Hi - thanks for your posting, it raised many questions I have been trying to answer. I am hoping to have a Gastric Bypass in the next month or so and had similar worries. I am on 2 Prozac a day and 400mg Lithium to treat chronic depression. I have been on these meds for 20years and have kind of resigned myself to being on them for life. I also suffer from social anxiety - but perhaps once we have lost weight we will feel more confident in groups
thanks Jiffy and all the others who answered the questions wisely and with such insight.
I worry about the extra skin as I won't be able to afford surgery to remove it and the NHS does not cover it in the UK. I also worry about whether I can alter my thinking regarding food - as we all know, it is a crutch....

I am not sure what exactly it is that I need reassuring about - I just know that it is a huge decision and I am very nervous about it. Perhaps our fat has been a barrier to prevent people from getting too close? I think I have been overweight for so long it is part of my identity....as unhealthy and sad as that may sound!!

oh honey. you do have a lot to think about here. Be brave. I have a saying [and i say it A LOT to myself]: Don't let fear stand in the way of progress.

you're going to have to live differently after the surgery. It'll be REALLY uncomfortable, but that's ok. Will NHS pay for a counselor/therapist? And i'm hoping your surgeon has a live support group. You can always ALWAYS come here and rant and ask questions... that's why we're together on this forum.

As for the skin, I've been living with it for 10 years or so - the first part of that time i was taking care of the alzheimer's mom and just couldn't take time off from that to take care of myself. And then the recession hit, and employment/insurance/money have all been spotty and i can't afford the copays and such.

maybe once i hit medicare age!!!! [the US insurance system SUCKS big time]. but trust me, excess skin is the LEAST of your concerns. Ya gotta get through the surgery, then the first three months [which are VERY hard], and work on figuring out how to live the rest of your life happily and healthily.

you can do it... change is OK. Scary, but OK.