MM - BBGC - Life After WLS

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In which I ramble about 300 addicts in a room, social anxiety and such.

<Warning, unintelligible ramble, as I was skirting what I WANTED to say.>

I am again reminded that I am not normal, and I am a very square peg that is never going to fit in a round hole in this community.  When I find myself questioning if I should or shouldn't post something, say something, ask something or act a certain way, I hate it. 

I would rather just be.

This past weekend at the event, I met wonderful people, some of which I'd never known before.  It's funny how you can connect with certain people and understand them immediately.  This is something amazing and unique to the WLS community. 

Unlike simply meeting a peer, meeting a weight loss surgery post op is like meeting a part of yourself.  "GASP!  You mean, I'm like one of THEM?"  Yes, yes you are.  Unless of course, you've had your brain surgically enhanced along with your stomach and breasts.  You can connect with damn near everyone in some way.  I know I can, even if I can't relate to them in any other capacity but the mere fact that we are both freaks of nature now.

We have things is common, and we can find communication in those avenues.

But.

We are a big group of addicts.   "Hello, My Name Is Beth, And I Have And English Muffin Problem."

(If you don't agree that food addiction caused your obesity, that's fine too.  I am aware of physical conditions that cause weight gain.) 

• Similarity Between Obesity and Drug Addiction...

• File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View

A couple hundred addicts in one space, sharing one space.  It always makes for interesting social interactions, situations, conversations, ideas and sometimes the greatest ideas are sparked when we are all smooshed together.

There are problems, lots of problems.  You can't have hundreds of people who are in the midst of a huge life change without it.  It's like, puberty on speed.  No, really.

And, "puberty" can make people quite Special.  It is tumultous enough to just lose the weight, but add in any other changes, hoo-boy. 

Tantrums, door-slamming, yelling at your mom!  GAWD, the drama is really too much.  Oh, yeah, I am still discussing WLS'ers.  Sometimes you just want to SLAP THE TEENAGER right off their faces.  But, that is sort of frowned upon.  So, a big "GET OVER YOURSELF" should suffice, but it can't.  WLS'ers need more.

I would have to say the biggest addiction in a big group of WLS patients is usually?  Food.  Still.  It does not go away, it morphs into some kind of obsession.   Into a how much, when, where, how, why, should I, can I, I'm not going to, I can't, I won't....obsessive game.   Some of us have it at a low level, and just don't care enough to bother, and some are highly particular about every morsel.

Other issues, caffeine.  What?  What? Where?  Yes.  Absolutely is.  Why?  Why do you ask?  The coffee pots were on empty half of the day, plus the Starbucks cups.  But, of course nobody drinks coffee. <wink>

Alcohol.  Sho nuff.  This is only painfully obvious I suppose, if you know someone longer than a weekend.   But, yeah. 

Other Assorted Mood Altering Chemicals, etc.  Yes. 

But I guess what I am rambling to SAY is, that in our little microcosm of WLS people in one space, it can be simply overwhelming, even to one of us.

Many people hold up really, really well, and are able to share that feeling with others.   They can pay back their own successes by helping others.

These people are awesome. 

Those who can simply stop, drop, and talk with YOU about YOU, and not bring themselves into it and pull out their 100 weight loss photographs to show you how great they are, and not you. 

These are genuine people, who want to be your friend, or at least try. 

When you find someone like this, keep them.  Tie them up.

There are countless members of the community with severe emotional distress and social anxiety, in addition to the addiction issues. I haven't even touched on things like regain, surgical failure, or other things that might make someone perceive that they aren't good enough.

This pushes many of "us," to the corners of a conference room, holding up a wall, or worse, to hide in our hotel room because we are too scared to take part in an event for  "us." 

This makes me sad, because you would think that one would feel most at peace in a room full of peers, right?  I don't think that's the case. 

I think too many of us worry what others will think about us, think about what we wear, say, do, feel, eat, and act.  I had friends nudge me, "You know someone is going to watch what we put on our plates."  And, it's true.  And, it's wrong. 

We spend so much time worrying, it really stinks that you can't relax for a moment and be YOU in a "room full of peers" you know?

I'm not a witch, I'm you.  What's more scary, is that you are ME.   And you know, if you were me, I'd try not to hold up the wall and come talk to you.  We are all the same. 

 

Houston Texas Obesity Help Event Post 1

I am SO going to have to redo this slideshow as I see all the TAGS on FACEBOOK!  

• More and more to ADD!  :)

I say it every time I go to an event - I need more time to see the area we are IN.  I saw too little of Texas. I saw the hotel's immediate surrounding area and it's luxurious-ness and $11,000 couches, and also where they must film COPS. 

I landed Thursday after a too turbulent plane ride and a very poor Super Shuttle experience, BUT I MADE IT!  You know it's been rough when others are talking about it all the way to the baggage claim.  Twitch.

I quickly found me a Rachel.  Rachel had gastric sleeve surgery not long ago, and has been struggling, so to GET to Texas was a big deal.  I know she doesn't think so, but it was.  Rachel is pretty amazing.

Rachel lost her roommate at some point, so I shoved her into my room and we spent the weekend sharing with Andrea (my usual roomie).  This worked well, and I would suggest to anyone if you're hestistant on going to an event due to cost, room with some friends whose personalities and quirks you can SLEEP WITH.  Just saying.  I can sleep with several women. ;)

While in Texas we saw the Space Center, and ate way too much TOFU.  It makes NO SENSE, but that's the way it worked out.  If your hotel has poor restaurant service, walk to local food.  It was a noodle house, and Starbucks.  Fine with me.  However I wanted MEAT slathered in BBQ, I saw NOT ONE meat joint while there.  I assumed Texas would have more, maybe not in that area. 

(Taking a photo of this photo is a Federal Crime.)

What I did see:  the INSANITY and ONSLAUGHT of hundreds of quick-serve junk restaurants.  No wonder Texas has an obesity problem, and WLS Centers in STRIP MALLS.  Just. No.  We did indulge.  WHATABURGER.  Andrea, not impressed.  Beth, happy with buttery Texas Toast on my pickley bread, but I threw away the meat.  :x 

We spent probably $75 on espresso at Starbucks though, in the biggest SB I HAVE EVER SEEN with the worst customer service at a Starbucks that I have ever experienced.  But, addiction is addiction.  GIVE IT TO ME.

Friday night after sitting in traffic to get back to the hotel -- we met up with everybody at the reception.  It's always awesome to see new friends that you know only from avatars and photos and postings online.  People never match your impressions of who they are online.  No, I am not telling.  But, mostly good. 

There were some very notable missing peeps.  Know you were missed.

I was met by two amazingly cute women:  Connie and Rosemarie from Youtube.  Rosemarie said to me, "Nobody knows who I am."  But, I did, that's cause she's ROSE-MARIE!  (You have to watch her videos.)  Connie, her sister, who's receiving the inaugural grant from the Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America for her weight loss surgery, was just beaming.  They are too cute for words.  (And, no, a photo?  I don't have one.  Someone does.  I'll steal it.)

Afterwards, instead of going out to find a bull, the Bad Girls retreated and weren't so bad.  I felt that I was too old and tired to go out and find a bull and potentially have to walk back with my hurt foot.  (I have a photo of that!)  We went to my room and had an almost sleepover party.  :)  No FUN AT ALL.  (We were warned not to have any fun.)

Early Saturday, we were up and filling a vendor table with BBGC T-shirts and WLSVitagarten Lab Tracker books.  I guess that makes us vendors now.  Heh.  Someone did ask me what I was selling.  I was like, "Well, I don't.  I don't want to sell anything. I'm better at unselling."  She might have been perplexed but she bought a tee shirt.

We, and I mean myself, Andrea, Shana, Kailtin, Rachel and some assorted Bad Girls who really rock... came by and had a table.  An impromptu table, and it was kind of cool, you know?  We didn't mean to be there, and we were, and so there we were. 

At least one video of the vendor space was created with a running commentary of every single table and vendor, and we were purposely avoided while we watched the video being filmed. 

Oh hai!  We are here too?  Nope.  It might be interesting to see how that video appears when edited.  But, to be fair, I realize my photos show a very slanted look at an event, because I was in a certain area for much of the time, surrounded by certain people.  I do understand that. 

We met lots of lovely Texas peeps, and interestingly lots of people who traveled in for the event! 

The vendors, lets see if I can remember, forgive me in advance for those I am forgetting: 

• Gotein
• Bariatric Advantage
• Building Blocks
• Celebrate Vitamins
• Dr. Alvarez (who also sponsored the PHOTOBOOTH, watch for THAT link soon.)
• Bariatric Eating (Appears to be morphing into a new company hawking vitamins?)
• Revival Soy
• IDS
• Arbonne
• Connie Stapleton, PhD.
• Flourish
• MaryJo "The Hotness" Rapini (did you see her tights?!)
• Chef Dave Fouts
• Bariatric TV
• Realize
• The Davis Clinic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know I love vendors.  It makes me tingle with ANTICIPATION to find new products and services for the community.  This time I didn't come home with many goodies, I've tried everything already (note the vendor list) aside from the few that I'm sharing in future posts.

A super time was had. New friends were made.  "Old" friends were met.  We can't wait to do it again next year.  NEXT YEAR?!    More to come.  Lots.

So much to say.