I think its important for our members to know pre-op expectations and post-op expectations too. Reading in all the forums is suggested since this is major surgery and outcomes do vary. (Sounds like the disclaimer on a package of hair dye!
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A couple of years ago we had a member who posted that because she only visited pre-op forum, she wasn't prepared for the difficult but typical stuff of her post-op hospital experience.
Suggesting pre-ops/LIW should read the "good stories" is missing our point. The forum of princess stories is a great idea. It lists them all, the easy and the not so easy...Great stories from many members.
Hyster Sisters is full of good stories and not so good. We are a balanced website that provides support for those who are having a hard time (thus the need for support) as well as the encouragement that most of our members recover from their surgery without much fanfare and *go back to their normal lives* once again.
Most of our members do well after the initial icky 6 weeks of recovery and go on back to their lives. That's the best part of having this site: watching the members come through and get what they need during these tender weeks, get better and move on back to their lives with better health.
"Support" by the nature of its use generally means that help is needed which is why hystersisters.com is online.
An analogy: Let's assume you have having a hard time with your car. Its kinda old but not ready for the junk yard. It still has many miles left on it. You take it to the mechanic to have it fixed regularly. And on occasion you get tired of the constant need for repairs.
Let's say your friend has a car with the same make and model and year as your car has little to no problems whatsoever. Your friend isn't being supportive by telling you that your car is going to be okay because *their* car is doing fine. /analogy
Support means sharing the good and the not so good equally. Not covering up the good. Not covering up the bad.
Support means sharing in the triumphants and offering shoulders to share the icky stuff too.
It's why hystersisters is here and has been here for 6+ years.
....And why the suggestion to read the other forums, the good stories as well as the bad, is a good idea. Be prepared and well armed with all the possibilities.