SassySenior

Always glad to meet other aficionados of my guy, Ryan Tedder, and his band, OneRepublic. Love Runs Out is what drew my attention to the band. What do you think about their new songs?

Love Runs Out by OneRepublic

This is a serious issue with deep implications. I don't think it's the kind of thing you can figure out yourself, or even with the help of a few online friends. I believe the best way to unravel this whole thing and get solid advice is to see a counselor. Some will even do a voice chat with you before an appointment. Best of luck

I only wish this question came up earlier. I'm not sure I ever noticed my rings were getting loose. But the worst thing happened: my grandmother's wedding ring (24k, wide band) fell off, and I never saw it again. A heart breaking loss. My advice is get whatever you need to make them fit NOW. Some things you cannot replace and will break your heart if you lose.

Oh, this is right up my alley. At one point in my life, when I was in my 30s and 40s, I had a lot of "friends," I didn't really know the difference. However, my definition of a friend now is someone who really cares about me and will help me out if possible. I also have no family members either, and when I was younger I had a large circle of acquaintances. Wrongly, I called many of them friends. People often say you can tell who your real friends are when you really need them. In my 50s I became more needy because of a heart attack and cancer. Later I became immobile due to arthritis. Over time, only 2 people remained as my "friends." Sadly, I learned that neither of them really had my back when I needed a place to stay after being evicted. Someone, once said to me, be careful you don't blow everyone off because you may find yourself with an empty platter. Consequently, what I did was accept in my heart that I never could trust that they had my back. Instead of eliminating them from my life, I decided to accept what they had to offer and expect nothing more. We get along really well, and both of them do nice things for me and help me out if it's convenient for them. In my 20s or 30s, I would have blown them off because I am a giver and they're not. Neither are really takers, but both are selfish and self-centered. If my needs conflict with their life, then I am quickly put on a back burner. i come from the Midwest where people become close friends easily. Midwesterners bond with each other because of mutual dependency during the cold and cruel winter. I live in Texas now, and while my friends will do just about anything for a relative, no matter how distant, non-relatives simply don't count. One thing I don't do anymore, is accept people into my life if they're takers, haters, needy, angry or troubled. Life is say too short to be around unpleasant souls. Your friend wouldn't last more than one time with me. When you push people like her out of your life, you leave room and the motivation to meet and make new friends.

I reiterate what was just said: Have you tried swallowing the pill? Especially since it's in capsule form, I can't imagine why you would have trouble taking it. Capsules go down easy. If Effexor doesn't, I'd try putting it on a teaspoon with a drop or two of oil and dumping the mixture into your mouth. That should make getting the capsule down the hatch.. Extended Release pills are always to be taken whole. You can talk to a pharmacist about it. They are a great source of information. As with any pill, take it after eating unless directed otherwise.

It's even more important, but I understand how you feel. Tell you what ... I'll do it if you will!

I have long been a fan of the MGB, but had no insurance that would cover it. My dr. told me that after the Sleeve, nothing else could be done. How is it that you can revise to the MGB?

I think he's afraid you will become a hot chick, lusted after by a host of men, one of whom may capture your heart and steal you away, Men are very jealous creatures, after all.

Hello to all you youngsters. I am 68, got my sleeve when I was 67. I had a number of medical issues, any of which could have caused a problem with surgery. But no, nothing happened. With all the advances they've done in medicine, operating on a senior is nothing. So, don't let age stop you. Heck ... don't let anything stop you. Hop onboard the Grannie Express! Picking the right surgeon is key. Do your homework. Check the surgeons out. I knew my surgeon was one of the top surgeons in my area. A number of people tried to convince me to change to another surgeon. The one they were recommending was a frequent visitor to my surgeon's office, who has been called in frequently to fix what the other doctor messes up. I'm sure none of his patients know the truth. He's a nice, friendly guy. That's all they cared about.

Hey Guys, Shiki and I are sitting here watching American Idol. Shiki controls the keyboard by lying on it. So what I can do is limited to what space is left open. I can never figure out why he likes to lay on the keyboard so much. Except, there's a warmth coming off it. Anyway, between performances, I've been trying to update my online profile, What I can't figure out is how to copy my ticker from MyFitnessPal over to here. Help?

Yeah, it is a steep learning curve. The thing about the Sleeve is it is patient and persistent. If I don't learn the lesson the first, second or third time, the Sleeve simply resets and readies itself to repeat. I like your idea of drinking coffee before breakfast. I've been missing my coffee because I don't really feel like drinking after I've finished eating. And I, too, have discovered I do pretty well if I drink before eating. I don't guzzle a lot down, but I will take a good solid drink. Then wait 5-10 min. before eating. I cannot eat very much at one time. At 3 mo., I get in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of food. 1/2 a sandwich, no crust.Sometimes I have yogurt after eating. But I've gotten sick more often than not, so I'm gonna do away with that idea. The Sleeve works the way it is supposed to. It does not allow me to overeat (which was never a problem for me). It teaches me to start slow and focus on the important parts like Protein and liquids. I don't get a ton of liquid in, probably 40-50 oz. so sometimes I worry that I'll get dehydrated. But my nut says that's fine. We are all different, Lynda, and it's not a one size fits all surgery. I never had an ironclad stomach, could never eat spicy foods. Nothing has changed, except my weight. I'm seeing my dr. Wednesday, so I'll find out what I weigh. I haven't lost a lot since surgery, which is rather discouraging. Granted I did lose 70 lbs. before surgery. But only 30 or so since 11/1/13. I still haven't come up with a good diet plan. I didn't cook before surgery, and I'm not going to cook now. So I am still searching for the right food to consume. I'm even thinking of seeing if I can have food delivered to me from a store like Whole Foods. Of course, if I was rolling in dough, I could order from restaurants. I try not to do that because just once can ruin my month, money wise. So, hey, who else in our group has an opinion or something to say. Thank God, you did Lynda. I was getting so discouraged that no one posted, I was thinking of closing the group for good. I don't really want to do that, because every now and then a newbie finds us and is thrilled that we exist. I'm gonna keep on posting at least once a week, or more if others post and I want to reply to all. Oh .... one last thing ... in another group a guy posted that he had just bought a Bento Box with an integrated cooling pack. That is exactly what I need so I am on my way to Walmart to purchase one. They are located all the other lunch boxes are). Ciao!

Turns out that last Slime was what I needed. I keep remembering that -- it's hard to forget -- and I have not had a drink while eating. So no slimes since then. I did. however, still have some learning to do on when to stop and what choice to make. I didn't stop when I should have. So the dumping syndrome and slime threatened to visit. I said, "No way ... I am not going to let that happen." I spent the next several hours feeling very uncomfortable, wondering how long it would take for this feeling to pass. About 4-5 hours later, I thought, "Hmm" guess I showed them! The next day I could not make it to the bathroom before Gwenneth arrived most surprisingly. I'm trudging to the bathroom, thinking, "well, at least it's contained in what I'm wearing" vs. having my explosive diarrhea happen while I was still in bed. Yeah, right. I get to the bathroom and start to remove my clothes. Sure enough, a huge deposit - akin to if Mount Rushmore erupted - drops out of my pants and onto the bathroom rug. Great. I spent the next hour cleaning up this mess. OK. So I'm humbled once again. My choice was "vomit now and be done with it" when the attack first happened. Or wait and get rid of it in a more ladylike manner. HA HA HA Good one. Oh, yeah, it sure was ladylike. ROFL At 3 months, I'm still in kindergarten at the Sleeve School of Hard Knocks.

I'm 3 months out and feel like the biggest jerk on the planet for what I just did. I was hungry so I decided I would heat up a pot pie from the freezer. I figured I'd eat what I could and toss the rest. Ok ... so I'm happily eating away and then I decide I need to take a drink. (Earlier, my stomach was a little upset, so I had gotten a diet coke thinking a sip might help.) So I reach over, pick up my diet coke, take a good long drink ... never considering this was a bad ide...a for any reason. The result: First I started sliming, then it all came up. What was I thinking? Clearly nothing! I can't believe in one fell swoop, I forgot everything I knew about drinking and eating, much less taking a big gulp of a diet soda. I am here to warn you, if you haven't done this yet, don't do it. To say I feel stupid is an understatement. I've had a hard time breaking the habit of drinking when I eat. I think I need a neon sign!

Just had a weird experience. I drink Premier Protein chocolate shake. I had just picked some up at Kroger, and shook it a little, like I always do. Took a sip and ugh, it was lumpy. Initially I thought maybe I needed to shake it harder. But then I remembered that I've never had a lumpy one no matter how light I shake it. So I got one out of another 4-pack I bought, and same thing happened. It was clear to me that something was horribly wrong with this batch. I'm thinking about contacting Premier and tell them they should pull this batch. Have you had any similar experiences? p.s. Luckily I have some vanilla Protein Powder that I can make in the meantime.