vinesqueen

I know that lots of people are convinced that weight loss is about calories in/out and I know that that holds true for the majority of people. But I have to wonder about us Cushies. I don't think that it is a matter that we have a really slow metabolism. But the thing is, it doesn't matter how much I eat or don't eat. The calorie in/out would hold true if I gained massive amounts of weight on 1200-1500, when I couldn't lose on 1200, 1000, 800 or less than 700 calories. (I did gain 10 pounds in a week at 1000 calories, but that was one week.) It is entiely possible that my weight gain/loss has been only water, which is fine on one level because it lessens my edema problems. But not fine for why I had WLS. If my metabolism was truely that slow, I wouldn't metabolize medications as fast as I do, and I would gain constantly. But as for low calories, I just don't see how other people can function on sub 700 long term. I will give you that it is entirely prorbable that I entered into a deep Low during the month I was too restricted. But I think the lowered calorie intake made the Low worse.

I know that lots of people are convinced that weight loss is about calories in/out and I know that that holds true for the majority of people. But I have to wonder about us Cushies. I don't think that it is a matter that we have a really slow metabolism. But the thing is, it doesn't matter how much I eat or don't eat. The calorie in/out would hold true if I gained massive amounts of weight on 1200-1500, when I couldn't lose on 1200, 1000, 800 or less than 700 calories. (I did gain 10 pounds in a week at 1000 calories, but that was one week.) It is entiely possible that my weight gain/loss has been only water, which is fine on one level because it lessens my edema problems. But not fine for why I had WLS. If my metabolism was truely that slow, I wouldn't metabolize medications as fast as I do, and I would gain constantly. But as for low calories, I just don't see how other people can function on sub 700 long term. I will give you that it is entirely prorbable that I entered into a deep Low during the month I was too restricted. But I think the lowered calorie intake made the Low worse.

Hey Puddin! I've been thinking about this post since I first read it. And on the surfice, it seems sound. But the thing is, it doesn't matter how much I eat or don't eat. The calorie in/out would hold true if I gained massive amounts of weight on 1200-1500, when I couldn't lose on 1200, 1000, 800 or less than 700 calories. (I did gain 10 pounds in a week at 1000 calories, but that was one week.) It is entiely possible that my weight gain/loss has been only Water, which is fine on one level because it lessens my edema problems. But not fine for why I had WLS. If my metabolism was truely that slow, I wouldn't metabolize medications as fast as I do, and I would gain constantly. But as for low calories, I just don't see how other people can function on sub 700 long term. I will give you that it is entirely prorbable that I entered into a deep Low during the month I was too restricted. But I think the lowered calorie intake made the Low worse.

well, I thought I'd give an update on being among the unfilled... My weight hasn't budged, but I'm not sure if I'm surprised or not. It sure has helped with the nausia, and days when I get the dry heaves I'm not quite so worried about my band. I had a 6" subway club sandwich for lunch the other day. Oh it was wonderful! I haven't given in to the call of the cinnabon! Not yet, and I'm avoiding being anywhere near where I could find one. I figure better safe than sorry.

Hey Shelly! It was an AHA! for me when you said that you originally didn't have restriction until you were at 3.4, but at 2 was too, TOO much after an unfil. We know from the reports of countless bandsters that after they have been unfilled, they require much less fill, in fact many cannot tollerate near what they had had before. Just so you know, 2 ccs in my band choke me off too. I think it is a good idea to get checked for the hernia too. Hugs!

Meyour is apperently a non-native English speaker, so please take this into account. And as for his remark about his chicken and apple remark, that was obviously a JOKE. Maybe apperently not a very funny joke, but a joke all the same. Tonsils coming out don't cure sleep apnea for everyone, it works only in some cases. Poeple with severe edema can infact have so much Water that their skin splits open in weak spots. They can indeed lose 80 pounds in 5 weeks of water, if they have it that bad. I've had edema in my feet and hands (whole body really) that my toes were losing curculation and my skin graft on my leg was starting to lose integrity and was starting to split and weep. I spent a week on a CPAP machine 24/7 after I have a collapsed lung. They didn't want to intibate me so they used a CPAP.

Well, I feel like I've been put through the wringer. For a couple of weeks I was on a heck of a High. Or at least it feels that way. Sunday I was raging around for no good reason, felt like a bear someone was poking with a sharp stick. I've learned that a crash soon follows these rages, but crap! Monday I couldn't sleep and got up really early on Tuesday but felt really tired in the afternoon. I took a nap, and new a crash was eminent. Oh man, but I sure wasn't expecting the crash I had. I rarely remember having any dreams when I nap, but yesterday was way out. New I was introuble in the dream. Got freezing cold, terrible drunk feeling with the spins and everything. I woke up and dry heaved for a while, terrible itching. But the worst was having the right side of my face... melt, along with slurring speach. I had my son call Chris, and my husband. Chris had my son drive me to the ER and to not wait for my husband to get home. So my boys took me, and I waited in the ER for almost an hour to get a bed, and I waited almost 2 hours before I was able to get something to help with the nausia and the seering headache and flank pain. They did a CT of my head, and it showed no problems. All in all I spent a almost 6 hours in the ER. I placed several calls to various doctos, but no one as called me back yet. I sure wish I knew what was "urgent" and what is just bad. So, I've had three of thse in the last while. Two trips to the ER in the last four weeks. This one was worse than the last one. I've been High for the last couple of weeks, and except for the bad parts, like the rage and anxiaty and general pissiness, I prefer the Highs to the Lows. I think being High for so long made the crash all that harder because I was hit bottom so hard.

Well, I feel like I've been put through the wringer. For a couple of weeks I was on a heck of a High. Or at least it feels that way. Sunday I was raging around for no good reason, felt like a bear someone was poking with a sharp stick. I've learned that a crash soon follows these rages, but crap! Monday I couldn't sleep and got up really early on Tuesday but felt really tired in the afternoon. I took a nap, and new a crash was eminent. Oh man, but I sure wasn't expecting the crash I had. I rarely remember having any dreams when I nap, but yesterday was way out. New I was introuble in the dream. Got freezing cold, terrible drunk feeling with the spins and everything. I woke up and dry heaved for a while, terrible itching. But the worst was having the right side of my face... melt, along with slurring speach. I had my son call Chris, and my husband. Chris had my son drive me to the ER and to not wait for my husband to get home. So my boys took me, and I waited in the ER for almost an hour to get a bed, and I waited almost 2 hours before I was able to get something to help with the nausia and the seering headache and flank pain. They did a CT of my head, and it showed no problems. All in all I spent a almost 6 hours in the ER. I placed several calls to various doctos, but no one as called me back yet. I sure wish I knew what was "urgent" and what is just bad. So, I've had three of thse in the last while. Two trips to the ER in the last four weeks. This one was worse than the last one. I've been High for the last couple of weeks, and except for the bad parts, like the rage and anxiaty and general pissiness, I prefer the Highs to the Lows. I think being High for so long made the crash all that harder because I was hit bottom so hard.

Oh! We all are bloody-well boozin! (chorus from my favorite Victorian Drinking song.) One of my weird personal observations is that when I'm in a High I also want alcholic beverages. I mean, I almost crave them. I'm not now, nor have I ever been an alcholic, but I'm certianly predisposed to being one. My Greatgrandfather was, my grandfather, my dad and 3 out of my 4 sibs are alcholics. Because I've always know of my family history, and the possiblilty of being predisposed, I've always been very careful with my alcohol use. When I'm on a High, alcohol has little if any effect one me that I can feel. No Buzz for me, no tipsy feeling no nothing. As an experimnet I'm gonna see if I can find some of those personal use alcohol tester that I've been told they sell at convinence stores. When I'm in a Low, I don't have any desire to drink. I just thought this was very interesting. Drinking Alcohol May Correct Stress-Hormone Malfunction http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/36/12/20-a A new study has linked an abnormal response in stress hormones to alcoholism and proposes that for a person with alcoholism, drinking alcohol may actually "correct" the abnormality. The reward of a euphoric response to alcohol that most people experience is known to be related to the release of stress hormones. A new study suggests that people who are alcoholic may actually drink alcohol for its apparent ability to help correct a dysfunctional stress response. The study reported two significant findings: First, some patients recovering from alcoholism, even after prolonged abstinence from alcohol, continue to have a significantly suppressed stress-response system. Secondly, their systems appear to be hypersensitive to serotonin. The study is described in the May issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. According to the authors, some patients who are alcoholic respond differently from nonalcoholic patients to stressful situations that involve the brain’s serotonin system and may drink alcohol under stressful conditions in order to "correct" their brain’s response to the stress. Subjects recovering from alcoholism were given fenfluramine to cause an acute increase in serotonin activity. This was then suspected of causing increased activity in the subjects’ limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) axis—the system of interconnected brain structures that becomes especially active in response to stress—leading to secretion of the stress hormone cortisol by the adrenal glands. "Our major finding," said researcher Robert M. Anthenelli, M.D., "was that alcoholics who had been abstinent for an average of more than four months had a twofold greater cortisol response compared with nonalcoholics following administration of fenfluramine." Anthenelli, the study’s lead author, is an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and director of substance dependence programs at the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He said the finding is surprising in that it contrasts with most other published reports indicating a blunted or unchanged stress response in patients who are alcoholic, with shorter periods of abstinence. "We also found that the stress-hormone response in recovering alcoholics did not return to baseline levels as quickly as it did in age- and race-matched nonalcoholic control subjects. In other words, it appears that some of our recovering alcoholics had difficulty turning off the fenfluramine-induced stress response." While the authors did not directly speculate on the implications of the findings, other researchers have. "It is reasonable to speculate," said Stephen Woods, M.D., professor of psychiatry and of neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati, "that there are physical consequences of this." Whether the change in the LHPA axis is the result of prior brain differences or is a consequence of former consumption of large amounts of alcohol isn’t yet known, Woods said in a press release issued by the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse. "An interesting clue, however," Woods suggested, "is that the elevated cortisol response is reminiscent of what has been observed in individuals who have never before experienced alcohol, but who are considered at high risk for developing alcoholism. One possibility, therefore, is that the prolonged elevation of cortisol following fenfluramine is characteristic of certain alcoholism-prone individuals and can be observed either before they ever drink or after a prolonged period of abstinence." "We propose," said Anthenelli, "that this may represent a trait marker of alcoholism . . .that could distinguish subgroups of alcohol-dependent people or those who have a predisposition for alcoholism from people who do not." Woods thinks that the findings may suggest that the reason some people drink more alcohol and eventually become alcoholic "is that a ‘defect’ in their LHPA response to serotonin is ‘corrected’ by alcohol. If this were the case, then alcohol would have a greater degree of reward value for those individuals than for people who do not have the same ‘defect.’ " "Stress Hormone Dysregulation at Rest and After Serotonergic Stimulation Among Alcohol-Dependent Men With Extended Abstinence and Controls" can be accessed on the Web at www.alcoholism-cer.com by entering "Anthenelli" under "Author." {blacksquare} -------------------- Oregon 5-day work up 4/24 UFC 214 on 6/21 UFC 299 on 7/21 UFC 292 on 7/22 Cyclical Cushing's If it walks like a platypus, talks like a platypus, looks like a platypus, it must duck because it has a duck bill and besides, platypus are too rare around these parts.... UFCs crucial For Tyranny of the Jug Pee into the hat

Oh! We all are bloody-well boozin! (chorus from my favorite Victorian Drinking song.) One of my weird personal observations is that when I'm in a High I also want alcholic beverages. I mean, I almost crave them. I'm not now, nor have I ever been an alcholic, but I'm certianly predisposed to being one. My Greatgrandfather was, my grandfather, my dad and 3 out of my 4 sibs are alcholics. Because I've always know of my family history, and the possiblilty of being predisposed, I've always been very careful with my alcohol use. When I'm on a High, alcohol has little if any effect one me that I can feel. No Buzz for me, no tipsy feeling no nothing. As an experimnet I'm gonna see if I can find some of those personal use alcohol tester that I've been told they sell at convinence stores. When I'm in a Low, I don't have any desire to drink. I just thought this was very interesting. Drinking Alcohol May Correct Stress-Hormone Malfunction http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/36/12/20-a A new study has linked an abnormal response in stress hormones to alcoholism and proposes that for a person with alcoholism, drinking alcohol may actually "correct" the abnormality. The reward of a euphoric response to alcohol that most people experience is known to be related to the release of stress hormones. A new study suggests that people who are alcoholic may actually drink alcohol for its apparent ability to help correct a dysfunctional stress response. The study reported two significant findings: First, some patients recovering from alcoholism, even after prolonged abstinence from alcohol, continue to have a significantly suppressed stress-response system. Secondly, their systems appear to be hypersensitive to serotonin. The study is described in the May issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. According to the authors, some patients who are alcoholic respond differently from nonalcoholic patients to stressful situations that involve the brain’s serotonin system and may drink alcohol under stressful conditions in order to "correct" their brain’s response to the stress. Subjects recovering from alcoholism were given fenfluramine to cause an acute increase in serotonin activity. This was then suspected of causing increased activity in the subjects’ limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) axis—the system of interconnected brain structures that becomes especially active in response to stress—leading to secretion of the stress hormone cortisol by the adrenal glands. "Our major finding," said researcher Robert M. Anthenelli, M.D., "was that alcoholics who had been abstinent for an average of more than four months had a twofold greater cortisol response compared with nonalcoholics following administration of fenfluramine." Anthenelli, the study’s lead author, is an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and director of substance dependence programs at the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He said the finding is surprising in that it contrasts with most other published reports indicating a blunted or unchanged stress response in patients who are alcoholic, with shorter periods of abstinence. "We also found that the stress-hormone response in recovering alcoholics did not return to baseline levels as quickly as it did in age- and race-matched nonalcoholic control subjects. In other words, it appears that some of our recovering alcoholics had difficulty turning off the fenfluramine-induced stress response." While the authors did not directly speculate on the implications of the findings, other researchers have. "It is reasonable to speculate," said Stephen Woods, M.D., professor of psychiatry and of neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati, "that there are physical consequences of this." Whether the change in the LHPA axis is the result of prior brain differences or is a consequence of former consumption of large amounts of alcohol isn’t yet known, Woods said in a press release issued by the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse. "An interesting clue, however," Woods suggested, "is that the elevated cortisol response is reminiscent of what has been observed in individuals who have never before experienced alcohol, but who are considered at high risk for developing alcoholism. One possibility, therefore, is that the prolonged elevation of cortisol following fenfluramine is characteristic of certain alcoholism-prone individuals and can be observed either before they ever drink or after a prolonged period of abstinence." "We propose," said Anthenelli, "that this may represent a trait marker of alcoholism . . .that could distinguish subgroups of alcohol-dependent people or those who have a predisposition for alcoholism from people who do not." Woods thinks that the findings may suggest that the reason some people drink more alcohol and eventually become alcoholic "is that a ‘defect’ in their LHPA response to serotonin is ‘corrected’ by alcohol. If this were the case, then alcohol would have a greater degree of reward value for those individuals than for people who do not have the same ‘defect.’ " "Stress Hormone Dysregulation at Rest and After Serotonergic Stimulation Among Alcohol-Dependent Men With Extended Abstinence and Controls" can be accessed on the Web at www.alcoholism-cer.com by entering "Anthenelli" under "Author." {blacksquare} -------------------- Oregon 5-day work up 4/24 UFC 214 on 6/21 UFC 299 on 7/21 UFC 292 on 7/22 Cyclical Cushing's If it walks like a platypus, talks like a platypus, looks like a platypus, it must duck because it has a duck bill and besides, platypus are too rare around these parts.... UFCs crucial For Tyranny of the Jug Pee into the hat

welcome to the philosophy of the NSV! Huzzah!

I'm with Teresita and K@t! My brothers are jerks, the younger espeically. Of course, jerk is my younger brother as big is to Jupiter. I have nothing to do with them if I can at all help it. They know your weakness, and they know how to exploit it like no others. In like, you know their weakeness too. I'm sure they will really appricate you pointing out how old they are, and inquire if they got their ED treated... and how pathetic they have ED in the first place.

If RPG holds a special places in your heart, if WoW, AC AQ, D&D or Gerps have significant meaning for you, this link's for you! http://www.cruisegazing.com/RPG_Motivational/page_01.htm You've been warned!

Well done! What Skinny feet you have, too!

the only time I've ever had trouble with tortillas is when I was tooo tight. I avoid corn tortillas because corn makes me hungry.

Ah yes, "wife aggro" the bane of most gamers.

The lounge is for all "off-topics," as in everything not band or weight loss, and politcs can certianly be "off."

(sorry Celeste, gotta hijack real quick) Uhm MySherryjo, 42 is NOT too old for anything, it very likely could be the beginnning of your life. I recieved a fullride scholarship from the National Science Foundation when I was 41, left home and moved the exotic Pocatello ID to attend ISU. My mother, always the supportive one, said "they are going to waste that on a 40 year old woman?" NOTHING IS WASTED ON ME and 42 is NOT too old for anything. Heck, didn't you hear, the US Military reduced the recruitment age to 42.... (/hijack)

Oh you poor thing! Celulitus AND thrush? Yes, thrush is a yeast infection in your mouth. You can even get yeast infections in/on your skin! Make sure your yogurt has active live cultures, and possibly subliment with acidophilous milk or capsles.

Yay! I think hair left natural looks so much better then when we just let it curl or straighten it as it wants. Just me. Ok, the trick with curly hair is LEAVE IT ALONE! get a good defrizer it's a must! And oh yes, stress definately add to the hair loss! And I'm so proud of you for going back to college! I'm so sad that I'm not going back this fall. I don't know if I'll be able to go back this spring, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Congrats, I love NSVs! they give texture to our journey!

Hi there! Cushing's, in all it's many forms, is caused by too much cortisol in the system. Usually the ACTH and other hormones are also screwed waaay up as well. Most often, Cushing's is caused by a pituitary tumor, second by a tumor(s) on the adreanal grands, and less often by tumors in the lungs or other places. It has nothing to do with the thyroid. Thyroid issues tend to be Hashimotos or Nelsons, among other things. I have a pituitary tumor with cyclical Cushing's. This means that my tumor isn't always "on" it doesn't always secret too much cortisol. Sometimes I drop way too low, because I'm so used to have too much in my system, I get sick when it drops to normal ranges, or below normal. If you are interested in more information about Cushing's, http://cushings.invisionzone.com/index.php? for the message board and http://www.cushings-help.com/intro.htm

I sent you a PM ((((hugs))))

Yup, that's exactly right, cortisol is a hormone, and it's "supposed" to be produced by either the adrenal glands (on the kidneys) or in the pituitary gland (in the brain). And cortisol does have an amazing effect on weight, either gaining, losing or maintaining. It, like other hormones, also plays a big part on where fat will be depositied. High levels of cortisol will cause more fat deposits around the central trunk, just as estrogen causes weight to be distributed in the breasts, and hips and thighs. In addition ot large amounts of cortisol in my system, I also have "freakishly high" amounts of testosteron in my system. There is a reason Cushing's is called "the obesity disease."

peharper, you suddenly have solid material in your colon. It isn't that you've gained weight, as that phrase is usually known, but you've added mass to your system. Your body is doing exactly what it is supposed to. I know that it comes as quite a shock, but you are not "fatter." ((((hugs))) it is quite a shock, but relax, it's just the way your body works. I'm so very sorry to hear about your diagnosis Shelley. I wish there was something I could do other than offery my sympathy. Please know that all who read this thread will be sending you prayers and thoughts of health and healing.