http://banualkan.immensepots.com/ "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Emerson fr http://banualkan.immensepots.com/2008/11/24/gross-anatomy.html This past Friday, November 21st, I had an unusual experience but one that I’d had an interest in on behalf of a long time.  I went with my sister-in-law Megan to a gross anatomy lab.  She is in medical school right now as well as was able to take along one guest on behalf of this trip.  Since my wife, understandably, didn’t desire to go, I promptly jumped at the opportunity. Parker College of Chiropractic in Dallas is one of the few gross anatomy labs of its kind in the state (Meg can post a correction here on behalf of this or anything else I get wrong).  It is a state of the art facility that accepts cadaver donations from anyone.  After the study of the body is done, it is cremated as well as disposed of per the family’s wishes - either sent back to the family or kept by the facility on behalf of interment in a memorial to be created in the next few years.  Respect of the body is one of their foundational tenants.  In fact, at the end of a student has finished their 8 months of study, they are told the name of the body they’ve been working on in conjunction with the age, what the person did in life, as well as a few particulars about them.  The reason on behalf of this is they desire the student to understand the gift that this person has given them in education. I mentioned this is a state of the art facility.  Some explanation from their website …the College purchased 50 of the latest state-of-the-art cadaver immersion tables. These tables hold the preserved cadavers so when elevated, fluids are drained back into the tank, making the cadaver exceptionally easy to work on. Because of the heavy insulation as well as master crafting of these tanks, there's virtually no unpleasant odor in the lab when the tanks are closed. The thing about the odor is true.  You can’t smell anything until the cadavers are took up as well as you get close.  More on that in a minute.  We started off with an orientation as well as then an organ presentation.  We were shown lungs, livers, hearts, an esophagus, as well as brains.  Later, we were able to hold as well as inspect these organs.  The an estimated all fascinating thing we learned - if you were to spread out your lungs in pancake fashion as thin as you could get them - they would cover a tennis court (and you would probably be dead).  Amazing.  One of the an estimated all astonishing things we saw were two brains combined - one was a relatively normal brain that had some divets in it from dementia.  Aside from that, it looked as well as felt normal.  Then, there was half of a brain that had been decimated by Alzheimers.  It was astonishing.  The consistency was that of ground beef that you had purchased from the grocery store…loose as well as fragile. We then spent the rest of the time looking at as well as exploring 4 bodies…3 of them were older males as well as females who had died from cancer.  The 4th was also a cancer victim but a 49 year old male.  The skin as well as facial features were still on the cadavers…something that Meg as well as I didn’t anticipate until we noticed the nose, lips, as well as eyelashes of one of the females (face down) that we had been exploring.  There is certainly a funky odor when the cadavers are took up.  It’s a mix of formaldehyde and…I don’t even know how else to describe it.  There were a couple of times when I had to step away promptly as well as get a couple of fresh breaths but on behalf of the an estimated all part, I was surprised how promptly I got used to the smell.  Overall, I was just an outsider as well as watched amazed as the lab technicians requested on behalf of people to identify internal body parts as well as took questions.  I couldn’t take myself to request the only question I had - Do you have a contingency plan on behalf of a zombie uprising? One thing that surprised me was that the experience didn’t bother me at all.  I know everyone knows this but when you begin exploring a cadaver, you have to put yourself in the mindset that this is just meat.  That’s it.  No one is home.  They have passed over to a better place as well as are happy to be out of these fragile, diseased shells.  Aside from the initial - as well as very brief - shock of “Wow…these are dead bodies”, I approached the experience as a physician.  I marveled at the strength of the carotid artery as well as jugular veins as I ran my fingers along them as well as gently tugged at them.  I was amazed by the vast as well as intricate array of veins as well as tendons operational along the arms.  And I stared in wonderment as well as shock at a mass of cancer in the abdominal cavity of one cadaver.  It literally - at least in this state - looks like a clump of dirt. During the lab experience as well as immediately after, I kept thinking of when David proclaimed in the Psalms “I praise you because of the fact that I am fearfully as well as wonderfully made”.  Indeed.        http://banualkan.immensepots.com/2008/11/24/gross-anatomy.html Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:41:55 -0500 banualkan http://banualkan.immensepots.com/2008/08/24/heart-echoes.html I saw my doctor this past Friday as well as had an echocardogram. It was just a precaution since I’ve had high blood pressure the past couple of months. If you don’t know what an echocardogram is, it is essentially a sonogram but instead of watching a fetus, you get to observe the an estimated all important organ in your body at work. It was one of the an estimated all surreal experiences I’ve had. I had two things operational simultaneously through my mind. First as well as foremost, there's something about watching your heart do its work that is completely awe-inspiring. What made it even more incredible was when he turned on the audio as well as the room was filled with the sounds of life. But at the same time, it was a sobering experience to sit there watching this amazing machine that God has given all of us as well as to know that I would die if it stopped beating. I thought of my friend in Michigan who received a heart transplant 7 years ago to correct a congenital heart defect that claimed the lives of his four brothers. I know that he has watched his heart several times. And I know that when he has an echocardogram on behalf of his annual visits (the latest one was this same weekend) to the Mayo clinic, he sees something that an estimated all of us don’t see. In that blurry black as well as white screen, he sees a history of tragedy that goes back to May of 1974. And while I know that he shall at all times wonder why this happened to him, I know that he also sees God’s sovereignty in that screen. He is aware that in the spring of 1999, a young woman was hit by a car as well as he is alive because of the fact that of her heart. It was her heart that has permitted him to reside a normal life with his wife as well as two sons. It was her heart that has given him joy as well as hope on behalf of the future. The heart truly is a wonderful as well as fragile organ. http://banualkan.immensepots.com/2008/08/24/heart-echoes.html Sun, 24 Aug 2008 21:33:13 -0400 banualkan http://banualkan.immensepots.com/2008/08/26/engaged.html Once again…sorry on behalf of the delay but I have been very busy with another project as well as busy with dating. But I’m very pleased to announce that I am engaged (as of 12/15/06) to the wonderful Elizabeth “Libby” Warren. We actually met in a chatroom at obesityhelp.com (where I also “met” numerous of you who read this site) in September of ‘04. I used to sorta laugh at people who met online, but I strongly endorse it now. Online/Phone dating - when done with integrity - strips away the trappings of putting on a mask and, on behalf of obvious reasons, lets you be yourself. We talked every day on the phone from 9/19/04 until we met in person 12/30/04. And we’ve talked on the phone or in person every day since. Libby was born in Hastings, Nebraska but has spent roughly 11 years in Fort Collins, CO (with brief detours to Chicago as well as Colorado Springs) until moving to the Dallas area in April of ‘05 about a month at the end of I did. I wasn’t sure at first if it was destiny or if she was a stalker (those of you who really know me can tell when I’m joking), but thank God it was the former. The woman makes me laugh (which is cliched but very important to me); is beautiful; overflows with compassion; cooks (low sugar pistachio pudding is her crowning achievement so far); cleans; does laundry (will graciously do mine when I take it over as well as sighs heavily at the fact that I somehow manage to put holes in every pair of tube socks I own); puts up with me being a geek; loves her cats (but is more of a dog person as am I); loves the color blue; loves movies (Forrest Gump is her favorite; she won’t observe horror movies with me); loves music (Dixie Chicks); loves “Grey’s Anatomy” as well as “The Amazing Race” (yet rolls her eyes at an estimated all other reality shows); loves kids but shall admit when a baby is ugly (as some of them are); loves Diet Pepsi (Diet Coke or Mt Dew here); loves daisies (rolls her eyes at roses); loves playing games (card, some board, no mind) shot her first guns (.45 pistol as well as an AR-15) last year (not at me but with me); loves that I manufacture her feel safe (her words) even when I accidentally cut people off in traffic; loves laughing at me when I get angry at people in traffic (or anytime) which at all times promptly diffuses the situation; as well as finally, she is strongly loved by me as well as all extended family who have met her. She is in full wedding planning mode since I am leaving an estimated all particulars up to her as well as because of the fact that I am a bit of a caveman when it comes to that stuff. God is good as well as definitely has a sense of humor because of the fact that this caveman certainly doesn’t deserve someone like her! http://banualkan.immensepots.com/2008/08/26/engaged.html Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:05:40 -0400 banualkan http://banualkan.immensepots.com/2008/08/28/breaking-away.html Last weekend, Libby as well as I joined Ballys (along with her sister). We are both wanting to break away from this long plateau of weight loss as well as so we decided to manufacture a serious investment in that vow. Its not just on behalf of the wedding…we’ve decided that we require to stick with this working out thing as hard as possible. There are obvious limits to just walking on flat pavement on our own. Having three of us going combined helps since we are keeping each other motivated. We’ve been 3 times now but are going to go more regularly. We’re starting out slow (as our trainers have advised). I had my personal training session tonight as well as while light (compared to the grueling program my trainer in Michigan put me through while at my heaviest), I still paid the price. He had me do leg exercises where you stand with a huge rubber ball b/w your back as well as the wall. You slowly descend into a sitting position with your arms outstretched while inhaling as well as then ascend (pushing against the ball) while exhaling. After 1 set, my quads were complaining. After 2 sets, they were screaming. In the second break, he had me do some high leg walking to calculate the soreness. Then I did the 3rd set. After the first descent, it was like a vice grip strangled my thighs. He must have seen the look on my face as well as said “Stop!” as my legs an estimated buckled. I really liked my trainer. He has worked with a lot of post-bypass people as well as seems to have a wealthy knowledge of how to help these people lose weight as well as tighten up the skin. We spent a lot of time walking the rest of the training session as well as he had me do some other minor things, the an estimated all helpful of which were some light weight exercises to strengthen my rotator cuff tendonitis. Needless to say, I could barely get up my stairs tonight as well as at times, my thighs just seem to buckle on their own. The next couple of days should be exciting. http://banualkan.immensepots.com/2008/08/28/breaking-away.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:05:15 -0400 banualkan http://banualkan.immensepots.com/2008/08/25/pressing-toward-the-goal.html As you have noticed, I have been away from my posses blog on behalf of quite some time. If you are a regular reader - or have tried to be - I apologize. Part of it is life. I did get married in July, am enjoying my new life with my wonderful wife, as well as have another internet venture I’m working on. But I have promised my friends as well as readers that I would be honest here. And, the past couple of years have not been easy from a weight loss standpoint. I haven’t gone anywhere closer to “square one” but have discovered that the journey is certainly more challenging the further out from surgery you get. From a personal as well as emotional standpoint, I have still remained very happy. But from a health standpoint, I have had my discouragements as well as disappointments with my weight. My wife as well as I recently had a talk where we determined that we would be more vigilent as well as diligent about losing weight together. She knows I was having a tendency to beat myself up over getting lazy. A couple of years ago (I don’t remember the source but shall print it here if I find it), I read an article that talked about the philosophical impact that drastic weight loss can have on people. The bottom line was that there's a definite subconscious struggle in your mind on behalf of your body to return to its original condition so to speak. It’s an interesting theory, as well as I could endeavour as well as figure out why I’ve slowed down, but I’d be spinning my wheels. So on to the mental breakthrough I had. About 3 weeks ago, I was at a kind of church retreat, as well as the speaker was reading from Philippians 3. He read a verse that went off in my head like a rifle shot as well as I looked up at the title of this section of Scripture as well as it said “Pressing toward the goal”. The Scripture is not about losing weight, but I felt a strong urge to read it with my weight loss in mind. And this is what I read: I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection on behalf of which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers as well as sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past as well as looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race as well as receive the heavenly prize on behalf of which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I trust God shall manufacture it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made. (Philippians 3:12-16, New Living Translation) It was then I realized that I have nothing to complain about. For one thing, there are far worse things happening in the world as well as far worse things that could happen to me. My God, I’ve still lost 100 pounds. Actually, I haven’t had to go to my doctor in a while as well as never replaced my digital scale when it fritzed out…so I don’t know the exact number. I had lost 140 at one point as well as yoyo’d a bit. But my point is…it’s not easy to lose 100 pounds whether you have surgery or not. And I did it. I still feel great as well as am enjoying life. It takes reminding sometimes (from myself or my wife or both), but I have to recognize that I have made progress. This is a journey, at the end of all. I don’t know of any real journeys that are absent of road blocks, pot holes, sink holes, traps, as well as distractions. But by the grace of God, I’m going to manufacture it. And you shall too. If you’re reading this as well as find yourself in a tough situation on your weight loss journey, just remember to not get bogged down by the setbacks. I know that this is cliched as well as obvious advice, but it is also a very real lesson. Hold on to the progress you have already made! Or as Rocky Balboa would say, “It’s not how hard you can hit. It’s how hard you can get hit as well as retain moving forward.” Keep moving forward. Damn the torpedoes. P.S. - You’ll notice that this site has altered as I’ve moved it from Blogger to WordPress. I am still bringing over the old content (video, pictures, etc) as well as there are already new features here that I shall continue to develop. But I am back! http://banualkan.immensepots.com/2008/08/25/pressing-toward-the-goal.html Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:44:18 -0400 banualkan http://banualkan.immensepots.com/2008/08/26/metrx-protein-plus.html I’ve had a lot of bad protein bars.  Many of them have a chalky, sometimes bitter taste to them.  I very recently started eating Met-RX bars as well as was glad to discover that they don’t have this nasty taste.  Instead, these 3 oz bars are quite flavorful as well as low in carbs (7g), low in sugar (3g), as well as crammed with 32g of protein.  The Powerbar Protein Plus Carb Select bars that I also like a lot have 22g of protein. Met-RX bars come in 4 flavors - Chocolate Roasted Peanut w/ Caramel, Chocolate Fudge Deluxe, Chocolate Chocolate Chunk, as well as Mud Pie Fusion.  The Chocolate Roasted Peanut w/ Caramel is probably my favorite in spite of the fact that I haven’t had the Mud Pie Fusion yet. Definitely give them a try! http://banualkan.immensepots.com/2008/08/26/metrx-protein-plus.html Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:19:47 -0400 banualkan