Carlene

I developed a lot of acid reflux and for a time, I could keep it in check by not eating after 8 PM, taking meds, etc. Finally, though, none of that helped much and my lungs and esophagus were suffering as a result (especially my esophagus), and I had a CT scan and barium swallow study, which showed a dilated esophagus. So I had to be unfilled for almost 3 weeks and eat only liquids and mushies. Now I am being re-filled, but slowly. I have had one small fill and I hate this level of restriction. I cannot eat bread, but I can eat a lot of almost everything else, if I wait about 10 minutes after my first few bites. I sort of have first bite syndrome, only it's more like 6 bite syndrome. And if something gets stuck, it's hard as hell to get it back up. I have gained 16 pounds and it is so depressing. I refuse to buy bigger clothes, so my wardrobe is extremely limited right now. I have 2 pair of jeans that I can squeeze into, but that's about all, except for a few pair of dress pants that were loose as all get out last summer. I have been working out 2 hours a day, 5 days a week at the gym the last couple of weeks. Next Monday I will find out if it's done any good. I haven't stepped on the scale since the last time I saw my surgeon. I was afraid I would kill myself if I did....LOL My suggestion would be to consult your doctor. Find out if your restriction is good, per a fluoro study. Then, once that's tweaked, just suck it up and do what you have to do.....make good food choices and get some exercise. There is no other way. I have discovered, two years post-op, that whatever you did to lose the weight, you have to keep on doing or it won't stay off. Sad to say, but that's the cold, hard truth.

Here's a picture of the happy couple (and Lucy, the Shih Tzu). This was our Christmas card for 2006.

Thank you, Denise. You are too kind. I married a wonderful man in 2002, after being single (again) for 4 years. I was not even looking for a boyfriend when I met my husband, as so often happens. I had become quite reclusive, without even realizing it, and my kids nagged me to "get out" and "do things". I joined a support group for widowed persons, and met some great people, but I had to finally move on from that because if you don't, you become defined by your widowhood. I jined a singles group sponsored by my church and that's where I met Bob. It was so junior high school....he was dating someone else in the group when I first met him. After a year, we both resigned from the club so we could see each other without causing too much drama. Before Bob, I was the queen of first dates. I did fine that first time, because no one expects a lot at the end of a first date, but after that, things always got too intense, too quickly and I would jump ship as soon as that happened. I think the difference was that I knew Bob for a whole year before we started dating. The first time he kissed me was in the church parking lot! I heard somewhere that love is just friendship that catches on fire, and I think there is a lot of truth to that.

That is too funny! I once got into a discussion about root beer in a cafeteria line with a man from Canada. It was a brand he'd never heard of and he asked me if it was good. Of course, I was rattling on like the crazy lady I am, and finally stopped long enough to draw a breath. "Do you like root beer?" I asked him. "Not especially," he said, "But I could stand here all day and listen to you talk."

Add my name to the list. FF have been a big no-no for me since I first experienced good restriction. Since my recent unfill, though, I have enjoyed a few. Next Monday I get another fill (my second since being "emptied" almost 2 months ago), and thereafter I'm expecting to say goodbye again to FF and other things I have become reacquainted with. Ice cream was never off my radar screen!

I am not at all bitter, and if you think I am "unpleasant" because I don't believe there is EVER a situation that makes it okay for a 12 year old to have sex, then I'm sorry you feel that way, but I just don't. I have nothing against large families. I had only one, much older sibling and very few cousins. I always wished I had grown up in a large family. I was a widow with 4 very young children when I married a man with 2 daughters. They were very close in age - not more than 2 years between any of them - and they all lived with us. People would frequently ask us, "Are all these children yours?" I never could figure out why they thought we would take 6 kids out to dinner if they weren't ours!

Denise.... I can so relate to your situation. I was widowed twice! My second husband died on our 25th wedding anniversary. It's not very uplifting, for sure.

Not so long ago....only 13 years. My children went to high school with a man who is serving time in prison for having sex with a 14 year old. He was in his 20's.

I am amazed that the 16 and 17 year olds were not prosecuted for sexual indecency with a child. Was this a very, very long time ago?

I was wondering about that 12 year old, too. Was the father of her child another 12 year old?

Josie, that is sooooo great. I have one adopted child (3 more that I got the "regular" way). I am currently raising a grandchild. I had fertility problems for several years and thought I would never have children. I promised God, if he let me be a mom, I would never turn my back on a needy child. Now I am wondering if I am ever gonna be kid-free! LOL...

I never thought I would hear myself say this, but..... ANYONE WANT SOME cheese?

I wish that worked for me, Debby. I just bring the food into my home office and eat at the computer! Bad Carlene!

I am in favor of legalized, physician assisted suicide, but not euthanasia. I couldn't tell for sure, Susannah....are you saying you support so-called "mercy killing"?

I'm not hostile, nor do I expect everyone to agree with me, even some of the time. And thank you for your sympathy....I'm sure it's heart-felt and sincere. But please don't try and tell us you cannot believe anyone noticed your post. You obviously made an attempt at oneupmanship with your response to Musical's sarcastic post. Indeed, I think you are very proud of your repertoire of snappy come backs. You even made a point of posting this.... ...lest some of us mistake your "wit" for plain old bad manners. It is, as you pointed out, fine and fun to debate religion, politics, sex, and everything else in R&R. Jokes about killing people are not funny, however. No matter who makes them.....they are not funny. I think that if I had said I am opposed to the death penalty, except for Republicans, I would have received equally outraged responses. It's not about religion....it's about knowing where to draw the line and restraining one's self from crossing it. And yes....there IS a line. There is always a line. If you don't believe me, ask Don Imus.

Rest assured, Mark, that I would NEVER assume your offensive, tactless, tasteless remarks were anything but deliberate. And by the way....I've got your number. That's why I did not respond to your "kill the Christians" post with the kind of righteous indignation you expected/wanted. You HATE it when people don't rise to the bait, don't you? Write this down, folks.....the more you react to Mark's pointed little stick, the more he will poke you with it. Don't give him the satisfaction.

When I seriously feel that my religion has been ridiculed, I am not a bit bashful about calling anyone on it, and have done so quite a few times on LBT. But I knew from the get-go that Mark was being sarcastic when he made the remark about killing Christians. I agree that it was in poor taste, but that isn't the same as hate mongering. Lots of people are tactless, without being malicious. I think Mark is sometimes one of those people.

Hey, I'm used to it. I grew up Catholic in the Baptist Bible belt. If I had a dollar for every time some smug fellow Christian told me that I'm going to hell for worshiping statues, I'd be rubbing elbows with Donald Trump.

I was going to take the high road and not make any political nominations, but since you brought it up first.... The Shrubs....ALL of them.

I'm on board with Rosie (Although I loved her way back when....the original show when she was all sweet. Maybe she should have stayed in the closet.) Also Paris (gag) Hilton, her BFF Nicole, and Britany Spears.

Rape is not, to my knowledge, a capital offense anywhere in the USA. But be that as it may, the reason I have not spoken out regarding Mark's "kill the Christians" remark is because it's really not worth the effort to post a come-back. I rarely agree with Mark, but still...I am about 99.9% certain that he doesn't literally want Fundamentalist Christians executed for their beliefs. But assuming he does....too bad. It's not against the law to worship God in this country. PS....If you aren't adult enough to deal with a certain amount of profanity ("potty mouth people"), then I respectfully suggest that you are too thin-skinned for public forums. This board is way tamer than most, by the way, and I am extremely conservative when it comes to language.....must be my age and my Christian upbringing.

You cannot gain more than the weight of the item you eat. A five pound box of chocolates will produce a weight gain of no more than five pounds.

I think it's the subtle nuances that give it such realistic flair, don't you? The little kitty turds draped artfully across the edge of the pan are the perfect touch. Everyone who has ever owned a cat can appreciate that. They always manage to miss the pan and poop on the edge of the tray at least once a day!

NO....truly not. I don't do the cheese thing. I'm not the thread police.

Jasmine....(hijacking the thread here for a minute) I just noticed the line under your avatar...."I am what I eat". I once told my daughter if that's true, then she is fast, cheap, and easy....LOL