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Unintended consequence of WLS?



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I'm 3 months out from my sleeve. Lost near 35lbs and loving it. BUT something did happen recently which I attribute *in part* to the hormone dump of WLS, which made me a little crazy. People said it would happen in the first few months, so I should have been more aware. Please note this is just my story and I know everyone is totally different.

I was in a 'good' job - by which I mean it paid pretty well and got me a visa to live and work in the USA (I'm British). From the outside, it looks like I am living the dream. But right from the beginning things were not working out the way I hoped with the job and I was not happy. Nevertheless, I persisted and worked hard each day. So to put it in context, there was lingering unhappiness at the back of my mind but I resolved to not do anything about it until at least December of this year. My mum said to me - just one major life change at a time is OK!! Deal with recovery from surgery first, and then deal with the other issues.

I did not tell my work I was having WLS, instead I took 3 days "medical leave" to have the surgery (told them I was having abdominal surgery, but not WLS) and worked from home for around 10 days afterwards.

After my surgery, the weight started dropping off. But things went even further south with my job. I was probably somewhat distracted, tired and emotional. In my mind, everything was going wrong. The job, my relationship, my life living abroad....In the middle of the fog, its very difficult to see clearly and think - hey, maybe this is hormones, and things aren't that bad...?

At nearly 2 months since surgery, I ended up getting a formal warning at work.

Pre-WLS me would probably have brushed my ego off, and worked through it to the best of my abilities.

WLS me did not. WLS me became enraged and emotional.

WLS me quit.

As soon as I quit, I realized that it was a rash decision that was going to result in major, major life upheaval. I was inconsolable at 'what I had done' and sank into depression.

Now I have to pack up my life in America and go back to the UK. I have to leave my boyfriend, my dog, and go back to England with no plans, move back in with my parents. I thought long and hard about asking for my job back. In the end, I did not, as I was already unhappy with the job, and knew that sooner or later I would be moving forward. I just in no way expected that it would be this fast.

I'm still trying to navigate the repercussions of this event!! I do look back and think that I could or should have dealt with the whole thing really really differently. Perhaps I was not quite in my right mind from the hormones. It took me a long time to accept that this was the new reality that I have to deal with!! But I have finally accepted it.

On the upside, at least since my sleeving, my confidence is through the roof. I'm thankful that, whilst I have to navigate new waters, at least I'm going to do it looking and feeling great!!

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I wish you the very best of happiness in the future. I am 70, and I can tell you that emotionally I have been in an upheaval since the sleeve in 2013. I still struggle with anger, something I have never felt before. I certainly would advise anyone not to make any life changing decisions for l-2 years after the sleeve. Good luck!

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      Soooo I am coming to a realization
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