Originally Posted by
sraebaer
After my last crazy support group, I came up with the idea of volunteering at the clinic to talk with patients before and/or after surgery about my experiences over the past 4 years. Before surgery I didn't know a single person who had the surgery, and know I would have loved to have had someone to talk to. Even at the introductory session I would have appreciated a real person who had gone through the procedure to answer some of my questions.
I know my surgeon, nutritionist, psychiatrist know everything about bariatric surgery. But there a few things they have never experienced, like living as an obese person, actually having the surgery, and actually changing their entire lifestyle.
I just retired from a career in special education, and while I know everything about adapting curriculum to each particular child, writing Individualized Education Plans, and working with parents, there are things I have never experienced. I have never been the parent of a child with special needs. I have never been a student who struggled in any way with school. So just because I am an "expert" in my field, I sure don't know everything going on with each particular person I worked with.
My dad had open heart bypass surgery 3 times, about every 8 years. He used to volunteer in the hospital just to talk to patients, to let them know there was life after such a horrific surgery.
Long story short, I mentioned this to my nutritionist who shot me down. My 100 pound 20 something nutritionist. She said in her professional opinion it wouldn't work. She also said I may "shame" people. Why she said that, I have no idea. I am a very positive, compassionate person who knows I can make a difference. Unless she thought I would shame people by having lost all my weight when they didn't?
Would a veteran sleever have helped you early on? Did anyone have someone like that at their surgery center? Am I just nuts?
I guess at least we have each other!
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