Are You A "Clop" (Closet Post-Op)? - What Do You Tell People?

#8 other.......when i first started looking into this i came to this board. i asked this question or someone did. anyway at that time the concensious amoung those getting it and the surgeons was to say you had your gall bladder removed. so that was part of my story. i didn't use that very much but instead said i had part of my small intestine removed. that worked better because people could see i wasn't eating the same stuff anymore.

well, it's partly true plus i had complications that really did look like gall stones. they kept checking for these at least a half dozen times in the hospital. i did tell people i was looking into wls anyway, just to keep it fair and then this happened and i lost the weight anyway. at the time i had surgery the big debate was the "easy way out" thing. i think everyone knows now this surgery isn't a cure all and isn't easy, even the those who don't need the surgery. all the obesity shows and specials and high profile subjects educated people for the most part so i don't see the stigma attached anymore. it's a struggle and people see it for what it is.

as for me, i still won't divulge. i just don't see it as anybody's business what i do for myself. it was a very personal decision and i don't really feel the need for feedback about it. i certainly don't want to hear stories or negativity so i just shut up about it. i have tried to help a friend *****ally wanted it and i fessed up to him. he never got it. that's fine by me.

now if i just lost weight fine but i went overboard and got into lifting again in a big way. i look thinner yeah but people do notice i work out. it's just a byproduct of the sport. when i was big you don't see muscle, now you do. i just tell people i took advantage of losing the weight and since i've always worked out the size was there but just under a layer of fat. which is true! so the surgery got me thin but the working out got my shape. two different means to an end. i didn't get one without the other. so in some ways the surgery didn't do it all for my looks today. so.....long answer but thought you would be interested to know what we were thinking two years ago. surpisingly a lot has changed in two years. there were NO shows on the subject and celebrities weren't fessing up except a couple. now it's the IN thing i guess. oh, i also didn't know if this would really work and didn't want to be under a microscope by anyone. i didn't want any dirty looks and anyone saying, should you be eating that? i hate that ****! carbonblob

Carbon ..  out of curiosity ..  what did they find out those things they initially thought were gallstones really were?    JP ..   When I saw your name, I had a flashback to my C & W radio D.J. days back in MO in the late '70s-early '80s ..   There was a singer named "J. P. Coulter"  or "J.P. Colter"(something like that) who was popular back then ..   any relation?   &:-D)

hey paul,

well the reason they thought stones was because of the severe pain and the location. i've taken at least 5 trips to the ER by ambulance for this problem. the pain scale tops out at 10 and start to go into shock from the pain. i get so rigid they can't even start an IV. so they shoot me with tons of morophine to relax me and then start. so i hope i never get stones. they have found some stricture near my navel but they've done every test they can think of and they think i get a twist in the bowel for some reason. of course everything backs up and my whole intestinal tract goes haywire. that relates to intense pain. the onset of the pain is from gas. so that's the last straw. when the gas builds the pain comes on. my surgery is perfect. there's no problem with the operation. it's probably the way i digest for some reason. we're all different in one way or another. problem is going through this all the time is a head trip, painful and expensive. each time we try some different approach to the problem yet it returns about every 3 to 4 months.

now i'm taking some oil and cutting down on protein shakes. oh, in the beginning i was taking heavy duty narcotics for pain and that constipates you big time. that turned out to be a trigger but not the total answer. yes, i take all kinds of stuff to stay soft but to no avail. ok, long answer. if you ever get super sharp pains that won't stop it just might be stones or gas! very similar symptoms....carbonblob

I've had a store clerk or two comment that I look "15 years younger" in person after looking at my drivers license picture.   That felt good.  I don't know why but not one person has asked me directly if I've had surgery or exactly how I've lost the weight though many people have commented about how much better I look. The group of people I socialize with is fairly static so most have known me before the weight gain, during the obese years, and now post surgery so maybe they just expected  me to eventually lose the weight.  Since I started working out again after surgery maybe they just attribute the weight loss to that. I find the varied stories the guys on this board fascinating. The most humorous situation I've had happen (several times) is when a guy remarks about how "good" I look, then he quickly realizes that I might take the compliment to imply that he didn't think I looked good "before" and backtracks as fast as he can. I always really appreciate the compliment but  I admit to having a little of the devil in me so I usually raise an eyebrow, wait a few seconds  before smiling and saying "Thank you - I feel a lot better these days too".   I honestly don't know what would come out of my mouth if I was asked directly if I had WLS though.

I don't tell anyone. I just say that I had stomach issues and had to have part of my instestines removed. I am not ashamed. I just don't like to talk about it.  You can't explain losing over 100 pounds in less than 5 moths without having something pretty radical happen. Now the problem is everyone telling me I look too thin and a bit sickly. I can live with that!

I tell people that although it seems like overnight to them, I actually haven't eaten much for the past nine months.  Plus I have been getting more exercise.  I have told a few close friends about the surgery but for the most part it's a private matter.

In regards to you guys discussing your DL pics: I was looking at mine the other day and marveling at how fat my face looked in it and patting myself on the back for how much better my face looks now. Then I looked at the shirt I was wearing in the pic and realized that I'm still about 40 lbs away from being able to fit into that shirt. Reality checks are a ***** Pre-op I told my boss what I was going to do, cause he needed to make arrangments to work around my absenses. Of course my wife and kids knew and I told my parents. I live in a small town and I didn't want to be the subject down at the local gossip mill, so I didn't tell anyone else. By the time I got back in to town after the surgery everybody  somehow knew. That's life in a small town. I don't mind talking about it.

I tell everyone who will listen. I have turned into sort of a WLS advocate, particularly Lap Band. It was strange, I started my new job in Novemeber '06 and someone came up to me that recognized my pictures from here. I used to post a lot more than I do now. I guess because I have been successful. I have people coming to me regualarly for advise and support. I work for a large company in a call center type environment. I relish the opportunity to pay it forward.