Amurillo04

I am not sure why all the negativity seems to prevail here, and that people constantly say "well I'll just leave the group, then". Expecting respectful and civil behavior from adults is not unreasonable! No one should be treated poorly because they lack information or describe an experience that differs from another. I don't think being a "veteran" should be an excuse to be mean or condescending. It's not that hard to be supportive or simply ignore something that you find offensive or ignorant. If I have ever offended anyone with an insensitive remark, I readily accept responsibility for my comments and offer my apologies.
Just *another* opinion.

I am seriously puzzled on how one may be able to make sure that his/her every word is pleasing to every personality on this board without giving up his/her own personality in its entirety. Even then, words are often misconstrued because the reader is emotional/hangry/wants to hear something else/is from another country where words and phrases have different meaning than the person replying. It's also apparent that some people are ripe and ready to be offended because they don't like the person replying or were told that they should be offended when they weren't beforehand.
Perhaps instead of making a post like this, one that will only create MORE disharmony and dissension (and causing some of our most helpful people to leave), the offensive parties should be addressed directly. Posts like this **IN MY OPINION** are more harmful to the general sense of community because they justify AND INSPIRE unnecessary butt hurt and finger pointing.
Wow. I'm sad. It seems as if there is a trend of posts lately that are telling vets that their time here is done. I hear you loud and clear.
***Of course, this is just MY opinion and just a suggestion, not meant to offend anyone. It's just based on MY experiences as a forum moderator and board owner.***

I started the BariatricPal forums to create a safe place for everyone in the weight loss surgery community. It is for pre-op and post-op patients, for patients of all types of WLS, and for anyone who supports the WLS community. I want you to be able to come here for advice, encouragement, support, and information without worrying about being judged.
I have a zero-tolerance policy for rudeness, and you can see the guidelines in the Forum Rules.
Recently, there have been several instances of members being disrespectful or downright rude. Examples include:
Stating or implying that a poster is doomed to failure or not ready for WLS because he or she asked a certain question or is engaged in a certain behavior. Telling people that your way is the only way, and any other way means the member deserves WLS failure. Discriminating against “newbies,” such as letting a newbie know that you don’t think he or she will succeed, or asking only “vets” to reply to a certain thread. (Reminder: you can always choose not to follow the advice of someone you deem unqualified to give it). The vast majority of BariatricPal members do a phenomenal job making BariatricPal the warm, friendly community that I dreamed of when I started it. Thank you! Besides being sure to be polite and respectful, here are some additional ways to help.
If you see an offensive post, please consider the following.
You do not need to respond. Instead of giving a rude answer and escalating the situation, you can simply choose not to answer. You can report the post by clicking on the “Report” option under the post. A forum moderator will look into the situation and may delete the post or ban the member if the member continues to post inappropriately. You can send the member a private message explaining that you felt the post was inappropriate, and explaining why. In many cases, you may be surprised that the member did not even realize he or she was being rude. Please also think twice before you respond to any questions or other posts. It is possible that you could write a post that is genuinely meant to be helpful, but the person could accidentally interpret your post the wrong way. Try to remember that:
It is very difficult to communicate a specific tone in writing. You may write something that you think is helpful and understanding, while someone reading it might take it as bossy or judgmental. Emoticons such as smiley faces can help. You can also add a sentence to explain that you are only offering a suggestion or sharing your own experience and that you are not trying to judge the OP. The OP might be in a vulnerable situation. They may be panicking about a worrisome symptom. They may be in turmoil about whether to get WLS. They may be freaking out about a stall. When they’re upset, it’s easier for them to misinterpret your well-meaning post. Thank you for doing your best to keep the environment at BariatricPal positive, encouraging, and open. We all need a place to go for help and support, and I want the entire weight loss surgery to feel comfortable using BariatricPal for advice and encouragement.

I'm finding out my patience has worn thin.... I had my last 6 month supervised diet check on July 29th, waiting on approval is driving me crazy!!! I am not to concerned about the surgery itself. I've worked hard to lose what I have lost during the 6 month diet. Just let me start my pre-op and cut me open. haha. I've had several surgeries over the years and know what to expect, but waiting to hear from the insurance company is tough!

Normally at least for my insurance they are looking to see if there is a net gain. My coordinator told me that as long as by the end of my 6 month I didn't weigh more then I did originally I would be ok.
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Many many people get approved after being denied first and usually peer to peer works very well in that case. I really hope you get approved. Let us know.
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That is very sweet of you!
While they give you socks, the socks are scratchy and I was very happy I brought myself fluffy socks. Just make sure you get the ones with the grippy things on the bottom or they don't let you wear them because you are a fall risk. Also you can't eat anything while you're in the hospital or for a few weeks, so maybe skip the Protein bars for the hospital care package. So...in a nice little care package I would put.
- Fluffy, grippy socks
-Heating pad (I was freezing, but it also helps to put it under your shoulders to minimize the gas pain
- Chap stick
- Gas-x strips (they didn't have them at the hospital so I was glad I brought my own)
- Power strip (she might want to plug in her phone and the heating pad and there are never any outlets that you cant easily get everything plugged into and reachable)
- Blanket (sounds silly, but their blankets are not thick and it feels really nice to have something with you from home- I still sleep with the blanket I bought for the hospital)
- Bear (ok also sounds dumb, but I read a study that showed when people are emotionally stressed in hospitals, a soft bear minimizes stress, even if it's just tucked under their arm- so yeah, got myself a bear, and he has since been loved to death and is looking a little raggedy. I was not a very good adult, but I was glad I had him)
- Pillow case (she can bring her own pillow or just put it on a hospital one, but ahh, my own soft pillow on my face, so happy I had that)
So...those are the things that I was glad I had and which really you don't NEED, but which make the misery far more tolerable. Of all of those things I was most thankful for my blanket, my pillow, my soft socks, and my heating pad, although the power strip would have been a pain in the butt not to have.

I sent my coordinator all my test results and weigh ins so she will probably be submitting to the insurance Monday or Tuesday. I'm so anxious! I hope I get a quick approval. I'd like to get the surgery mid July.
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I've got to have a rant- sorry guys but there you have it.
I have noticed that there are so many people starting threads/posting on this site recently with questions for other members. However, they are normally questions that they should be asking their surgical team as they are the people who are qualified to answer. They will be in charge of care so ultimately it's their necks on the line if anything goes tits-up. It's them who will have to deal with any lawsuit that ensues due to anything that might go wrong.
For every bit of surgery I've had (and believe me as an old hoofer there have been plenty of orthopaedic bits of mending and replacing on my knackered carcass) I did as I was told by my surgical team.
If they had asked me to whistle Dixie whilst standing on my head farting the National Anthem and air dancing the Marseillaise I would have done it. Apart from my VSG all my surgeries were paid for by the National Health Service (NHS) and that included my hip replacement. I did as I was told pre-surgery and then post surgery. I read all the info and watched the DVDs that I was given. I had to give myself the anti-blood clotting jabs every morning and wear those REVOLTING AND UNCOMFORTABLE anti-thrombosis socks for WEEKS after my hip replacement but I'd been told to do it so I did it!!!!!
After my VSG (which was self pay as our NHS here in the UK do very few) I stuck like glue to all the info that I was given. Any questions I had I knew that I could call or email my team for their help and advice.
It appears that there are a lots of newbies (and sometimes more experienced WLS patients) who really don't want to adhere to instructions that they have been given. They post on this site in the hope that they can find someone who will give them the answer that they WANT. Not the answer that they NEED! My answer to those people - JFDI. Just as you're told by the professionals who are in charge of your care.
Maybe Alex you should start a forum with the title 'Half-arsed Questions from Those Too Lazy and Arrogant to Listen to Their Surgical Team'.
Rant over. Happy Monday. It's pissing with rain in the UK so could start a rant about British summertime but.........................!

I finally got an answer back on whether or not my coordinator got my packet to submit to insurance. It's funny how 5 words can make your day. Now I just have to wait for her to submit it lol. Even more wait ☹️
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I just found this app and I'm loving it. I have so many questions and concerns. I've been finding out tons of info. I've struggled with my weight for years. I'm so excited and can't wait until August 18th!
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@@JennAsVSG I'm sorry that your insurance if you such a hard time. I too have private insurance and I only had to pay for my pysc visit. Maybe in January you can try to look for another insurance company? For now if you feel like the best bet is to get serious and lose it yourself then power to you and good luck:)
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Well I'm 3 days post op it's not fun but it's not horrible. Maybe it's because of the surgery but I've been thinking a lot of my future I'm 27 and it's so much I want to do I want to go to college and I want to make friends other than my family and boyfriend I have no real friends, mainly because I'm very shy and I'm scared to actually talk to people when I get in crowds my anxiety kicks into overdrive so does anyone have any advice for me ?
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@@KristenLe I haven't been contacted by my doctor I don't know if he saw them or not but I'm kind of assuming there's no problems with it so that's why he hasn't called. Called twice but haven't been called back yet which is pretty expected from them.
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That's exactly what I do, I've never commented on a persons post that I thought they were asking a silly question because I don't want/have too, I leave that to the veterans on the forum who may have better input. But I am totally allowed to respond to the person on this post who I agree with. Never have i bullied anyone here but just as I don't comment on people's post I don't agree with neither should you. And it's the Internet your sometimes gonna here stuff you don't want to hear and if your gonna take it to heart and feel bullied by people who you disagree with then that's on you.

Just not their honest opinion.

Yes, EVERYONE is allowed to express their opinions on here.
Everyone.

That's exactly what I do, I've never commented on a persons post that I thought they were asking a silly question because I don't want/have too, I leave that to the veterans on the forum who may have better input. But I am totally allowed to respond to the person on this post who I agree with. Never have i bullied anyone here but just as I don't comment on people's post I don't agree with neither should you. And it's the Internet your sometimes gonna here stuff you don't want to hear and if your gonna take it to heart and feel bullied by people who you disagree with then that's on you.

I think there's a difference between seeking nutritional guidance and asking if you can eat things that are common sense. Most people have to do nutritional classes to even qualify for the surgery in the first place as well as an orientation. I find it hard to believe that a surgeon just sends you off on your way and doesn't give you any indication that you shouldn't go back to eating normal food especially a week or two after surgery. And even if they didn't You could look in the nutritional part of the forum and figure that out yourself rather than looking for assurance that it's ok to go off track so early but like I said to each there own and at the end of the day we all have our own idea of success on this surgery

@@anniebanana Exactly. It's a tool to help you lose but it's not gonna stop you from liking bacon egg and cheeses and pbjs you still need to have the will power to say no to those yourself. Personally I want to take advantage of it and try to move over to just generally healthier eating for life, not to eat the same way just smaller. To each their own I guess.

Well, I can give you a run-down of what I experienced the day of surgery. Of course, everyone will be a little different.
I arrived 2 hours before my surgery time and checked into the hospital. This involved about 20 minutes of answering questions about my medical history. A nice elderly gentleman then showed up to take me to holding area of the operating room. Here, I was required to pee in a cup to ensure that I was not pregnant. In a curtained room, I put on the hospital gown, removed my contacts, and tagged the personal items I brought for my hospital stay. Right after that, my surgeon came in to say hello and told me that he was running ahead of schedule, so I could have surgery ASAP!
Everything moved very quickly after this point. Numerous nurses confirmed my medical history, took my blood pressure, and inserted my IV, etc. A few moments later the OR people arrived and I got wheeled into the OR on a bed. In the OR, I was placed on the operating table and they placed my mask. Just like that I was out and next thing I knew, I was waking up in recovery. I felt quite a bit of pain and nausea, but that was quickly remedied with medications. After that I drifted in and out of sleep and was taken to my hospital room.
In my room, I rested, but didn't really feel like watching TV or chatting with my family. I got up to walk a few times. I used my pain pump when I felt pain, but didn't really feel any more nausea. Overall, not too bad. Nurses came in regularly to check on me and my surgeon even stopped by to see how I was doing. The hardest part was the fact that I'm a stomach sleeper, so never feel really comfortable in the hospital bed.
Hope that helps! Good luck to you! You can do this!

@@anniebanana Exactly. It's a tool to help you lose but it's not gonna stop you from liking bacon egg and cheeses and pbjs you still need to have the will power to say no to those yourself. Personally I want to take advantage of it and try to move over to just generally healthier eating for life, not to eat the same way just smaller. To each their own I guess.

I really don't know why people come here asking if they can eat silly things when they just got out of surgery and I'm pretty sure they got a pamphlet of information stating what they can and can not eat after surgery. Why come on a forum to ask opinions of people who you don't know if you won't even listen to your freaking doctors lol
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I'm August 9th. Super excited for it.
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lol, are you serious? I honestly am curious if this is a prank topic. I can't think of anything that would cause dumping faster than those particular candies. If you are seriously asking, sorry I can't help you. If you are pranking, good one!