Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

What has been the most shocking comment about the sleeve at any stage (pre-op, post-op) or about your weight loss?



Recommended Posts

I've heard some awful things and some great things about my decision to have surgery. I personally have kept this as quiet as possible from most; just personally don't want to hear their opinions. I decided to have my surgery in Mexico and I feel as if those of us that chose to have it out of the country get a full helping of very discourging words. The worst comment I can remember came from my own mother, of course I'm sure she meant it from the concern in her heart, but it still hurt. She said "When they ship your body back to me would you prefer to be buried or cremated." Since I have come back alive she only has new grips about it, yet I just believe the ones that love us the most can hurt us the most. I made this decision for myself and am grateful to have so many of you to help me through it. Thank You

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I can understand people's fears about going to mexico for surgery, as well as the side of the person who goes. My mom had major gastric/pancreatic surgery in Venezuela in 93. She had no choice to come back to the states, it had to be done. She went through a brand new surgery with flying colors. Recently she went to her dr here in DFW area and was told to stop trying to lose those 10 lbs. She wasn't supposed to be alive, so stop trying. It turns out the scary surgery she had overseas was only supposed to last 5 yrs at most. Seeing as it is almost 20 yrs past her surgery, i would have no qualms going overseas or out of country. I just went this way because it is nothing out of pocket for me. Plus I get re constructive surgery if I need it too. I say we iggie the people who feel we can do this if we follow their path, and go our own course.... it's more fun anyway. :P

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have told several people about my plans to have surgery and everyone has been very supportive...I guess they don't want to piss off a guy that weighs 340 lbs and stands 6'2" tall. :noidea:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

About six weeks post op a co-worker who is obsessed with weight loss asked how much I had lost so far. I responded with whatever the loss was at the time. Her response? "Well, look at you! You're getting closer to beautiful everday!"

Wow, how rude!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The worst comment I can remember came from my own mother, of course I'm sure she meant it from the concern in her heart, but it still hurt. She said "When they ship your body back to me would you prefer to be buried or cremated."

Hahaha, oh lord. My mother had an even more pessimistic view, I guess, as she said I would be killed, dismembered, and disposed of in a dumpster behind the hospital, so she wasn't expecting to get my body back.:P

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I haven't had any out and out rude comments per se, but yesterday, I saw a friend whom I hadn't seen for 7 months and she said, "Wow! You just look soooo beautiful!" I think she was being polite and didn't want to say, how did you lose 100+ lbs? It was funny and I didn't really comment other than say thank you. But it was funny that her reaction was "you're beautiful." hmmmm

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have told several people about my plans to have surgery and everyone has been very supportive...I guess they don't want to piss off a guy that weighs 340 lbs and stands 6'2" tall. :noidea:

Funny iagree.gif lol

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It's the same way when a person hears that you are even thinking of having the surgery. I am not known at times for keeping my mouth shut and have told people that yes i am having it done. I don't see a need to hide anything from people. They are all seeing me lose the weight anyway. I keep having people I work with come up and tell me that I look great. After such a wonderful comment, they will turn around and tell me that I don't need to do anything else, surgery wise. These people look at me and see someone who is proportionate. I look ok, just big. They don't realize how big I am, I just hide it well. Why do skinny people think that losing the weight, and keeping it off, is the easiest thing to do? No one believes me when I tell them i will gain it all back by the time we return to work in August without some kind of help? I am not going to go by what they think, I am doing this for me. I don't want to lose my life because I am afraid to do anything to make it better.

Yeppers! youcandothis.gif

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I haven't told many people yet so have't suffered through some of the unbelievable remarks I am reading here. One of my sisters and my brother don't know as they are very judgmental. Fortunately they are both pretty self-obsessed so I don't expect either to even notice that I have lost weight. :)

II am dreading though a family reunion in June on my husbands side of the family where I probably WILL have to tell his brother. He is anti conventional medicine, anti any surgerand a self proclaimed health food nut. He gave another family member a rash of s--t that bordered on harassment for having cardiac surgery!! He will notice the weight loss, the decreased capacity to eat and will have everyone convinced that I am terminally I'll if I don't tell him about the sleeve. Hubby agrees it is probably better to be proactive and just tell rather than have him worry that the weight loss means something ominous. I am tempted to lie and tell him I am dieting but my daughter (who knows) will be there and I don't feel good about that either. Oh well, guess I will put on my big girl panties and face the battle!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I get more and more guys "checking me out". Now I think this is cool, I enjoy the attention after years of no attention, but in the back of my mind there is a little voice that says "I am the same person inside as when I weighed more....how superficial of you!" Then I go ahead and enjoy the attention!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was very upfront at work about it, and I really did not get ANY rude comments at all. Most people are just very curious and ask about the surgery itself, the eating plan afterward, etc. Our youngest employee kept asking me during my pre-op liquid diet if I was OK. She even told her mom she was afraid that I would pass out. I laughed about it but found it very touching that she cared that much.

I did get one of the weirdest, most ignorant comments one day. I NEVER saw this one coming. A coworker said she was very excited for me and that she needed the name of my doctor because she needed to get rid of her "chicken neck." WTF?????? I guess she thought I was having magical plastic surgery. She was SO SERIOUS I had a hard time not just dissolving into giggles right there. I think I eventually got through to her that she needed a plastic surgeon and not a bariatric surgeon. LOL.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So far my dad has said the dumbest thing to me on my new journey, which isn't surprising really. "Renee, why don't you have surgery in America where they know how to operate!" yes dad, because obviously Americans are the only ones with surgeons and America is the only place to find them. Dumbass.

Renee`

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Up until 5/13, I hadn't told a single person I was doing WLS. Upon receiving my approval and surgery date, I went to my mom's house and sat her down and told her what I was doing. And just as I predicted, she gave me the sad face and said "well, what are you going to do with the hanging skin" I replied "live with it"

Have you made arrangements for if anything happens.

I said I have.

Do you have insurance?

I do

Who'se getting it?

I said you're getting some of it.

She replied, well don't leave your sister too much, she'll loose her mind and tell her husband and he will leave her.

I burst out laughing and said maybe I should give her the money now so she can be done with him.

We went back to my WLS and after I explained what I was doing. Why I was doing it. That No, I can't do it solely on my own and that I needed her to drive me to the hospital. She said, "Wow, you really planned this all out"

Mom decided then and there that she was doing a diet because "she can't be the only fatty in the family" and my 70 year old mother said, "And if this diet doesn't work, I'm going get myself some WLS. I want to feel better too. I burst out laughing because this is so typical of my mom. She good for putting the kibosh on some new fangled idea, but as soon as she understands something (and I've co-signed it) she's all for it. She's excited for me and now has questions and more questions since I told her that I'm doing the surgery.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It surprises you what people say. I am scheduled for Thursday, found out today to be at the hospital at 6 am. My hubby and mom are fighting over who gets to take me. I think it is funny. Besides the nasty or ignorant comments made, there are some nice ones. i found out my mom researched the VSG after I told her that I was getting it done. She said she wanted to see what it was I was doing. She also took me shopping yesterday for some new clothes to be mini goals. She also has plans to ransack her closet. It is people like this that makes everything worth the snide comments.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×