Additional resources: Books and online communities
***** WLS support groups - click on links to go to group home page to join.
The following groups offer a lot of information on life after WLS:
*** Support group for people who have had problems with WLS or for those who want to learn about what problems can occur 2133 members, hosted by Chrissie, also a member of this community:
*** Support and friends community for those who are more than a year out from WLS. Note this group has over 5000 members and generates about 75-100 messages a day but still contains some interesting discussions of calcium deficiencies, osteoporosis and other issues facing longer term patients. It is suggested you get the digest on this group and skip all the off-topic chit-chat. Messages with titles like "lab results" and "help" and "illness" etc typically are enlightening and also the fact that most of the group is on the Atkins diet (sometimes WLS patients are told they will never have to diet again):
"I WANT TO LIVE" by Dani Hart, journal of Fobi gastric bypass patient who had take-down to save her life - also includes letters from other patients, comparison articles etc:
(available on Amazon)
------------------------------------
This information while educational, is not meant to replace the advice of a health care provider.
Remember that those who had the surgery and say it was the best thing that ever happened to them, are the ones who are alive to tell you their side of the story. You're getting only part of the picture no matter what you learned from a friend, a TV news magazine, or on the internet.