Starting Local Support Groups?

[mousecat88 2,279]

So, there's no in-person support groups for WLS patients in my area. My surgeon's office technically has what they call a support group, but they just have speakers come each month... it's not actually a group chat environment. I would really like to start a group where people can share their troubles and successes. I feel like the complications are not discussed enough; whether people only focus on the positive, or forget about the things they went through. I know personally I could really use the support, knowing there are people like me out there and we are in this together. There's not a whole lot of talk about complications and "the bad times" on online forums. A lot of it is all roses, and I think it paints a murky picture of the realities of major surgery. I don't want it to be a place where we all come and mope together, so my friend who had the sleeve 6 months ago and has been highly successful is going to co-mod. Does anyone here go to local support groups and do you find it helpful? What types of things do people share?

[notmyname 591]

I've gone to two. One was my hospital's support group. Totally not my scene. a TON of people and basically everyone just talks over each other. One person will ask a question, 10 people will start answering at once loudly. Then in another part of the room other people will ask questions and several people will answer them. Total f'ing chaos. It makes me so stressed out the last time I went I was sick to my stomach from the stress.

I also go to a weight loss clinic run by an endocrinologist with therapists, nutritionists, and exercise people on staff. They have a lot of different weight loss support groups run by the therapists (ranging from just practical how-to to very deep psychological things). They've recently started a bariatric support group. So far, I'm liking that one. It is much smaller (maybe 10 people), run by two therapists who specialize in weight loss/bariatric issues. I also find that this group has more folks who are longer term patients and talk about the real pitfalls of surgery (I suspect it is a self-selecting group - since you have to pay and they're part of the overall weight loss practice, I suspect it is more likely than a general WLS support group to have people who have had problems). The therapists come ready to talk about an issue, but if the group needs to discuss something else, we do that.

I wonder if you could try to start a meet-up group just to talk to other patients in your area. I'm sorry you're having such a rough time, and I know it is hard with noone to talk to.

[Alex Brecher 10,494]

Local patient run WLS support groups are fantastic but most don't have a long lifespan. BariatricPal started almost 100 local meetups a few years back and almost none are still around today.

[Frustr8 7,886]

My hospital/bariatric CENTER. does have support meetings, alas they ALL are set up in the evening when it us impossible to get to Columbus, dont have anything reliable after 7 pm and as far as I know there are no one else in Know County I could ride with. I am cetainly the only RnY but I am not sure there are any VSG here to want share the experience. I must be a pioneer, usually I am # 2 sled dog in everything. You know the worst thing about being #2 sled dog ? The view never changes!