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Did anyone NOT tell their job about surgery?



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I took a week of work. While I did tell a close friend at my job, HR did not know. I just took PTO, not medical leave. And even if you are taking medical leave, you are not obligated to divulge what you are have done.

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I did not tell work. I took a week of PTO and I hope I'm ready to go back on Thursday. :/

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I am pre op but I am NOT telling work. Just like I don't tell what I did over the weekend, where I'm going on vacation, or anything else in my personal life for that matter. I'll keep you posted! :)

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i didn't tell, and i'm getting sleeved tomorrow. i told them i needed surgery, and took one week off and then will be working from home for 3 weeks afterward. i may tell people afterwards, i'm not sure, but i didn't want to hear anything at all that would bring up any negative emotions (anger, fear, doubt, etc) plus i just wasn't in the mood to explain over and over again.

afterwards, i have a feeling i may become an advocate and broadcast it to the world... but for now, nope.

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I am pre op but I am NOT telling work. Just like I don't tell what I did over the weekend, where I'm going on vacation, or anything else in my personal life for that matter. I'll keep you posted! :)

Yes, keep us posted!

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I am having surgery on December 12th. I haven't told anyone but my boss, and all I told him as that I was having surgery and that I wouldn't be back in the office until the first of the year. Didn't give any details at all. It's none of their business. Its great to be having surgery in December because there is absolutely nothing going on at work.

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I'm in much the same mindset. I told people I work with (a few hundred in my case - i have a rather public job) that I was having some "long-recommended surgery to take care of a gastric problem." I mentioned that part of what they were doing was repairing a hiatal hernia, and a related issue. Both true - but WLS is no one's business but mine. There's too much projection and strangeness in people's reaction, and given the nature of my work, it might affect it in negative ways. Plus being a bit vague about it indicated to people that I considered it personal and not a discussion topic, which is true.

No one's said anything much since then, except how great and healthy I'm looking! (SO nice!)

Kate

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Whats a good excuse we could make up for having surgery? My boss and co workers will ask questions. I need to come up with a good excuse as to why im having surgery and why i cant travel for at least a month.

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My profession requires me to make public appearances throughout the year. I'm already sick with worry on how to address my WLS. I will get asked (as sure as the world turns..lol) and not sure if it's better to get IT out in the open now versus fielding questions all year long. Unfortunately, I won't have the luxury of telling someone it's not their business because I have to worry about public image. That's also the reason I'm terrified of sharing my choice to have the sleeve and dealing with negative feedback openly.

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This thread is making me incredibly nosy about what the public people here do for a living, and who you all are :D

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You know, I didn't even think about that before I scheduled mine. I'm having mine in Thursday 20th, then going back to work on Mon & Tues, then I'll be off for a week. I hope I can make it!!

And I'm not telling anyone anything for now. Not sure of I will.

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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