Penni60

As most of you know Sept brought about the death of my step-father's Dad. Then Oct brought the unexpected death of my dear aunt. Well two more losses have come and I want the universe and the powers that be know and hear me. "I have had enough losses for one year." First, did I tell you about our coi fish? John needed to learn how to drain the coi pond cause it keeps getting too full. So he calls the Coi people. THey send a tech out, mind you he speaks very broken english. He shows John how to drain the pond then John demonstrates to the guy how to return it back to normal. The tech shakes his head yes. So John drains the pond some and then puts the pond back like it was before he started draining. He thinks everything is OK. He gets up the next morning and the pond is DRY and all our fish are dead. John told me about this the day after I got home from my aunt's funeral. It happened while I was gone. He felt awful about it and harbored some of the blame. I told him it wasn't his fault at all. The coi people gave us some (2 or 3) coi and GOLD FISH to replace what we lost. Can you believe they gave us GOLD FISH to replace our COI????? Then charged John $100 for two larger coi. I was mad. But John wanted to do that. OK I gave up the anger and gave into the loss. I was devastated. Two losses like that in one week was too much. But I got past it. Second, this morning Alicia, my daughter who lives in Clarksville, TN, calls at 5am my time. She was backing out of her driveway and felt a bump. She stops the car and notices her cat run behind the house. She goes and checks on him and he is coughing and meowing loudly. He, the cat FELIX, wants to go into the garage so she opens the door. He doesn't want her and Wayne, Alicia's hubby, to see him so he hides. ALicia goes back upstairs to call the vet, which isn't opened till 7:30am and it is 7am. SHESH!! She goes back downstairs and sits beside Felix. He lets out this horrendous cry like someone has sit on his tail. She pets his head and picks him up and he dies in her arms. She is devastated. She has had him for over 10 years. He was our family cat for the longest time then she took him for her own. He was such a great cat. He never ever hurt any of the kids even when they pulled on his ears or tail, and always knew when one of them was hurting and would go lie beside them. He was a great cat. I am devastated as well. I loved that cat. It is really hitting me hard. Too many losses in one year for me. To get through this I am going walking. I made myself a protein shake and will do my morning walk as usual. If I don't do this I will revert to comfort being found in food. I will NOT let something like a death undo all the good I have accomplished. This is gonna be a hard day for me. Thanks for being here guys and gals.

Thanks guys for all your support and prayers. Things are definitely better right now. IT gets easier every day. Thank you again.

Alex: I have not heard from him yet. He sometimes doesn't respond but just fixes the problem. If I don't hear from him pretty soon I will resend the email. Too weird that some have the option and others don't.

Alex: It all stems from our old way of thinking that we use other peoples opinion of us to validate or show our worth. STOP THAT THINKING!!!!! You are an awesome person and giving and a GREAT MOTHER. None of us NEED anyone to validate our self worth. We see it everyday in our children, our works, our values, our actions. IT is not GIVEN to us by other's opinions or perception of us. So go see these friends and put a HUGE smile on your face dress up and put on your best outfit and be the self-confident person I know you are. It is all in the attitude darlin. Ain't that right Lisa??

TannsGranny: Let me guess you are a granny? ME TOO!! I have 6 grandkids. How many you got?? Keep your chin up and if in my case keep the razor sharp to shave the whiskers. LOL!! Welcome aboard. Tell us more about you. Come on spill the beans.

Nikntyme: I live in Van Nuys so if you need someone to come be with you let me know. You can send me an email. Penni60@aol.com

If someone starts those threads I will sticky them.

Love you right back Pat, Teresa, Marie, Delarla, Donali, Michelle (both of them), Vera, Carol, Ryan, Jack, Ginny, Leatha, Babs, Megan, Becky, Betty, Blossom, and anyone else I have forgotten to mention.

Hey, just getting ready to be invaded by our guests for the party tonight. Now I learn the party number is down to 40 so that is better. BUT GEEZ!!! Then tomorrow night we are hosting a HOUSE CONCERT here for a group called "Dreamscicles" which is Tom Prasada-Rao and Cary Cooper, his wife. Really GREAT performers. Then Sunday I have a night to myself. John will be helping out at this awards show for Just Plain Folks (www.jpfolks.com). NOT AMISH!!! It is a singer/songwriter organization and I was the Los Angeles Chapter Coordinator for 3 years. ok that is my hectic weekend.

This was sent to me by a good friend of mine. I laughed so hard. Great Answers to some good questions. Health & Fitness - The Facts: Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true? A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it...don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap. Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables? A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products. Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake? A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the Water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up! Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio? A: Well, if you have a body and you have body fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc. Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program? A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain ... Good Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you? A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!!. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you? Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle? A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach. Q: Is chocolate bad for me? A: Are you crazy? HELLO ...... Cocoa Beans .... another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around! Q: Is swimming good for your figure? A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me. Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle? A: Hey! 'Round' *is* a shape! Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets -- and remember, "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - strawberries in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming - WOO HOO! What a Ride!"

Hey Lisa: Do you realize that right now you and I weigh the exact same amount? How cool is that? Of course come Monday all that changes. LOL!!! I walked this morning 1.5 miles in 20 min with John. WHOO HOO!!! Then came home and did some toning for another 20 min alone. John was pooped from the walk. We also had to do some house cleaning and straightening as we have 60 people showing up tonight for a house party. UGH!! Love you guys

Hey: Just had a delivery of our new coi fish. And guess what? Felix has been reincarnated as a fish. GO FIGURE!! He has a bullseye on his side just like he did when he was a cat. Same side same shape. So guess what the new COI's name is. You got it FELIX the fish.

Hi ya guys; Doing some better today. Not crying at the drop of a hat at least. LOL!! Got my sense of humor back. Went walking this morning again and this time John went with me. We walked 1.5 miles at around 20 min. So improved my time. Would have walked more but have a huge number (60) of people showing up at our house tonight and need to get it cleaned up. Will give you updates after they all leave. SIGH!! Pray for me. I wanna leave tonight and hide in a corner. LOL!!

Thanks Leatha for this info. I have stuck this thread. I had forgotten that I too belong to Obesityhelp.com LOL!!

Darcy: I love that quilt. My grandmother used to do quilting all the time. I would sit in the quilting room with her and listen to her sing hymns and sew all the time. I was in heaven. She is gone now years ago. But this quilt brings back those memories and I want to thank you so much for that. It gave me the warm fuzzy I needed. I can just hear her say, "Baby, git up off yer butt and quit feeling sorry fer yerself. God don't give you mor n you can handle." So thank you thank you thank you. If you ever want to sell that quilt let me know.

Zoe count me in for the Fat-O-Gram, Inc. I can advocate completely for someone else with no problems to the point of being a pest and getting answers and apologies. It is when it comes to my own advocating that I lose site. So we should make it a pre-requisite that every employee have a person they can call to advocate for them. LOL!! Love you guys

OK cowering in the corner sufficiently scolded. Thanks guys. I can feel the love all the way here in CALI.

Ryan, Michelle, and Vera Thank you so much for those inspirational words. I cried all over again. LOL!! Vera: Mom just had an upper GI done yesterday so we won't know results from that for awhile. She is scheduled for another colonoscopy (hopefully this one will be successful) on Dec 7th. I plan on heading there to talk to the doc for this one as well. She is in terrible pain and can't eat anything without running to the bathroom. I am scared to death what is really going on with her. She will at the least need exploratory lap done to see what is going on and at the most need to have part of her colon removed which may or may not mean a colostomy bag. SIGH!! She is getting weaker and weaker as the days go. Keep her in your prayers.

Lisa you always make me smile. Love you.

Hey guys, thanks so much for all you have said and the words of support and encouragment. They mean alot to me. While I was walking and crying this morning I was trying to decide why I was so upset over Felix passing. I came to the realization that it is like losing a child. This precious feline has been in our family for over 10 years. He saw me through alot of heartache and bad times. He would jump on my lap lick my face and snuggle against my neck. That always made me laugh. He was such an even tempered cat. My 2 yr old grandson would pull his ears or tail or leg and this cat would never ever try to bite or swat at him. He would just meow and move away from him. Let my grandson scream or appear to be hurt and he would be by his side to see what is wrong or to protect him. He was such a loving cat. He will be missed. Lisa, the Hot tub is broken. It has a leak so it is drained. Blasted $%^&*( thing.

Hey Lisa "relatively mild limitation of gastric distension at EG junction" just means that you have a mild swelling at point where the esophagus (food tube) meets the Gastric(stomach) section. In other words, you are stretching the esophagus by overeating but only MILDLY. The EG Junctions stands for Esophageal Gastric Junction. Now when the doc calls to explain this statement ask him if this is what he means? If not then I failed my Digestive Anatomy and Physiology class. LOL!! As far as "Normal, no leakage, barium moves normal, no esophogeal (doctor speak that I have to wait for him to call to explain.)" this goes it sounds as if he was saying that everything is fine. Didn't say what came after the "no esophogeal" statement. Usually it would say something like no esophogeal trauma or abnormalities, etc. Keep us posted.

The noise you are hearing is normal. Think of your pouch like a drain. When a drain is slow it gurgles so that is how our pouch reacts. It drains slow. LOL!! The pain in your port could be related to any number of things. You could be experiencing this pain because of any recent weight loss and the port needs to reset itself again. It could be that you pulled it some doing a simple act of lifting a basket of clothes. Nothing to get worried about unless the pain worsens to the point of sharp stabbing pains. IF that happens go to your band doctor. When you do go to your band doc next ask them to do a fluoro and look at positioning of the port or even a simple xray can determine the position of the port. In the meantime, a heating pad and taking some liquid tylenol for the pain might alleviate some of the discomfort. Hope this helps.

Lisa, in a state of depression right now. See my post "I've had enough loss in one year" and you will understand. I don't think I have it in me to do a challenge right now. I barely wanna do the exercising anymore. LOL!! I did manage to go walking this morning for only 1.5 miles. That is pitiful actually. I did that in 30 min. Which is also pitiful. I cried the whole way but no one knew cause I had on my sunglasses.

Okey dokey Marie, I will try to get in touch with Alex again and let him know there are still some people that don't have this option.

I have had my own experience with Belighter.com and it was horrible. I did not use them for my surgery. I called the facility directly and went that route. I dealt with these people regarding a different matter and both Anita Jordan and Anne Marie Tiesi were rude, obnoxious, belittling, inconsiderate, down grading to other surgeons, lied on several issues, and basically tried to make me feel like I was the dumb one. Those of you that know me know how well that went over. LOL!! Stay far far far away from belighter.com