Why are there no long term bandsters on OH?

We don't get all that many high number anniversaries simply because most people who had surgery 5 or more years ago no longer bother with OH. (Not just bandsters, check out other surgery boards as well.)

And it is as simple as that!

We need OH when we need support and advice as we lose. We need it as we learn to maintain. Some of us stick around because we feel we have OH friends. In my case, I stick around because I am newly retired and have time! I spent most of my free time working on the computer when i was at work, now it still seems automatic to sit down in front of it but I don't have work to do so i open OH!

People do lose their bands; if we did our research we knew that that might happen. I am not saying everyone keeps their bands, loses smoothly, lives happily ever after in a  size 4! Again, if we researched, we knew that!

There have been quite a few anniversaries of successful of bandsters recently - at 5,6 7, and even 9 years out. i am coming up to my own 5th. Only a few? Why not more? Look at the other boards - only a few announce anniversaries there too. Doesn't mean they aren't there - just they are no longer on OH.

I will probably get the usual replies ( you all know what I mean!) to this! So I repeat - I am not saying all bandsters will have their bands for life! They won't! I am saying that we are not all doomed to a life of unremitting pain, no weight loss, automatic regain and revision to another surgery!

Kate

Makes perfect sense to me!

When I was pregnant with my son, I was a regular on a pregnancy forum, where I made a lot of friends.  We kept up with the boards for a while after our bundles of joy arrived and while we were all still adjusting to motherhood (for the first timers like myself, anyway), but once we got into the swing of it and felt comfortable with our new roles, one by one people moved on.

So it is with any period of transition.  While you're going through the stress and uncertainty of adjusting to a new way of life with new behaviors, you need a support system to rely on to help you through.  Once you get used to it and as it becomes like second nature, you become less and less reliant on that support system, though you may come by as a veteran to offer help to those who are now new to what is now old hat to you.

And for newbies like myself, thank you so much to you veterans for sticking around to offer your experience and advice!! :-)

I'm glad that you are still on here Kate!  I'm 20 months out.  I have my computer in the living room, so I can multi task... watch TV and be on the computer.  I received so much help and support pre op and post op and now I hope I can help a few others.  I learn so much from everyone else sharing their journey on here. 

Kate, off topic here...... I have always wanted to figure out the difference in our time zones, but have never looked it up.  It's 8am central time ( daylight savings time....woohoooo )here in Iowa, what time is it for you?. 

Have a great day!
Kristi

Well, Kristi, if I post this now, you will see the time at the top and know what time it wsa when I wrote it! And if you then take note that it is currently exactly 4 in the afternoon on the 14th here....!

Kate

Can you tell I'm bored? hahaha  I can't get the font smaller for some reason, sorry.... hee hee

Found a website to figure it out.  So your daylight savings time starts 3/28? 

http://www.timedial.net/world-time-difference-calculator/converter-from-US-IA-to-GB.aspx


Time Difference Between Iowa and United Kingdom

With current daylight savings
United Kingdom is 6 hours ahead of Iowa

	World Time Zone	Summer Adjustment	Summer Begins GMT	Summer Ends GMT
Iowa	GMT -06:00	+01:00	3/14/2010 8:00:0	11/7/2010 7:00:0
United Kingdom	GMT +00:00	+01:00	3/28/2010 1:00:0	10/31/2010 1:00:

 I will admit that I'm on here quite a bit, but for two good reasons:

- I don't have a JOB, and since I'm online scanning job listing sites anyway, I may as well have some fun while I'm doing THAT drudgery

- I want to be here to help the newbies, to give them MY perspective of MY experience.

Bette, your input, experience and humor have been indispensable for a newbie like me!  I hope you never get a job.  : )

 Ohhh, don't make me have to drive all the way up to Yaaaaah-muth to smack you! 

Laughing!!!!

I appreciate all the help.

Tracy