I just had an appointment where my surgeon called my forthcoming surgery elective. This surgery doesn't feel elective to me. I feel like I've struggled for so long and have been overweight and obese for almost twenty one years, keeping in mind I'm only going to be 27 in April. For fifteen years I've been on every fad diet and been a weight watchers member twice but the weight just keeps coming back more and more. So while technically this is an elective surgery I don't think of it that way. I have to do this. I was nine pounds away from being 400. Nine easily gained pounds. I'm down to 369 and have 29 to go before being scheduled.

Well, elective just means that you could not have the surgery and continue to be overweight. It isn't considered an emergency. I think it was necessary for me but it wasn't an emergency therefore it was considered elective. Below is a link to a definition.

An elective surgery is a planned, non-emergency surgical procedure. It may be either medically required (e.g., cataract surgery), or optional (e.g., breast augmentation or implant) surgery.

Read more: http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/Ce-Fi/Elective-Surgery.html#ixzz2MKWkKAs4

I wouldn't take it too personally. Elective is a medical term and technically this procedure is elective. While we know it's an essential part of getting healthy, we are making a choice to have weight loss surgery. That is a choice that some people would never make though, no matter their weight. For some people it is just not worth the surgical risk at any BMI.