It hurts too much to see this going on. I come here for support, not for invective. I come here to help me through the dark watches of the night, when I want to eat, and cry.

I certainly don't come here to listen to good people, good friends, call each other names.

And I don't come here to watch as doctors are glorified as Gods, or villified as Devils. They're just people, as subject to fallibility as the rest of us, and, at the end of their day they trudge through their front door and their feet hurt, and smell, just like any mortal's.

I don't come here to add to the unhappiness of my life. And "If I don't like it, I can go to another thread". Well, take a look around. All the threads are being systematically corrupted.

We've all got a hard road ahead. We've each got to follow his or her own doctor's directions, and we've each got to listen to our hearts.

Mine says goodbye. If any one should care to contact me, with real LapBand issues, or to recieve or give support, meet me here:

http://forums.delphiforums.com/thoughtfuless/start

Ryan, best of wish to you and Patty! I hope her health is improving day by day. Please take care of yourself and continue on your way to better health. (((Hugs))) Hopefully this will all blow over soon and we can all heal.

Well said Whippledaddy!

Thank you for speaking my mind, Ryan. Maybe it's just my frame of mind or the fact that it's late, I'm tired, I'm stressed, I'm missing friends who have passed on. But I can't help wondering why everything good seems to get ruined eventually. I'm not ready to throw in the towel. Yet.

Nancy

To everyone that decides to leave due to the recent thread conversations, I want to respectfully ask for your forgiveness in my role of those conversations and to reconsider your leaving.

It is hard enough to make the decision to become banded much less be successful without a support group.

So, please reconsider. I have posted a public apology under the title "Postive Thread."

Ryan,

I hate to see you go, but I totally understand.

This board used to be a great source of information for me along with a great source of support.

I used to moderate a message board for years. It was quite different than this, it was for a fan page for a professional football team. Needless to say, the message board would get quite heated at times and I was forced to delete posts and became "the enemy" to many. After about 6 years of being the "bad guy" I decided that I had had enough of the moderating job and handed it over to someone else. I learned a very simple yet valuable lesson while moderating, it's impossible to please everyone all the time and frustration levels seem to be elevated because points that are trying to be made in type versus in person tend to be misunderstood.

In my opinion, this board has become kind of "clicky". It happens with most boards, you get a group of people that become close and seem to create an inner circle of communication and for the most part shut down the support to "outsiders" or "newbies".

I don't post much anymore but I do like to come here to be with fellow bandsters and to see what they are talking about. I've always enjoyed reading your posts and will miss them in the future. We all have a common bond and objective in life. It's refreshing to be able to come to a place where most understand what you're going through and what you're feeling. I too have become sickened at the public lynching that has gone on this message board, and as a result my interest in coming here has taken a nose dive. When I read posts and feel really bad for someone or see someone else belittle someone then this board is no longer a positive support resource for me.

I wish you luck in your future weight loss journey, but I know you will not need much luck. You have such a wonderful outlook on life that I know you will be successful in anything that you do.

It was nice "knowing" you..... Please take care!

Tricia

Ryan and Kelly, please know that whenever you need information or support on your banding journey we'll be here. This sort of thing pops up on message boards periodically; it's part of the dynamic and really just has to play out.

Take care, and good luck!!

[QUOTE In my opinion, this board has become kind of "clicky". It happens with most boards, you get a group of people that become close and seem to create an inner circle of communication and for the most part shut

Very Well said! OMG This is exactly how I have been feeling. I was a guest on this boards for a year before joining just recently and now I'm asking myself why I did.

I have felt a conspiracy going on here for about 3 weeks now with a couple of members and it finally came to a head. It is so sad that a couple of struggling members had to take this wonderful board to a level of negativity.

It truely saddens me that we have lost some members from this board. I would like to say how very sorry I am that I had a part in this. Please accept my appology. I would also would like to ask that you try to give this board another chance because each and everyone of you are an important part of this board. If you can't forgive and forget, then please know you will be greatly missed.

Please don't go. It will be okay and back to normal soon. I can see the healing starting to happen...thank you.

Tricia, You said exactly what I'm feeling. I was very happy when I found this board but have since realized that maybe it's not for me afterall. The people that really know each other tend to make someone like me (new) feel ignored.

My best wishes to all!!!

Ryan, I will miss your wonderful posts, but I understand your decision to leave if you don't feel comfortable here. Tempers flared and what probably should have been a private dispute was made public. But the people involved -- who are usually positive and supportive -- have since apologized, and I believe they are sincere, truly wishing to put the fight behind them.

Please reconsider; maybe check out LBT in a few weeks after this issue is long dead. Meanwhile, know that you will be missed! I wish you well on your Lap-Band journey and hope Patty has a fast recovery.

Princess I do believe these people meant a lot to this group and will be sadly missed. If they do not intend on coming back, several of us want to wish them well or ask them to come back. I don't believe this is causing anyone a problem. If you don't want to read them, then don't, but give the people that have been on the board with these people for a long time a chance to say what they want to.

Thank you!

Well. I would like to beg .. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not reduce this board to 'lapband' information only. That's the beauty of this board. We haven't been held to the rigidity of so many other boards. This board is for lapband support, which means most of us are banded, are looking to be banded, or are researching being banded. Besides being banded, we are all humans too, with human issues. We share our joys, we share our sorrows and concerns, we share tears and laughter and the whole gamut. As family, we even have a spat now and then and you're right. ..Once a point is made, it should be let go in order not to turn the board into a 'free for all' or a 'witchhunt'. Someone made a mistake, thinking they were doing the right thing. They've been called out, humiliated and burned at the stake. Not only has it made it clear that some of us don't appreciate being censored, but just because we dont' want to be censored does not absolve us from taking others into consideration. Point made. In the meantime, there are people here who are very valuable to this board as well as everyone else who have been hurt and deeply disappointed by the goings on and their leaving will sorely hurt the spirit of this board. I find that extremely sad and I hope everyone got their way and feels better now.

Ryan, I truely hope that things get better for you and Patty. I know things have been espeically rough on her and you, and that you've both been in my thoughts.

Take care.

I agree Leatha, this board is not only a supportive and informational board, it is a fun board too. I certainly don't think any of that should change! I rush to my computer every morning before I go to work just to see who posted!