Its been over six years since we've launched our forums. During this time it has seen thousands of fresh faces, greetings, meetings, partings, arguments, kind words, life transformations, cathartic rants, and simply happy time pass. It has been with us throughout this time, silently observing and facilitating. But like any wise old man, its bones were getting old. Its joints were aching, and it has been needing a new jolt of energy.

A Mobile World
Did you know that over 30% of you visit our website using a mobile device? For those who do visit us via mobile, we owe you a sincere apology, because our forums have been horrendous on a mobile browser. But the big news is that things are about to change! Our new forums are completely mobile friendly and compatible with iPhone, Android, and pretty much any other modern smart phone.

Each post, topic, and forum shows up beautifully, with the full set of features, and in nice large font. See the screenshots for yourself.

You dont have do anything different, just browse to the forums like you normally would. This means that you can finally put these away:

Not Just for Mobile
The interface on your desktop browser has also been cleaned up a great deal. There is now less clutter on the page, and the overall experience is a lot cleaner. Check out some more screenshots here!

You will notice that each post no longer has 400 buttons below it. Only the buttons that are relevant to each post show up, making your screen space a lot less cluttered. Also, when you reply to another person's post, the entire post is indented inside, making it a lot easier to figure out who has replied to whom.

Launching soon! Maybe as early as next week! Maybe.
And do remember that this is not in any way a be-all-end-all when it comes to the forums. We are in the process of constantly learning and improving upon what we have, and this is just one step along the way.

Stay tuned for the changes! We look forward to hearing your thoughts on this.

Are you taking suppplemental vitamins and minerals?  If not, you need to start.  What you're describing sounds like a lot of deficiency is going on.
 
Have your doctor do labs to check your nutrient levels, then if something's off, you'll  be able to treat it.

Meet Our Speakers: Colleen M. Cook

 

Hope & Help for the Pain of Regain

Join 17 year WLS veteran Colleen M. Cook for both a shot in the arm and a kick in the seat as she shares lessons from long-term losers and imparts insight, inspiration, and hope for WLS patients struggling with extended plateaus or weight regain. Her thoughts, stories, and personal experiences will inspire and motivate you to reach and maintain your optimum weight loss.

Also, don't miss her Keynote on Friday: Nothing Succeeds Like Success

We hope to see you in Atlanta, GA October 5^th and 6^th! Click here to book your ticket today!

Fast Facts About Colleen

-Colleen is the author of The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients.
- She is the president or Bariatric Support Centers International, a company that specializes in providing education and support services for weight loss surgery patients and the professionals who serve them.
- Colleen currently serves on the National Advisory board for the Walk From Obesity.
-Known as Ms. Enthusiasm, Colleen helps men and women from all walks of life recognize their extraordinary potential and then inspires then to aspire.

I answered an e-mail today from a college friend who has lupus, who now teaches at a university overseas.  It sums up so much of what I'm dealing with, being dually diagnosed with lupus and fibromyalgia, and on Social Security Disability.  I already see a counselor I decided to post it here.  It sums up how I'm feeling, and how I imagine many of you feel, or have felt, who have tried to overcome disability from these dreaded diseases.  I already see a therapist to help me deal with this, but I thought it might be helpful to someone else, who may be feeling the same way.

You live a great life!  I had envisioned myself doing what you're doing, traveling the world - until I was dealt the lupus/fibro blow.  I know you deal with the same issues, at least for lupus, but it seems as soon I  make progress, everything I'm trying to do is derailed by one cir****tance or another, or the dreaded major flare.  The pain has become significantly less severe with the weight loss, To date, I have lost 245 pounds, the absolute maximum my doctor will allow prior to surgery.  About 15-20 pounds of the weight is skin, and after surgery to remove it, I will weigh between 140 and 145.   The fatigue is incredible!  Every day, about  3:30 or 4:00, I am barely able to hold my eyes open, and I have to go take a nap, usually for about two hours.            I am trying not to lose hope, but it seems my dreams to overcome SLE and Fibromyalgia and be productive again are slipping quickly beyond my grasp.   I'm on hiatus from school this year, to get the loose skin on my lower body removed from the weight loss. It will be a staged process, with liposuction  first to remove the fat deposits hanging onto the loose skin, then a thighplasty, to remove the excess skin.  Each healing process is about 6 months, barring complications.  It's a medical issue, as no matter how carefully I disinfect my skin and make efforts to keep the folds dry, I end up with cellulitis or cutaneous yeast infections. I am building an antibiotic resistance, as this last infection,about three weeks ago, I had to use two different types, in order to competely eradicate the infection.  I should own stock in Johnson's Baby Powder and PhisoHex (it's still available to doctors for surgical scrub, and my doctor gets it for me).  I found this great lotion  that's made by Vaseline, Moisture Rescue, and it's better than the old Vaseline Intensive Care. In spite of all I do, I  still get the infections!  I was so scared it was something bigger, I went and got tested for AIDS!  Of course, that was negative.   So, that's what's going on with me, and it seems my dream to become a Bariatric Registered Dietician, will have to go wherever it is that dreams unrealized go, as it seems to no longer be a dream deferred.  I'm trying my best to deal with this and not get depressed.  I've always been one to set my goals very high, and I've not had a great deal of difficulty in attaining them, but perhaps I've met my match with SLE and Fibro.   I hate to think of myself as a pitiful soul who accomplished great things in the past, but is now a "has been". An accomplishment for me these days is being able to get out of bed, and make it through the day without "lupus/firbo fog".  I'm so afraid that this disease will rob me of my mental faculties, and I have even gotten  lost when taking a very familiar route.  I also dread being afflicted with the "family demon" - dementia.   Unfortunately, that's how things stand with me. I'd give more than a million dollars to be rid of  all this and go back to life as it was.   Sorry I didn't have better news,  but as the late, great Jack Gibson used to say on the radio - "That's the truth, Ruth".   Hope the upcoming school year goes well for you, and that you are flare-free!

 I was diagnosed SLE (systemic lupus) in 2001.  If you have lupus you will most likely need to take NSAIDS and or steroids off and on for the rest of your life.  I highly recommend you consider looking into either the VSG (sleeve) or the DS (duodenal switch).  I chose the DS only because I have a few friends that got the sleeve and they were unable to maintain their weight loss and eventually had to look into revisions to the DS.  I knew I needed the malabsorbtion of the DS because in all honesty I like to eat...a LOT!  I have to make good choices for what is best with me with the DS, such as high protein, low carb.  I have lost over 150 pounds in a little over a year.  (I really need to update my pics.)  If you get the RNY you can NOT take steroids or NSAIDS with the risk or developing an ulcer.   If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I am not here often but do get email notifications and will get back to you as soon as possible.  Good luck with your WLS journey!

~Roxy