New to the boards and I have a date!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi! I feel like I know all of you already because I have been lurking most of the summer! I just got my surgery date.......October 5 with Dr. Coster! I am so excited!!!! I am a kindergarten teacher and haven't told my principal yet that I will be needing time off but I don't see a problem at all. Question......I am wondering if I need to share this with everyone in my building? I guess I am thinking that people will want to know where I went!! I was hoping to have the surgery this summer but my approval didn't come soon enough. Only my immediate family and 3 very close friends know about the surgery. How did you handle your work place???? I love this group and just feel like I'm already part of the family! Thanks so much for all the information that I've already gained from all of you!!! I'm really excited to share my journey with you and to be on the loosing side!!!!! Lezlie

Welcome Lezlie! Glad you decided to come out of lurker status (unlike Michelle)! As to tell or not to tell, it was easy for me. I have a big mouth so everyone knew. Eventually everyone will know when the wt starts falling off. It just depends on how you feel about your co-workers. If you think they might not be supportive, don't tell until afterwards. You don't want people telling you all about the bad things when they really don't have any idea what they are talking about. If you do tell, be prepared to have to defend your choice and do so vigorously. Everyone is different so you will have to be the judge of whom to tell. Congratulations and welcome! Lyn 262/152/142

Hey Lezlie. Welcome and congratulations on getting your date. I don't have a date yet, but I have given a lot of thought on how to tell my coworkers. I work in gossip-central and I will be the first person in our office of about 150 to have this done. I've decided not to tell anyone until after the surgery. I plan to send my work friends an email after I'm home from the hospital. That way all the gossip can hit the fan before I return to work and I won't have to listen to all of the negative comments. My supervisor is one of the biggest gossips in the building and I haven't yet decided what I'm going to do about that. He is a man and I'm thinking of just telling him I'm having "female" surgery. I know he will turn all red and won't want to know any of the details.

Lezlie, Welcome to a great and supportive place! I teach, too, and I told my principal as soon as I had a date set. I also then told others. I did have a few who chose to tell me about someone who didn't survive the surgery due to an embolism. I just responded with the fact that there is a risk of embolisms with any major surgery. This was my choice and, although this women chose to mention it again on several occasions, it was never in a mean, calus or hurtful way, just always out of concern for me. Remember, the decision to share is yours and yours alone. Welcome to what will be a wonderful journey! God bless, Andrea

Hi Lezlie, Oh and topic that is near and dear to my heart! I stay home with my kids, but I am on the board of a non-profit organization... Because I have had some very negative feed back from friends and family, I decided not to tell our organization as a whole. I did feel an obligation to tell my fellow board members. It went very well though and they are very supportive. I do plan on telling the rest of the group, but not until after the fact. Good luck! Amy

Welcome Lezlie! Glad you have come out of 'lurking' status...lol. I cant give you much advice about telling people at work...since I am not really working right now anyway and am pre-op....I would probably send an email the last day i am at work...tell them that i was doing lots of research and that you had researched the dr you are going to. give them information...so they will be informed. then you dont have to deal with people....sometimes i am just not a people person! lol welcome to the board. I have heard lots of good things about your dr. I will be going to grinnell the 29th for my first consult. take care. billie jo

I was so excited once I got my date I started yelling it from the rooftop. I told anyone who would listen & a few who wouldn't. I live in a small town & I think most everyone who knew me knew what was going on. I was fortunate though. The only person who had anything negative to say was my MIL & to give her credit, it was actually said out of concern & maybe a bit of fear on her part as that was right around the time there were the deaths in DM. When I had the TT I did the same thing almost. I told anyone who was willing to listen. This time around I am a bit more selective who I tell, maybe because of what is being done. I posted pictures last time & shared them with some of my co-workers. I don't think I will be as willing to do that this time. Still having pictures taken but I'll be more careful about who ses them this time. I do know of one gal who had the surgery & as far as I know never told anyone but a few of her co-workers. They kept the secret. Dixie

How funny girls! I actually have thought about every one of your suggestions!!! It seems the older I get, the more I think that things aren't anyone's business! I also like to talk and the way I have gotten through many past trials and tribulations is to share it with everyone. But I feel different about this. There are basically only 2 of us with weight problems in my building and the other gal had weight loss surgery way back in the 80's. She needs a revision now. I haven't even told her. I kind of like the idea of sending an email the morning of my surgery! I really do love most of these people and they have been there for me whenever I needed a friend. I'll keep you posted on what I decide! My mother-in-law is another story!!!! Thanks so much for all your input!!!!!! Lezlie p.s. My Ebay ID is little*squirt.....isn't that ironic!!!!!!

Lezlie, welcome! October 5th is not that far away! CONGRATS! Good luck with deciding who and when to tell. -Nan

Morning Lezlie Welcome to the boards It's a personal thingy if you want other's to know. Be sure to let us know how things are going. Hugs Carolyn