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Hi Everyone, I thought you all would want to see this. I pasted this from webmd. Weight Loss Surgery May Improve Memory Study Also Shows Weight Loss Surgery Does Not Have Negative Impact on Executive Function By Kathleen Doheny WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD Oct. 11, 2010 (San Diego) -- Bariatric or weight loss surgery may improve memory, according to new research, which also found no adverse effects on other cognitive skills such as attention or language. "Just three months after surgery, there was a significant improvement in memory function," says researcher Gladys Strain, PhD, director of research for laparoscopic and bariatric surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, who presented her findings at Obesity 2010, the annual meeting of the Obesity Society in San Diego. Obesity is linked with a host of health problems, including a higher risk of stroke and Alzheimer's disease, Strain says. Growing evidence also suggests that obesity is associated with problems in cognition. While bariatric surgery, such as gastric bypass, has been shown to be effective as an obesity treatment, its effects on cognition have not been well studied, she says. All major surgery, including bariatric procedures, includes some risk of cognitive problems, Strain says. Patients may worry about the effects anesthesia has on their thinking skills. Nutritional deficiencies after surgery may boost the risk of cognitive performance problems, she says. Some previous research by others found that bariatric patients who become Vitamin deficient can suffer memory loss and other cognitive problems. Bariatric Surgery and Cognition Strain compared 120 patients who had bariatric surgery as participants in the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, with 60 obese patients who did not have the surgery. While the groups were similar in age, Strain says their body mass index (BMI) differed, with the non-surgery group having lower, or healthier, BMIs. Most surgery patients had gastric bypass, while a handful had the banding procedure. Both groups took a battery of computerized cognitive tests at the start of the study and then 12 weeks later, after the surgery had been done. Strain tested four skills: attention, executive function, memory, and language. Executive function refers to a set of abilities that regulate other abilities, such as being able to think abstractly. For attention, executive function, and language, "there were no changes during that three months," she says of the patients. But the surprise was the improvement in memory among the surgery patients, an improvement not found in the comparison group. Memory skills tested including learning, short-term recall, long-term recall, and recognition. "Postoperative changes may be associated with cognitive benefit," Strain says. A patient may or may not notice the memory improvement, she tells WebMD, as it may be modest. Exactly why the surgery improved memory isn't clear, she says. One possibility is the resolution of depression. "Bariatric patients have an increased incidence of depressive disorders and anxiety and sedentary lifestyles," she says. As they lose weight, that depression may lift, perhaps explaining the improvement in cognitive skills, she says. She says more research is needed to focus on the exact mechanisms. Ideally, she would like to test patients for longer intervals after surgery. 4 Top PicksWhat Are Your Diet Pitfalls? Teen Girls and Dieting: What You Should Know 11 Nutrition Tips for People With COPD Probiotic Foods: Should You Be Eating Them?

My labs were great! Fasting glucose 87, A1c 4.9, BP 120/80 and no deficiences. This is definitely worth it.

I've got 'em. I put some clothes on today and pants are getting saggy in the crotch. I put on a favorite shirt and now my bra shows under the arms. Time for a trip to the goodwill. Hurray! Looks like I may need medium shirts now and size 10 or 8(!) pants. La dee da.

Hmm, boxer shorts fitting like a glove? Now that's giving me a vivid image! Congratulations.

BJean, since I'm only 5'2", I'm more like those cute little specialty bananas than I am like a full sized Chiquita banana from the grocery store. :-)

5'2"

Sharon, I agree. After a certain age, super-thin does look gaunt. Right now my BMI is 26.something which isn't too thin by any means. Plus my face is naturally full, so my face doesn't look gaunt unless I'm emaciated. I'm soon to 48, so I do think about what will look good on me at this age. I have to balance that with what I need health-wise. I'm kind of banana shaped (thicker legs than apple-shaped folks but definitely no pear) so my waist is thick. Actually, think of a banana with big boobs and you'll have my general proportions. It isn't healthy to have a big waist so I may go below BMI 25. We will see.

I was exhausted at week 6 but started feeling myself about week 8. I am about week 13 now and feel great.

I have family in Ohio, so I considered going there for surgery. I wasn't impressed with the offerings there. First, the price quoted to me was high (23K) and the Dr. (Meyer, I think) didn't have a lot of experience. If you have insurance coverage, the price might not be a deterrent, and we all have different requirements as far as how much experience we are comfortable with. I almost went with Dr. Mark Pleatman in the Detroit area. He is very experienced but rubs some people the wrong way. I spoke to him on the phone and really liked him, but I come from a family of plain speaking (read: tactless) scientists, so his manner struck me as honest. His fees are very inexpensive. I ended up not having the surgery with Pleatman because I didn't have anyone to accompany me there. If you search messageboards for Pleatman, you'll see that people have strong feelings about him, both positive and negative. He does have some people suing him for malpractice but I don't find that surprising. First of all, surgeons get sued a lot, and second, if you're blunt, you tend to piss people off. A word about experience: lots of people have good luck with a relatively inexperienced surgeon, but it is true, statistically, that all sorts of complications go down after a surgeon has completed about 300 laparascopic VSGs. I'm a single parent, so I looked for the most experienced surgeon I could find. I almost went to Cirangle/Jossart in San Francisco, but again had trouble finding someone to go with me. Finally I opted for Toby Broussard in OK because he had lots of experience and I had family there. Good luck finding a surgeon.

Yesterday, one of my co-workers, a sweet man really, told me "don't lose too much weight." I'm kind of flabbergasted. So I know he meant well, but I don't want the weight police on me now any more than I did when I was heavy. I am about 10 lbs from a healthy BMI but was considering lowering my goal weight a bit (10 more lbs?) to give me some wiggle room since some weight gain is common in years 2-5. Now I feel like I'll need to wear bulky clothes to hide me weight loss. Sheesh. I know people mean to be supportive but I don't really like them critiqing my size.

I think it's unlikely to be a leak this late out. An abcess is possible but they are pretty rare. If it were me, I'd probably get it checked out just to be sure. Peace of mind is a wonderful thing.

I guess this is a P.S. I was hesitant to come out on this board too. Finally I came out on this sub-forum and it turned out that I was coming out to nearly everyone on the board. Lots of non-GBLT folks read this forum. Everyone has been very supportive. If someone has a problem with my sexuality, they've stayed in their homophobe closet. Now that's a happy turnaround.

Yes, the queers are here. I was sleeved in late June and I now have a BMI of 26.something. It's awesome. My gay friends have responded much like my straight friends: afraid at first but now supportive. My best gal pal (but not girlfriend) has been consistently telling me how hot I look. It rocks! Welcome.

Stacey, sorry to hear you are feeling punky. I think it's the thyroid giving you problems and it may be messing with your moods too. Start them meds! quote name='stcyt' timestamp='1286550326' post='84269'] Hi all... its been a while since I've posted... I hope everyone is doing great and rocking their sleeves!!! I have been feeling a little (alot) defeated lately and I figured I'd post since you guys always seem to lift me out of my funk with your wise words. So... about 3 weeks ago I had 18 lbs to go till goal.... today I have 22 lbs to go till goal. I am feeling very much like I did pre surgery.... like I will spend the rest of my life trying to get these 20 lbs off. Its so discouraging. I don't want to go down this road. Heres whats been happeneing. I have lost at an incredibly slow rate. Last month 3 lbs only. I eat only lean meets, veggies, greek yougart, and limited fruit. I work out HARD 2x per day. 3 weeks ago I contracted one of those bacteria resistant bugs in the form of a UTI. Its been very unpleasant and I am currently taking tow different antibiotics and have been through a course of two others. Between the UTI and the high doses of antibiotics... I just haven't felt like working out. I figured that maybe I wouldnt loose weight.... but if I continued to eat correctly I at least wouldnt gain (I plan on returning to my work out regemine when I can) Also..... my Dr says I have hypothyroidism and wants to start meds soon... I"m hoping that will help. Every morning I get up and see the scale has eaked up just a bit once again.... I'm scared.... I'm so happy I had this surgery... I have lost 40lbs and feel great.... but I really want to hit GOAL!!!! thanks for your encouragement stacey

I use artificial sweeteners because I had pre-diabetes before the sleeve and I have to be careful with carbs. Also, I like sugar better than crap (read: artificial sweeteners) so it keeps my sweets-demon in check. It keeps me from consuming lots of empty calories. All that being said, I'm aware that artificial sweeteners are "frankenfood" and potentially harmful. If you can use them responsibly, then go for it. I seem unable to use sugar responsibly :-(.

Great posts. I would like to add something to Maddie's explanation of stalls. The liver makes glycogen (read: stored glucose) in order to keep blood glucose levels steady. The liver doesn't convert fats into gycogen though, it either needs carbs or protein. This is why keeping our protein up is so important. Our muscles and brain run on ketone bodies (which do come from fat metabolism) and glucose. If we don't have enough protein to synthesize the glucose we need, our bodies will break down muscle. Not what we want.

Here I am thinking I'm hot sh*t wearing my size 10s, when I decide to try on one of my mom's suits from the late 60s. My mom was about as tall as me and weighed from 125 to 140 at different times. The jacket fit but I couldn't button the skirt without creating a muffin top (and possibly a stricture of some sort). Ok, I think, about 7-10 pounds more for this suit to be comfortable. Then I look at the label: size 12. That means that in 1960s' sizes, I'd be wearing a size 14 now. Wow. Then I remember that I wore 13s and 14s in high school and I weighed 130 lbs. So when they tell us that Marilyn Monroe wore a 12, really it probably was an 8 by 2010 standards. Along with supersizing our meals, they've supersized our clothes.

Dang, now you've got that dumb John Lennon song going thru my head!

I'm evil. I'd send the nurse the NIH guidelines in an outrageously nice and edifying letter. Passive-aggressive? Yes, but deeply satisfying.

Most dietary calcium is absorbed in the small intestine and transported in the bloodstream bound to albumin, a simple Protein . Because of this method of transport, levels of albumin can also influence blood calcium measurements. Calcium is deposited in bone with phosphorous in a crystalline form of calcium phosphate. Read more: Calcium - effects, food, nutrition, deficiency, needs, body, diet, absorption, protein, fat, Vitamin, weight, Vitamins, Deficiency and Toxicity, Requirements and Supplementation http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Ca-De/Calcium.html#ixzz114yMPHY5 I think your friend is full of doo-doo. Ask her where she got this info.

Well, I weighed myself at the gym yesterday afternoon and wasn't happy with the results. I thought my...um...constipation might have something to do with it. I took the laxative and it had its desired (plus) effect. I weighed again today first thing after riding my bike to the gym. I was wearing lighter weight clothes today as well. Hmmm, I don't know if I'm making things better or just digging the hole deeper. Probably TMI.

All better now. It was 40 minutes of hell and then a hot bath and it was over. Today I am 3 pounds lighter!! Ha!

Do not, for any reason, take three laxative pills instead of two in order "to speed things up," even if, in the past, at least 2 doses 12 hours apart were necessary to get things moving. DO NOT DO IT. That is all, thank you. (entire post written in the bathroom)

I am very sensitive to nickel. I can only wear 18K gold jewelry or surgical grade titanium. The staples haven't bothered me a bit.

I talked to my 7 year old before the surgery. I told him I was having surgery to shrink my stomach to help me lose weight. I didn't tell him about my fears; I just quietly wrote a will and kept a brave face. I've explained more since when he has questions. Surgery was during the summer for me.