Question for fellow nurses/hospital staff.

[CardinalsGirl 12]

I wasn't planning/wanting to tell my Co-workers about my surgery. I'm sure they'll speculate and maybe figure it out but I don't want to share. If everything goes well, I'll be having surgery at the hospital I work at. I won't be on the same floor, but word travels fast (even with hippa). Are you/did you have your surgery at the same hospital you work at? Did they know you work there? As much as I don't want to say anything, I'm wondering if it would be easier to just tell them I'm having a procedure and leave it at that. I work on a very close, closed unit. There's 20 nurses. One nurse has had wls and I've heard in passing some of the remarks made towards wls in general from the others. I prefer privacy when it comes to my body and my health.

Sent from my SM-N920V using the BariatricPal App

[VEGAN ME 117]

I am having surgery at a sister location but then again I don't care who knows or what they say so im not much help

[PinkMagnolia 12]

All of the nurses I work with know about my surgery. But I am having it at a larger facility. If they figure it out while you're there so be it. I don't think you should have to tell anyone except the Director or who ever is in charge of staffing etc. How long are you taking off after surgery? I'm planning at least 4 weeks. I don't pay for short term for nothing right lol.

[summerset 5,265]

Are you/did you have your surgery at the same hospital you work at?

No, the hospital I work at doesn't offer WLS. Even if it did I would have want to have surgery at a center with lots of experience.

I also wouldn't have liked that it would have spread like wildfire. The radiographers I work with are very gossipy and I want to be the one who decides which person to tell or not. They know already I had some kind of surgery in February and that I had some other kind of surgery recently as well. I bet there is a lot of rumor going on what it exactly might have been, lol.

However, this is not only regarding to WLS. I wouldn't want any more serious health issues treated at the place I work at because I care about privacy a lot.

[James Marusek 5,244]

I have observed many of the individuals in the two Bariatric Surgery Support Groups that I have attended are nurses predominantly from local hospitals. So if you have the surgery, your weight loss outcome will have an effect on the nurses that are struggling with being overweight and looking for a solution that works.

[SweetPeas 117]

I had my surgery at a different hospital and only told one person (my supervisor, who I trust very much) at work about my WLS. Lots of people have been digging for information on what i had done. I just said I was having some medical issues that necessitated surgery and left it at that because it really isn't their business and the questions eventually died down.

[Nurse_Lenora 903]

I did not have surgery at "my hospital" I felt there was really no way from keeping gossip from spreading. One of the other Nurses I work with had a sleeve a few years ago and advertised the fact and her new body to everyone at the hospital and it was nothing but negative for her. People became resentful of her and her flaunting of her body etc and she was very "out" and in your face..... "oh I can't eat that much anymore because you know I had a sleeve..."

"oh I just can't keep any food down since my sleeve...."

I was personally happy for her and she doesn't know this but her success is what prompted me to consider and eventually have surgery. Unfortunately, her attitude made people very angry and tired of hearing about her procedure and new body and her weight loss.

I decided right then and there that no-one would know about my surgery! lol

I did take time off of work and said I need to have surgery but I said i was having a hiatial hernia repair. I started spreading the word about 6 mos before surgery that I was seeing a dietician and making better food choices and lost weight before surgery so no one has suspected anything!

It may seem like I went through a lot but it was worth it to me to protect my privacy. That poor nurse that was ridiculed for having surgery and for flaunting her weight loss etc eventually left and went to another hospital. It was sad because she had been at my hospital for about 20 years.

[snokb04 60]

I did not have the surgery at my hospital as they have no program for it, but it would not have bothered me in the least to have it there. The surgeon I chose did his residency at my hospital (of course it was YEARS ago) but we still ended up knowing many of the same people since I previously worked in pre-op/PACU, the pre-op nurse ended up being friends with a co-worker and my floor nurse is in the same school cohort (and study groups) as a good friend/co-worker.....so it's probably a good thing that everybody, including the GU and CT surgeons and the Rad Med doc I work with (and some docs I don't work with), already knew what I was doing!

I work in a multi-disciplinary oncology clinic with 47 providers, 19 nurses, 5 CSTs and I think 18 support staff. Most of them know about the surgery by either asking why I was going to be off, why I was off or overhearing others asking me questions, and I've been lucky that everyone has been super supportive and encouraging. One of the reasons I chose to be so open about it was BECAUSE I wanted to dispel and educate those with preconceived notions that people sometimes have regarding WLS and people who choose to have it. So far, I haven't encountered negativity, just a lot of curiosity about the process and what I can/can't eat at what stage, side effects, etc....and a lot of compliments now that I'm over 50 pounds down, but I'm one of those people that get embarrassed by gushing compliments so I tend to just say thanks and leave it at that. I just go quietly about my business and don't really talk about it unless people ask me questions or bring it up. If they say anything behind my back, that's none of my business. ha ha

Edited June 5, 2016 by snokb04

[KristenLe 5,979]

I would imagine that your surgery will be discussed regardless of privacy laws. I'd let them know you're having a procedure and leave it at that. That way if they see that you're in the hospital they won't be worried and look deeper for a reason (or worse - come and visit)! Hopefully no one will risk their jobs by digging further in your records.

[MayMarie 349]

My hospital has 3 locations. Only 1 location performs WLS (not the one I work at, but I do get pulled there on occasion). I didn't tell anyone and I worked in the float pool at the time so when they all said "I haven't worked with you in a while" they assumed I had been assigned to other units. I actually planned on telling people but I had a panic reaction and lied and now I regret it occasionally. People comment on my weight loss almost daily. One nurse supervisor that works at both locations I guess saw me in her admissions list and knew I had surgery. After my surgery I got pulled to the ICU at my sister location and she told people while I was there that I had surgery. I sent her an email telling her I don't discuss it at work and asked her to respect my privacy. Her response was "she didn't even think about it" which really kind of ticked me off that a nurse supervisor "didn't even think" about violating my HIPPA rights.. She also said "people are going to notice" I didn't even respond.

Edited June 6, 2016 by MayMarie

[KristenLe 5,979]

My hospital has 3 locations. Only 1 location performs WLS (not the one I work at, but I do get pulled there on occasion). I didn't tell anyone and I worked in the float pool at the time so when they all said "I haven't worked with you in a while" they assumed I had been assigned to other units. I actually planned on telling people but I had a panic reaction and lied and now I regret it occasionally. People comment on my weight loss almost daily. One nurse supervisor that works at both locations I guess saw me in her admissions list and knew I had surgery. After my surgery I got pulled to the ICU at my sister location and she told people while I was there that I had surgery. I sent her an email telling her I don't discuss it at work and asked her to respect my privacy. Her response was "she didn't even think about it" which really kind of ticked me off that a nurse supervisor "didn't even think" about violating my HIPPA rights.. She also said "people are going to notice" I didn't even respond.

Oh wow - she could lose her job over that breach! That's just wrong and unethical!

Sent from my KFFOWI using the BariatricPal App

[BarrySue 602]

I went to a hospital in a different city with a private WLS unit, because I absolutely did not want my medical info to be fodder for other people's gossip.

[jea(n__n)ette 98]

After my surgery I got pulled to the ICU at my sister location and she told people while I was there that I had surgery. I sent her an email telling her I don't discuss it at work and asked her to respect my privacy. Her response was "she didn't even think about it" which really kind of ticked me off that a nurse supervisor "didn't even think" about violating my HIPPA rights.. She also said "people are going to notice" I didn't even respond.

Respond!

It sounds like your sister is unapologetic and doesn't care about your personal feelings and legals rights. Did she reply by email? This is documentation you can forward to your State Board of Nursing, which I highly recommend you do. Family or not, you already gave her a chance to correct her behavior, yet the damage is already done with many staff members knowing.

If you don't do this, she will continue believing she did nothing wrong. She must answer to the Board for her unprofessionalism and breach of law and ethics.

[PinkMagnolia 12]

I think she was referring to her supervisor who also works at the corporations sister hospital, not her biological sister.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App