REPOST: SURVEY - PLEASE RESPOND

**Thanks for the replies I've received so far. I've gotten some great replies, stories and am very excited about this. I'm reposting this again for any folks I may have missed it. :)

Good am all,

I'd like to ask EVERYONE to take some time to provide some important feedback, suggestions, concerns, etc. regarding Addiction Transfer. Please do so here in a reply or via PM and/or email at [email protected].

What suggestions do we have that we would like to see our surgeons, nurse practitioners, support groups, nuts etc implement in the weight loss surgery journey regarding Addiction Transfer?

What can we do to help them better prepare us as patients and them as doctor's throughout our journey to come TOGETHER and provide the best knowledge, support and care we can?

It's important that we come together as a community and really and truly give this a voice and do our best to provide one another with anything and everything we can to be as successful as possible during our journeys. 

I appreciate everyone taking the time and effort to respond. This is an incredibly important topic of discussion and we will all benefit from the knowledge we will receive. So, let's be heard! I look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks!!

Kat,
I can't PM you as I tried and it responded your blog was private.  So without tremedous detail, let me say; as a Dr Hutcher patient of Commonwealth Surgeons, I was required to have a pre-op pysch evaluation, that because of my honesty about past issues and future fears, almost prevented me from being allowed to have WLS or was going to significantly delay it  which would have been fatal for me with the heart condition I had at that time.  I also received pre-op nurse and nutritionist orientation and a hardcopy pre-op reference manual that provided tons of information that included poetintial for tranfer addicitons and the reality of head-games of post life.  I believe most think these warnings only pertain to food.  They'd be wrong.

All of this pre-op procedure and instruction provided aspects of what I was getting myself prepared to do and the mental and physical aspects that included addressing addition transfers.  As a post-op pateint active on the VA, Men's ,and Exercise and Fitness boardd on Obesityhelp.com,...and a short stint (9 months) as a WLS Support Group facilitator,...I have concluded we hear stuff (and sometimes don't hear what is said) but take certain things more seriously than others or don't understand the significance of what were are presented.
Shortly after my WLS, alcoholism and vulnerabilities of WLS patients became a brief public outcry.  

But as has been eluded to by the efforts with this topic, transfer addicitons for WLS patients is not limited to alcohol (although it seems to be one of the more forgiven addicitions to admit to,.. not easy, not OK, no less torturous or damaging,...but more socially aceptable to admit to without becoming an outcast or considered weak or sleazy in most (not all) cases than those that do not or have not had such experiences in their personal lives. Some are quickier to judge than others.)

Let me say I was warned and fortunate enough to hear the warnings and realize I had and still have issues.  Like the alcoholic, I accept that sober or not, for 1 day or 20 years, I am still susceptible to falling at anytime if I allow myself to get into situations that lend themselves to my failure rather than being a success at avoiding my known weaknesses.  It doesn't matter if it is a cookie or a bottle, drugs or *****r anything else,...if you don't play with fire you don't get burned.    

It is easy for me to see how easily we as WLS pateints transfer our compulsions and obessions and vulnerabilities to addictions when I see the successful post ops that have adopted our fanaticisms into things like eating healthy and activities (jogging, walking, swimming, triathalons, biking, motorcycles, hiking, etc. etc.) 

I understand because of my frailities how easy it is to get caught up into unhealthy additictions.  But we have to choose, whether it is to avoid our vices altogether or to get help to get better and be humble enough to play by the rules to get better and avoid falling back in the future.

Fortunately, this life isn't about being perfect, it is about striving to become perfect.  To get up one more time than you fall down is success.  And to learn that we are not here alone. 
It is no accident we are not born into this life alone.  We have family and relatives and hopefully exposure to those that can be friends, if we allow it.  Yes there are exceptions and some very sad situations but they are not the norm. 

What we can control is those of us that do understand and are currently standing, reachout and try to help as we can those that are struggling to stand.  Because there will certainly be a time in the future when the tables may well be turned. 

I applaud your efforts and those undertaking this and would be glad to consider assisting in anyway you think I might be an asset.  Thank you for reaching out in a way that will hopefully affect many in the future as you do directly and indirectly in your daily life.

Joe
wjoegreen on OH
[email protected]  
 

Joe,

This is very well stated and I can relate to a lot of points you brought up.  I appreciate your openess and honesty.  You have a wonderful way with words and I know without a doubt that this post will helpothers.

Thank you!

Just responding to Kat's survey request,...but thank you none the less. 

I am sure there are others with more feeelings and experiences than I offer. I hope they will respond to Kat's survey as well, in private or otherwise.  We all benefit.

Hi Joe!

First, thanks so much for your response. Its greatly appreciated and I would like to ask permission to post this to my blog The Butterfly Chronicles. The blog I'm referring to is the one I've created to compile thoughts, stories, ideas, suggestions etc regarding Addiction Transfer. The link is in my signature line. I hope you have a chance to look at it. If you are fine with it I will post what you've put here and appreciate it immensely.

I really love your reply. It touches on some key points (as Tammy stated). Dr. Hutcher is her surgeon, your surgeon, Dr. Martin is mine (was as she's moved on to another practice) and we ALL got the same information having had surgery years apart. 100% agreed to I can falter at ANY time that's why its so important to continue to arm not only myself but others with knowledge, continue telling my story, hoping others can and will share their struggles as well and that TOGETHER we can really and truly help each other beat these demons. I absolutely LOVE your word pictures you've used here.

The perfect-ed life as a wise connection always reminds me is what we are striving for. I've been told to be happy with happiness when I have and learn from unhappiness when it strikes and just to focus on being happy instead of getting happy.

Thank you for your kind words and I sincerely thank you for your response. I will me emailing you shortly.

Certainly.  Glad you felt my response of use.  I admire your efforts on this undetaking. Iwill visit your blog, thanks for the lead and link.

Joe

Wow, Joe:  Very well said!  It goes to show you insightful you are!  Hope all's well.  :)

Thanks , shucks,...twern't nuthin

Hi Kat! As promised, even though a way bit too late, I am writing back about this. I am not sure I have much useful information, seeing as I am only 4 months out but I will try!

My first and foremost suggestion for ANY bariatric or WLS group is to definitely do more with education regarding the emotional aspect. We, as potential WLS patients, spend tons & tons of time researching which surgeon is our best match, which surgery will be the best fit for us to help us achieve our goals in the WLS journey. We read, research, select, then go through many & multiple pre op appointments and procedures to conclude that our is physically able to have this surgery. As noted and agreed by many, it takes such a long time for our to catch up to where our is in preparation of this surgery and even after.

With that, my point is that much more needs to be done mentally, to prepare one for surgery. I am not seeing how one, maybe 45 minute session with a licensed clinical social worker (one of the ones given to me and required by my surgeons office and my insurance) or a physcologist can make a dent in all the emotional and mental dealings that we as obese people are going through. I believe that there should be much more. Just as there is nutritional classes and all the research done before, there should be mental classes as well. The topic of addiction transfer is discussed at the nightly class right before surgery but again, I do believe that it takes alot more for a serios subject to be handled than to be just "touched upon" or to merely be written about in a handbook, although it may be eye opening. Alot of obese people are that way because of food addictions and if that is not handled, it will resurface any time after surgery only to lead to what you are saying. I know me, personally, I was nowhere near being aware of the emotional and mental roller coaster that I was about to intake. Maybe this is something I should have researched more but I also believe it should be something that the doctors do help educate us on. As said by so many others.... This is a surgery on our plumbing, not our heads!

Maybe not the kind of insight you were looking for but as of right now, I am not suffering from any addiction transfers unless being scared to eat merely because I don't get hungry is one. I definitely applaud you, completely, and anyone else for that matter that is taking the time to come public with what many would consider very personal situtations. You are doing it for nothing more than for pure help in the community and you are to be commended.

Hi Theresa,

Thanks for your reply. I am looking for any and all input that will help us to help one another and our surgeons etc to better identify and deal with our journey's many issues. This is a suggestion that is definitely going to be a key component is discussions moving forward.

Thanks for saying as much. Its my hope that I can continue to help others and spread the word that there is hope and all is not lost. I've really been blessed with so much and I NEED and WANT to give back. I know first hand what its like to feel so alone, insecure, scared, sad, frustrated *insert emotion here* and I don't want others to experience those things without realizing they are NEVER alone.

Its going to take a LOT for folks to speak up. I am VERY encouraged by those who have so far and truly believe that they know myself and others are in this TOGETHER and I truly hope we can save lives and get folks on the road to recovery so we can get back to the business of LIVING life instead of just getting by.