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Doctors Describe The Wildest Instances Of A Patient 'Faking It' They've Ever Seen

We all pretended to be sick at least once when we were children to get out of going to school to avoid a test, game, or assembly we'd been dreading.

Some people still might not have given up the habit of feigning illness, as a means of avoiding work or other occasions that they are less than eager to attend.

Sometimes, simply telling people that you're "sick" is all the information you need to share to get out of it.

Whether or not more concrete proof is needed, others might go a step further in faking their ailment, be it a cold or fever, and often pull off fairly convincing performances.

Sometimes even fooling a doctor.


Redditor LegoYoda420 was curious to hear about the most outrageous instances doctors have witnessed of people concocting an illness or ailment, leading them to ask:
"Doctors of Reddit, what's the biggest case of 'faking it' you've ever seen?"

That's One Large Pain Threshold...

"Taking trauma call during surgery residency, had a prisoner come in after a fight and claimed he couldn’t move or feel his legs."

"All the CT scans and MRIs were normal, but we would shield his legs so he couldn’t see them and poke them with needles and other sharp objects, with enough force to cause pain- he never flinched or moved his legs at all."

"He was diagnosed with SCIWORA, spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality."

"He stayed in the hospital for a week, no improvement."

"Always had one guard with him."

"One night they were down in the lobby watching some television but the guard needed to use the restroom."

"The patient said, 'where could I possibly go?'"

"I’m paralyzed!'"

"Guard left him alone for two minutes."

"Patient last seen sprinting down the road, naked butt cheeks flapping in the breeze."

"Made it to a city four hours away by car before he was caught again."

"I have never seen anyone fake it so well."

"Truly playing the long con!"- Wine_and_sunshine

season 8 episode 23 GIFGiphy

You'll Have To Do Better Than That...

"Dermatologist here."

"Patient was convinced she had a melanoma and needed a biopsy and would need to be on workers comp."

"I told her it looked like ink from a marker."

"She demanded a biopsy."

"I wiped the area off with an alcohol swab and showed her the ink and that there was no spot on her skin anymore."

"She stormed out threatening to sue."

"I'm just glad I cured her melanoma."- Richter915

No Complaints Here...

"Had a patient come in for a fall who now couldn’t move their legs at all."

"Did a bunch of tests, didn’t find anything."

"The patient was not at all phased by suddenly being paralyzed which was the first red flag."

"Didn’t really believe anything was wrong but the patient was still not moving their legs."

"My options are to admit for a huge work up or get them to walk."

"So I update them saying everything is fine, tests are negative, you can go home."

"Patient gets up, gets dressed and walks out without a word."- meropenem24

There's Clearly One Issue She Wasn't Faking...

"Not a doctor but worked in health care for nearly 20yrs."

"While taking a break from the ICU, due to it being emotionally draining, I worked in home health for a bit."

"I had a patient who clearly had Munchausen syndrome."

"On a daily basis she would call her insurance to see what things would be covered if she was diagnosed with this or that."

"She called her Doctor's office an average of 5x during my shift with her, she would report all kinds of non real symptoms."


"She pestered the doctors into doing exploitive laparoscopic surgery, of course nothing was found."

"One day I walked in and she was rubbing her incisions with rotten cabbage trying to get it infected."

"She wasn't seeking pain meds, except to sell, really she was just as happy with antibiotics or stool softeners, anything, as long as they wrote her a prescription and she got to go to the pharmacy where she did a whole song and dance for them too, claiming allergies and reactions."

"She always increased the exaggeration of her story too."

"One time she fluttered her eyes, after making sure I was looking, and said she lost consciousness in that half a second."

"She called the doctor and claimed she lost consciousness for 5mins, she called the insurance and claimed it was 10min, she called the pharmacy and claimed it was 30min, then she called 911 and told them she woke up on the floor after losing consciousness for 4hrs."

"The worst thing about her was she was a mom."

"Her son was 28 at the time and by all the stories of his childhood illnesses and all her saying how he is severely disabled I knew she basically f**ked up his childhood with Munchausen by proxy."

"She portrayed him as being severely disabled and that's why he would never find a wife."

"I met him, he was healthy and of average intelligence."

"He wasn't looking for a wife, he was gay, but she refused to accept that."

"Working with her was so miserable that I took a couple years off from any and all healthcare after that."- invisible_for_this

Giphy

She Only Thought She Was Faking It.

"Young, 18-20, Woman went running into small rural hospital ER pretending to have abdominal pain."

"Police officer had tagged her going 40+km over the limit which was ‘stunt driving’ as per the new law in Ontario, impound and licsence suspension automatic."

"Cop followed her into ER and apparently said he’d be waiting for her when she left."

"Locum staff such as myself were housed at a small B&B about 15 mins away, and the ER had pre-printed order sets to be done before we arrived."

"When I arrived she flat out admitted that she just came in because she freaked out and didn’t stop."

"I told her we’d give her 45 mins to call her parents/family before I booted her."

"Except, bHCG came back positive, and subsequent ultrasound came back showing extremely early ectopic."

"Officer figures out something is up when he hears air ambulance call come in over radio."

"She was completely asymptomatic and just worked out that she dodged both charges and a life-threatening issue by accident."

"It was definitely a WTF moment."

"A little more info, small rural hospitals in Northern Ontario often service areas from more than an hours drive away and still only have a catchment area of 2000-3000 people."

"When on-call it was just that, we would do our days in the community clinic, then maybe hospital rounds, then go home and be on call; we wouldn’t be at the hospital, there wasn’t an on-call room where you would stay for example."

"There were lots of times that you’d go a full night without being woken up, or maybe just a call from the acute care inpatient wing."

"Locums were short term contracts for places that didn’t have full time medical staff for whatever reason."

"It’s hard to attract clinicians if you don’t even have broadband internet in the community."

"They generally pay very well."- Graigori

Lighten Your Load!

"I'm not a Doctor, but I have a hilarious story to tell of my ex faking it."

"So my first abusive ex is a compulsive liar."

"She would lie about ANYTHING, big or small!"

"She lied about a serious spinal medical condition, until I found her medical report that states she does indeed have an infusion of only 2 lower vertebrae."

"But not the condition she claimed to have."

"After I discovered this, she immediately quit her bullsh*t."

"But only for about a year."

"It was a long time ago now, but she basically claimed to have a much more severe condition, involving her WHOLE SPINE."

"She used this to get out of practical lessons in College, but what made me suspicious is the fact that she ALWAYS carried around the HEAVIEST backpack."

"I had to go through her bag to sort out what she needs and doesn't need, just to lighten the load, with consent, of course, and it did stop her complaining about back pains."

"However, after finding the note, she stopped using her back as a way to not do practicals, and she stopped using it as a way to not do any work outside of College."

"It was a miracle!"

"The story with the doctor starts here, though."

"One day, she laid on the couch, way after the spine lie fiasco, complaining that her back hurts and she can't breathe."

"I lifted her backpack, and wouldn't you know it?"

"It was really. F*cking. Heavy."

"We went to College 3 days a week, which she would carry this thing all the way around for the 8 hours each day!"

"But, she also carried it everywhere she went outside of College, meaning work, too."

"I'd carry it at times, cuz I'm not a d*ck, and would prefer to keep her happy and healthy."

"Anyway. I left her bag alone, didn't empty it just in case."

"I left her alone on the couch, cuz I knew she was over-exaggerating."

"Yeah, I know, I was a d*ck."

"Honestly though, after all the abuse, lies, and the many many times she wouldn't accept a breakup, I just kinda gave up caring, but I could always tell when she was lying."

"She's a terrible liar."

"Later, my mother decides we're taking her to the hospital."

"Apparently she wouldn't stop moaning."

"So we went, my mother dropped us off, and we waited in the waiting room after checking in at the desk."

"The beginning was still the play, but I explained again that it might just be the bag."

"She still wouldn't agree, so we sat there, I gave her love and attention, and we had normal lovey chit-chat."

"I kept observing her bpm (breaths per minute), and noticed that they lowered from quick and short, to normal, while she focused on talking to me or playing games on my phone."

"The immediately came back when we were called, though."

"She wanted me in with her, as she was nervous."

"So I went in with her, she talked to the Nurse about her difficulties, no mention of back pain this time, while I held her hand."

"During the ECG, I stopped holding her hand of course, and I had to quickly shush her when she wanted to speak, not rudely, it's just because vocal vibrations can alter an ECG's results."

"And then there was the stethoscope BPM observations, etc."

"The Nurse seemed to be sure there was an issue, but then some people would agree with the casualty to avoid confrontation."

"She said she'd have to get the Doctor, and left."

"My ex then rubbed it in my face that there was something wrong with her after all."

"I was never nasty to her, I was loving and caring throughout, after trying to help in the beginning, but not giving too much of a sh*t."

"So this was unexpected, and kinda ticked me off, but I stayed calm."

"I still gave her love, care and attention, but told her politely that we'd still have to wait for the Doctor."

"The Doctor arrived with the results, and asked my ex a few things."

"My ex's face was a suite to behold!"

"She couldn't answer anything he was asking, because he was asking questions that obviously implied there was nothing off with her results!"

"Meaning there was nothing wrong with her at all, and I was right!"

"Anyway, he asked the questions he needed to ask."

"I don't remember the exact questions, but they were basically 'what have you been doing recently?'"

"'Have you been doing any strenuous exercises?' etc., and she couldn't answer."

"Then he asked me what I thought could be the issue."

"I hadn't spoken to the Nurse or Doctor until this point, bear in mind."

"I told him about her backpack."

"THE backpack that my ex BROUGHT WITH HER TO THE HOSPITAL!"

"He said that is the most likely cause of her discomfort, and advised I carry the bag for her and empty any unnecessary items to make it lighter."

"I agreed, and we were dismissed."

"My ex's face was the ultimate face of defeat!"

"I didn't rub it in her face though, like she did to me. I actually hugged her, grabbed her bag for her and walked out with her, holding her hand and ensuring her she'd be okay."

"Basically just being a loving and supportive boyfriend."

"She stopped the rapid breathing and complaining of breathing difficulties after this."

"Although, she actually stopped just before the Doctor came in the room, so yeah."

"Thanks for reading!"- Dregar12

all good thumbs up GIF by PBS KIDSGiphy

They Weren't Entirely Wrong About Being "Humiliated".

"Once when I was in elementary, I got really bored and decided I would fake being sick."

"At the time, the word 'humiliated' was a new word for me, but I didn't know what it meant."

"My brain thought it was something like flustered or nauseous."

"I told the secretary at my school that I was so sick and was feeling humiliated."

"I was so stupid."

"Another time, my friend decided to try and skip school and twisted up some tissue paper into some kind of stick. "

"He shoved it up his nose until his face was red and his eyes went teary."

"It was a successful plot!"- the_prophecy_is_true

Don't Trick Your Parents Too Many Times...

"It’s kinda the opposite way round, but when I was little, on Christmas Day, I was sitting at the table and my stomach starting to hurt."

"A lot."

"I was a good kid and never misbehaved but for some reason my mum thought I was exaggerating or faking so she told me to stop being silly and eat up."

"I couldn’t eat."

" I felt horrible and was in a lot of pain."

"My mum just would not believe me and thought I was trying to get attention."

"About 5 more minutes of me crying and she realized something was wrong so called the doctor and put me on the sofa."

"So, that was the Christmas I missed because my appendix had burst."

"I spent a couple of months in hospital due to complications with the surgery and missed both Christmas and my birthday."

"Apparently they had caught it just in time as it could very well had been fatal."

"My family still donates what they can to the children’s wing of that hospital as that was the first of 3 times they saved my life."- PastelCurlies

stomach GIFGiphy

Faking Illness To Cover A Real Illness...


"When I was between the ages of 4 and 13, I suffered from persistent UTIs."

"Actually, I was a mystery case in my hospital."

"No one could figure out the reason they just kept coming back."

"Anyway, this meant I would occasionally get the sudden need to pee, extremely intensely."

"If I wasn't within two meters of a bathroom I would pee myself."

"Obviously, being a teenager at school this was excruciatingly embarrassing."

"I often faked foot or leg injuries so I could either sit down and try to suppress the urge, or cover up my wet clothes."

"I was once discovered by my PE teacher to be faking, when she offered to bring a wheelchair out."

"Of course I tried to stop her, and it miraculously got better, whoops."

"Anyway, not much point to this story apart from bladder/kidney issues truly suck and I would never wish that upon anyone."- abisexualqueen

If Anyone Should Believe You, It's Doctors...

"Other way around for me."

"When I was 8 I went to Michigan to visit family with my dad."

"I got really sick on the flight back."

"So my dad took me to the hospital in the city we where in."

"The doctors and nurses thought I was fake wheezing and coughing."

"Then I passed out then woke up in my home town hospital with my parents grandparents and my pediatrician."- Noble611

Return Visitor

"We have a guy that comes into the ER all the time faking seizures."

"Best actor I’ve ever seen."

"Sternal rub and he doesn’t flinch."

"Last time it was so bad he got intubated and right as they pushed the meds he stopped and said 'ahhh that’s the good stuff'."

"Welp now we gotta tube you dude."

"Problem is he’s a drunk who falls a lot so he could in theory really be seizing."

"Biggest rule of medicine is even fakers get sick sometimes."- cbelle4

It's hard to blame someone for faking illness to get out of something that they really don't want to do.

But when you actually try to get doctors involved in your deception, you might want to question if it's really worth it.

After all, let's not forget the story of "the boy who cried wolf"...

People Reveal The Weirdest Thing About Themselves

Reddit user Isitjustmedownhere asked: 'Give an example; how weird are you really?'

Let's get one thing straight: no one is normal. We're all weird in our own ways, and that is actually normal.

Of course, that doesn't mean we don't all have that one strange trait or quirk that outweighs all the other weirdness we possess.

For me, it's the fact that I'm almost 30 years old, and I still have an imaginary friend. Her name is Sarah, she has red hair and green eyes, and I strongly believe that, since I lived in India when I created her and there were no actual people with red hair around, she was based on Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo.

I also didn't know the name Sarah when I created her, so that came later. I know she's not really there, hence the term 'imaginary friend,' but she's kind of always been around. We all have conversations in our heads; mine are with Sarah. She keeps me on task and efficient.

My mom thinks I'm crazy that I still have an imaginary friend, and writing about her like this makes me think I may actually be crazy, but I don't mind. As I said, we're all weird, and we all have that one trait that outweighs all the other weirdness.

Redditors know this all too well and are eager to share their weird traits.

It all started when Redditor Isitjustmedownhere asked:

"Give an example; how weird are you really?"

Monsters Under My Bed

"My bed doesn't touch any wall."

"Edit: I guess i should clarify im not rich."

– Practical_Eye_3600

"Gosh the monsters can get you from any angle then."

– bikergirlr7

"At first I thought this was a flex on how big your bedroom is, but then I realized you're just a psycho 😁"

– zenOFiniquity8

Can You See Why?

"I bought one of those super-powerful fans to dry a basement carpet. Afterwards, I realized that it can point straight up and that it would be amazing to use on myself post-shower. Now I squeegee my body with my hands, step out of the shower and get blasted by a wide jet of room-temp air. I barely use my towel at all. Wife thinks I'm weird."

– KingBooRadley

Remember

"In 1990 when I was 8 years old and bored on a field trip, I saw a black Oldsmobile Cutlass driving down the street on a hot day to where you could see that mirage like distortion from the heat on the road. I took a “snapshot” by blinking my eyes and told myself “I wonder how long I can remember this image” ….well."

– AquamarineCheetah

"Even before smartphones, I always take "snapshots" by blinking my eyes hoping I'll remember every detail so I can draw it when I get home. Unfortunately, I may have taken so much snapshots that I can no longer remember every detail I want to draw."

"Makes me think my "memory is full.""

– Reasonable-Pirate902

Same, Same

"I have eaten the same lunch every day for the past 4 years and I'm not bored yet."

– OhhGoood

"How f**king big was this lunch when you started?"

– notmyrealnam3

Not Sure Who Was Weirder

"Had a line cook that worked for us for 6 months never said much. My sous chef once told him with no context, "Baw wit da baw daw bang daw bang diggy diggy." The guy smiled, left, and never came back."

– Frostygrunt

Imagination

"I pace around my house for hours listening to music imagining that I have done all the things I simply lack the brain capacity to do, or in some really bizarre scenarios, I can really get immersed in these imaginations sometimes I don't know if this is some form of schizophrenia or what."

– RandomSharinganUser

"I do the same exact thing, sometimes for hours. When I was young it would be a ridiculous amount of time and many years later it’s sort of trickled off into almost nothing (almost). It’s weird but I just thought it’s how my brain processes sh*t."

– Kolkeia

If Only

"Even as an adult I still think that if you are in a car that goes over a cliff; and right as you are about to hit the ground if you jump up you can avoid the damage and will land safely. I know I'm wrong. You shut up. I'm not crying."

– ShotCompetition2593

Pet Food

"As a kid I would snack on my dog's Milkbones."

– drummerskillit

"Haha, I have a clear memory of myself doing this as well. I was around 3 y/o. Needless to say no one was supervising me."

– Isitjustmedownhere

"When I was younger, one of my responsibilities was to feed the pet fish every day. Instead, I would hide under the futon in the spare bedroom and eat the fish food."

– -GateKeep-

My Favorite Subject

"I'm autistic and have always had a thing for insects. My neurotypical best friend and I used to hang out at this local bar to talk to girls, back in the late 90s. One time he claimed that my tendency to circle conversations back to insects was hurting my game. The next time we went to that bar (with a few other friends), he turned and said sternly "No talking about bugs. Or space, or statistics or other bullsh*t but mainly no bugs." I felt like he was losing his mind over nothing."

"It was summer, the bar had its windows open. Our group hit it off with a group of young ladies, We were all chatting and having a good time. I was talking to one of these girls, my buddy was behind her facing away from me talking to a few other people."

"A cloudless sulphur flies in and lands on little thing that holds coasters."

"Cue Jordan Peele sweating gif."

"The girl notices my tension, and asks if I am looking at the leaf. "Actually, that's a lepidoptera called..." I looked at the back of my friend's head, he wasn't looking, "I mean a butterfly..." I poked it and it spread its wings the girl says "oh that's a BUG?!" and I still remember my friend turning around slowly to look at me with chastisement. The ONE thing he told me not to do."

"I was 21, and was completely not aware that I already had a rep for being an oddball. It got worse from there."

– Phormicidae

*Teeth Chatter*

"I bite ice cream sometimes."

RedditbOiiiiiiiiii

"That's how I am with popsicles. My wife shudders every single time."

monobarreller

Never Speak Of This

"I put ice in my milk."

– GTFOakaFOD

"You should keep that kind of thing to yourself. Even when asked."

– We-R-Doomed

"There's some disturbing sh*t in this thread, but this one takes the cake."

– RatonaMuffin

More Than Super Hearing

"I can hear the television while it's on mute."

– Tira13e

"What does it say to you, child?"

– Mama_Skip

Yikes!

"I put mustard on my omelettes."

– Deleted User

"Oh."

– NotCrustOr-filling

Evened Up

"Whenever I say a word and feel like I used a half of my mouth more than the other half, I have to even it out by saying the word again using the other half of my mouth more. If I don't do it correctly, that can go on forever until I feel it's ok."

"I do it silently so I don't creep people out."

– LesPaltaX

"That sounds like a symptom of OCD (I have it myself). Some people with OCD feel like certain actions have to be balanced (like counting or making sure physical movements are even). You should find a therapist who specializes in OCD, because they can help you."

– MoonlightKayla

I totally have the same need for things to be balanced! Guess I'm weird and a little OCD!

Close up face of a woman in bed, staring into the camera
Photo by Jen Theodore

Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.

Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?

But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.

It would be so great to be sure there is something else.

But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.

Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:

"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"

Sensations

Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy

"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."

PeachesnPain

Recovery

"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."

"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."

"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."

good_golly99

Take Me Back

"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."

"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."

rayrayrayray

Free

The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy

"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."

TooReDTooHigh

This is why I hate surgery.

You just never know.

Shocked

Giphy

"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."

Admirable_Buyer6528

The SOB

"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."

"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”

1-cupcake-at-a-time

Colors

"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"

Hannah_LL7

"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"

huntokarrr

The Fog

"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."

"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."

Fluffy-Hotel-5184

Through the Walls

"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."

"She's quite alive and well today."

Hot-Refrigerator6583

Well let's all be happy to be alive.

It seems to be all we have.

Man's waist line
Santhosh Vaithiyanathan/Unsplash

Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.

The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.

Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.

Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:

"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"

Redditors didn't see these coming.

Shiver Me Timbers

"I’m always cold now!"

– Telrom_1

"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."

– r7ndom

"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."

– mr_remy

Drawing Concern

"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."

– dee-fondy

"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"

"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."

– LizardofDeath

Unleashing Insults

"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”

"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."

– alanamablamaspama

Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight

"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."

– KeltarCentauri

"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."

– KatMagic1977

"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."

– Jaew96

These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.

Shopping

"I can buy clothes in any store I want."

– WaySavvyD

"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."

– ganache98012

No More Symptoms

"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."

– colleennicole93

Expanding Capabilities

"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."

– Ramblonius

People Change Their Tune

"How much nicer people are to you."

"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"

– LiZZygsu

"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"

"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"

– awholedamngarden

It's gonna take some getting used to.

Bones Everywhere

"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."

– Princess-Pancake-97

"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."

– bekastrange

Knee Pillow

"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."

– snic2030

"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."

– Strongbad23

More Mobility

"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."

"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."

– dma1965

People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.

But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.

That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.