Orientation, Invisibility and Isolation in Guelph!

Hello Barb!

A woman of few... but meaningful words! I was definitely in your camp in regards to having my mind made up... since I had researched it to death! My questions were all about the mandatory procedure to get the surgery going.

Thanks for sharing! ;-)

Guy 57

Oh my! So true, I am so used to being invisible and you are absolutely right. So when I was in line waiting, i made myself chat to the woman in front of me and then sat with her in the session. I smiled at everyone else but didn't interact.

Hey LeslieCL! ;-)

This slice of human nature is truly interesting. People... being with people who should understand them the most because of having the same condition.... coming to the same place.... to get the same treatment.... not wanting to interact with them..... because of anxiety, shame, etc.

I totally get the invisibility syndrome. Fat is like a magic cloak that makes people just look past you as if you were never there! Thank god for those who love us and people who support us!

Thanks for sharing LeslieCL!

Guy 57

Hi Guy 57;

I will tell you how things went for me. Firstly, I am in Ottawa and 38 yo. I spent two years fighting with my family dr to do the referral for bariatric surgery. She has known me since I was 4 and argued that I could do if I would just put some effort into it.

I, like you, am an ALL IN kind of person. Needless to say I knew A LOT before I went to orientation. Here the Orientation is 3 hours and you are told to bring a support person. There had to have been 40 potential patients in the room and the only interaction between people was myself with the presenters and the support people to the potential patients. Not a single patient made eye contact with another person, most were either looking at the table or the slides. There were few to no questions, other than the ones I was posing. As we took a break halfway through, the silence turned to murmuring of "support" people saying "Are you sure about this?" or 'Why would you do this" or "This is very invasive" and the two I remember most and probably will never forget are "You would have to be crazy to let anyone mutilate you like this" and "i wish you would put as much energy into NOT eating as you do INTO eating"

Again, no real communication from the potential patients. Everyone looked like deer caught in headlights. People were overwhelmed. At the end, people had to hand in a form indicating how they wished to proceed. Many of the patients sat staring at the piece of paper, not knowing what to do.

I believe patients, at orientation, do not interact because of fear, embarrassment and shock. I was actually really happy we were in a hospital because I wasn't sure there were not some people heading to Emerg right following.

Sorry for rambling... I hope I could provide some insight.