Please read immediately:: rebuttal

Well since everyone is giving there opinion I am going to give you mine. I can no longer keep my mouth shut about it. First of all I will address some of the lines in the COF reminder. 1. The line We welcome patients who have had any type of weight loss surgery and we are not a segregated group. All are welcome. Do I feel that this line was aimed at my men’s group, YES because before the formation of the men’s group that line was not there. Was I offended by this line, YES, The formation of the men’s group was not intended to segregate against anyone. I felt there was a need for a special group just for men for us to discuss issues that men alone have with WLS. As I attended at one time both the COF and the St John’s New Beginnings support groups I came to realize and from talking to other men, that some of them were uncomfortable with a the group consisting of mostly all woman, and even more uncomfortable when the woman would bring up issues like changing breast sizes, finding properly fitting bra’s and how to handle cravings when aunt flow came to town. Just like I am sure some woman would be uncomfortable sitting in a room full of men and them discussing things like dealing with increased penis size after WLS or trying to find properly fitting underwear that will give them proper testicular support.

Next line. 2. The line. We are not a "lollipops and sunshine" support group. Do I feel like that line was aimed at me, NO. I do feel however that this line is directed at the New Beginnings support group, and I as a proud member and sometimes a co support group leader, I also take some offense to this as well. I understand the there are personal issues between St John’s New Beginnings, and COF. Because at one time Claudette was the support group leader of St John’s New Beginnings. In the beginning I went to both the COF and the New Beginnings support groups, and I told both leaders I was attending both and I was not interested in the politics of what happened between the two leaders, that I was just there to gathers as much information as I could to help me in my weight loss journey. As is known to some already the reason I stopped going to the COF meetings and being a active participant on the MO board is because I received some inappropriate contacts and messages that had nothing to do with WLS that almost cost me my marriage. Because I love my wife dearly I separated my self from it. I know that once a lot of people who now attend the COF once came to the New Beginnings support group. It is a shame that those people could not still attend both meeting if they wanted to without feeling like they would hurt someone’s feelings.

I feel like all the Springfield support groups all have a good thing going and if some one wants to attend just one of the meetings that is just fine, but I don’t feel they should be compelled to just go to one and not the others because of someone’s personal issues with the others. I guess this post won’t last to long either I am sure it to will be pulled, because it seems like some people can have there post pulled for expressing there opinions while others can keep on giving there’s. Alan Hartman