Some cool weight loss images:
Bibi
Image by gwilmore
Strictly speaking, a pet, once lost, cannot be replaced; we can merely acquire a new one, who will have a unique personality all its own and make its own special contribution to our lives. So it has been with me. I post this image more than three weeks after the tragic loss of all three of my birds, for whom I continue to mourn while knowing that life must go on and I cannot bring them back.
Much more will be said about my two new birds, since acquired, but this is the only image I will be posting today. This is Bibi, who is about four months of age. I believe she is female, but that is uncertain, and I am awaiting the results of DNA testing to establish the bird’s gender once and for all. That element of uncertainty partly explains the newcomer’s name. Bibi sounds feminine enough, but if "she" turns out to be a "he" — well, the current prime minister of Israel is nicknamed Bibi, so the name will continue to fit and will not need to be changed.
Bibi became sick and lethargic after I brought her home, and for a time I was afraid I might end up losing her, too, which would have been yet another heartbreaking misfortune, compounded this time by the fact that she and I bonded with each other almost immediately. I took her to the vet a few days before the end of the year, where she was examined and determined to be suffering from a gastrointestinal infection, and possibly chlamydia as well. (The veterinarian told me that she was almost certainly infected at the pet store while in close contact with other birds, and not because of anything I or anyone in my family might have done.) On the day after Christmas I purchased another cockatiel, named Sophie, about which more later; but I took both birds to the vet at the same time and both are being treated, even though Bibi is the only one who has shown any signs of illness. But the good news is that Bibi is now feeling and acting much better. I took this picture at the animal clinic late yesterday during a follow-up visit, of which there will be one more next week and another the week following. Bibi has gained weight and perked up considerably, as evidenced by the impromptu concerts and recitals with which she now enjoys entertaining us. Bibi, a remarkably sweet and affectionate little bird, is quiet and docile about 95 percent of the time; but during the other 5% or so, her vocalizations could probably burst the eardrums of anyone who happens to be within about a five-foot radius.
I took some pictures of Sophie during this same visit, but those will not be posted until at least tomorrow. So stay tuned.
Success: After Weight Loss Surgery 2008 – Charlotte, NC
Image by kevin_d_old
Taken at the 2008 "Success: After Weight Loss Surgery" conference in Charlotte, NC hosted by Southeast Bariatrics in association with www.band2gether.net.