I am scheduled to get banded on Dec 5th. I will be using a few personal days at work. I am not telling anyone about the surgery besides my fiance. I am trying to think of a lie to tell my boss and co-workers. Something medically needed..Some other procedure....Any suggestions???

Just be aware that whatever you tell your coworkers, if the weigh comes off quickly, they'll likely figure it out. For me, I told a few close work friends but I'm pretty sure with 90 lbs gone in less than a year, many have put two and two together. Am figuring by next year everyone will be used to my new size and no one will even think about it.

Ive decided when people ask how I'm losing all the weight, I'm going to say,"I'm restricting what I eat." It will be the truth and will not need further conversation. I've also been thinking that "a lot" will be the perfect response.

Oops! Hit post too soon. "A lot" would be a great response to people asking how much weight you've lost.

Hernia surgery is very minor and also common. This is what I did.

When they do the blessing for a speedy recovery at my church I can say I am having Hernia surgery and kinda am since I do have a small one just having a little more added to that surgery. They don't need to know that part. Thanks for the suggestion.

I said I was having gallbladder removed!

So one of my co workers finally asked me wht kinda procedure i was having...I was caught off guard and just said hernia surgery...She then said so what they gonna do..I responded remove the hernia...Hope thts right...lol

Well, they're actually going to "repair" the hernia ... Same as they did mine, lol.

Well, they're actually going to "repair" the hernia ... Same as they did mine, lol.

Thanks... If anyone else ask me that is what I will say...I knew I wouldn't get away too long with just saying "procedure"...lol

I told everyone at work the truth. I spend 40 hours a week with them which is much more than I spend with my family! Everyone was very supportive. They even sent me flowers while I was out! Don't know of I could have made it through the liquid diet etc without telling them! That two weeks they couldn't get mad if I was grumpy cuz it was from not eating! Lol. But, like others have said, legally you do not have to tell them why!

I told my boss that it was hiatal hernia surgery (even did some research on that to sound legit). It's true--I did have it as I was banded. But if I were to do it again, I would just say "It's for a female thing." And then most people don't ask further. To explain the weight loss, I just say that ever since I did the pre-op diet which my doc required, I kept on ating better and not eating sugar or carbs. It's all true!

I have told my family--all have been really great about it. But I haven't told a soul at work. Not their business.

I told my boss "procedure" but if I was asked by other co-workers I said hernia repair surgery as well. My Mom had her hernia surgery the month before my lap band surgery and we had the same laparoscopic incisions minus the port of course and almost the exact same post-op diet. The only difference is that I heeled in about 4 days and she needed the full week to recover!

There is nothing wrong with a little lie to the non-important people

Personally I would advise against telling a lie.

My reasoning is that the act of telling the lie implies you have something to be ashamed of and the first person you need to convince that isn't true is yourself.

Bariatric surgery is not something to be ashamed of and the longer people treat it like something to hide the longer people will think of it as vanity surgery. You should feel no more guilty about WLS than you would about getting a tumor removed or getting a pacemaker.

You don't need to introduce yourself by your procedure but there's no benefit to pretending you didn't get life altering surgery. If anything there's a lot too gain by helping people be informed and dismissing the myths.

It's a personal choice and I would never "out" a WLS patient but I know I could have benefitted from this surgery a lot sooner if I'd known how common it really was.

Now if someone would please bring me a step stool I'd like to dismount from this tall horse.

Surgery is the best way to define it. They jump their own conclusions, anyway! Best wishes today!

Edited December 5, 201312 yr by kll724

I told everyone at work the truth. I spend 40 hours a week with them which is much more than I spend with my family! Everyone was very supportive. They even sent me flowers while I was out! Don't know of I could have made it through the liquid diet etc without telling them! That two weeks they couldn't get mad if I was grumpy cuz it was from not eating! Lol. But, like others have said, legally you do not have to tell them why!

By the way, I don't work, but my friend, who had the surgery, wasn't going to tell. Our surgeon told her she should, as it might keep her honest to herself too!

^{A lot of people in my work know. I feel that by telling people, 1. it might inspire others to try to take their health more seriously and 2. It will hold me more accountble. I don't really care if they know.}