Graduate forum???

I think it's a matter of option if they want to come and listen or read but they (pre-ops) should never EVER give advice...I sat in a support group and had a woman spill her guts about problems after surgery with self control and a pre-op had the guts to say "Put less in your mouth." I think it's just wrong for people who have no clue to offer advice... That being said, I think each of us can offer advice if we have experience in that position. We're a wealth of information if we have information to share and we should. Support and advice...that's the point. If someone feels comfortable asking questions on this forum...They should be allowed. And if someone doesn't feel comfortable answering the questions here, they have the option of sending a private message to that person and taking it off the board.

See, i did not realize that the pre-ops were giving advice... that yeah.. that is not a good thing because they have no clue..  but, I can tell you, I wish this board was here before I had surgery. The women on the Cali board..it was luck of the draw to ask a question and not get flamed in my first few months.

Hi Scott,

Yep, I remember the whole comotion over people less then 1 yr posting to this board. That caused me to stay away from this board until I was a "WLS GRADUATE". There is also a yahoo group with pretty much the same rules about none grads. I guess I'd have to agree that newbies should use the mainboard, state boards or other individual surgery boards for questions.  I thought this board was created for post op who are 1 yr and over post out because as you get further post op, you have different needs and questions. Your overall journey is just in a different place. I had trouble seeing that, this would be the case, living as a pre-op. Now, I truly understand the meaning behind the whole premise of this board. Cassandra

Thank you for the validation...and I totally agree...the further out we get the more our needs change....I think in the beginning my needs were "should i have this surgery?" and "which suppliments do I take?"  they've morphed into ....."i'm 20 months out and at goal...now what?" Scott

Since I've been active on the yahoo grads since it started in 99, i find i spend most of my time there, because the issues are so very different after 5 or 10 yrs. I keep with a few newbie boards, because that's paying back what someone did for me.

I kind of agree with everyone. I totally understand the "my surgery is betterthan your surgery" and "my surgeon is smarter than yours" and even, well, the nutritional stuff literally gives me nightmares. You don't see too much about surgery types, except as a point of reference, in long erm discussions and the whole surgeon thing also becomes moot.

If your sugery didn't work for you, then HERE we ask about mechanics, and newbies tell you to go back to basics, which means nothing, since MY basics aren't even close to yours or yours or yours. WHOSE basics?

If you are sick, we encourage you to move along til you find a doc who can help you, but newbies will tell you to keep going back and grovelling in frontof a surgeon whose ego is literally making you ill.

There are such very different issues!

On yahoo grads, while the written rules say they cannot address private ppl directly, I encourage newbies who are lurking to ask a friendly grad to ask a question for them. Here, IRL, I encourage post-ops to join that group ESPECIALLY to help choose their surgery type, and ask the questions they need answered. I'll ask if they need something critical.

OK, well, obviously I have a lot of thoughts, hence why I said I pretty much agree with everyone's point of view. LOL

I don't think there are wrong opinions....I'm just wondering if some of these questions aren't better directed (even if it's just a nice note saying...we really understand your needs..and they are better met on the main forum or RNY board, etc)  to one of the other fourms....so that this one isn't dilluted with a whole bunch of which surgeries should i have questions. Scott

was wondering if you could tell me about the yahoo grad board? Where & how . thanks, Brenda

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG

should be a "join" button on the right side

I don't post here often, but wanted to say that I totally agree with you! I have no problem with Newbies and their questions...but I thought that's what the Main Board was for.

Hope no one minds if I kick in my two cents worth here.   I am a Canadian and almost 2 years post op.  I only very recently found this forum.  I have always been on the Ontario forum which is the busiest one in all of Canada and a great wealth of information.  When I first started my WLS journey about 2 1/2 years ago, I found so many people on it that were at the same stage I was, or just ahead of me and it was a wonderful place to feel supported in the journey.  The biggest issue is getting approval from our government health insurance to come to the USA for surgery. However, even back then, I noticed that within as little as 6 months post op, people would kind of 'disappear' or only check in very occasionally.  I thought it was just that people were feeling  better and healthier and getting busy with life.  But, as I entered the post op stage,  I realized that that wasn't the only reason people were going MIA.  I started to need something different.  I was tired of pre-ops asking the same questions over and over and doling out advice to answer questions that people should be asking their surgeons or dieticians.   Now please, I mean absolutley NO disrespect to pre-ops or newbies.  They need to have a place where they can ask questions and feel supported.  I guess I'm just saying that what I needed, I was no longer finding on that board.  I need to converse with those who are at the same stage as me.  Our needs are different than newbies just as theirs are different than ours.  I certainly have no problem with a pre-op asking a question on this board/forum if it is for them to gain information from a post-ops point of view or opinion.  I really hope I haven't offended anyone as that certainly is not my intention.  These are just my thoughts. Thanks,