One more thing!

During today, my last day in the office before the op, I found out very late in the day that some people (probably the vast majority actually !!) thought that I am going into hospital next week for....

-- a gastric band

Oh, dear, the mis-perceptions of the non WLS community !!

Over the course of the past 4 months I was sure I had tried to tell a few people here and there, whenever it cropped up in conversation that it is the sleeve that I am having .... and have shared some email info about the sleeve with my 6 best work buddies .... i thought word would have gotten around (apparently not).

Well, I think I might have (just about) cleared up that conundrum today and another 100 people in the world now know about the existence of the gastric sleeve operation !!

well at my work place only bout 2 knew when we broke for Summer hols didnt wan tto push me luck and tempt fate aftre a long wait to get there. Told few work colleagues by text on the week leading upto it and then when we got back to school a handful of people knew and think some still don't know, when they speak to me and say my youve lost a lot of weight i usually say then that i couldnt have done it without my op and then they say ohh have you had a band fitted, then I say nothing as easy as that i had the bypass which isn't reversible only in extreme circumstances. So its for life then the look of horror comes over their faces oh i didnt realise, oh you look so well when did you have that done. Thats how it goes, the nosy folk I try not to bother with, I think most peolpe know now but it was personal to me as i went on the pre op journey so only told my 2 colleagues the head and couple of others, they would be the ones who would need to know why i was missing for hospital apps.and regular snacks at first and the water. So you'll still be explaining when you get back the band is the only one people really remember or know a little bit about. xx Good luck hope all goes well for you. xx Transformation starts from here on in xx

I find it doesn't matter which op you tell people your having they still call it something else.

DH still calls it a band and I'm having a bypass!! He even knows the procedure!

I've lost count of the people who have asked me
"when do you have that removed?"
"No its a bypass it's none reversible"

There will always be misconceptions & hey it doesn't matter to us as long as we're happy with our ops & weight loss.
To be honest I have only told close family & a few good friends. All very supportive.
I get really fed up with people asking me about my goal weight & when I will achieve it.
That's not the main issue for me. I will get there & hopefully for once in my life not put it all back on. I am learning to eat in a different, healthier way & it's a lifetime
Good luck all!

I don't mind the people who ask, I mind the people who assume. But then, equally, I've had extremely positive reactions from everyone I've told. I feel for those of you who haven't

Having said that though, my hairdressers daughter asked me what I was going to be doing during surgery. I wasn't entirely sure what she meant, so replied 'sleeping, hopefully!'

My brother has told everyone I've got an "elastic band" he does have learning disabilities though!

Good luck for your operations and recoveries x

Yvessa said:

Having said that though, my hairdressers daughter asked me what I was going to be doing during surgery. I wasn't entirely sure what she meant, so replied 'sleeping, hopefully!'

Click to expand...

Like it !!! :8855:

Bellydancer57 said:

There will always be misconceptions & hey it doesn't matter to us as long as we're happy with our ops & weight loss.

Click to expand...

I agree, but it was when 2 or 3 people started saying, "Good luck with your band" I thought, hang on a minute this is the time to pipe up and explain that it's not the band !!!

Eventually by the end of the day I had given up saying "gastric sleeve" and explaining what that is and just started saying:

"I'm having 80% of my stomach removed"

which does sound pretty darned drastic when you say it like that. One person who had enquired and then got that answer (above) -- replied with: "OMG, that sounds horrific."

Hmmmmm