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Anyone else in So Cal post-op, or even pre-op?

so El and others, do you get what you need in this virtual group, or others you participate in online?

I went to my group every monday night but it was open to pre- and post-op people. I'm not kidding when I say i felt like someone in a freak show. The majority were people who were carrying a lot more weight than I ever had, or who were losing but had poor skin tone so they were unhappy with their results. i lost my weight very evenly and gradually, though not slowly. people stared at me all the time, even when a speaker was presenting a program. it was very uncomfortable for me.

still, i always wanted to be a part of such a group because no one understands unless they've come through the mountain how hard it was to blast that hole from one side to the other. I came to this group almost a year ago and read for a while, then joined. it wasn't like it is now. people just made posts, no one replied, and it was like being alone again. i made a friend online and she & i gabbed our heads off and soon others joined in. things just started clicking and the group began to thrive.

right now i can't believe how huge the participation is here, even with our dear Brenda unable to post yet because she just had a major surgery. She'll be in a lot of pain for a week or so, but then we will all rejoice that she's back.

in the meantime, we have our resident clown prince, Bill, to send us giggles and a dozen amazing success stories i've been watching for the last year. I hate to list names because I always leave important people off accidentally. There have also been people who i got really attached to who just disappeared. In the 10 years this group has existed 14,000 members have left 27,000 messages related to about 6,000 threads. If you can't get support here, I don't know where you could!

We are more real than a real-world support group because we are not so wary of being graphic and honest about our troubles. We also argue, fight, express love and admiration, advise and refer, and share endlessly. most importantly, we do not try to offer medical advice to anyone and our first rule of participation is "call your doctor" if something isn't working right.

All of our stories are different but we do have a lot in common, as well. I wish we had a moderator who could make certain features work and other features work better, but at least we have that powerful "ignore" feature, which makes the group work even when someone tries to tear it apart with spam or practical jokes.

What do you all think of our group? This is YOUR group. How is it going?
 
dianeseattle said:
so El and others, do you get what you need in this virtual group, or others you participate in online?

I went to my group every monday night but it was open to pre- and post-op people. I'm not kidding when I say i felt like someone in a freak show. The majority were people who were carrying a lot more weight than I ever had, or who were losing but had poor skin tone so they were unhappy with their results. i lost my weight very evenly and gradually, though not slowly. people stared at me all the time, even when a speaker was presenting a program. it was very uncomfortable for me.

still, i always wanted to be a part of such a group because no one understands unless they've come through the mountain how hard it was to blast that hole from one side to the other. I came to this group almost a year ago and read for a while, then joined. it wasn't like it is now. people just made posts, no one replied, and it was like being alone again. i made a friend online and she & i gabbed our heads off and soon others joined in. things just started clicking and the group began to thrive.

right now i can't believe how huge the participation is here, even with our dear Brenda unable to post yet because she just had a major surgery. She'll be in a lot of pain for a week or so, but then we will all rejoice that she's back.

in the meantime, we have our resident clown prince, Bill, to send us giggles and a dozen amazing success stories i've been watching for the last year. I hate to list names because I always leave important people off accidentally. There have also been people who i got really attached to who just disappeared. In the 10 years this group has existed 14,000 members have left 27,000 messages related to about 6,000 threads. If you can't get support here, I don't know where you could!

We are more real than a real-world support group because we are not so wary of being graphic and honest about our troubles. We also argue, fight, express love and admiration, advise and refer, and share endlessly. most importantly, we do not try to offer medical advice to anyone and our first rule of participation is "call your doctor" if something isn't working right.

All of our stories are different but we do have a lot in common, as well. I wish we had a moderator who could make certain features work and other features work better, but at least we have that powerful "ignore" feature, which makes the group work even when someone tries to tear it apart with spam or practical jokes.

What do you all think of our group? This is YOUR group. How is it going?
Click to expand...
Diane - I very much prefer this group to any that I have been involved with. I find that there are a lot of extremes out there, and I like the balance here. I am an extreme introvert, so I really don't like to sit in a room with a group of strangers. I can be myself in this group without feeling uncomfortable. I like the mix of people from all walks of life. I feel like the core group of regulars really do care about being a positive influence/mentor. I do follow some groups on FB and Instagram, but other than Dr. Vuong, I usually keep those in the background so that they don't clutter my newsfeed.
 
Hey all - I'm in San Diego and just waiting for final insurance approval...anticipating surgery mid April. They have a support group at Scripps Hospital LaJolla that I attended this week - seemed like a good group - but sometimes it's not conducive to get there in person... looking forward to being part of this online community as I embark on this new journey! To those that have gone before me I welcome your wisdom, insight and support and to those that come after me I hope to provide the same :)
 
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