[Hoi Polloi]

Every one of us here knows that even with doctors, nuts, friends, family and support groups like this the person that we always need to listen to is ourselves. Making a drastic life change such as diet or surgery and the level of success we achieve can motivate us so much we want to share our success with the world. Once again, support groups like this provide that venue to do that. Some people have blogs on the internet where they share their experiences with diet, exercise and their success. This is okay too, provided you don't go over the line and get yourself in trouble.

Steve Cooksey was diagnosed with Diabetes. His doctor and dietitian put him on medication, insulin and a diabetic diet. Steve did what he was told, but found he wasn't feeling any better; in fact, he felt worse and put on more weight. He found a new diet that severely reduced all carbs and gave it a try. The success he had with this eating plan reduced his need for insulin and medication. Steve shared his success with others through a blog.

Steve writes about his personal story and encourages others to use his drastic approach to losing weight and getting fit. The problem is, Steve's diet is not the diet his doctors and nuts told him to follow that is approved by the ADA to treat people with diabetes. Steve unfortunately also offered advice and coaching to others, and even tried to charge a fee for his help. Now he's in trouble with the North Carolina Bureau of Dietetics/Nutrition for giving out this advice without a license.

Other blogs have come to Steve's defense but there are some who now put disclaimers on their blogs, because they are also unlicensed. There are also blogs with the position that Steve went too far.

My reason for bringing this up here: This wonderful support group is an oasis for us, and I'm grateful to the wonderful people who provide this WLS online home to talk about our successes and also ask for help when we need it. We're following the guidelines our nut and doctor gave us, but on the other hand, except for a few none of us are licensed to give out advice. I would never think of charging money for my advice, but on the other hand, none of us exactly follow the standard USDA pyramid/myplate dietary guidelines either. Should we be concerned and self aware when we're here offering support and help?

[DocSanae]

This is a support board.
We have a clear policy in place that this is a place to share experiences, including what you are doing now, but not to dispense what can be taken as medical advice.
You can say what worked for you in a certain situation, but what you can't do is tell others that they should try the same thing. If what you did is within the limits set by the other person's surgeon, then that person might try it at their own discretion. If the person isn't sure, then s/he should check it out with her/his surgeon.
We always ask our members to quailify their remarks by ending with, consult your surgeon and make sure it's okay, or, words to that effect, as needed. I have, at times, PM'd those who have breached this policy, asking them to tread carefully in such areas.

If you read my posts carefully, whatever posts I state some measure of medical advice, I always conclude such posts with, "Check with your surgeon, better to be safe than sorry" or words in that vein. You will find in my post that is linked in at the bottom of my siggy, I have the following statement.

I am here to provide you help in understanding general medical information, but NOT to give you any instructions or advice which should be received from your respective drs and surgeons.
If there is something that your drs/surgeons said to you, that seems confusing or hard to understand because of the medical jargon, please feel free to ask.
If you have any issues that concerns you, it is fine to ask opinions, but please always keep in mind, the final diagnosis/instructions MUST come from your surgeon/PCP or whomever is directly and personally resposible for you, and no body else, as he/she is the one who has all the information needed to come to an accurate conclusion.

[pretty woman]

I agree with Doc.
We are a "Support Group"...if we offer advice, it is really our opinions; except for Doc, it is our "unmedical" opinions, our experiences.More times than not a post generally ends with "Check in with your doc and see what he/she says."
We were in support group one night at the hospital and this one man kept going over his laundry list of ailments and complaints etc...kind of wrecking the night... I finally reminded him that we were "support" not professionals...it seems like he needed MORE than what support group could offer him.
Even our Doc Sanae always advises us to check in with our surgeons.

I appreciate all the advice and support I get on RR. Each and every poster gets the opportunity to share, vent, complain, bitch and celebrate. Don't think I would change a thing.

[nursesrock]

Interesting post, and it brings up a couple of interesting phenomenons:

First, it's pretty well documented that folks will try to get paid for whatever they assume they know or are an "expert" about. We are all experts about our own experiences, that's about it- is that worth an amount of money? Ask any "consultant" around, and they'd tell you yes!

Secondly, it's a constant in healthcare that most people get their medical advice from others, not professionals. This is why forums and blogs, etc are so popular- what's good for the goose is good for the gander. The unfortunate part of this experience (WLS) is that there seems to be a lot of rather conflicting information about diets, timeframes, rules and this leads to a lot of questions being answered in terms of experience, not always from a medical perspective. This might be a symptom of the current healthcare system we live in- fractured, confusing, difficult to access for most people. That being said, professional or not.......I trust that the participants on the board understand that information shared here is not medical advice but guidance about similarly shared experiences. Some of us may know a bit about medicine and healthcare, but that is never a substitution for your own MD's direction.

[dixieladybug]

The first rule here is ALWAYS follow your doctors instructions. Doc S makes sure that there is no advice given that could do harm. This forum has been my net and I could not have made it without the wonderful people here.