Who did you tell?

Hello Millenials!

      I am in the very begining stages of my WLS journey.  Who did you tell about your decision to have surgery?  What was their reaction?   Do you have any regrets? 

How did boss/co-workers react and how much time did you take off?

I'm glad u asked this question because I am wondering the same thing....My sugery isn't until may 10, but I almost don't want to tell anyone (lol) I am very curious to see what everyone else has to say! and I plan on taking off for 10 days...and my boss said good for u and nobody has to know it is none of their business (I work in the hospital where I am having my surgery!)  Sorry I hope this helps u a bit....so far i told my parents, husband, sister and mother and sister in law thats it....ohh and my BFF

Hi!  I didn't tell many people, I told my parents, sister, husband, a handful of friends.  I didn't tell my boss, told her I was having my gall bladder out.  The surgeons office gives out a generic letter stating I was having abdominal surgery and would be out for 2 weeks. 

Good luck :)

 i told my best friends i was supper excited n nervious so i need them to give me some support.
i told my grandparents. i didnt want to tell anyone like uncles and aunts and class mates, but obviuosly some of my relatives found out, cuz my parents told them and stuff, it wasnt a secret anyways.  but i didnt want everyone to find out before the surgery cuz they woulda make me nervious about having wls. so after i had it i was very open about it, and i didnt really had to tell anyone where i live everyone know eachother and they knew. some people asked some people didnt but. if people comes to me and asks me about my surgery i love to tell about my RNY. im very open and happy with my wls.  : )
you  can tell anyone who u feel confortable with. or not tell anyone at all! it's ur chooise, dont feel like you need to tell people. cuz is your body n only  yours.
good luck!

At first I was REALLY nervous to tell anyone about the surgery, but I was really pleasantly surprised by how supportive most people have been.  Only one cousin was rude about it (and she never says anything about my weight loss when she sees me..very strange).  I chose to tell my best friends (5-7 of them) and basically any family I saw around that time.  Now that I've had the surgery, I'm much more open about it, especially if people ask how I lost the weight.  It would take a real jerk to say something rude AFTER surgery.  I'm a teacher and the only people I won't tell now are my students, although they know I'm on some kind of 'weird' diet because I eat lunch with them a couple times a week when I have lunch duty.

I didn't get my job until 2 weeks AFTER surgery, so that wasn't an issue for me, but I probably would have tried to get a generic 'abdominal surgery' letter if I could.  

Good luck on your journey!
-Gillian

 I told my husband (obviously), parents, sisters, in-laws (including brothers and sister-in laws, aunts and uncles) and friends.  I was nervous at first but I got nothing but support in the end.  Now, I'm very open to everyone about my procedure because I feel like it's part of me.  

Just remember, it's your decision on who you tell.  You are under no obligation to share your news with anyone if you don't feel comfortable doing so.  But, you'd might get some support in places you never would thought.  Turns out my hair stylist, a friend from one of my music groups and various other people I've ran into in public situations (the respiratory therapist I had after my surgery, admissions secretary at the hospital my husband works at) have all had surgery.  It's fun sometimes to meet people that you don't know who've had surgery and are really happy to share experiences.  

Good luck!

~Emily~

At first I didn't want to tell anyone other than my family (mom, sister, aunt, nieces & nephew) but finally I told my manager (he mention he had a friend who had WLS and even had her to email me) and a few co-workers. For me I wanted to tell my co-workers before the rumors started. Now the challenge I face is what do those co-workers think of me- do they think I'm a failure? One male co-worker said to me "I don't think you are that big" I'm 5'4" and 271lbs <--that's not healthy. I'm currently working on accepting the responses I receive once I do tell someone that I am having WLS


Sorry to ramble...

I'm glad to hear all the difference responses!    I feel like I can't tell anyone until my surgery date is set ( I am totally in limbo with both the hospital and ins company right now..grrr).  So far I have told my husband, best friend, and my mom all of which had completely different reactions.

Husband-  he took it better than he did when I initially told him about it 2 years ago.  After 3 years of infertility treatments I think he knows this will make me happy.

Mom- She was thrilled! She had RNY about 4 years ago and she still looks great. 

BF- She acted supportive but I don't feel like she was.  She keeps making comments about how my surgery is going to change her life.  It feels so conceited.

I don't want to tell my boss or any of my co-workers because I don't really have a close relationship with any of them.  I like the idea of a generic letter from the surgeon.

I just don't know how much time I want to take off....  2 or 3 weeks.  I have to take 5 days of PTO and then go on short term disability.  I believe I get 6 weeks at full pay. 

Wow! I thought I was stupid for pondering this question myself, but now I realize I'm not alone. (Love this website) I am pre-surgery as well so I only told my mother and BFF initially, but I took a leap of faith and told my supervisor. She was actually really great about it. I work in an Emergency Room in NYC, so I'm pretty sure it's not the worst thing she's ever heard. She supported my decision to keep it private and even offered to do a background check on my surgeon to "make sure he is good enough" for me. As for the rest of my coworkers, I intend to keep it a secret. After working with them for a while, I realize that they are not the most genuine and supportive people and that's something I shouldn't have to object myself to. I'm kind of new to this site, but so far everyone seems really supportive of each other. Hopefully, this will be an outlet you and I both will be able to tap into for a shoulder to lean on. Best of Luck!!!

I don't have a surgery date set yet but so far I have only told my roommate, mom, sister, and my best friend (who is also overweight). I haven't told any of my skinny friends because I am a little embarassed or any co-workers. If I am able to have the surgery (fingers crossed) AND I start losing weight I will probably tell more people.