Conversation with Meredith (part I)

I reached out to Meredith (the new Director of Education) today. My reason for reaching out to her was to offer her my help if it was ever deemed that it would be beneficial to RMAP. In whatever capacity. I don't have the ability (time) to go to support groups so in the past I have tried giving back by being active on the support board. Obviously since the ban by Carly, I haven't been able to do that. I gave Meredith a little background on the ban. Here's the email I sent:
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Meredith.

I apologize for not being able to speak with you yesterday. Work has been crazy as of late. I just wanted to introduce myself. I had gastric bypass with Dr. Smith on April 11, 2007. My weight at the time was 474.1 lbs. As of today, my weight is at 223.2 lbs (which is 2 lbs below the goal I set for myself). The journey has been amazing and I have learned a lot about myself and how to keep myself situated on this end of the spectrum for the rest of my life.

Anyway, after surgery I spent a great deal of time on the RMAP message support board and several of the old timers helped me out a great deal. As I got further along in the journey, I found myself giving back the support I had received. There came a point where I stopped frequenting the message board and only responded when I received private messages from other patients. Over the next couple of months I had so many RMAP patients emailing me asking for me to come back to the message board that I did. However, I apparently offended Carly when I relayed a frustrating experience at my 18 month mark. The experience I related spoke about how at my year mark Dr. Smith told me to check back with him in six months just to see where I was with my weight. That conversation happened only because I told Dr. Smith I wanted to go beyond the 250 lbs mark that he had set for me. I didn't need an appointment with him but called RMAP only because he told me to check with him in 6 months regarding my weight. Anyway, Carly informed me that I'd have to pay for an appointment if I wanted to see Dr. Smith. I asked her to just ask him what he wanted because I didn't necessarily need an appointment but he had told me to check with him about my weight. If he wanted me to just stop by so he could see where I was at, great. If not, fine. Anyway, long story short... it just wasn't the most ideal customer service moment. The other portion of that email was stripping down the $500 educational fee that some of the members were complaining about. In my message, I broke down what the fee was really for -- which is the pre- and post- surgery educational component and stated that if you take advantage of that component, it's worthwhile otherwise it's not. I also stated that RMAP believes that the educational component is necessary for long-term success and require it for their patients. The result of this email was a ban from the message forum.

It doesn't really bother me that I am banned from the message board. I've completed my journey. However, after the ban many RMAP patients continue to email me to ask me questions about my journey and to get my support during theirs. I offer them my (as needed) support through a personal blog and email. One RMAP patient created a Facebook group for everyone.

Sorry for the really long email. Where I'm going with this is that I have had an amazing journey. I believe in giving back in life which is why I was on the message board to begin with. Patients do need their doctors and nurses to provide them with medical help and advice but they also need the support and help of those who have gone before. If you read through the messages left by Michelle Christensen from the start of her journey to today you will clearly see what I'm talking about. Anyway... for what it's worth, I have been and am still willing to be there for RMAP patients. I do not usually have the time to go to the support meeting each month which is why I was on the message board. But if you ever need assistance from someone who has lost 250 lbs and understands the journey (from a personal level -- not a medical level), let me know.

Also, would you please let Dr. Smith know how much he has changed my life? I owe him a lot. Losing this weight has been everything I ever dreamed and more. I've attached a few pictures so you can see the transformation.

Thanks.

Sean Joyce