Going public

When I first made the decision to undergo weight loss surgery earlier this year, it was a decision I wanted to keep to myself.  I really only told my family and closest friends.  Part of me was embarassed that I needed to resort to surgery in order to combat my obesity.  Another part of me was ashamed of myself for not being able to do it on my own.  I initially only told my boss and my supervisor at work because I just didn't want to be the latest topic of gossip.

The closer I got to my surgery, the more comfortable I became with my decision and sharing it with others.  I decided to be honest with the co-workers in my department.  We're a pretty small group and I knew it would be obvious to them that I was doing something drastic about my weight.  More and more friends were told and I no longer felt embarassed or ashamed of my decision.  I received nothing but support from all I told.

Surgery came and went, and I started living the life of a WLS post-op.  While some people still didn't completely understand my surgery type, they were proud of me nonetheless.  One day I was contacted by the bariatric coordinator at the hospital where I had my surgery.  She asked if she could put me in touch with a reporter from the Courier-Journal who was writing a series of articles about weight loss surgery.  I was flattered.  The reporter told me she was trying to talk to people from various stages in the WLS journey, and also wanted to speak to patients of each surgery type.  I was happy to share my experiences and my reasons for choosing VSG over the other surgery types.

After our initial interview, the reporter contacted me on two other occasions in order to get updates on my weight loss and to ask some other questions she'd thought of.

So the articles were published Sunday and yesterday (Monday) in the print and online versions of the newspaper.  I went out and bought a newspaper Sunday morning with great anticipation, looking for my contribution to the story.  I didn't find it.  Four stories were published in the print version.  Just when I was starting to give up, I saw a line near the bottom of the page saying that more coverage would be in Monday's online version of the C-J.  They were going to have a story about people whose insurance didn't cover WLS.  My name was mentioned.

Yesterday I got online and was shocked to read the first line of the article.  It said how much I paid to lose weight.  Blunt.  Smack you in the face brutal honesty.  My name and the exact dollar figure were there in black and white for all to see.  I was a little disappointed by the whole thing because it barely mentioned the reasons why I had surgery and why I chose VSG.  I understand that cost is a very real concern.  Heck, it was for me, too.  But I guess I just thought that less emphasis would be placed on the money/insurance aspect of it.

I suddenly felt very exposed.  Something like "OMG, everyone's going to know that I had surgery and how much I paid."  I thought everyone at work and everyone I've ever known would be looking at me differently.  Well guess what?  No one has said anything yet.  I'm kind of relieved.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not shy about telling people about my surgery and why I did it.  But I am less open about how much it cost.  I feel like that is my own business.  Yes, people who are considering surgery should know the financial costs involved, especially if their insurance is not picking up the tab.  However, that is something they will find out in their research.  Anyway, it's out, and I can't go back and un-tell the reporter anything.  If it helped anyone, I hope it helps them make the decision that's right for them.