My surgeon & the hospital where I had my surgery offer support group meetings several times a month. There are three types: Open (for anyone); Veteran (for those 12+ months post-op); & Newbie (for those -12 months post-op).
With the Lap-Band, I relied solely on online support--specifically my blog and my B.oo.Bs. As I mentioned in a previous post, I want to do things a little differently this time, so I decided that I would give the bariatric support groups a shot. My sister went with me.
We attended an Open support group last night. Running the show was Dr. F who is a psychiatrist specializing in bariatrics for the last 14 years. There were about 20 patients--about 50/50 post-op and pre-op. Everyone but me was gastric bypass. Dr. F mentioned that this was perhaps the smallest group he had ever seen and that there are generally many more Sleevers in the mix. He also suggested that I might want to try the Veterans' group since I qualify from having a Lap-Band for 2 years.
I didn't get much from the group, personally. This was due in large part to the fact that I didn't feel as though any of the "support" applied to me since I had a different surgery. Despite this, I did enjoy the group and am looking forward to attending another. I plan to try both the Newbie and the Veteran group to see where I feel the most comfortable.
I have never been a support group kind of person, but I am willing to give it a go if it will help me attain long-term success.
Cheers!
Cheers!
1 comment:
I think support groups are good, but you have to find the right one. The one at my surgeon's office is divided by type of surgery, and is mostly made up of people just meeting their one visit requirement for the surgery. I would love to find a good one close to me, but I have yet to do so. Good luck in your search!
Post a Comment