Question:
Does anyone know of an online support group
I am finally getting closer to a surgery date, it could be anytime, the insurance is dragging it out. I have been so busy trying to arrange things for my daughter/work and doing the pre-op testing, plus staying on the phone for hours w/ MD and INS that i have not gone to a support group. my md requires that you go to 2 before surgery. Help please, i don't want to loose this opportunity. My employers is going to change ins in Jan and it probably will not be covered. Please help and hurry. THANKS..... either reply here or email to [email protected] — Leigh S. (posted on November 23, 2002)
November 22, 2002
will your doctor accept another persons/doctors support group as OK?? Some
will not. First, I would discuss this with your surgeon and let him know
your circumstances, and if he says you have to do it, then you are going to
have to make time to get this done. Please do not take this as flaming, but
a constuctive warning to you:post op your life changes dramatically. The
post op requirments can be quite time consuming. You need to PLAN meals,
and you need to be prepared not to get stuck with out something appropriate
to eat. You need to have regular exercise program that you stick to. You
will have follow up appointments, appointments with a dietician, blood
work, as well as post op support groups. You need to learn now to
prioritize if your health is what you are looking for. This surgery is not
a quick fix and you need to realize that pre-op or you are going to regret
this surgery terribly post op and be disapointed. The first year for me has
been very full of new experiences, and this is one of the things that I
have learned to warn pre-op's about...how time consuming this surgery is at
first.
— Vicki L.
November 22, 2002
One of the traits the surgeons are looking for is commitment. If we are
truly committed to following a lifetime of rules for use of this tool.
Your inability to find time to go to a support group can effect the
surgeons decision to accept you as a patient. Unless there is more to your
inability to attend, I suggest you make this a priority. Your health
depends on this and you must put your health first.
— faybay
November 22, 2002
I would also be interested in finding an online support group. My surgeon
does not have a support group and I don't know of another surgeon's group
within a good 70 miles of me. I have been coming here for post-op support
since surgery.
— ediecat
November 22, 2002
An online support group isn't going to cut it. From your profile, your
initial consult was in September. This is November. If your local support
group meets monthly, there have probably been 3 meetings that you could
have gone to. Most support groups have their meetings on the weekend or in
the evenings - so your excuses as to why you haven't gone to a support
group don't cut the mustard.
<p>
My initial consult was 4/25. My surgery was 7/17. I attended all 3
support group meetings between my initial consult and my surgery - as well
as EVERY support group meeting after that. My surgeon's just started a
"graduate" support group meeting for post-ops 7 months or more
out - I will start going to that one when I qualify.
<p>
Post-op support is an <font
color=red><b>integral</b></font> part of the success
of your weight-loss surgery. As other posters have said, this surgery
requires an immense amount of commitment post-op. A live support group
will give you so much more than an online support group - especially when
you know that you have to go once a month and face the group - it keeps you
in line. We also get weighed in each month at our meeting - that helps to
keep you in line as well. You could totally be failing at your post-op
regime and, if an online support group is your only support group, no one
would ever know it.
<p>
Unless you are willing to give 1-2 hours a month to a live support group, I
would seriously question if you have the commitment for this surgery.
Sorry if others will think I am being tough on you, but sometimes people
need tough love. I want to see *everyone* succeed on their weight-loss
adventure and I just want to make sure that you have the best possible
chance of that...JR (open RNY 07/17 -114 pounds)
— John Rushton
November 22, 2002
I belong to several on-line support groups. Two are on Yahoo groups. Grads,
which is for one-year post-op and further out & Las Vegas Support
Group, also on yahoo. Many pre-ops in your position belong to the
spotlight.com or spotlight health.com (carnie wilson's support group),
click on support groups & you are there. HOWEVER, the poster who said
you must make time for this is correct. GO to meetings.
Best wishes to you.
— Barbara B.
November 23, 2002
Leah you are welcome to come check out Las Vegas WLS Support Group, we are
open to anyone who sees any surgeon..the url is
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LasVegasWLSSupportGroup/
— Deanna Wise
November 23, 2002
Poppycock! Not everyone NEEDS a support group to show their commitment or
to succeed with this surgery. Sorry, but the closest support group to me
is 90 minutes away. I even tried to start one locally and there wasn't ANY
interest. Those who want to, drive to the one 90 minutes away and the rest
of us just don't. I use online yahoo support groups. I love
wls-uncensored (not wls_uncensored !) - great bunch of folks and very
serious about this change in life we go thru or plan to go thru. Many obese
people are not into "group" things - we've been thru too much and
just don't want to do it. It's a shame your surgeon requires it, but he
does (and maybe he will allow the online version - you won't know until you
ask). Personally, I would have changed doctors - I just didn't need my
hand held and won't stand for it in a doctor - the person I am HIRING to
service my health needs. Best of luck to you!
— [Deactivated Member]
November 23, 2002
With regard to my post re commitment. I was speaking purely of preop goups
so that we will have information we need going into surgery. I don't go
post op, i use the internet. But if I didn't get what I need from my sibs
I would go post op too. Now if the poster has a group phobia (which many
of us do) she can explain this to the doc. But claiming business leads the
surgeon to think that maybe post op, she will be too busy to following the
rules and wind up dehydrated or malnurished. Just my 2 cents worth.
— faybay
November 23, 2002
Speaking of group phobias among the MO, I haven't really noticed that in
our live support group at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
We have well over 100 people attend each meeting - both pre-ops and
post-ops. The meeting starts at 10 am the 2nd Saturday of each month, but
if you want a seat, you better get there early. We have about 10-15 people
that end up standing during the meeting because we've run out of seats (the
nutritionist that moderates the meeting is working on a larger facility).
In fact, we've just recently started a 2nd support group, meeting on the
first Tuesday of the month from 7-8:30 pm for post-ops 7 months out or
more. When I qualify for it next February, I plan on attending both
meetings monthly.
<p>
I have found from attending the live support group that the MO people - at
least in the Philly area - can kinda let their hair down because they don't
need to be conscious about their appearance...JR
— John Rushton
November 23, 2002
http://www.upmc.edu/obesitysurgery/monthlySupportGroup.htm <P>
Previous meetings are archived and on streaming video you can watch several
meetings right now. They are generally live and anyone is welcome and can e
mail questions the docs will answer during the meeting. The live meetings
are the first wednesday of each month at 7 pm eastern, Online I think they
start at 7:30. I am a ham, if someone asks I wll be thrilled to get on
camera! Come one and all and see what I lok like!
— bob-haller
November 23, 2002
I truly care about my fellow WLS compatriots. I wouldn't spend so much time
here every day answering questions that come across on the Q&A. I visit
new post-ops from my local support group on a regular basis. As I said
earlier, I want everyone to succeed.
<p>
I understand that some people travelled for their surgery and don't have a
local support group. Online support groups are fine for those people. It
didn't seem that the original poster had that problem. It also seemed that
the surgeon wanted her to go to a live support group (requiring going to 2
before surgery - you don't go to an online support group - the online ones
are always there).
<p>
Personally, if my surgeon required me to go to a meeting weekly in the
middle of the night as a requirement for this surgery, I would have done
it. I am really afraid that this person's surgeon is going to come back and
delay the surgery date until his requirement is met - and this looks like
it could cause problems with the medical insurance changing. As I said
earlier, most support groups meet during the evening or on the weekends for
1-2 hours. If the surgeon is requiring this, the original poster *has* to
make that commitment...JR
— John Rushton
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