If you have recently undergone bariatric surgery or are getting ready to have the procedure done, you may feel as if nobody understands what you are going through. As a result, you may be left feeling all alone. Fortunately, there are several free resources that are geared to people just like, and the top five are described below.
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Bariatric Pal
With nearly 225,000 members, Bariatric Pal is one of the largest social networks today for people who are preparing for or who have undergone weight loss surgery. This is a unique platform that allows users to make informed choices pertaining to their surgery by talking to other members, finding local support groups, reading articles and searching for doctors.
Thinner Times
Thinner Times is an online forum for patients and potential patients of weight loss surgery. It is provided and funded by Dr. Charles Callery in San Diego, California. When you become a member of Thinner Times, you can talk to other members and share your experiences and feelings. You can even ask for professional advice from Dr. Callery himself! Other features of the site include blogs, chat and photo sharing.
Bariatric Center of Excellence
The Bariatric Center of Excellence is a public Facebook page that enables post and pre-op bariatric patients to converse with one another. Currently, the page has almost 8,000 followers. Here, you can post pictures, share your triumphs, discuss your concerns and offer encouragement to others.
American Bariatrics Support Group
The American Bariatrics Support Group is an online support community for people who want to learn more about weight loss surgery. As a member of the group, you can participate in the forums, add friends, join in on discussion groups, and receive and send private messages. Other great features of the group include interesting articles, photo albums and the Bariatric Food Source store.
Bariatric Support Centers International
The purpose of Bariatric Support Centers International website is to provide valuable educational resources to weight loss surgery patients and potential patients. Members of the group have access to such resources as educational webinars, the Barisaver store, photo galleries, free newsletters and interesting articles. The site also helps members locate support groups in their immediate area.
If you are thinking about undergoing bariatric surgery or are recovering from the procedure, you should never think that you are all alone. There are many resources that can help you cope, and several of them are free! Although the list of these resources is a bit extensive, you will find some of the top ones described above.