telling others about my surgery...

[Guest guest]

i have been following the posts about what people tell others (or how

much people tell others) about their surgery. i live in a small

desert town that i have lived in for ovver 30 years. i am an elected

official in town, and at least twice a month my face is plastered on

the local cable channel that covers our meetings. before my surgery

i told some people, but not a whole lot. after my surgery, i was

very open and up front about my wls, and what was happening with me,

when people asked. frequently, people thank me for telling them as

they have a sister/daughter/friend/cousin etc who is considering

having something like that done. i always refer them to the ds

website, and encourage them to do their research. i like to think

that by being open about what i had done, it has helped other

people. i also wanted to dispel some people's concerns about my

health - some people thought i maybe had cancer or something

medically wrong with me and that was the reason for my rapid weight

loss. i have had 1 negative response (from a lady who swore she

would never have something like that done - her aunt and uncle had

their stomachs stapled 8 or 9 times and gained all their weight back -

and now she calls me her inspiration to change), and huge sighs of

relief to find out that i was not dying. one person from my church

told me he admired my courage for taking such a major step in losing

my weight. my favorite response to people who have not seen me, and

do not know that i lost weight, when they say " I didn't recognize

you " i thank them and tell them " you made my day " .

i think it helps that i have 3 autistic children and am used to

answering questions and such about them with the hope that i may help

others.

i understand why some people may not want to tell others - it is such

a personal decision. sorry this is so long, just wanted to add my

0.2 cents worth.

~amy c~

open ds/dr k/april 2001

300 lbs/175 lbs