New*How do you help?

Hi kids! I'm new to this board. Sorry to barge right in,,, What do you do to help the others? For that matter do you help the others? I have been traveling to the hospital when a newbie becomes a postie and I visit them and walk them around and show them how to do things whle they recover. I do this less frequently than what I wanted but I try to get there once a month. Sometimes people ask me to visit them. My surgeon(s) also have my permission to give my phone and email to new patients should they have any questions or are scared. I have worked with 17 people so far. I also go to their seminars as their Frankenstein and people ask a lot of questions then. I know a bunch of people do the same here in Michigan and I was wondering who else does nationally. kp @ goal

hi kevin. .no barging in..welcome to this board...i usually help new post -ops that i know that are having the surgery and after the surgery ..they will call me up panicking about foamies, food getting stuck..dumping..the usual stuff.. then i usually make a basket for them with protien mixes, sf jello sf puddings, broth, boiluion cubes , and a few cans of atkins protien drinks to get over the first few weeks to help give them ideas! welcome to this board hope to see you posting more often JoAnn:

Now that's what I'm talking about! kp @ goal

I visit post-ops on Thursdays each week and bring them my very best suggestions and well wishes. I've also done speaking at my surgeon's informational seminars, I did Walk From Obesity and I've met several of his patients one-on-one pre-op, as well as being quite active on his message board. I think it's nice to give back when I've received so much! Jan

Mostly I post here....do the newsletter and create new recipes. That's about it. No hospitals here do WLS - so to visit a new postop would require a 90 minute drive and I don't have the time of funds for that. I'm not a in-person type anyway...so this is what I do. I hope it helps some...(((HUGS))) and welcome to the grads board!

Kevin, Welcome to the Grads Board. This "helping others further down the ladder" Must be a common compulsion for a lot of us. I am a guest speaker at many of the seminars. I started out as the- "See, it's not always a smooth ride!" -Guy, But now I'm a fairly regular "Answer Guy" for all of those At Pre-Op seminars who ask- "So? What's it REALLY Like?" "How do you REALLY Feel?" "Can you.....?" I also enjoy being -"An invisible Angel." I'll explain- I print out support pages for total strangers, Turn them into a greeting card sort of thing On PhotoShop sometimes, and Drop by and leave them with potted plants And some Chapstick and Brush-Ups, or such, before they Get to their room. Or I leave them at the nurses station for them. When they are conscience enough to realize it, "Someone" has left them a little gift and a ton of "well-wishes" Without being noticed. Sometimes I'll reassure the family members Who are always shocked that I used to be just as big. I've held the hands of worried moms And patted terrified but keeping "The Brave Face" husbands On the back, and then disappeared back into the Anonymous world. I must say, that even though it (I hope) may be a comfort to some It's a great big smile for me. Doing something for someone Who can never even thank you for it is a great thrill. I know it sounds just odd....seeing it typed out here, But you know... (I think) My resent favorite was while on a job out of state, To see that someone was having surgery in that city And have a big basket of plants delivered, completely Out of the blue. I completely understand Dame T's - "I'm not a in-person type anyway..." Although I'm completely outgoing in my life And socially engage with tons of new folks constantly in my business, There's something about That "one on one" WLS talk/connection That makes it easier to keep it in a "public speaker" sort of setting One to audience rather than one to one, Or to keep that distance of anonymity by just being Sort of the Tooth Fairy of WLS. Wake up from surgery and some invisible stranger has brought a gift. My "Virtual Version" of that is to now and then visit local state boards And try to convince some local Post-op to take on someone else As their Angel. Sort of a "behind the scenes" Angel Agent. Sometimes I get "caught at it," but often, the 2 people, Who often live just down the road from one another, Make a life long connection just because- "a little bird told me you were looking for an Angel here in......" That's the greatest! *All of those beans spilled......... My latest "cause" has been to get support For the men out here on the Obesity Help Boards. I noticed a couple of things that lead me to it... Most of the guys I ran across out here Tended to have less complete profiles, much less Support on their support pages, and were less likely to post And make connections because, Like most support group settings, They were the "Odd-Man-Out" or "The Lone Ranger" in a sea of women. Not a bad thing at all when you're a single guy on the Prowl, But less that optimum for Morbidly Obese Dad's Waiting a completely understanding support group Who could know "...Exactly where You're coming from...Same with Me!!" Yes? That said... ____________________________________________________ How 'bout You? Here's your personal Invitation. It's great to see other men out here. We make up such a small percentage (12%) Of the people having Weight Loss Surgery, But tend to reach our goal weights quicker and with less Or at least Different hassles than the Gals Due to Male physiology. Drop by the Men's Message Board And check out what other men like you are going through. It's a diverse make up of Dads, Singles, Older, younger, etc... Pre-Ops, Post-Ops new and some Old (at Goal) Post-Ops. Lap-Banders, RNY'ers DS, etc... Great bunch of guys with the mutual understanding That WLS for Men can be a totally different Journey. Stop by to add your experiences, questions, advice, opinions, understanding and info at- http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/men/ You go tyo support groups and seminars and must know what it like For the guys there to "open up" with real questions in The crowd of Women. Yes? It's Great to know we're not so alone, And that there are others pulling for you. So,...this...is what I do... *Back to my StarBucks'Venti Sumatran that clearly wasn't De-Caf this evening! Hope to see you 'Round the Boards! Best Wishes- Dx

I am president of the manly men of wls - michigan chapter. I keep the sacred scribe of Bariatrica and take it to all the meetings. kp @ goal

Well then drop on by And hang out! You'd bring the number of Musicians/band directors up To enough to start an orchestra And enough martial artists to open a "OH Do-Jo!" See ya round the Boards!! Best Wishes- Dx 385/179 (6lbs below goal)

Tooth fairy! LOVE IT!

Oooooooooo he called us KIDS!!!! Can we keep him???? Welcome to the board, KP ~ I think a good many of us do enjoy helping others along the way, especially if we began our journey all alone. Keep up the good work!