People having WLS and are information challenged

I deleted my orig. post.... I am in a bad place these days going through the things in my life as I am .. (completely not related to WLS as some of you know) .....so my orig. post may have come across way to harsh...

the typed word is so easily misunderstood

I just wanted to say I agree with Jane, there needs to be more research and personal realization of what people are getting into with WLS.I

It is not a quick fix, there is not a Fairy Grandmother waiving a magic wand for us.. ( we all looked for her for years and she never showed up lol)  so we chose this and we should be responsible for our own decision.

This is an amazing site and the people are fantastic on here, I love the fact that so many are here to support and give input after so many years out of WLS.. ty to all of you. 

TC Donna

I do think that compassion is important here, if only because each surgeon has his or her own individual preferences and treatment plans for patients. So I understand why someone might ask a question that seems silly, but frankly this is such a life-changing decision that I'd rather people over-ask than remain uninformed.

That said, I do feel anxious when people ask for significant medical advice. Those are the kind of questions and conversations that it is absolutely necessary to have with a person who is altering your body. I was 18 when I had surgery and certainly had my moments of panic on here, but tried to direct my plan-specific concerns to my doctor.

To some extent, I don't think that many individuals realize just how different their experience will be from others. I had surgery so long ago that I didn't go through the same process as people do now. I didn't have to do a pre-op diet, or have a certain length of time to prove that I'd made an attempt to lose weight. But I do keep up with the ASBMS guidelines. When I had surgery for instance, NSAIDS were only a no-no for the first few years, now the recommendation has changed and so I follow the current advice of not using them at all.

Still, I think it is important to have compassion. Our brains are going through massive adjustments during this process, hormones go wacky, and it can be scary when you're seeing a trend in the community that doesn't fit your own experience. But I completely agree that we are responsible for our health, and as Jane writes "be your own advocate."

No one comes on here is an expert when they have surgery.   What I am talking about are the bare bones of information concerning the most common things that will occur with WLS.   Coming on any forum AFTER with not having the most bare minimum of information can be devastating for some people.   Weight loss was not stressed in pounds to us but you want to utilize the first 5 to 6 months of this time period because the weight drops the quickest. That in WLS the villi start to grow back in the intestine.  Doesn't mean we are done losing by any means, but many don't know that at 6 months you will start to slow down, more at 9 months and even more at one year.  If a person does not have this information in the beginning about how the body releases the weight, they cannot handle emotionally the stalls that will come.  Stalls are normal.  If a person is panicking at 2 or 3 weeks, what is this journey going to do to their emotional and physical well being down the road???? Some of the posters may be taking this as a personal attack but it's about information.  If everyone had been told or learned or read that weight loss in the beginning is going to be this and this or this, there would not be this panic mindset right off the bat.  Basic information.  Bare bone information.  Look at your vets and learn from them.  I would love to name them all by name but I don't want to leave them out or bring them into this unless they would choose to.  I have learned so much on here, but was never shocked by my progress only because I had BASIC INFORMATION.  I have learned alot by the vets and I have learned alot from the newbies.  All of this is a constant work in progress but we can advocate at least to get out the basic information to people BEFORE surgery.

Yes, yes, yes to this: "All of this is a constant work in progress but we can advocate at least to get out the basic information to people BEFORE surgery."

i totally agree, i am pre-op and some posts boggle my mind as well!! 

~shawna

I recognize that not everyone is going to be like me and research something extensively before allowing a doctor to permanently alter my body (I don't UNDERSTAND it, but I recognize it as true).  What I do NOT understand is how people can come here and read even moderate number of posts and still not know about early stalls (I mean, seriously, there is a new post about a first-month stall every single day), being able to eat more than they should, or that expecting to lose more than a pound a day every single day isn't realistic.  To save my own sanity, I don't even open posts about stalls and only very rarely open posts about how much or how slowly people are losing.  I understand if people need REASSURANCE when the stall inevitably hits, or when they can suddenly eat more before feeling full, but it would benefit them more if they would just ask for reassurance instead of asking if their surgery is a failure or their pouch is "broken" or "stretched" or "ruined".

Lora

There are no dumb questions IMO.  Some people require more positive reinforcement or support than others do. It is well known that there are many people that get WLS that also have emotional issues which got them into weight issues in the first place. 

Everyone's WLS journey is their own.  Some people seem to go through the whole process for surgery within weeks and others it takes years, it all depends on where you live and what advice and guidance that is provided by the 'trusted' health care providers. 

There are all kinds of people in the world, including people who ask lots of questions, even though some answers may seem obvious to other people.    I choose to be a supportive person and poster, and yes.. on a forum like this as everyone is entitled to express an opinion. 

I certainly don't know everything, but the program at the hospital really did prepare me for what I have gone through so far. We have a great bariatric coordinator who will tell you like it is. Some people may not want to hear it, but if she feels you need to hear it, she will put it out there.  I am a little surprised by some of the questions on here as I assumed the process I went through was a standard process.  I know it is at 3 of the hospitals here in town that do bariatric surgery.  I really feel bad for people that have this surgery and did not get the education prior to it that I received.  I would be totally lost without it.  

Having said that though I don't think anybody should be afraid to ask a question on here. That is why it is here. Maybe we should all have done more research prior to surgery, but once you've had it you have to live with it.  So ask away. 

The other day my girl friend had asked me a question I knew I knew the answer but I just couldn't pull it up so I called the nurse and she started to answer my question when the light bulb light...I knew the answer after all but with so much learning it got lost. It was 1 of those questions where you feel like knocking your head to get the information like I should have a V8.

I love reading others posting the more I read here and research the more I am comfortable with my up coming surgery.

Thanks for being here.

I have had some good information and some bad or lack of information from my sugeon.  I went into the surgery with some unrealistic expections, partly because i was a revision and didn't fully understand that i really would lose weight much slower.  It is tough to read all of the success stories of some people and not to be one of those people who lost 40 lbs in 8 weeks.  But it is a process once the newbies settle down and accept where they are it becomes eaiser.  Pleae don't judge us because we want to be like those other people.  We need time to adjust, just as many of you did when you started on your journey.  I really thank all of your replies and knowledge and thanks to many of you my goals have become much more realistic, although i still want to be one of those who lost their first 20 or 40 lbs in the first 2 month.  haha  :0