sHELLY, I guess that I got lucky here in Alaska, because my surgeon believes the more involved you are with support groups, the better you will do. He not only thinks that support is important, but he is very good at helping you understand the reasons that he wants you to do certain things. For instance, he believes that pureed food for the first 4-5 weeks is a must to allow the new pouch to heal well. After that, we are free to try anything that is soft and advance from there, as long as we eat our protein first. I think you are right to look into support groups, as they have really been my life line. Good Luck to you.