What is it you are afraid of?
It is true there is a small mortality rate for this surgery and any surgey for that matter which is not to be taken lightly.
if it's pain well yes... I won't lie to you, there will be some pain and discomfort
I often watch shows like Heavy and The Biggest Loser and feel really bad for them.
It is really against the physiology and nature of the obese individual to lose and keep lost their weight.
IMO and countless others here this is the last hope that science can offer and the last chance for many of us.
If you are truely motivated you will reach your goal with the help of this surgery which is not a panecea but a strong and useful weight loss tool.
I have lost over a hundred pounds in less than 10 months and I can tell you without hesitation that I could never have gotten where I am today without the surgery.
Is that because I'm weak and have no willpower,
I don't think so. I managed to lose 75 pounds on my own only to regain.
I hope to use this tool for the rest of my life to lose this weight and help maintain that weightloss.
The rest is still up to me.
Goodluck with your decision.

Yes, some people can lose large amounts of weight and keep it off for a long period of time. I've never met one of them personally, though. Statistically speaking, once a person becomes morbidly obese or super morbidly obese, surgical intervention is the most reliable way to take the weight off and keep it off. Once the metabolic syndrome kicks in, its like rolling a large boulder up a hill. Even with GBS, losing the weight is rolling the large boulderits just not uphill anymore.

When I lost 30 lbs pre-surgery, my sister tried to convince me I could do it myself. I went with the most proven medical advice, had Roux-en-yand did it myselfusing the tool the surgeons had given me. Believe me, the surgery does not do the work for you. Losing all that weight is still work.

Wishing you peace as you make your decision.

JJ

losing the weight is not the issue for most of us...it is the keeping it off.
this tool, just gives you the added measures to do that...to keep it off..if you are doing your part that is...
I lost over 100 pounds pre-op, but there is simply no way I could do this for life, without something to remind me, it is a medical necessity...at 170 pounds gone now, my decision was well worth all the efforts I had to give it to get to the prize..
I may still be a fat girl to alot of the world, but I am literally half the woman I use to be....

Even with the surgery, you will still be doing a lot of the work yourself. It's not an easy path, but weight loss never is. When my doctor first suggested the surgery, I was thinking, "NO WAY!!!" A few years later (and failure to keep of any weight I lost), a second doctor also recommended the surgery, though this time it was my psychiatrist of all people! This time, my health was really beginning to suffer, and I was taking diabetic medication by then. I went to the seminar, learned all I could, and decided that this was going to save my life. It did, and I have no regrets at all! If you are not ready, wait a bit. However, I feel that you will end up having the surgery sooner or later, as soon as you realize you need all the tools you can get to keep the weight off!

I had my surgery almost 8 weeks ago and have had a rough time with a few complications. Several times I've beaten myself up, thinking "why did I do this???" Besides the fact that my health has improved so much already (no longer insulin-dependent, for one), I realized the other day one important reason why this surgery was a good thing: I was browsing the kitchen cabinets for something to eat, and as I looked, I was making mental notations of what would be like poison to my new pouch, what would cause dumping, and on and on. And so I opted for something healthy. Prior to surgery I'd have grabbed just about anything, but now I have to make a conscious effort when selecting something to eat because I sure don't like to get sick just from enjoying 2 minutes of pleasure!! So the surgery and the new pouch have become my guardian angel, per se. Without having to be careful about what I consume, my willpower is useless, and I'd never have kept weight off, IF I'd been able to lose it in the first place!
Good luck on your decision. Only YOU can know what your body needs.
~ Tina

Do your research, get your hands on everything. Make the best decision for you, given the prognosis with your current weight and state of health. Do a risk versus reward analysis. Let us know what you decide.

O (formerly 3 bills, faced complications, working on healthy every day)

Only you are the one to make the final decision on which way to go. Like those posters before me - we all have thought this way "can we do it on our own?" at one time or another.

But hear me out - I had gone for GBP twice. !st time insurance denied me and I thought okay God is giving me the sign not to do it - I don't need that dumb surgery anyway I can do this on my own. Well let me tell you I shot up to 575 "doing it on my own." Landed up in the hospital twice and on the death's doorstep.

Well I tried again and was approved. 250+lbs later and off all meds I realized I made the right choice. I know I have a long way to get to that ideal/dream weight I take one day at a time. GBP surgery is not a quick fix diet - it is a tool that you use as you eat properly.

You might find some bumps in the road and even you slip off the track sometime after surgery - just pick yourself up, brush yourself off and get back on it. But believe me in the long run you will be glad you did it.

I'm 65, retired, and over the past 20 years, I went from 275 lbs to 426; I also gained diabetes, high BP and sleep apnea - the insulin and other meds made losing weight nearly impossible and I decided it was time to do the best thing for me that would extend my live. My sleeve surgery was 8 weeks ago - I was at 400 on surgery date and now i'm at 355; 70 lbs. gone already - most importantly, I came home from hospital diabetes free, sleep apnea free and my blood pressure is almost normal again. This is hard work and it is a commitment for life - yes, I'll be able to have a cocktail or some wine at some point down the road - but what I really want is to see my kids and grandkids grow and thrive. It's the best tool I could come up with and I'm happy and healthier than I have been in years. Yes - I had pre-surgery jitters, everyone does. But it was the best possible course for me to take. Good luck.

Stay focused my friend..... Stay away from negative people. Don'y invite anyone to you celebration if they can't bring a presnt of promise.
Trust in God. i don't know of the plans that God has fro you,but you are here for the duration.
I am a week and five days post op,and trust me I would do it all over again. I weighed on surgery day 1/13 at 309. I am as of this morning at 290. it works !

Not a chance. Don't pass go, go directly to the only thing that will save your fat ass from a life of misery!

Just do it and stop bullshitting yourself.

Christ you said it you're over 3 bill!

What on Gods green earth has ever given you an idea that you were ever in control of your stomach/brain/ or mouth? What? Because you lost 20 lbs to try and save what lifetime you have left?

Lucifer

stop wasting your life and live
like God intended!

Wow...everyone here has given your some great advice. Listen to these wise people that have been there and know how you feel.

You will still have to make decisions everyday to be and stay healthy. This is not an easy decision and it is a huge lifestyle change. For me, it has been lifesaving and absolutely worth it.

Whatever you decide to do will requite a big commitment on your part. You deserve to have the healthy life that I know you want. Only you can make that choice. Please don't let people that don't know anything about this procedure make decisions for you.

Sending you lots of love and a big hug!

my own opinion......i've lost 35 pounds a million times.....and gained it back a million times. I've now lost 160, i gained 15 about a year out, and was able to lose it again. That's the success of this surgery. If you fall off the wagon...you just get back on....you can't just give up and gain 60#'s. again.........it's your tool to NEVER go back to over those 300's. I started at 351 pounds, and have lost 160.....I thank God everyday! I'm a new person. I love my life.....you need to do this! I would do it again and again and again!
love ya,
krissy

Like you, I am pre-op. Come here everyday and read everything you can get your hands on. I also made a list of things I look forward to after wls. For me, turning 50 in August did it for me. My mother was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 50 and died at the age of 67 from complications. My chldren were robbed of knowiing her and she didn't get to see me grow up. I have had a few brain farts and think "Maybe I can do this myself". I now have less than a 100 lbs to lose. However, I know better. If I could do this myself, I would have done it a long time ago. Everyday focus on the positive things that will come - dancing, hiking, running, better sex, no elastic waist pants, tuck my shirt in, roller coaster rides, etc. Keep coming back!

Do NOT have this surgery unless you are 100% sure that you want it. Nervous? Yes I was. Excited? Yes I was. Unsure of the success? Yes I was. Committed to lose weight? Yes I was.

However, a history of 40 years (beginning at 14 yrs old) of dieting and losing weight, gaining weight over and over and over again along with a medical history of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholestrol, sleep apnea, coronary artery disease and my mother dying of cancer after suffering 2 strokes and 3 heart attacks made me absolutely sure that I could not do it on my own.

I am 2-1/2 months out. I have lost 35 pounds since surgery (I lost 30 before surgery too) and have come off some of my medicine and reduced others. I feel better and look better and now I have a hope of one day being a grandmother.

Again, please don't do it unless you are absolutely sure it is what you want because it is NOT a diet. It is forever. It is a completely new way of eating. It is your life. Only YOU can live it (or not).

God be with you,
Vickie

I was completely commited to GBS. I had very strong health reasons for pursuing it. My PCP and surgeon and gastro all agreed that it was the best option for me. NONETHELESS, just a few days before surgery, I experienced doubts. I think it is completely normal. It's a final check in: am I really commited to making these changes? do my motivations hold true?

I worked through the questions and doubts. On the day of surgery, I had complete peace. I am absolutely certain that I did the right thing.

Don't fear your doubts, just think them through. You'll know what to do.