I was reading on a RNY board, and there was the classic question about which surgery to get. The answers were mostly good, talking about researching and all that. But one got to me, and it's something I've read before. That being that the poster didn't like the idea of a port sticking out of their skin. This is often from someone who has claimed to really have done their research before chosing the RNY. I have to wonder how through the research was to miss this. And there are always comments about having to get fills, and that being another surgery. :faint:

So, I guess this is a question and a rant. What misconceptions do you run into?

When DH has his surgery, my SIL thought they were going to cut fat off of him, kind of like a liposuction on steriods.

The one that gets me the most is "How do you handle feeling that thing around your stomache all day". I keep having to explain that I can't exactly feel it.

Here are some misconceptions/comments I've run into:

"So once you lose all your weight, you'll just have it removed and you'll be all done!"

"Oooh, it goes around the outside of your stomach, right?"

"So every time they adjust the band, you have surgery?"

"So, what are you allowed to eat?"

"You can't have any sugar, right?"

"Oh no! I know three people who died getting that!" (they're talking about the RNY of course)

"I heard people don't lose weight with that"

"My cousin/co-worker/friend had that same surgery you had" (but actually they mean that person had the RNY)

"Can I see the port?"

"So the port is sticking out of your skin?"

"Is your stomach still there?"

"Do they leave your stomach in your body or remove it?"

"Three people I work with had the RNY instead and they are doing fantastic. They lost all their weight within six months!"

And my favorite:

"How can you sleep with that thing squeezing your stomach all night?"

HAHAHA!

I told an ex I was having it done, and he insisted that he knew 4 people who'd died having it done. I about went blue in the face trying to explain to him that it was nothing like the RNY.

I really, really hate hearing "wow, you ate a lot for you, huh?" I know what I ate, and I know what I'm supposed to eat, thankyouverymuch.

Or, having someone ask how your bypass went, explaining that you had the band, not the bypass, and then they say "well it's basically the same thing, right?"

blarg.

All these statments make confirm to me that I'm still not telling anyone yet about my surgery.

I've mentioned it in the past to people, and they all say, Oh, I know so & so who had that done and now they regret it (they all think its the same as RNY.)

Anyhow, I don't want to be watched like a hawk and don't want to hear everyones negative comments, so I'm not telling anyone at work or my friends. My DH and my mother are the only ones who will know about it.

Geeze people are just so rude sometimes.

I wish I didn't tell 4 of the 6 people I told. Me and my big mouth! I guess I was just so excited about it. One day recently I had jeans on and heard a comment from one of them "oh, jeans, wow", she did say "you look good", though, but I didn't realize people noticed what I was and was not wearing before. I know, me personally, someone could be wearing the same thing every time I saw them and I wouldn't even notice. I also hate hate hate how everyone looks me up and down and then says nothing!

I really had no misconceptions, I did extensive research for many months prior to my band. I spoke with people who were banded, emailed Inamed constantly.Read up on everything I possibly could about the band, joined the support groups before being banded. The thing I think most people here have misconceptions about is the pace of weight loss, with the band the weight loss is much slower then the bypasss and the band is not a magic wand, we still have to do some of the work. I read about peoples frustrations not loisng quick enough.