Help us help YOU!

"If" someone were planning the best Weight Loss Surgery event in the entire world in hopes that all would come together for support, information, fun and new friends;.......What would you want to have included at the event to make it FABULOUS???!!!! ....would love your .02!!!! Joyce P.S.  Circle the last weekend of Oct !!

Would a day at the spa count?    Thats right you asked WHO.   I would LOVE to see  the VERY best of the BEST there. RIGHT AT MY HANDS!  Best Plastic Surgery, BEST surgeons. With them I would want as much of their background as I could get. I mean anything and everything I fit inside this brain of mine. I would like to even see maybe a Creditor or two for payment issues! Oh and I like to see the leading authors for WLS Books. Id love to meet Susan Maria Leach! That would be way super cool man! And Id so LOVE TO meet  Amy Williams. Her story is just so wonderful. Id love the chance to shake her hand!

Joyce, Don't mean to sound gloom and doom, but I'd like to see some info on the darker side of wls.  Someone to talk about dealing with the head issues, cross addictions, body image, stress eating, those sorts of things.  I've noticed that people who are on the March 2004 forum post pretty frequently and then will drop off when things are going South.  Often they'll come back to share the trials and tribulations that they've been through and it will usually be related to one of the things I listed above.  I think there are a lot of people out there who are suffering alone. Connie

Connie, There seems to be a shock to  post -ops  between the 2nd and 5th years out as they are hit at the scale with the end of the honeymoon!  I agree that some of our "grad" issues should be addressed!  I'm pretty sure that "Addiction Transference" is on the schedule at the O.H. Phoenix event in Oct and I just heard today that a breakout speaker will  be addressing "regain" and the causes  (that don't have anything to do with the basic calorie; i.e. staple line disruption, open stoma, metabolism changes, etc.). They would really like to have "Body Image" addressed as well.  If any of you know any GREAT motivational speakers; then shoot me an e-mail.  We want this event to be packed with incredible info for folks at all stages!!!!  The weekend is going to be toooooo much fun!  (You can check out Events and then Phoenix.......in October) These issues shouldn't have to be the "DArk Side" but they are certainly reality for many of us! ......They are definitely considerations that are not always addressed on chat sites outside of the Grads and Revision boards! Want to help with the event?????

Joyce, I'd love to help with the event. Waddaya want me to do? C.

We need dyamic, informative, supportive speakers! We need an incedible facility that is very nice but keeps the cost low enough that all of us can afford to attend! Want to do some leg work for the facility? Call me at work (North Valley Plastic Surgery - 480 991-6877) or shoot me an e-mail:  [email protected] Home:  [email protected] Thanks Miss C!!!!  You rock!  (of course I'm sure that super duper volunteers will be amply rewarded:)

Connie, I think that is a great idea! I think I am the opposite of a lot of people as most of the people I knew that had the weight loss surgery (Prior to my own) had failed at it. I wasn't inspired to have the surgery because of them as they had failed. However what it had done was kept my eyes opened prior to going into the surgery, and after that this wasn't going to be a quick or simple fix. And to really be successful I was going to have to do what those people didn't do. Which is dramatically change my habits, and attitude toward food and exercise. It is all still a work in progress. I imagine it always will be. Hopefully I will be successful! Only time will tell.

Me too Id help ya in any way that I can! Im but Im up for it!

SEe response to Connie .......All help would be appreciated. They'll need helpers at the actual event too.  It's a fun way to make oodles of Weight Loss friends! thanks for your offer!

1. I'd like to see us all donate clothes to an organization like "Suited for Change" that gives clothes to women in poverty who are trying to get a good job 3. I'd love if we created an "OH" team to do the Obesity Charity Walk 4. I'd love to have someone a guest speaker from Remuda Ranch come talk about Compulsive Overeating, Addiction, Self-Esteem and Body Image 5. I'd love for a guest speaker from Figure Magazine or Torrid or Lane Bryant to talk about fashion tips to enhance your body type and shape

6. I'd like for us to start a political letter campaign to promote insurance to stop excluding WLS