The HersheyBandsters group is for anyone who has had, or is planning to have, bariatric weight loss surgery (specifically, adjustable gastric banding) at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA. It is for bandsters to share ideas, information, articles, links, and recipes, and to ask questions, provide answers if we can and to encourage and support one another through the ups-and-downs of this life-changing journey.

This support group is not limited to one brand of gastric band only. It includes those who have had placement of the Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band (LapBand), the Realize Band and other bands.

Our group includes nutritionists, nurses who are bandsters themselves, pre-op patients, post-op members and others who all have full access to the site and may choose to respond to posts if they wish to do so. We adhere to the Yahoo Groups Guidelines at http://groups.yahoo.com/local/guidelines.html and strongly recommend that our members read them.

The HersheyBandsters group is provided for discussion and information sharing only. All messages are the opinions of the persons posting and are no substitute for professional medical advice and following the instructions of your doctor.

Participation is encouraged by everyone. There are many things you can do to make this a beneficial group for all members and receive help yourself: We have all tried various diets and struggled with our obesity and health/ medical problems and have probably been over-weight much of our lives, so we have a lot in common. Sharing and caring are the foundations of our group.