Question re. our forum

 Oh and another thing.... Just because you have not had surgery does not mean that your input is not valued... Sometimes the questions get asked 10x a week ... The vets get tired of answering the same questions but that is a chance for the newer ones to step up to the plate and felx your knowledge and trust me if some info is not quite right others will chime in...

i am NOT a vet yet I am just 5 months post op but I have been around for a few years and this may sound corny but when I was finally able to answer some questions from those who just joined ..man did that ever make me feel good... I made me feel like I was getting this stuff... I was sure I knew all the ins and outs of the surgery..

Excellent thread for drawing out the lurkers, Karen

Well done.

Someone on here earlier mentioned using the search feature. I really dislike the search on OH. It doesn't give the results chronologically, so sometimes it's difficult to find fthe most recent post on a topic. Also, it gives you all things with the topic, not just the Ontario forum.

If they were to improve it, I would suggest adding a way to filter by forum, and sort by post date.

Hey Karen,
This is a great ice breaking kinda thread!  I have been on the site now for almost a year and am 5 months post op.  I read the posts every day even though I don't post much.    I find that I start and stop with posting as life ebbs and flows.  I try to comment when I feel there is something to add but definatly like the idea of a 'like' button.  I don't feel uncomfortable since my posts have not generated any drama or negative comments - although there is that element out there at times.  Hey, we are all either dealing with the surgery wait, losing weight or trying to maintain and are HORMONAL.  How could there not be drama??  LOL.  

The only thing that makes me uncomfortable is posting my NSV's.  Things are going fairly smoothly and it feels weird posting how great things are, like I am looking for compliments.  Of course who dosn't love compliments and pats on the back for all those NSV's but I felt a bit self concious about it. 
This site has provided sooo much support and information and I pass along some of the info to my mom as well who had the surgery 3 years before me but hasn't joined any kind of support group.  I encourage others who are thinking of surgery to check it out too.  I wouldn't change it - you guys are all great and very supportive and give the kick in the pants when needed!! 
Steph

Hi Karen, Great questions!

I joined this forum a little over 2 years ago and had my surgery almost 9 months ago.  I definitely lurk more than I post and to be honest I never really considered why until you asked the question.  I'm sure it's a combination of things time, energy, stupid computer issues, can I contribute something meaniful.  Sometimes I feel guilty asking a question or posting something about needing support or and NSV when I clearly don't reply to too many posts myself.  How can I expect people to respond to me or my concerns when I don't respond to theirs?  If I'm being completely honest with myself, sometimes I don't post because I'm not doing things to the letter of what we should be doing and I'm afraid I'll get "spanked".  I also wonder if people will "remember" me when I haven't posted in a while.

As far as not doing things to the letter of what we should be doing, this is what I mean...  For example I have definitely found out that I don't dump on sugar because I have sadly ingested too much sugar on several (many?****asions.  Dont' get me wrong, nothing like the old days because I simply can't hold as much food as before -thank goodness.  Also, I haven't found an excercise that I'm willing to do very often so bare minimum walking has been it for me (stupid crappy good for nothing knees).  I'm still losing weight, though it is slowing down since I'm about 20 pounds from my goal.   Also, I've posted about my lack of perfection on vitamin taking in the past.  I guess sometimes I feel too vulnerable to post.  My brain knows this is silly because that is when I should be posting most but my "fat girl" brain that is afraid of getting caught doing something wrong keeps me away.  Some days I'm proud of myself for how far I've come but other days I'm embarrassed to realize that the fat girl is still there trying to get out so I stay away.  I'm a work in progress and I guess sometimes I just don't want to admit it even to myself.