I just thought this would be a fun way to vent!

Today I saw someone I haven't seen in awhile. When I told her how I was losing weight (after she commented on it and asked), she said she knew someone who had "that" surgery and gained all the weight back after a year. Then she said she didn't know how anyone could really be happy not being able to eat normally. My response was that I was happy and I love my sleeve. Some people!

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.

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:

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!

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.

Amanda- I probably would have slapped that woman.

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

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 lol

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!

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!!

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!

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.

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`

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.

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.

Wow, people are pathetic! You know these same people talk crap behind your back because your fat. Nobody gets what it's like to be obese and yo-yo diet your entire life, unless your in our shoes. I went through amedically supervised protein liquid diet and spent $4K on it. After losing 50 I gained it all back, so I know people are thinking or talking. I'm not telling anyone except my close friends. The rest can KMA!