Even though gastric bypass surgery can be a life-changing procedure for many patients that will help them live a longer and healthier life, it can be a difficult adjustment as well. Even though most patients that choose this type of surgery to help with severe weight issues have done their homework and have most of their questions answered before having the surgery, they will still need a lot of support. In years past they might turn to their doctor or family to find the answers and support they needed, but today the internet is providing another avenue in the form of online gastric bypass support groups.
These online forums are a great place for gastric bypass patients to interact with others who have gone through the surgery themselves. These online gastric bypass support groups provide these patients with a way to get all the answers they need about the process and the recovery afterward. This interaction can have an amazing impact on the speed of their recovery and success of their weight loss as well. Just knowing that others have gone through the process before you, and have succeeded in their weight loss goals can be all the inspiration many patients need to continue.
Another advantage that these online gastric bypass support groups provide is anonymity. In years past a patient might be hesitant to discuss certain details about their procedure with their doctor or family because of its personal nature. By engaging in these online gastric bypass support groups, a patient can ask any question they may have, no matter how personal, and will probably get just as frank of an answer. There is no need to feel embarrassed since you are interacting with these forums as a screen name and never have to reveal your true identity. This can help some of the more bashful patients open up with their questions.
Quite a few patients even use these online gastric bypass support groups for simply gathering information about the surgery and recovery involved. They may never ask a question, and instead simply read some of the other questions asked and answered in the forums to get the information they are after. Some of these forums also offer a FAQ that details most of the more common questions that patients have, with corresponding answers. These FAQ’s can supply the majority of answers you may be looking for about gastric bypass surgery and can give you peace of mind about the procedure.
Initially many of these online gastric bypass support groups were run by actual patients. They started these forums as a way to better understand their surgery and to trade experiences with others who have had the procedure. Some of these have grown to thousands of members over the years and today provide a very comprehensive overview of the process. Additionally, there have been other online gastric bypass support groups started by medical professionals that monitor them regularly and will routinely answer patient’s questions online and offer advice. Visiting these support groups can give you all the answers and help you are looking for.
Popular Online Gastric Bypass Forums
Weight Loss Surgery Channel
This site offers information, encouragement and support to people who have undergone or are considering bariatric surgery. It is the world’s first television network devoted exclusively to the weight loss surgery community. With a plethora of success stories, discussions, polls and patient education articles, WeightLossSurgeryChannel.com helps people adjust to the physical, emotional and psychological changes that occur after bariatric surgery
Renewed Reflections
RenewedReflections.com is a forum where people bring forward and discuss almost every imaginable question and concern that relates to bariatric surgery.
Topics range from “Preparing For Gastric Bypass Surgery”, to “Plastic Surgery After Weight Loss Surgery” and include all topics in between, such as “Basic Qualifications”, “Weight Loss Surgery Insurance”, “Gastric Bypass Diet” and many more.
Connection WLS
This is another great site that offers gastric bypass support. Melissa deBin-Parish and her husband, Dan, created it. Together they lost a combined 300 pounds as a result of them undergoing weight loss surgery. Having experienced a dramatic improvement in their lives, they started their own informed and popular support group to help other patients find the same success.
Connectionwls.com can help you
- Decide if surgery is right for you
- Get insight to what it is really like before an dafter surgery
- Choose the procedure that is right for you
- Find the right surgeon
- Win the battle of emotional eating
- Keep the weight off for life
Thinner Times Forum
ThinnerTimesForum.com is an educational outreach provided by Charles Callery, M.D. that offers information on all major types of weight loss surgery. It is a supportive online discussion forum for weight loss surgery patients, including those who have undergone gastric bypass. This community can help you get educated, find solutions, emotional support, friendship, and share your experience with others.
Bariatric TV
Toni, a 40-year old mother who had Roux-en-Y bypass in July 2004 and lost 130 lbs, and Lynnda, a happily married 43-year old mother who lost 120 lbs after having surgery, created BariatricTV.com, an online bariatric surgery support site. Except for the informative articles they regularly post in their blog, they moderate a busy forum that can help you get information on general as well as very specific issues that weight loss surgery patients and candidates face.
Before And After Help
BeforeAndAFterHelp.com is a bariatric surgery forum with thousands of members. The forum discussions cover more than 50,000 topics related to weight loss surgery.