Is WLS emasculating?

Brian are you sure your real name isn't Al Bundy?   LOL

Everyone at work knew I was going in for weight loss surgery. They also only knew of me as a morbidly obese man.  They never knew me in high school when I was a six foot one, 210 pound tackle. They didn't know how many years that I would lose weight. Then gain it back with even more.  Then I would repeat and repeat that cycle until I was more than 500 pounds.  By the time I was ready for surgery, I had gone beyond worrying about being emasculated. I was worried about slowly dying from my high blood pressure, shortness of breath, or the blood clots.  I was more like "Git er' done!"  when I went into surgery.

Well, i had surgery and I haven't had one day of regret.  I can now walk around without breaking into a sweat, or resting every few steps.  Don't tell my wife... but more women smile at me and my boss tells me daily how proud he is of me. Another woman who I have known for 25 years says she doesn't even recognize me anymore. 

Sometimes I think of myself as an extreme case. But just read the stories from the other guys there.  Each one has experiences that I can relate to.  But they also have results from their surgery that may be unique only to themselves. I can't begin to explain how valuable their wisdom has been to my recovery from surgery and morbid obesity.
Good Luck.

 For me...
Going out with my wife and friends had HAVING to go to a table is embarrassing.
Shopping at the awful Big and Tall place is embarrassing.
Getting a seatbelt extender on an airplane is embarrassing.
Not fitting in tight places (that's what she said) is embarrassing.
Having that shirt not be long enough or having to adjust my belt buckle because it has rubbed my belly raw...that's embarrassing.
Having nicknames like "Big (your name here) " is embarrassing.

Nah...a nurse can do all she needs to do - I am only gonna see her for a few days and I am sure she has seen worse than me. 

I never cry but I know I will when I can finally shop at Banana Republic...and my credit cards will too 

I think what everybody seems to be saying here is just do the WLS. Don't worry about what the nurses think about my looks, not matter how attractive they might turn out to be. Don't worry about the doctors - to them I'm probably more of a case than a person. Don't worry about what all the other staffers think. All of these people have seen fat guys like me before.

Right?

Now I just have to convince myself to actually believe it.

Mike

I was an urban paramedic for 9 years. Out of thousands of patients, I forgot most of them within minutes of finishing their call and moving out to the next one. Nurses are the same, for the most part, even though they are stuck with patients for longer than medics are. There are too many people, in too many stages of undress, and no matter how ugly, handsome, short, long, or whatever you think you are, it is important only to you in a medical situation. You really are just another body to move through the system for most providers. It's not a warm, fuzzy way of thinking about it, but it's the truth.

To answer your title, no.....it's not. I think getting cut out of a house with the jaws of life would be emasculating, but having a life saving medical procedure is not.

Scott

Oh, and in addition to the list of things I find emasculating, add rooting for the Saints. Go Colts!

I'd have to second Scotts post that what I found most emasculating was the fact that it was my OWN fear that caused any hesitance for going forward with the surgery. What is more Emasculating, knowing that you need the surgical help and having it done, or continuing to be morbidly obese and dealing with the repercussions associated with MO, up to and including early death? I'll take the knife any day of the week... And anyone who questions your decision to do so really needs to take a good look at themselves first...