Born in Missouri

Why do you feel cold when you lose weight? https://www.livestrong.com/article/305720-how-come-when-you-lose-weight-you-feel-cold/ ----------- Skinnier and chillier https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/08/science/weight-loss-always-feel-cold.html ----------- Q. I used to be heavy and was always warm. Now, after losing weight, I am always cold. Why? A. The general answer probably involves the loss of part of the body’s insulation in the form of unwanted body fat, but the answer in any specific case could be far more complicated. Cold intolerance is a frequent complaint among those who have lost a considerable amount of weight. The body’s core has lost a significant part of its protection against heat loss. The problem is usually worse for those who become very thin, especially small women. While someone is losing weight through severe calorie restriction, the metabolism may slow down to protect the body’s heat-producing store of calories, leading to a cold feeling. And anyone who suffers inordinately from the cold, whether thin or not, should be checked for medical problems that can interfere with thermoregulation or slow the metabolism. Such problems include blood vessel disorders, which can impede warming circulation from reaching the extremities; an underactive thyroid gland, which interferes with heat production by slowing the metabolism; anemia, which involves a shortage of oxygen-carrying red blood cells; and problems with the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that normally acts as the body’s thermostat. ----------- Negative side effects of weight loss that no one talks about. https://www.thisisinsider.com/negative-side-effects-of-weight-loss-2018-1

Enjoy your weirdness with all its weird specificity. I can think of a thousand things worse than pickled green beans with a hint of ginger and olive oil. I was overdosing on pan-fried (unbreaded) okra for a while. I still crave it. I've since added thin strips of rib-eye steak and udon noodles to the mix. It's not how much of it I eat (which is three bites tops before I'm stuffed), but the fact that I've actually found something for which I have an appetite. Food, in general, has still taken a backseat in my life. I'm embarrassed to admit that I've turned into one of those annoying people who sometimes says, "I think I forgot to eat today." You'll move on to the next big thing in the weird foods department soon enough. Take weird pleasure in discovering your latest craving. Shrimp with peanut butter? Arugula pancakes? Dried crickets? As long as you're taking your supplements and following the other recommendations the best you can, I'd say you're on the right track. Hey, you've almost lost 100 pounds!

Initially, which is common postoperatively, you'll ask, "What in the heck have I done to myself?" After a few weeks, however, and after shedding several pounds, you'll be wondering why you didn't do this sooner. Make sure you let us know how you're doing after your surgery. We care!

Wow, Matt. You look dangerously handsome. And I like your long hair, too. Do men lose their hair the same way some women do after a bypass? (Not a question that pertains to your appearance, btw.)

Other than needing to talk supplements, what other side effects are you concerned about with a bypass? Once you know which supplements to take (ex. calcium citrate, B12, a good multivitamin with micronutrients, iron), all you have to do is take them. I'm actually healthier now and my bypass (my vitamin D is no longer in the single digits). I have NO regrets regarding my bypass. And GERD scares me more than anything. Having a sleeve, to me, is like Russian roulette. Will I develop GERD or won't I? I also hated the thought that a part of my anatomy would be permanently removed.

I tried EVERYTHING before finally settling on opioids. My daughter is a PharmD and two of my three sons are medical doctors. Anyone who tries to treat me as an attention-seeking, drug-seeking hypochondriac... WATCH OUT! My pain is my pain. 360mg morphine daily with oxycodone 10mg for breakthru. The CDC has made it hell for many chronic pain patients because of the opioid-crisis hysteria. https://twitter.com/ThomasKlineMD http://dontpunishpainrally.com

The most important thing that will help you before and after surgery is this site. Read and read often. And ask questions... you're doing a good job of that already. Oh, and chapstick... post-operatively. I like coconut and also watermelon.

I've made a new friend on this forum. He currently has a BMI of 63. Apparently, there isn't even a term to classify his size. I found somewhere that Super Morbidly Obese is for a BMI of 50 or so. Anyway, this new friend has a great sense of humor so I know he can appreciate his dilemma of being medically nameless. But I digress... After meeting with his nutritionist and surgeon recently (since he was still trying to decide sleeve vs bypass) his size pretty much decided for him. I found out why below: "A BMI of 60 or above is categorized as super morbid obesity. A laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in these patients is technically very difficult due to the size of the abdominal wall, the size of the intra-abdominal fat and the size of the liver. Due to these technical aspects of the procedure, the risk of leak and other complications are increased. I think that a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is a much better procedure in higher risk super morbidly obese patients. It is a technically easier operation than a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and has a much lower complication rate for this patient population. The sleeve gastrectomy can also be the first stage in a two-stage procedure. Once the patient has lost a significant amount of weight, and if he/she is still morbidly obese, it is safer to then convert the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy into a gastric bypass or a duodenal switch. The sleeve gastrectomy started as a procedure for high-risk patients but is now used as a primary procedure for lower BMI patients as well."

I never had to take a test, a pop quiz or ANYTHING with my psychologist. What the holy heck? We talked about random nothingness, then she wrote out a four-paragraph recommendation in old-fashioned cursive on her letterhead. That was it. What are some of your 344 questions? I hope you get a gold star and a happy face sticker on your test.

It's been my experience that it's generally male doctors who tend to behave this way. Do you live in a small community with few primaries? My life turned around 180 degrees when I found myself a good, compassionate female primary. I'm not suggesting that all male primaries are jerks, but they tend to have more acorns up their butt than necessary.

It's just a routine, insurance-required obstacle to weed out the not-so-serious and those who, for whatever reason, would not be able to emotionally handle the challenges ahead. I generally mock the visit saying that they just want to make sure that you aren't nuts. I say this because, to me, the visit is contrived and "forced" upon people. Seriously?!? Do heart/lung transplant patients have to go through this shaming requirement?! What other surgical procedures require psychological intervention? There is an extremely small likelihood of being declined at this stage. The psychologist is actually on your side and wants to recommend you. S/he knows that weight-loss surgery is a positive step for most people and that it will have major life-changing advantages. Unless you come in with doubt written all over your face, you will get your sign-off and be sent on your merry way. Being forced to read the psychologist's thumbed-through, out-of-date waiting room magazines is the only real burden ahead of you.

My hero! I'm speechless, in awe, and completely inspired by you. Do you still have no loose skin? (If so, not fair, but I'm happy for you.)

Outstanding response. You got this, too, Kimmie K!

The “Fat Tax” Is Everywhere, From Retail to the Nail Salon Clothing stores and salons keep charging plus-size customers more. https://www.racked.com/2018/5/21/17369488/fat-tax-retail-new-look-salon-plus-size-upcharging Size is a sensitive subject in the clothing business. So when one of Britain’s most popular and affordable clothing giants was found to charge more for plus-size clothing, it was accused of imposing a “fat tax” on women. “Obviously it costs more to make plus-size clothing because of the amount of fabric used, but if the pricing metric is going to be based on size, then every size should be priced differently." “If smaller-sized people aren’t getting discounts, then plus-sized people shouldn’t have to pay a surplus." “We rarely see ‘tall’ and ‘maternity’ editions of clothing being priced differently. It’s cruel and unfair to single out one body type.” Fashion’s ‘fat tax’: Bigger women furious at having to pay more for clothes https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/designers/fashions-fat-tax-bigger-women-furious-at-having-to-pay-more-for-clothes/news-story/b170b879bd535dd7bc8d1724e1aaa59e

As always, outstanding and succinct words of wisdom, Matt.

What an inspiring post. In just a few sentences you managed to convey humor, hope, and sweet fatherly love. You have an amazing attitude that will serve you well in the months ahead. It's important to maintain a good sense of humor and to know when not to take life too seriously. My crystal ball tells me that you have a bright future ahead of you. And a bright future for you pretty much guarantees an even brighter future for your darling little son. Just think of all the other things (besides sharing good eating habits) that you'll be able to do together. Let's all hope that your son will be able to keep up with you! You know those stunt chairs that break easily in the movies? Those will be to only chairs you'll be able to break in the future because the others will be too sturdy for a slender young guy like you. Don't disappear on us, okay? We want to hear from you regularly. It's also time for you to start paying forward by helping others who are struggling. Not everyone has your courage. Yet. This forum needs more male participation. Someone could be lurking on this forum right now... hoping for the kind of encouragement you have to offer.

As disheartening as your first stall can be, get ready to experience the opposite. On more than one occasion I've lost close to 3 or 4 pounds overnight. What a feeling! It makes me want to dance on the ceiling!! Also, I like to weigh myself after a big Number Two. Who knew that going to the bathroom could be so exhilarating?

They stuck me 14 times in pre-op trying to get an IV in. Both arms - both hands and both feet had multiple sticks. My surgeon was ready for me and I still didn’t have an IV in. At one point I had 4 people at once trying to get one in!! They finally got one but it wasn’t in very good. I woke up with a different one in my left wrist! (And for a week after surgery I looked like a junky! Lol) All the nurses, including their "big guns" failed to get an IV started before my surgery. I finally had two anesthesiologists working in tandem with a hand-held doppler looking for a vein. (They succeeded, by the way.)

There are all kinds of families. Not everyone is kind or respectful toward other family members. Swanton_Bomb knows her family (we do not), and she has decided what is best for her. In an ideal world, it's true that lying is not "right", but in an ideal world, a family wouldn't unfairly judge or belittle another family member either. I can only imagine Swanton_Bomb's predicament. I hope you have a speedy recovery from your flu!

This topic makes me crazy. I was a chronic pain patient BEFORE my bypass surgery. To my horror, I was not treated for my existing pain but given such a low dose of morphine that it did nothing for me. My surgeon left for Sweden right after my surgery, his assistant never visited me, and the hospitalist failed her responsibility toward me miserably. Leaving a patient to suffer needlessly is just wrong. And there's a big difference between being an addict and being dependent on opiates for pain relief. If I'm addicted to anything, it's not being in unrelenting pain. Pain medication allows me to lead a semi-normal life without feeling out of control. Only someone who has chronic pain can understand this. It's a horrible cycle. And for the record, pain medication does give one a "high"; it merely takes the edge off so that you don't feel the pain as much. Nothing makes me crazier than being treated as a drug-seeking, attention-seeking hypochondriac. Some people in the health care field have become cold and indifferent to the suffering of those who live with chronic pain. They assume everyone is abusing.

@GreenTealael All I crave are nuts, seeds and dark @chocolate. Not even fruit anymore. I will have fruit occasionally because I work it into recipes but I realized I bought watermelon and gave it away because I had Brazil nuts I wanted instead. Save me. Brazil nuts are one of the best sources for selenium, a micronutrient you need. How can you go wrong with that?

What turned you off about the bypass? I went in thinking the sleeve was for me, but ended up getting the bypass. My surgeon presented the pros and cons of both procedures during my initial visit, and I left that visit 100% confident that the bypass was the better choice -- FOR ME. Both procedures have malabsorption issues. The sleeve, however, has the chance of developing GERD (even without a history of the condition) whereas the bypass does not. Regardless of your choice, this community will support you! I am so excited to hear about your upcoming procedure. It never gets old hearing about someone who is embarking on such a life-changing journey. Promise that you will stay connected with us and that you will share your story.

You chose the sleeve because of the SLIGHTLY lower complication rate? If there was only a slight rate, why were you dissuaded?

In this study, researchers measured weight within the 30-day period prior to surgery, 6 months after surgery, and annually. https://www.endocrinologyadvisor.com/obesity/roux-en-y-gastric-bypass-outcome-diabetes-surgery-satisfaction/article/811016/ Related weight regain study: https://www.ecnmag.com/article/2018/10/amount-weight-regain-after-bariatric-surgery-helps-predict-health-risks