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Gastric Sleeve Surgery in Ireland
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by David Keogh, October 30th, 2013
Forums and chat-rooms have become incredibly popular over the past decade, with regards to all aspects of life.
For many patients having gastric band surgery, a forum can become a place of great comfort, as it allows them to talk to others about their progress, with complete anonymity. Over 50% of patients who have gastric band surgery will not disclose that information to anybody other than immediate family, so we completely understand that being able to speak openly on a forum, without anybody knowing who you are, appears to be very appealing. For many patients, this experience can be positive, motivating them to work hard when they see the results that others are achieving.
However, it can also have its negatives for patients. It’s extremely important to consider the basics of a forum, when reading through it. Understand that everybody on the forum is a complete stranger, saying anything they want. That means that what you’re reading may not necessarily be true. You should always take everything you read as general information, not advice or exact truth. It’s also very important to understand that, although many of the people on the forum have gastric bands, they’re still completely different people. They will have had their surgery across multiple clinics and countries. Some will have only 3 or 4 stone to lose, whilst others will have upwards of 10 stone to lose. Therefore, it’s impossible to accurately compare yourself to anybody else. It’s also quite important to realise that, like everything, once somebody has a particular surgery done, it’s quite common that they become an “expert” on the topic, and will openly give out advice to other users. We’ve seen it ourselves, where forum users tell each other what level of adjustment they should ask for, or tell them that its fine to eat specific food types, when the reality is the total opposite.
The lesson from the above is quite simple; Feel free to use forums and talk about your progress. However, you need to be very careful to not get drawn into comparing your progress to others, along with taking or giving advice to others. For accurate advice, you should ALWAYS consult with your weight loss team.
David.
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