I’m home finally…You know it’s not going to be a good office visit when first you see the Lab technician and she goes you have lost weight and then I see my Doctor and he says I look puny…Ok people I get it, I look horrible but I’m coming to visit a Doctor’s office cause I’m sick…Where does it say that I have to make myself up…LOL..

The nurse called me in today since I have been having some complications from Vitamin D and wanted to check my Potassium and Magnesium levels…The good news is that they are fine, nothing to low…Which is good for me and I don’t have to add another thing to take…But the bad news is that they are having me come back in after the holidays to check my bone density levels…Why you might ask…Well my left shoulder keeps coming in and out and they are afraid that I’m losing bone mass…Which wouldn’t surprise me any…

Now you might say that I’m doing something wrong and that is so not the case…My body can’t take large dosages of Vitamins…And that’s why I have questions about all of these recommendations for Gastric Bypass patients cause everyone is different…What might work for one might not the other…When I asked him if I am losing bone mass what needs to be done and he said to do Reclast but then forgot that I have trouble with my veins… That is the problem I asked someone for a solution and no one knows what to do…

I wanted to take this time and tell everyone of my readers, how much I appreciate all of you…I started this journey never realizing how I would impact some of your lives…But in all honesty it is the readers who bring me the greatest joy each and every day…Without you I don’t know where I would be today…It’s a relief to express my feelings and have people who care enough to let me vent…

Never forget how much I care deeply for all of you…

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas…

With Love,
Heather aka”Berrigirl”

Alzheimer’s risk linked to level of appetite hormone

High levels of a hormone that controls appetite appear to be linked to a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, US research suggests…
The 12-year-study of 200 volunteers found those with the lowest levels of leptin were more likely to develop the disease than those with the highest.
The JAMA study builds on work that links low leptin levels to the brain plaques found in Alzheimer’s patients.
The hope is leptin could eventually be used as both a marker and a treatment.
The hormone leptin is produced by fat cells and tells the brain that the body is full and so reduces appetite. It has long been touted as a potential weapon in treating obesity.
But there is growing evidence that the hormone also benefits brain function.
Research on mice - conducted to establish why obese patients with diabetes often have long-term memory problems - found those who received doses of leptin were far more adept at negotiating their way through a maze.
The latest research, carried out at Boston University Medical Center, involved regular brain scans on 198 older volunteers over a 12-year period.
A quarter of those with the lowest levels of leptin went on to develop Alzheimer’s disease, compared with 6% of those with the highest levels.
“If our findings our confirmed by others, leptin levels in older adults may serve as one of several possible biomarkers for healthy brain ageing and, more importantly, may open new pathways for possible preventive and therapeutic intervention.”
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said: “Previous studies have shown that obesity in mid-life is associated with an increased risk of dementia, but this new research suggests that leptin might have a role to play.
“There is evidence that leptin has functions in the brain - further studies in this area could lead to the possibility that this hormone plays a role in new treatments for Alzheimer’s.”
Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, described the research as “important”.

She said: “Further investigation is now needed to understand this relationship.
“This could move us closer to understanding the causes of the disease and provide vital information for drug development.”
There are currently 700,000 people in the UK living with dementia

BBC News Reported 12/17/09

I have had RNY almost 6 years ago this March…But one problem I have had is that I have always seen myself as the 300 lbs girl…I mean one reason why I got this surgery was because I wanted to look like all the Models or Celebrities I saw in the magazine’s that I looked at everyday for 25 years…When you look at those sort of things it kinda brings your self esteem down even lower…And of course I always that thought is what guys would prefer…Not someone who looked like me…

Well now that I’m skinny I look at these Models and Celebrities and think your not as skinny as I thought…And it’s not that big of a drawl for me anymore…I have come to realize that most men like girls with a little junk in their trunk…But I put myself down so much that I had this perception that I was never good enough…And you know what it’s not about what I look like it’s about how I treat others and it always has been…

Just curious if anyone else has had this issue? For quite some time my back bones have popped in and out and now my right shoulder blade has popped out of place and it hurts like you wouldn’t believe…Is this just me or does anyone else have this problem? I don’t know if this is because I was so heavy, and now not having that weight there has caused my bones to not be as strong as they once were…

This all started Saturday night when I was getting out of the bath tub, all of a sudden I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder blade that also felt as if it was going into my chest…That night my husband kept trying to put ointment on my back to relieve the pain but unfortunately it didn’t relieve it…As I’m sitting here typing this I’m still in excruciating pain and really don’t want to call my doctor for this…To me sometimes I feel like a hypochondriac and don’t want to call him for every ache and pain…Hopefully this will go away soon…

Sleep well,
Berrigirl