Challenges

I'm curious as to what types of challenges you have all experienced in your preparation for surgery, your surgical experience, or you post-operative new-life experience that you think may be unique to the queer community.  Would anyody like to share? 

For me its been a roller coaster. My Gf of 6 months left me cause of my surgery. She texted me saying that I was starting to take my life into my own hands and she didnt like it. I cried for awhile and posted on the VSG fourm (before i found this fourm) and was told I already started to lose weight....dead weight ! My challenage right now is getting thru this 15 days of clear liquid only diet. Today is day one and I already am hungry and getting a head ache from no carbs.

I did a lot of research when I did my "protein shake only" diet phase in attempt to lose weight (which we see worked wonders, because I'm now working toward the DS), but in the process, I learned that chugging magnesium citrate (the liquid laxitive that comes in six flavors of Hell) helps to sort of clear out your insides and stops digestion in its tracks... which makes it much (much) easier to adjust to having nothing in you but fluid.

Well for me the thing that i struggle with was the clear luquid diet before surgery and after surger it was the head hunger which took me two months to get over,Also the horrible constipition that i had.I think that when it comes to surgery and being GLBT there is really not that much difference surgical wise.

In terms of the gay community, I can say that changes after surgery did change my friendships. Some were challenged, others remained the same and others disappeared. Being identified as a member of the bear community changed in some people's eyes. There were those who saw a thinner me as suddenly being an outsider.

One thing I have learned over four years is that you need to live your new life for yourself. If people are true friends, they will adapt. Otherwise, their friendship was not as strong as you initially thought it was.

I also found that as I became an active cyclist, hiker, and runner, my choice of friends and friendships formed around these people and activities. That is more about us having similar interests, goals and likes.

Tom

One thing that is unique is that unlike opposite-sex couples, we can raid our partner's closets!
Until my weight stabilizes, I am not keen on spending a fortune on new clothes - so I shop in my partner's closet whenever I can. LOL!

Tanya

 I didn't have any challenges in my surgery process due to my sexuality.   My partner was with me at all of my pre-op appointments and seminars.  He was with me in the pre-op waiting room and the surgeons and staff treated him no differently than anyone else.  HE stayed in my room with me at night.

It was a complete non-issue in my case.