife. Apparently not. You have just as much risk

as the next skinny person. What is the problem is that you have to

mobilize as soon as possible after surgery to prevent blood clots and

embolisms. But so does a skinny person. For me it felt like going to

sleep and waking up. I had a bit of a hangover from all the pethidine in

the pca, (patient controlled analgesia). But I was up and about and stir

crazy 24 hours after the op, but I had it done laproscopically.

I know I can never convince you pre op just how safe it is these days

having anaesthetic but it is. I believe you surgery is 7th October, which

is the same as , I think. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I gather you are both in America. Are you physically close to each other

as in location???

I was haunted by the thought of being under ga but I realise now it was

also a control issue. I am a control freak (just ask my family) and the

loss of control was what bothered me. I still feel a bit funny about

strangers poking around my tummy and me not knowing exactly what went on.

I had a caesarean with my 3yo and that was an awful experience but it was a

epidural not a general anaesthetic. The epidural did not work and I felt a

lot of pain, so they gave me drugs to put me to sleep but I hallucinated.

I was allergic to the drugs. However, I was up and about 24 hours later

and my son is the healthiest 3yo there ever was. And I was 139 kilos at

the time. My heaviest ever. I used pregnancy as an excuse to eat what I

wanted, when I wanted and in whatever quantities I wanted. I was diabetic

at the time and on massive amounts of insulin, which made into

a 11 lb baby. I still have the guilts about that. I should have looked

after the baby better than that, but I have three very healthy children and

am grateful to my higher power for giving them to me, especially at my

weight range in the five years I had them went from 114 kilos to 139 kilos

and technically I should not be able to have sex at that weight let alone

fall pregnant.

Good luck with your surgery and now there are two people I will be thinking

about on the 7th October, 1998.

It is an easier struggle with wls. The emotional issues remain but can be

dealt with rationally when the weight is not a combined issue. I have to

eat " healthy " foods for my emotional well being. Junk food upsets my

emotional equilibrium and I get moody and cranky and irritable and mean and

angry when I eat lots of fats and sugars. I may as well be an alcoholic on

a bender with food instead of booze. But if I eat salads, lean meat,

low-fat dairy, I am like a placid pussycat. And my kids and husband get a

better deal out of life. If Mum's happy, the rest of the family is happy.

Regards

Neale

115 kilos to 105 kilos

Surgery 4th May, 1998

Age 36

Height 5' 6 1/2 "