...that any time a person shares a negative experience their honesty is called into question.

We do not question the people that hop on VST immediately after starting a new account to rave about losing 120 pounds, do we?

Guess what? One percent (or more, depending on what stats you're reading) have complications. Many more than that have a rotten time healing, or a horrible time eating, or don't lose as much weight as they want.

Do not expect them to be cheerful, happy and bright while experiencing a personal hell they likely thought would never happen to them. It doesn't matter if they knew it *could* happen. Nobody thinks they'll be the one percent! (And "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!") It's wrong to constantly cast the blame on the person experiencing less than satisfactory results, too.

Really, lots of people succeed on Weight Watchers. Should we be calling everyone that doesn't (i.e., every one of us sleevers) a failure and chastise them for eating in a way we don't consider "perfect" or ideal? Should we turn around and tell them how we've had fantastic results and if they haven't, they aren't trying hard enough?

Because honestly, that's exactly what ticked me off the most about my doctors and "friends" prior to surgery. Why do people that couldn't lose traditionally insist on applying a one-size-fits-all mindset to life post sleeve, when it didn't work for them prior?

Guess what? Not everyone posts here daily, or has a fully fleshed out profile. Again, to call only those that post negative experiences to account for this is unfair.

It's offensive and off putting to see people get into actual internet brawls over these things. It detracts from the overall value of a thread if I have to read through ten pages of people calling each other names and calling the OP a liar before finding the one or two actually useful things in the thread.

Lately I've seen several threads where as soon as someone dares to share a negative experience, they're called a liar or a fake.

That's pretty darn hostile, and an awfully quick judgment to make.

Any one of us could realistically be fakes. This is social media, people!

I, personally, feel that negative experiences are just as vital and important to these boards as positive ones. People researching the sleeve need to know all possible outcomes. Complications are ACCIDENTS and could happen to even the most skilled surgeon. People suffering after choosing this surgery should also have a place to share and vent, the same way people that are grumpy about a three day "stall" are given the ability to do so. Making this place hostile for the people that choose to share their negative experiences is detrimental to the community at large.

And I find it offensive.

It's one thing to be frustrated with people for posting the same things or for failing to do their research (things I, myself, have been guilty of venting about here), but to attack people for simply sharing their own experience is taking it a bit far in my opinion.

And I have a lot of opinions. And of course, I'm always right.

~Cheri

I don't understand why anyone would consider saying something as false. It just doesn't make sense. We don't know what they've gone through. And what's up with this, 9/11 caused me to fake my vsg complications. It's insane but I guess I can understand if people are afraid and don't want to believe it. I mean we all need help.

If I didnt hear any negative comments about the surgery, I may have not had it... would've considered it fool's gold... it cant be all THAT... I needed to go in with my eyes & mind WIDE open... not just "read" textbook stuff relating to complications...but to hear down & gritty detailed from the horse's mouth stuff....

anything else is disingenuous and for a person like me, its a slippery slope...

I agree. We are here to support each other through good and bad. None of us can verify any of our stories since this is an online forum. I don't really know what someone has to gain by posting a fake experience, other than to try to sway others from having VSG. You have to make up your own mind anyway, not rely on others to do that.

I have read those threads too, and they make me wonder if I really want to be on this forum. But there are some great people on here that make up for that. That being said, I would be deeply hurt if I poured my heart out and was accused of lying. And I wouldn't come back.

As someone that had a leak and subsequent months in hosptial, I wanted to talk about my experience and decided not to after reading some of the posts as well as experiencing a little of this backlash. Not as bad as I've read recently and no one said that I was a faker but still, pretty judgemental stuff. So i stopped posting on all but one thread (you know who you are) and they've been amazing supports. I guess it is just about finding your place

Well said.

Having been on many forums I have experienced trolls and flamebaiters. It is hard to conceive for a normal civilized person how utterly devoid of compassion and class they can be. To them we are insects that they like to torture. They get off on hiding and fooling us, a proof to them of their intellectual superiority in their loser living in mom's basement mentality. It is a possibility that these brats can show up here and mess with us.

There are also people who sound like trolls who are not. Not everyone can express themselves in a convincing way or are computer literate enough to know how to research. Many do not know how to build a profile or see a need to. We need to be respectful of folks who struggle with English, many of us who have it as a native language struggle with it as well which is apparent to those among us who are closer to it's mastery, ( no, I am not referring to myself ).

The trouble is we don't know which is which. Folks love playing detective. I say leave the detective work to the able mods and administrators and take people at face value. If you suspect skullduggery report it to the forum cops. The harm done to an innocent person who sets off false troll alerts like a cheap security program is worth avoiding, even at the risk of letting a Dr. Dimento have his "fun".

Thank you !!!! It's very annoying !

Hey missy that chicken thing just showed up on one of my posts!!! Did you out it there?!

Noooooo but I saw that!!!

Lol

One time someone posted and it had OTRs picture attached lol

Funny weird stuff lol

Omg! we are morphing into one person!!'

[edit]

By the way I agree with everything said on this thread so far.

I was just saying on another thread about people speaking in absolutes.

Just because the way their doctors preformed surgery or what their Nut told them to eat.,. It does not make their way "better" and other people's wrong, just different.

I hate to think there are "fakers" on this site, but I guess there are some sad folks out there desperate for attention. I am going to take everything I read with a grain of salt. I am only 4 days post-surgery and having some issues. If I find that others experience the same issues, I feel I'm not alone. Best of luck to all of you on your journey!!

100% agree with the OP.