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comment by OftenBen
OftenBen  ·  3004 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: August 24, 2016  ·  

Have a surgeon and a date picked for the neck-needling procedure, it will be after I come back from my conference next month. I should be more worried about the business end that winds up in my right ventricle but the actual procedure doesn't scare me. It's the 'getting the probe in' and the recovery that worry me. Unfortunately, I will be conscious for the procedure. How conscious exactly is hard to say, but the anesthesiologist seems content to err on the side of more drugs rather than less drugs in my case. To quote him 'If it were solely up to me I'd have everybody knocked out for this procedure. When you come up here for yours, given your history, I'll add a little dissociative to your cocktail and keep the ativan on hand in case it's not working like we anticipate.' So, conscious, but likely too zonked to really be aware of being conscious. Yay medical science. He was also very happy with my weight loss, evidently the difference between 225 and 185 is substantial, anesthetically speaking. It widens the margin between 'Enough drugs to make surgery possible' and 'overdose' by a lot.

Choir starts back up next week, and I'm super excited to get back into that pattern. I've missed the routine of rehearsal. We're doing Beethoven this fall, I think. A few collaboration concerts with the Detroit Symphony and possibly the Toledo Symphony again.

My date went swimmingly, we're going to get dinner sometime this week. It's nice to reaffirm that there are kind, intelligent women that I get along with, if nothing else comes of it. Still 'talking to' a few other women too, because that's just the reality of dating, but it feels dishonest to some degree. I'll probably just put the rest politely on hold until I get a better vibe for where things are heading.

I'm going to go to New Orleans for Halloween I decided. I'm going to roadtrip both ways, probably spend a night in Nashville on the way home. I'm going to try and see something spooky, visit the crypt of Marie Laveau, eat copious amounts of spicy food.





kleinbl00  ·  3004 days ago  ·  link  ·  

DUDE YOU LOST FORTY FUCKING POUNDS

That's baller. Mad props. Proud of you, son.

OftenBen  ·  3004 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Thanks!

I was remarking to ThatFanficGuy yesterday that '40 pounds' sounds a lot better than '18 kilos' so I'm going to keep using the imperial measurements.

kleinbl00  ·  3004 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I just realized you went from 20 lbs heavier than me to 20 lbs lighter than me while I'm busily peddling through 1300 miles and losing fuckall.

OftenBen  ·  3004 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I'd be super interested in seeing what your bloodwork looks like.

kleinbl00  ·  3004 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Three vials drawn Sunday. Benefits of having a Quest pickup box on your doorstep.

Doing a spit test today. Last time, my doctor called me up and said "not only are your cortisol levels the highest I've ever seen, they literally exceed the guidelines of the test."

Article in Mother Jones today against meals suggesting that fasting for one or two meals a day is helpful to your metabolism. Quoted a study with an n of 32. Speaking as someone who did that for four years, mmmmmyeah you don't wanna do that.

_refugee_  ·  3003 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Honestly during the big blow up last week in the Pubski, the word "cortisol" did cross my mind in relation to your experiences.

kleinbl00  ·  3003 days ago  ·  link  ·  

And if I were trying to have a discussion about my medical experience with weight loss, I would have mentioned it. Instead, I was off-handedly stating my frustration.

_refugee_  ·  3003 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Yes, after all the purpose of having a discussion in a pub is to socialize, not dissect.

goobster  ·  3004 days ago  ·  link  ·  

What does a phenomenally high cortisol level mean? Or possibly indicate?

kleinbl00  ·  3004 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Generally means adrenal fatigue.

indicates crushing stress.

nowaypablo  ·  3004 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Good news out the wazoo man, hella happy for ya.

_refugee_  ·  3003 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Yeah, 40 lbs is nothing to dismiss, Ben! Good for you.

OftenBen  ·  3003 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Thanks :3

_refugee_  ·  3003 days ago  ·  link  ·  

God I have less than that between me and my goal weight. I'm going to keep on being sick of myself until I get to it.