The Oprah Show

want to express my delight and sadness for today's Oprah Show . If you did not see it , I was skeptical about how she was going to attack this subject . Well Done Oprah . It definatley addressed the issue of pre-counseling before this surgery . It also gave me and insight to some things that I am going through . While we are skinnier .. and our lives do change , it does not change the pain that some of us feel or deal with pre-surgery . This surgery is not the magic tool . It is only the means ... we have to make the ends . I am sad for the woman and men that where suffering before surgery , suffering and in pain and are now dealing with it all , and handling it via there addictions . Some where not addicts before surgery , but are dealing with pain .. pain from abuse , both sexual , physical and mental .. and turn to alcohol or other addictions to subdue the pain . I totally agree that there needs to be more indepth probing when Pre-ops go for their evals to get the surgery. I know personally that people get in there and tell lies .. hide their pains .. and get the surgery and end up abusing other substances or sex addicts . This needs to stop . And it seems that according to Oprah , the ASBS says that 30 % of all Gastric Bypass patients end up in some sort of addiction . OK .. now what are they going to do with this data . I truly feel that surgeons that perform this need to do more insights into their patients . I have way to many friends right now going thru this .. and it hurts to see it .. So no WLS does not cause the addictions .. it merely gives us yet another means to go deeper into ourselves . I hope that pre-ops watching it gained what I did .. and while WLS is now like going to the dentist .. with no preparation , maybe the ones here that are longer out , can heed the message to them .. this is not the answer to happiness .. it is the answer to gaining your health back .. but not the answer to all of your problems . Seeing Carni Wilson and hearing her story was awesome . IT can happen to the best of them .. she is now a recovering alcoholic ... and dealing with her pain . I appreciated her story . I say now to those suffering , if you love yourself .. and are struggling with addictions , there is help for you . If you are in pain from emotional issues , tell someone .. talk to someone .. do not go it alone .. there is help ... Much Love , Natalie

Thanks for posting this, Natalie. After all my planning to watch it, I ran out of the house wothout remembering to set the VCR. So did she present it in a balanced fashion or was it all doom and gloom? You said "Well done ,Oprah"; so I assume she did. I am glad. Robin

Thank you God for making Tivo! I will be watching it tonight after dinner. Erika

Natalie, I don't ever get to watch Oprah, but today I was home and wish I had! While I'm not suffering from addiction I do so agree with what you've said about better pre-op counseling. So many, including myself, think everything's going to be just grand when the weight comes off. Yes, it does give a person a boost, but if there are already underlying psychological issues they are not going to shed with the pounds! Kirsten

Hey Nat, Oprah's show brings to light a variety of addictive behaviors which is very good. I have said it in the past and will say it again there is not enough information on addictive behaviors following weight loss surgery. Her show and many others before it have just begun to scratch the surface. It IS a fact that 30% (possibly higher when the new data comes out) of WLS patients develop addictive behaviors. OPINION: They SHOULD use this data and implement it into their pre-op behavioral programs. They SHOULD offer resources to EVERYONE with regard to where to turn for help with addiction. Arming ourselves with information is THE key to success whether we are pre-op or post-op. Speaking specifically for myself, I have directly dealt with alcohol abuse following my weight loss surgery. I have also witnessed it amongst some from this very site some of us having been very close friends at one time and others I still have close connections with. I rarely drank before surgery. In fact, there would be months in between drinking anything with alcohol and when I did I couldn't even drink a whole beer or wine cooler. After surgery for me it started off casually if you could call it that. Then it progressed and it became easier and easier to down a drink or 10 and even 20+ last September which nearly cost me my life. Yes, it was my choice to drink. Yes, it was MY choice how much I drank. I take full responsbility for MY actions. I KNOW what caused my turning to alcohol following WLS and I know what caused me to stop. I had then (but didn't fully realize it) and have now an amazing support system of family and friends and shrinky dinks and my faith and belief in God. There are others who do not realize they have a problem or if they do have not a clue as to HOW to deal with it or where to turn for help. Again, arming ourselves and others with knowledge is extremely important. I am very happy to see Carnie speak about her addiction with alcohol and drugs. I have followed her story very closely. She is a person just like the rest of us and although I can see the pressure of the spotlight I believe she is just like the rest of us struggling with what will be a life long battle and that is not only our turn to addictive behaviors but our weight struggles. We have been blessed with a TOOL not magic. We need to treat our bodies with respect and heed warnings as they are there for a reason. I am also proud of the others who shared their stories and there are thousands upon thousands of others that are going through the same who are just another face in the crowd. It is my hope that by others having read my story and others and seeing in mainstream public that they will realize we have fought so hard and long for most to get our lives back. We need to fight just as hard to keep it. We ARE worth it! Kitty Kat

You hit it on the head with your comment "this is not the answer to happiness .. it is the answer to gaining your health back .." How true that is. It's not a fix and I am 9.5 months out and just starting to realize, hey your not overweight any longer, why do I still feel the way I do? ~~~ Wow - now I know that I have more work to do.~~~ Everyone asks me, do you feel better, are you happier? I feel better - I can move better - I can keep myself cleaner - I can sleep better, but happy is a different thing. Stress is a funny thing - I don't know about y'all, but when I was stress-n for whatever reason, I turned to food. Now I am finding out that I have to deal with stress differently. Funny - I must have thought that WLS went along with a "stress-free" life! HA! Not so, you still have to cope and not with food. So yes, there is a lot to consider before surgery, but there's a whole nother ball game once you have the surgery. Currently my favorite stress buster is the gym. There is nothing like a good 2 hour hard sweaty workout to cure (or kill) what ailes you! Blessings and peace (of mind) to all. Tracy in Newport News 281 / 174 / 140 RNY 1-16-2006

I did get to watch the Show and I must say Nat you hit the hammer on the head.Im not sure about you but I got the impression like Oprah was afraid to even mention"her"feelings on the subject she seemed uneasy,but I think Robyin was awsome.Carnie Wilson as usual is an insperational on the subject (she has 2 good books out ). Naomi

There was a lotta good, bad, ugly and TRUE about today's show. I like Oprah, always have, always will. She's survived a lotta obstacles in life, including obesity - kudos t0 her. That being said, I hate that they sensationalize the LOWER ratio's and don't focus on the positives. They say that 30% of WLS patients turn their food addictions into other addictions - ie, shopping, drinking, sex, smoking,drugs, etc. So, can we talk about the majority for a change, the 70+% that turn it ALL around for the good? Nah, we can't the people that pay the bills want to sensationalize the ratings, they don't want the positives, it's all about the drama. I think what's missing in this entire dialog? We're blaming "weight loss surgery" ..instead, we need to focus on the person, what's inside their HEADS, what type of therapy if any, they've had since losing all the weight. It's not WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY, thats causing it, it's coming into your own... losing the weight (however you do it) and learning to live with yourself, minus all the layers of protection. [once again, let me say, regardless of how you shed those walls - dealing with the new you can be a challenge - can we get the label OFF of "weight loss surgery" puh'leaze! Ownership!!!!! :)] Here is a post I sent to TEKs board this morning - referencing OPRAH and the respect I have for her. Love da't woman! :) I don't agree with everything he says, but I love that he stirs up the hamsters in my brain and makes me THINK!!! Today at 05:34 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have a LOT of respect for Oprah - she's overcome quite a few obstacles in life, whether we like to admit it or not - obesity, can and does hold people back in the work industry - couple that with the fact that she's a WOMAN? [gasp] oh the horror and thirdly (and please, people don't see this as a racist comment, just a fact of the place and time we live in) ..but thirdly, she's African American. It's absolutely taboo, in this time and age, to "think" much less admit, those three points could be viewed as deterrents, but NOT wanting to think about it or admit it, doesn't mean it's not so. She's come a LONG way babeeeeeeeeeee and I really enjoy a LOT of what she has to say and offer. Does that mean I agree with EVERYTHING she says? Nah. Hell, I don't even agree with everything *I* say or do, lol, BUT, I think as a whole - OPRAH tips the scales towards positive vs negative. The fact that she doesn't believe in WLS, as a weight loss option, doesn't phase me either way. AS YOU YOURSELF STATED and I SO AGREE with you - a celebrity is not going to make me choose something or steer clear of it. They might (like Carnie did) tap into my curiosity, make me ask questions, research, look into options, etc - but Carnie is not the one that got me up on the OR table and Oprah would not be able to get me OFF of it - it's all about Leilani and what's right for me. btw - I've already earmarked that show, can't wait to see it. Unfortunately, I do see a lot of "food addictions" being replaced by pill-popping addictions and alcohol abuse with some longer term post ops. Not sure that I believe it's the norm, or even 50% of the norm - nah, it's probably more about the sensationalism and ratings. To report that everything is wunnerful after WLS would not garner NEARLY the ratings as to say.... lose the weight and become a Sex Addict, Alky' Addict, etc. Not sure if any of my thoughts make sense, not enough coffee this morning and I really should NOT be posting on ANY boards this early. __________________ "The deadline for complaints was yesterday, move along!" "Careful, the toes you step on today could be connected to the butt you kiss tomorrow"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH, I was so waiting for your response and I'm so happy you didn't let me down!!! :lol: I thought the show was good in showing 1 side of it.................BUT I agree, where's the other HUGE percent that is doing well???? I think that's what gets me irritated, and to me, shows how much she disagrees with WLS! Anyways, still a good show, and I'm glad I watched it. I am an Oprah fan, always will be, doesn't mean I always agree w/her!! It's the great part about living in America, we don't have to agree, and we still get along fine!!!! Thanx for the great post Lei, knew I could count on ya for it!!!! :-) OXOXOXOOXOXOXO :love: Sharon

Hello my friend! - well, you obviously know (and agree with most, if not all?) of my stance on this whole "Oprah/WLS/Addictions/Pointing BLAME" etc, so I won't bore ya' with repeating it. What I find amazing are the people who feel that if "they think white and Lei thinks black" than I'm just not the person they 'thought' I was. [long dramatic sigh, complete wth upraised hand to da' forhead] Um, ONE word? "WHATEVER!!" .... what people think of me, stopped ruling my world in highschool, I is, what I is - and as a general rule, I'm a pretty wonderful person, lol, just ask ME!!!! Another lady who used to post on the main board (Kiki Pixley) coined a phrase "Stop being OFFENDED" ...great words to live by! Hey, new subject - LEXINGTON! It's not too late to change your mind, we'll be driving to Richmond around 3:00 - spending the night with Patty and Natalie, then heading to Lexie' early early in da' morning? Let's see just how IMPROMPTU you can be? Dare ya! I even have a "discount" email/coupon for registration if you're interested? Love ya - Lei