December 2013 Newsletter - BariatricPal

[Alex Brecher 10,515]

Hey, BariatricPal Members!

We hope that your holidays have been peaceful and joyful, and that you have had a wonderful end to 2013. The holiday season can be a challenging time for people who are trying to lose weight, and especially for weight loss surgery patients who are on strict diets. We hope BariatricPal has helped you through these months!

If you have been on the forums recently, you know that a lot has been going on! Whether you have or have not been on the boards recently, we’ll get you up to speed in this newsletter. Here is what we have for you in this month’s letter.

· BariatricPal – Turning Something Good into Something Great!

· BariatricPal Member Poll – How Does the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) Affect You?

· BariatricPal Member Spotlight – Meet Gmanbat!

· A Heartfelt “Thank You!” from BariatricPal

· Checklist for Transitioning to BariatricPal

Read on for all of the updates, and then come by BariatricPal to stay motivated and check out the new site if you have not yet done so. Enjoy the newsletter, and keep watching your inbox for our special New Year’s newsletter coming within days!

Sincerely,

Alex Brecher

Founder, BariatricPal

BariatricPal – Turning Something Good into Something Great!

Like you, we loved the family of Weight Loss Surgery Boards (WLSBoards). Members depended on LapBandTalk, VerticalSleeveTalk and RNYTalk for advice, socializing, and support. When BariatricPal launched last month, many of you brought up the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” While we certainly understand this reaction, we prefer the saying, “Never rest on your laurels!” BariatricPal is everything that WLSBoards was, and more.

Why the Switch from WLSBoards to BariatricPal?

As a platform for all types of weight loss surgery, BariatricPal has a stronger position as a unified voice for bariatric surgery in the fight against obesity. While the individual types of bariatric surgery may differ, they are all tools to help us overcome obesity.

Another benefit of the single site is that members can access more resources. BariatricPal has an entire informational section on weight loss surgery procedures, complications, benefits, surgeons, diet, and other relevant content. The surgeon directories let you find surgeons in your area who perform the type(s) of bariatric surgeries that you are considering. And, as you investigate weight loss surgery and compare types, you can get the opinions and experiences from BariatricPal members who have personally experienced kind of weight loss surgery. That is, you are not confined to a single type of surgery. Even if you have had surgery, you can still benefit from other members’ experiences and knowledge on topics such as recipes, finding a good surgeon and bariatric facilities, overcoming complications, and building your own support system with your friends and family.

What remains the same about BariatricPal?

· Dedicated forums for lap-band, gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, sleeve plication and Duodenal Switch.

· Same leadership under Alex Brecher, founder of WLSBoards and BariatricPal, and a successful lap-band patient.

· The same forum rules to maintain courteous and respectful conversations.

· Personal profiles, photo galleries, blogs, private messaging systems, and chat rooms

· Surgeon directories and reviews

· Mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch or for your Android device (be sure to get your BariatricPal app because the old apps do not work anymore!)

What is new at BariatricPal?

· General forums to discuss general weight loss surgery topics

· Forum hosts to monitor the forums

· Comprehensive informational section to answer your weight loss surgery questions

· BariatricPal Ambassadors for social media

We are thrilled with BariatricPal so far, and know it will only grow and improve. We have many plans for 2014. Be sure to check in often and stay tuned so you can stay on top of all of the new changes and, of course, take advantage of all that BariatricPal offers.

BariatricPal Member Poll – How Does the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) Affect You?

The health care you receive and how you pay for it are critical issues for you if you are an obese patient, a weight loss surgery patient, or a potential patient. How will you be affected when some provisions of the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) come into effect in 2014?

A. This is great for me! I could not afford health insurance before, but with the financial assistance and ban on denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, I will get insurance and may be able to get weight loss surgery for less!

B. Can’t complain! My new plan’s costs and coverage are similar to or better than they were before.

C. It is awful. I loved my plan before, and now have to switch surgeons or primary care doctors to comply with Obamacare.

D. It’s not the best for me personally because my premiums are increasing, but I think it will be good for the country.

E. It is good. Weight loss surgery was not covered under my previous plan, but it will be covered now.

F. I do not know if I like the changes or not. I can keep my doctor and other healthcare providers, but am not sure how the costs and services will change.

G. I do not like it. My premiums and co-pays increased and I am not going to get any benefits from the new system.

H. I don’t know, but I am going to going to find out as soon as possible by calling my employer, going to healthcare.gov or my own state’s health insurance exchange marketplace site, or calling my current insurance provider.

Mark your answer and let us know how you feel on the discussion boards! Also, feel free to ask questions and discuss Obamacare – we can all stand to learn something!

BariatricPal Member Spotlight – Meet Gmanbat!

This month, we have the pleasure of introducing you to Gmanbat…and to his wife, too! Both suffered from obesity. gmanbat was 280 pounds before 2009, when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Between his Lupron medication, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and Prednisone, he reached 340 pounds and had high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes and chest pain. He could not move well or tie his shoes.

When gmanbat’s wife decided to investigate weight loss surgery, gmanbat had objections. However, when they went together to an informational seminar, gmanbat decided that he supported her surgery…and was considering it for himself! Gmanbat chose the gastric sleeve because it does not have the nutrient malapsorption that gastric bypass does. As a cancer survivor, he is very aware of his nutrient intake. His wife chose the gastric bypass, which can lead to faster resolution of diabetes.

She is down to 125 pounds from 235; he has lost 120 pounds to 220! Neither gmanbat nor his wife have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes or sleep apnea any more. They are strong and active, and their grandchildren have to work to keep up with them! Gmanbat describes a great moment at Macy’s, when he fulfilled a pre-surgery promise to come back and fit into the suits there. He also enjoyed going on the Universal Studios rides with his grand-daughter instead of being pushed around in a wheelchair. He and his wife love going to restaurants, splitting a meal and still needing a take-home box.

He says the forum is important to him. He relied on it in the beginning, and is “still learning from the members.” He feels close to the friends he has made here, and is happy to help new members, even when they ask new questions. As he says, everyone deserves compassion. His advice is to keep learning and not to give up. “Your body’s weight loss schedule does not necessarily sync with the one in your brain.” In return, we are grateful to gmanbat for being a BariatricPal host! Please be sure to thank him if you bump into him on the boards!

Gmanbat, thank you for telling us about you and your wife! You are an inspirational couple, and you deserve your success.

A Heartfelt “Thank You!” from BariatricPal

The past few months have been pretty busy here at BariatricPal, but we are not too busy to forget to notice and thank those of you who have helped us out. We are grateful to all of our members who stood by us and made the transition to BariatricPal from LapBandTalk, VerticalSleeveTalk and RNYTalk. We also welcome any new members who have joined us since the launch of BariatricPal. We are particularly grateful to the following members.

· To every member who found a bug in the new BariatricPal site and politely alerted us about it.

· To BariatricPal Ambassadors, who are our voices on major social media outlets.

· To BariatricPal Forum Hosts, who monitor the forums and welcome new members.

Checklist for Transitioning to BariatricPal

BariatricPal launched in November and was instantly (almost) fully functional. Member accounts and profiles, private messages, and the old discussion boards were automatically brought in to BariatricPal from the former WLSBoards. You can still do a few things to complete your transition to BariatricPal.

· Look over, update, and complete your patient and surgeon information.

· If you have forgotten your password, please follow the instructions provided here to login.

· Choose your settings for whether you would like to receive BariatricPal updates regarding all types of weight loss surgery or just for your particular one.

Of course, while you’re at BariatricPal, please join the conversations! Feel free to introduce or re-introduce yourself on any of the forums, ask your questions, and share your experiences.

Thank you for your continued support through the transition to BariatricPal. Your participation and feedback are what keep the boards going. Please feel free to contact us at any time with feedback or to report site problems. We are excited for the launch of BariatricPal and to see what 2014 will bring all of us! Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Alex

[gmanbat 5,889]

Thanks, Alex!

I am honored to be a partner in the mission of this great forum. Thank you for establishing this repository of vital information and support. May it continue many years and positively affect many lives.