Scary Stuff Going On Here.......

I haven't taken the time to read everyone's replies, so I am replying just to Frisco's original post... one of my observations is that I have been on here since September. And you know what? I don't know who half of the people are that you mentioned. I know who Elina, USAFwife, and Jennchap are, but I don't see a lot of posts (it may be just me) from the others you mentioned, so how do I find them? 

Also, in response to the big question "where are they?" those that are 6 mos. out or so, they come back here at their 1-yr surgiversary and let us know how they are doing! Honestly, since my surgery was only three weeks ago, and since I wanted to be better prepared for the outcome and surgery itself, I was on here  alot from September until now... I have limited work hours right now, so I have time to be on here...plus, I need to ask questions since my experience is so new, etc. And I certainly do want to be a vet one day who "gives back" to this forum...truly, but life is SO busy. Let's go easy on a few of those folks - jobs, kids, kids' lives (schlepping them to one thing or another), church, charity, etc. snatch our time and if 6 mos. from now people have learned what they need, they are doing what they need to do and just "living life" (without the thoughs consuming them nonstop that they had WLS), then I say more power to them. Hopefully they are going to their local support groups and keeping in touch with their surgeon, and they just don't have as much time as they once had to be on here.

Altho, I would like to say a personal thanks to all the vets who ARE on here, answering our questions and offering their personal story and experiences to help us.

Good post Frisco, thanks for sharing.

Hi Dittodotv.  I am one of the ones that Frisco listed.  I happen to agree with his observations and think that they are spot on.  I also believe that many people misunderstand Frisco and that is a real shame.  I happen to know him personally and think the world of him as do Jimbo, Elina and JennChap, to name a few others that I also know personally.  I am thankful for their friendship, input and guidance both here and in the support group. (I know you made no comments to the afore mentioned statement, but I felt I needed to pay respect to the OP).

You should be able to click on my screen name and access any post that I have contributed to.  I try to frequent the board daily, but do not always chime in because I have nothing to add to what has already been said.  However, I still do post from time to time.  I am not on here as I was now that I have lost 215 pounds and can function as a normal human being and not on disability anymore.  I now work again for a living and am dating again so I have very little free time.  I hope that as you go through past posts that they are of some help to you, whether it be from an inspirational or educational stand point.  I am one of the ones that had to result to some non-conventional tactics due to some very difficult cir****tances that have been outlined in a few of my posts during the summer months.  My weight loss has slowed considerably, and I know it is because of the hardship that I have had to endure, but that is soon to come to an end as I will have appliances (all of them) by the middle of January.  I so look forward to being able to cook and get back to the true basics and on to goal.  Dedication and committment are paramount to success...as proven when you have undue hardship and continue to reach for goal (even though it be slower than you would like) and are able to still head in the right direction.  Had I not had the dedication and committment well seated, I would have failed and would be here begging for help to get back on track when I got things back to a place where I could...and that is if I wasn't too ashamed to admit that I had an issue in the first place...but, I do not have to do that because I made that committment before I had surgery and have not deviated from it once.  I can honestly say that I have never been this dedicated or committed to anything as I have been this process.  I am getting close to the 2 year mark of meeting my surgeon and making the committment and I have never been able to do anything consistently for 2 years, except gain weight. 

Welcome to the process.  May you have all the success as those Frisco mentioned, and even the ones he doesn't know, that have beat the obesity devil.

Hi Sharon! Thank you SO much for introducing yourself to me! I love reading the posts from "vets" who have walked this road and know so much...I totally understand what Frisco was saying, but just felt a need to offer an explanation why some people from 6 mos. to a year may not be on here as much...I certainly hope it is just b/c they are living life and not b/c they have failed at VSG!! Since my surgery I have been so much more aware and amazed at the extremes from one side to another of the first six weeks post-op - I am very glad my surgeon is a more "conservative" one that has us concentrate on really healing our sleeve and so I have been doing just that (as I sip my protein drink, lol)... I just didn't recognize some of the usernames he mentioned, that was all! I think Frisco has a lot of great things to share and I really appreciate his experience and advice... I am totally going to bookmark your posts and read thru some as soon as I can. And I certainly congratulation you on your outstanding weight loss and wish you lots of success as you continue your journey!
Thanks again for letting me know who you are!! 

You can also find some of the other people that Frisco mentioned on the VSGM board - the VSG Maintainence board.

Thanks ruggie! I will check that out!

 I am very disappointed. I used to work for a few internet websites with public forums who were good at bashing ppl and detering real posts from happening in worries that they, too, would be judged or bashed. My surgeon's office referred me to this site as a source of encouragement and help and I was very pleased from the very beginning with the people who were so helpful, nonjudgmental and encouraging. I realize there are going to be situations where users might be leading themselves in the wrong direction, but the point of this board is to be helpful and getting them back on track, not judgmentally or acting superior over others. I am willing to state that the majority, if not all of us, on here who have had the surgery or are on board to having it or even just researching it,  find ourselves here due to a lifetime of judgment from others and ourselves which can cause emotional self destruction and diet failure. I will admit that upon reading this original post and many replies, I have found myself being deterred from wanting to rely on people here or posting here due to my own low self esteem and involuntary committment to failure. 

The decision to have this surgery can be easy for some and harder for others. Either way, we have ALL made the decision and have followed through with it. (those of us who have had it). The diet and logic of the diet post op can be black and white, but, the emotional issues that follow us from preop are still there, obviously. Some ppl can just take the surgery and run with it, others have many demons to battle and the best thing we can do as a community is to inform and encourage, not judge! You may not think that the posts were judgmental, but to someone who already has a guilty conscience about EVERYTHING, the posts can be very discouraging and actually lead to the end reader failing out of self destructive thinking. 

Please remember, we all have one common goal, regardless of how each of us gets there. We need to be encouraging and supporting one another. Sometimes the truth will hurt, but we should be making sure that the truth is being presented in a positive and helpful way. 

Hear hear!   I found that the original post  seemed to say that unless you are 100% over your issues with food, don't get the sleeve, and don't post on this site and annoy the "vets" with your silly/scary questions.

I submit that for many of us the sleeve was probably NOT the last step on the Road to Food Freedom, but was probably somewhere near the middle.  If I was 100% over my food issues before I got the sleeve, I wouldn't need the goddamned thing in the first place.  I feel like some of Frisco's post was directed at me, as I have been inquiring about different eating plans (after getting conflicting info from my surgeon and my coordinators), and I asked if people try to find low-carb alternatives for things like breads, or if they forego altogether as a "fully sober carb detox".  Gee sorry Frisco, I hadn't worked through these issues with a psychiatrist before I got my sleeve -- does that mean I'm fully unprepared and I shouldn't have the surgery?  I knew my issues beforehand and I've thought a lot about them, but I have been 100% powerless against them until I got my sleeve.  Now I feel much more equipped with my sleeve, but I would stay I am still 5-10% powerless.  Thought I'd come to the board and see how others handled it, but I guess I'm "scary"??

I mean, honestly, come on.  Makes me not want to post anything I'm thinking about anymore unless it's a big glowing photo comparison of myself 6 months from now saying how puppies and rainbows everything is.

the way i see it is one part was complaining about inconsistency in dr.'s orders and not that he was tired of the people asking questions but of the conflicting info they were getting from all their different doctors.

the other part was about people who were six months to a year out disappearing because they were not 'getting it' and failing with their weight loss.  becoming lax and then complaining about it when it was their own fault therefore they weren't prepared.

that's how i saw it anyway.

you are on a journey and what you know today will double tomorrow and so on.  you are asking questions and i appreciate them because i might ask the same too and you are just doing all my work for me ;)  ... keep fighting the good fight girl!

 I'm pre-op so take what you will, I get what Frisco and the other long timers are saying BUT they are looking at the whole picture.  What failures will do to the VSG?  BUT most people come here and couldn't give two hoots about the whole picture.  They want help with "me".  Me is very important when it is you who can't stop throwing up, me is very important when 60/80g of protein seems impossible or you feel like you've done everything right but that hunger has returned and you are terrified this won't work.

So I think people are talking about two very distinct thing.  The old timers are worried about VSG numbers and maybe this surgery not having the success numbers they want, while I just want help for me.  And frankly a forum of this type is about the "me's" it isn't a location for activism.

We can't make people come here and learn before their surgery (though I wish we could) but we (royal we as I don't have much of anything I can help with) can be here to try to show them a ray of compassion and help them through as best we can.

 
Well,

I think some people really veered off the point....but that's cool....people made statements and voices were heard.

I re-read my post and I can see how people could veer off....... I also found nothing that is not accurate and some peoples reaction validated some of those points.

The intention of my post was to be informational. These things are happening here and now....No?

If your pre-op or early out.....don't you want to know some of the pit-falls that could be in your immediate future so you can prepare to avoid them.

And if your questioning my character, Elinas or any other active vet......read the back posts and see how un-supportive we are. 

Some people need Sugar Coating......Some people need it right between the eyes.

What your not seeing is the many PM's we get. The many hours of personal "coaching" for lack of a better term. Both Elina, myself and many other vets have done many phone sessions coaching others. I just came off a very worry some week or so with somebody here that has had a terrible 1st month.....hospitalized several times ....she is just now coming through holding down food and drink.......

We don't have to be here.....we lost the weight....were in cruise mode.....we have given back waaaayyyy more than we took.

frisco