Creekimp13

My first appointment was June 6th of last year, and my surgery was December 5th. I think I did a quick one on one consult in May at the orientation seminar.

5 months out. Feel amazing. Off all my meds. Normal labs. (save thyroid) Had an extremely easy surgery. An extremely easy recovery. And have been feeling better than I have in 20 years. LOVE my sleeve:)

Ok...I once had a stalker who didn't think about me this much. I find it fascinating that I'm living rent free in your head. I'm flattered, Love, but I'm a taken woman 25 years this year to the man who thinks gibbons got a rough deal

I'm not implying you have lower intelligence. I'm implying you're not comprehending what I'm saying. Two very different things:) Your lack of ability to follow what I'm saying could easily be my fault. Absolutely! I intend to spend hours talking to my biologist daughter tonight:) LOL. She's not at masters level yet (though she has taken graduate level anthropology courses as electives), but she'll have her Bachelors in a premed Microbiology program at the University of Michigan next fall. She's taking the GRE and MCAT this summer, going to grad school in 2019, and will study medical Entomology for her PhD. This summer she's working on a biological station research campus attempting to seduce a lab for a post doc position:) She's also going to an arachnology conference this summer in Yipsilanti because she's a spider nut. If you'd like, I could also call my two biologist brothers. One is an MD, and one works in biochemical engineering. I really have no idea why you're defensive and angry, nor do I particularly care:) Good luck to ya! And best wishes on your weight loss journey!

My husband the other day goes......taxonomy is really mean to the gibbons. And I laughed. Because for whatever reason...the poor gibbons are the ONLY apes who are "lesser apes". And it's not like there's some huge difference. They're a little smaller. They have less sexual dimorphism, and they don't make nests. Is that really a reason to call someone 'Lesser"? LOL:) Poor gibbons:) Does he really think that that's "mean"? No...he was being conversationally charming. This whole silly thread has reinforced the virtue that it's important to remember who your audience is when you write conversationally. I will remember this in the future:)

It's not a contradiction at all....but it's funny:) The crux is that human beings are great apes. Our ancestors ARE great apes because that's what we are. When the author of the article says "we did not evolve from any primates living today" I had to giggle...because I certainly evolved from my family...and last I checked...they were all primates! And heck...my mom is still living! LOL (because...yes...human beings are primates...and great apes...even my mom!) But what the author meant is that we didn't evolve directly "from" chimps and bonobos.....though we do share common ancestors with them...which is 100% in support of what I've said. I think there's a lack of following each other's humor here... And that's ok. And again...none of this has anything to do with my point..... that nutritionally....human beings following Atkin's ideas....are taking a HUGE step away from what our bodies are designed to handle, and many in the medical community have deep concerns about that. In particular....there are concerns about what a high animal protein diet will do to the cardiovascular and renal system long term. Time will tell. Lot of cool studies going on. But if I had to place a bet....looking at the evidence available on what diets globally are correlated with the best health outcomes....best longevity, lowest incidence of cardiovascular disease, lowest incidence of cancer.....I'd put my money on the Mediterranean Diet or Japanese Diet....that coincidentally enough....have a strong emphasis on fruit, vegetation, plant protein, and fiber and very moderate/rare animal protein consumption......just like Chimps and Bonobos:)

What is the most awful thing you've considered doing or have done..... to lose weight? I've got two....one I did...and one I thought about for a second until I realized how horrible it was. My skinny best friend is a smoker. And I noticed she had no problem with her appetite because she was always smoking....and I thought....damn, I wish I could smoke! But I can't...my Dad died of COPD and I can't force myself to do it. Too unpleasant. But then, I discovered nicotine gum. Have never smoked a day in my life...and got terribly addicted to nicotine. It's incredibly embarrassing to explain....no, I've never been a smoker....but yes, I was doing the equivalent of a pack a day in nicotine gum for a couple of years....to your doctor. Walk of shame. This is a REALLY bad idea, incidentally, folks. Was a really hard habit to kick...and it's not like I could get the gum to help. LOLOLOLOLOL So yeah....that's my lowest, I think, that I actually did. Now....the things that have entered my mind before I repelled in horror... Watching some Discovery Channel show about weird medical cases, and this girl ends up in the emergency room because her mother has given her tape worm pills from China and she has lost a ton of weight.....AND has a huge tape worm.... ....and I'm thinking....I wonder where I could get a tape worm pill? How messed up is that? OMG... Of course I didn't...and I wouldn't....but the fact that my mind went there for a blink....is SO sad. I think if people really understood the desperation involved in obesity, how hard this **** is...how much people struggle for years and years....fat wouldn't be the last socially acceptable prejudice.

Two keys to weightloss: More calories out. Fewer calories in. That's pretty much it.

Anytime you're post-surgical and experiencing anything that seems out of the ordinary...you NEED to contact your surgeon as soon as possible. There will be a nurse or a PA who can field your concerns and advise you whether you need to be seen or not. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe it's an abscess that will only get worse until it gets treated. You need to contact them. A week out...you should not be having pain that wakes you up at night.

Um...we're primates. So, we did. We're also Great Apes. So, again...we did:) But you are correct that we did not evolve "from" animals like chimpanzees and gorillas.... However, we do share ancestors with them. Our family trees are intermingled. We're all Great Apes. My point was not an origins discussion. (Though, I do enjoy that discussion!) My point was that none of us are carnivores. None of us are meat-heavy omnivores, either. Let's look at chimps and bonobos...with whom we share almost all of our DNA. Only about 3% of a chimpanzee diet is composed of meat and about 2% eggs and insects. And this is very opportunistic. Chimps will eat meat about 9 days per year. Bonobos eat meat even more seldom than Chimps. So, what do they eat regularly? A metric feck-ton of Figs. Fruit in volume. Nuts and seeds. Foliage, blossoms, leaves,bark, stems, fungus, roughage. And more figs. Lots and lots....of figs. Oh! And palm wine, sitting fermented in leaves. And honey and bugs. Did I mention figs? My point....was that the natural Great Ape diet....is extremely carb dense. Our kidneys are set up to deal with a carb based diet, not a protein based diet. Protein is tough on the kidneys long term. Particularly, if you're not an animal who has a genetically evolved renal system to handle massive amounts of it. Likewise....wheat and refined grains and refined sugars are not something our digestive systems were originally set up to handle. So, there's certainly a dark side to indiscriminate carb eating as well. Eat more figs. And, as always with crazy shite you read on the internet......take what you like, and leave the rest:) Food for thought.

Double ouch! What are they estimating for your surgery out of pocket?

It's not bad at all:) Most of these folks are really helpful and knowledgeable. Mine was excellent to help customize goals to the diet I preferred. Lots of great resources....support groups, menus, recipes, tips. Good stuff.

I had a monster hemorrhoid when I weighed 270. Nasty little bugger could be about the size of a blueberry...and painful as all hells. Lost weight and it's gone. Just plain went away. Poof! That pucker is looking showroom quality again. I don't know where it went...but I'm glad it left. Don't mean to be graphic....but hey, it's a hopeful thing! Seriously, though, if you're experiencing that much trauma taking a poo...you should talk to your doc. Get some stool softeners, loosen things up with a bulb syringe of warm water or lube, eat your fiber, etc. It gets better. And hey, maybe your Roid will follow mine into the land of remission and you'll be done with that nonsense before too long? Here's hoping:)

I did my weight plan and goal setting with my doctor and PA, and talked about dietary stuff with my nutritionist. Doc and PA set a calorie recommendation and Nutritionist listened to my ideas for my diet, made suggestions, and talked about vitamins. Lots of good ideas exchanged.

Depends entirely on your insurance and the reason for the denial.

So happy to read this! Best wishes to you and your family.

You guys really need to double check with your doctors about this calcium thing. Most people get calcium oxalate stones....and it's easy to think....if I have too much calcium, I'll get stones! Must not take too much calcium! Except, typically...this is a VERY bad idea....because dietary calcium BINDS with dietary oxalate so it can be safety passed and NOT turn into stones. Stopping calcium might actually INCREASE your risk of stones if you eat oxalate rich foods. I know this all sounds bizarre......but please check with your doctor to be sure you're following the best protocol for you and your specific situation. To avoid stones.....Drink lots of water. Avoid salt. Limit animal protein. Study a list of oxalate rich foods and eat them sparingly.

All of these are EXTREMELY common conditions in significantly overweight people. They shouldn't cause any disruption of your surgery plans. I had all three...no biggie. My polyps weren't very big, my gastritis was mild to moderate...and probably due to taking a lot of ibuprofen. My hernia was big...and I got if fixed when I had my sleeve. They do usually take a little biopsy to check for H. Pylori when you have gastritis....and you might be waiting on that result. H. Pylori causes ulcers, and obviously you'd want to treat that before surgery. Wouldn't hurt to call in a week or so to see what's next, but I'm guessing it's just a paperwork wait and you'll be hearing from them soon:) No worries!

BAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Woot! Well done!

The little bottle of soap everyone's talking about is Chlorhexidine. Hibiclens is a brand name of Chlorhexidine soap. It's wonderful stuff. Very antibacterial and very anti fungal. It's particularly effective on skin fold yeast. Don't forget to do your belly button. Interesting side note...it's also used in drinking water to treat birds with respiratory infections.

Around three weeks:) But listen to your body and don't overdo it:)

msjg....may I ask what diet you followed just after your surgery when you were losing weight well? How many calories were you eating each day during your loss phase, and for how long?

Good luck:)

http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/genetics From the perspective of this powerful test of biological kinship (DNA), humans are not only related to the great apes – we are one. The DNA evidence leaves us with one of the greatest surprises in biology: the wall between human, on the one hand, and ape, on the other, has been breached. The human evolutionary tree is embedded within the great apes.