Should you tell people you are having surgery?
When you are thinking about having weight loss surgery, the thought might come in your head “will my family and friends be supportive?”
It is a normal feeling to have when you are thinking about having the procedure. If you don’t think your friends and family will be supportive of your bariatric surgery, you might be wondering if you should even tell them. Everyone has different experiences and a variety of reasons why they choose to tell or not to tell people they had the surgery.
Some people decide they don’t want to tell anyone but the person closest to them, such as their spouse. Other people decide to tell close friends and family. And finally, some people decide to tell everyone in their network and are very public about it. There really is not one right way, it really depends on the person. However, the most important thing to remember is that a support system is absolutely necessary after WLS.
As a bariatric patient, it is so critical that you have people who are cheering you on and encouraging you to make healthy lifestyle changes. It can also be extremely powerful having a support group within the bariatric community. No matter how public you decide to be with your surgery, remember that you must have some support to increase your level of success post-op.
Telling people you are going to have the procedure can be challenging, but I encourage you to be prepared with facts and the reasoning behind why you want to have weight loss surgery so they can better understand why this is so important to you. You know what is best for you, so trust in yourself and your decision on why you are having the surgery and who you want to know about it.