Hi Southern girl. I was also terrified before I had the operation. I kept wondering if I was doing the right thing. I am now almost 10 weeks out and I feel great and have no regrets. It is normal to have doubts and be nervous. Good luck!

Yes it is very normal to have mixed emotions about this surgery. You will be so happy with yourself once it is over with and you begin to lose weight and notice many positive changes. Just keep a positive attitude and listen to your medical team and follow their guidelines the best that you can and you will have no worries. Good Luck!!

Hi SouthernGirl!

It is completely understandable to have concerns regarding surgery - especially if you have never had to endure a procedure prior to VSG WLS (Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Weight Loss Surgery).

But as someone who has undergone several procedures throughout my midlife, I can tell you with great ease that barring any complications that can arise (and yes, unfortunately, it does from time to time take place), this surgery is a rather simple procedure with easy recovery time and minimal pain.

In reality, most of what you will experience post-op comes down to how willing you are to do what is necessary to join the fast track to recovery. Meaning: you need to walk around the hospital floor. Not just once either. From day one, multiple times per day. I can not tell you how beneficial this is to the promotion of healing. If at all possible, do not rely on pain medication to get you through. That only goes so far and then it is up to you anyway, so in the short term, learn to evaluate and self-manage your pain. If you MUST push the pain pump button, by all means do so. But do not come to rely upon it. It only functions every so often anyway, so no matter how many times you push it in a fifteen minute time span, you will only receive one dose.

The most pain you should feel is the discomfort from the incision sites. You have to understand, they are using invasive instruments to perform your procedure. As such, they are going to leave bruises. But they are very manageable. They just look terrible.

When you are discharged...I can not stress enough...WALK, WALK, WALK. You will be surprised at how well you will feel and how quickly it will take place.

Now, in the first few weeks you will feel exhausted. This is to be expected. It is your body's way of saying "What in the hell just happened to me." In all seriousness though, you need to rest when you require rest and walk in between. DO NOT OVERDO IT. I did, and speaking from experience, it made matters worse. I was beyond worn out.

Ask for help if you need it. But don't come to rely upon it. Do for you, as you will need to get into that mindset A.S.A.P. You will realize that this is all about you. It can and does affect those around you, but you can not control their emotions. You can only control yours. If there are issues that arise, discuss them. Don't let them fester. You don't want to mountains out of molehills.

I'll stop for now, but should you have any questions, feel free to personal message me here and I will do my best to answer them.

I wish you nothing but success on your journey. You can do this. You got this!

Excellent advice from Shannon . Best of luck to you, it will not be as bad as you think and you will be well looked after :-)

Southerngirl,
I had my surgery just 6 weeks ago. It was the best decision I have made. Though I was very emotional afterwards it was just 4 weeks of my life. To go through that for 4 weeks compared to the rest of my life seems minimal. Keep your head up everyday is a new day.