Month: September 2006

Using Software for Home Improvement

Here s the experience of a satisfied user of a major home improvement software package:

When my husband and I started considering remodeling our home, we turned to local designers and contractors for consultation and estimates. Not only was I disappointed to discover the estimates were coming back way over our budget, but that the designers lacked imagination! So we decided to tackle the project on our own.

After a much investigation I decided that Broderbund’s 3D Home Architect Deluxe V3.0 (3DHAD) would best meet our needs. I also purchased a similar software application by This Old House, but never opened it since Broderbund’s product worked so well for us.

3DHAD proved to be an invaluable resource in preparing to tackle the job of remodeling on our own. We were able to, after some gruelling hours measuring and re-measuring, make a complete model of our home and view it from many different perspectives. Then in a separate file we started our adventure and explored countless possibilities, adding on and moving walls and furniture, and discovering lots of alternatives for each remodeling project.

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An overview of Gastric Bypass surgery

Gastric bypass surgery is in the news constantly, it seems, but the facts aren t always there. WebMD.com offers these comments on this radical procedure.

Overview of Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery makes the stomach smaller and allows food to bypass part of the small intestine. You will feel full more quickly than when your stomach was its original size, which reduces the amount of food you eat and thus the calories consumed. Bypassing part of the intestine also results in fewer calories being absorbed. This leads to weight loss.

The most common gastric bypass surgery is a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

In normal digestion, food passes through the stomach and enters the small intestine, where most of the nutrients and calories are absorbed. It then passes into the large intestine (colon), and the remaining waste is eventually excreted.

In a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the stomach is made smaller by creating a small pouch at the top of the stomach using surgical staples or a plastic band. The smaller stomach is connected directly to the middle portion of the small intestine (jejunum), bypassing the rest of the stomach and the upper portion of the small intestine (duodenum).

This procedure can be done by making a large incision in the abdomen (an open procedure) or by making a small incision and using small instruments and a camera to guide the surgery (laparoscopic approach).

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