Frustrated

Try sleeping a little more upright. I found when I was having these problems, that the higher up my head was, the less likely I was to have reflux. I'm typically a flat on my back or tummy sleeper and find sleeping with my head up high uncomfortable, but it was better than choking 4 or 5 times a night. Also, Phyl introduced me to papaya enzymes. I would chew on a few of these during the day when I felt my bubble-maker start up. I don't know if it's related to reflux or not, but it seemed the same to me. The papaya enzymes would tame that. I'd also take a few before heading off to bed. I think it helped some, but eventually I did get some of my fill removed. If it's costing you that much each time though, definitely try what I've suggested to see if it calms down a little. It may just be a temporary problem and things could settle down again. *fingers crossed*

WOW! Congrats Denise. I'm sure you're just as excited as you are nervous. :biggrin2:

Good morning everyone. Just stopping by to say "hi". I don't have anything to say, other than I don't feel the presence of any demons. Yet. :scared2: Fingers crossed it'll stay that way for the whole day. OH. I did want to mention one thing. I've been making a more conscious effort to get my water in like Janet's been urging us, and while I haven't quite made the target goal, I'm getting closer and closer every day. Maybe today will be success day for me. :sad_smile:

:redface::tongue: Too funny!

I put it in simple terms. Anything I won't cry over being tossed in the trash, I'll take with me. So it's not really a break to your bank account if they tell you you have to throw out one or more of your cosmetics, unless they cost an arm and a leg like some can. If you've got expensive perfume, make-up or jewelry (not that I do) don't carry it. Who knows when they may decide you can't wear a broach or a hairpin.

In SuperTarget near where they sell the luggage and stuff, I've seen "travel packs" that is a bag with empty containers inside the correct size to fill with toiletries. I'm betting anything aerosol will be confiscated. Yeah, you may not be able to carry water through the checkout area. I think if you want it you have to purchase it once you've gone through. I've heard where they've asked women who have bottles of formula for their infants drink out of the bottles to show there's nothing harmful in them. :redface:

I can see a big difference in your face and your waist. Looking good Steph!

Good morning everyone, I'm feeling a little tired this morning. We had a big storm come through at around 3am with tornado warnings and once it woke me, I struggled to get back to sleep. The lightening strikes were pretty intense at one point. It was almost like one of those strobe light things from the good old disco days. And of course the thunder was rumbling constantly. So much so that at points I was wondering if it was that "a big train approaching" kind of sound that people talk about as a twister comes closer. So that was exciting. Kind of. Not the type of excitement I enjoy. I still did my morning exercise, even though I was SO tempted to come home and climb back into bed. I still am. Hopefully I'll be too tired to think about those "C" things. I'm not going to say the word today in case they hear me and come after me. :huh2: I'll have some soup for breakfast and then decide whether or not to climb back in to bed. I'll pop back in later. :biggrin2:

That's all that's saving me too. Nothing "bad" to snack on. I'm not confident my scales will thank me this week. Not with Aunt Flo due. But I expect that and will resist the urge to smash it into a million pieces and burn them till they cry if it delivers bad news on Saturday. :huh2: Guess who's PMSing? :tt2:

Thanks for working through it with me. I've just checked the calendar and Aunt Flo is due next week, so that'll probably count for the cookie craving. I may have an attack for the next few days until she arrives, so I need to keep myself busy. I've got a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle here somewhere, that should keep me out of the cupboards for a little bit. And there's always my books. I have plenty of SF gum in the cupboard, so maybe I should just chew on some of that to get me through when the cravings are really bad. I'm just thankful I didn't have any Cookies in the cupboard. The sensible me is the only one that's allowed to go shopping these days and won't buy them. I've gotten those 100 calorie packs a few times, but noticed I tended to reach for an extra pack or two when the demons pay a visit. So I stopped buying those. Sometimes I feel like a junkie. Not that I've ever had a problem with alcohol or drugs, but it's like I have this need and it SHOUTS at me to be satisfied. At least when you give up those addictions you stay completely away from them. Our addiction is food and we still have to eat. :huh2:

I made it too. My son came home from school and I got busy helping him with homework. Now the cookie monster is sleeping and I'm feeling better. And thanks as always Janet. :thumbup:

Yay! I'm not alone. An hour it is.

I want cookies! The only thing stopping me from gorging myself is the fact I don't have any here. :sigh::crying::glare: That's a good thing. That's a very good thing. I'm here because I need to be. I don't need the cookies, I need this forum. But I want the cookies though. I love the cookies. Cookies love me. No. Cookies are not my friend. Cookies will make me sad and mad. But they taste wonderful. Even my mouse pad looks edible! GAH!!!!!!! I hate the days when my choice of user name is appropriate!

Karri, your wedding pictures look great. Now that's my kinda wedding! I don't go for all the pomp and circumstance of weddings. You looked like you were both happy and enjoying each other. And that's really what it's all about. Congrats again. :biggrin2:

What does your son think of the diagnosis? Sometimes it's frustrating not knowing what's wrong with you. Then someone puts a name to your ailment and it's like "Wow! I'm not imagining things." But then it can also mean "Wow, there really is something wrong with me." So I can see how your son could have improved and gotten worse at the same time. I know he's a teen, and they only respond with grunts to anyone older than them, especially if they're related :ohmy:, but have you asked him how he feels about it all and the treatment plans the professionals have suggested for him? It could help you help him if you knew where his head was at. Just like at times our food demons can come along at any moment and control our thoughts, he probably battles with his own. Let him know you'll do what you can to find him the help he needs. And realise that help won't and can't always come from you, the ones who care for him the most.

I researched NovaSure and it sounds really, really good. I'll get hubby to take a look at it as well. Sounds like my kind of thing. Neither of us are interested in more children, so could be the way to go and sounds very straightforward. Thanks again mango. :Dancing_wub:

That was funny! I almost peed myself too. When I get my TT I'm going to ask for a "kitty lift" and a touch of lipo there as well. Mine doesn't sag. Yet. But it could do with a little maintenance. There's a little too much padding than I like, so while the surgeon's down there tucking my tummy in, he may as well lift and suck the other bits that need it. :Dancing_wub:

Both my parents are deceased and I'm the oldest girl, so I don't know when it'll be for me. I have no idea of my mother's menstrual history. She didn't share any of it with me. In fact, it was my father that gave me "the talk" about periods and sex and he was the one who took me for my first bra fitting. So it's always been a matter of "deal with whatever is thrown at you" kind of attitude for me. While I appreciate that my father went the extra mile for me, it certainly wasn't his role to do so and I tried to minimize as much embarrassment as far as female issues went for his sake as much as my own. Yeah, I have lots of mother issues. :Dancing_wub:

Thanks mango, I'll definitely check it out. There are times when I can actually feel the clots loosening themselves from the lining of my insides. It's painful and then all of a sudden the pressure just subsides, and sure enough a clot exits soon after. I had PCOS among other things going into this surgery and losing weight was supposed to help with that, as well as going on the pill. The pill has made a lot of difference because before I started taking it the pain was almost crippling and my periods were so heavy I was needing to change/clean myself every couple of hours. Getting up twice a night so as not to leave a puddle in the bed was the worst thing. Now it's more bearable and not quite so heavy, but once in a while still painful. I guess I've just gotten used to dealing with it. I'd like for it to go away, hence why I was embracing the thought of menopause. But not sure what to expect there either. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't. :purplebananna:

I had a better day today. A lazy day and took time out to slurp on a White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks. I enjoyed every mouthful. I spent most of the day with my nose in a book. Took my son to the pool for his first swim of the season. He's like a Polar Bear. There's no way I was getting anywhere near the water! No exercise for me today either. It's strange that I feel like I've abandoned my friend at the gym. My treadmill will worry about what happened to me today. :cool: I wore a pair of open sandals today (first warmish day of spring), and I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but it seems I've lost weight in my feet. :purplebananna: They weren't as tight as they were last season. So that was a pleasant NSV. Steph, yes you can lose "weight" in your gums, but that's not a good thing. It happens naturally as you get older, but a sudden change at a young age is not a good sign. Especially with the issue you're having. Don't forget to mention it to your dentist when you see him.

YES!!!! Sometimes I'll have a period every 2 weeks. Or I'll have a period when expected for about 4 hours and it'll stop. Or I'll miss one. :cool: I'm on the pill and it's meant to keep it regular. It did prior to my lap band but now it's hit or miss. The only thing regular about it now is that I get one during the placebo stage, but like I said, it could only be for a few hours. :purplebananna: But then I'm 44 and I'm wondering if I'm heading towards menopause. I don't even know when that's supposed to happen. Sometimes I wish it would hurry up so that I know not to expect anything anymore. Well, except all the issues that go with menopause.

Steph - is there some kind of "Substitute Teacher" list you can be put on so that you get called in every once in a while to stand in? This will allow you to teach when needed, but not have the pressure of preparing the classes and doing all the marking and testing. Taking a break is a wonderful idea and I agree that it would be good for you. But if the thought of giving up so completely hurts you so much, I would keep my foot in the door. That way when you are ready to go back full time, it'll be less of a shock to your system.

Thank you everyone for your wonderful advice. This really is the best place for me to be at times like this and even when I go silent, it's still the only place that stops me from going completely mad. I've kind of taken a good look at what I'm doing and not doing. Last month towards the end I really started doing a lot of cardio to try and catch up to my monthly challenge goal. But it made me hungrier. As often as I could I would drink rather than eat. When I really felt the food demon I would go to the gym for half an hour. But I find a glitch in my defense in that I was drinking a lot of Lipton Raspberry flavored ice tea. My husband asked if he could have one since I always seemed to be guzzling them down (he's good like that when he thinks something is for ME). Well it turns out that it has high fructose corn syrup in it, which was a big "NO!NO!NO!" ingredient when I was pushing close to diabetes. I thought I'd read the label on it, but I can't have had my glasses with me that day. I avoid anything with high fructose corn syrup like the plague as it sets off my hunger. :tt1: So this is probably the main culprit, although maybe not the only one. Still, fight one battle at a time. I'm going to make a more conscious effort with my water. I was substituting the tea for water and obviously it wasn't working. So that will be my main focus. I'm also going to take tomorrow off exercising. When I upped my routine over the past couple of weeks it was a good NSV. More often than not I feel so much better when I'm exercising. It sounds crazy and I never would have believed it a year ago. But now I know if I'm exercising, I'm not eating. So that's what was getting me to the gym more. But tomorrow, no exercise and I'm going to treat myself to a white chocolate mocha from Starbucks as well. I'm looking forward to that. :frown:

I've seen Rachael Ray (yep, Food Network junkie here) make hash browns and she's put the potato into a dish cloth and squeezes out most of the liquids in order for them not to be quite so mushy. So I'm contemplating doing this with the spag squash hash browns. If I can find them again. All of a sudden they've disappeared from my regular store. :tt1:

I'm here today. Been feeling a little down of late. I've hit a plateau and it's driving me insane. I still read, but haven't got the desire to post. I've increased my exercise time in the hopes of getting the scale to move. All it's done so far is increase my appetite. But I've stuck with it. When I feel the food demon knocking on my door I take myself to the gym and walk for half an hour. I don't snack at all if I can possibly help it. But it's driving me insane. I've worked really hard this week. Today is my official weigh-in day and I stepped on the scales and nothing's changed. :frown: I'm thinking I should get into some weights at the gym, but at the moment I'm under doctor's orders not to lift anything over 5lbs. So that's out of the question. He doesn't want me doing any upper body exercising at all. And I can't lift weights with my feet. Imagine how crazy that would look. :tt1: So the only thing I can do now is cardio, which is better than sitting on my butt doing nothing. But yanno, sometimes I wonder if doing nothing brings the same results as working my butt off each time the hunger hits! It's not an impending visit from Aunt Flo that has stopped the scales as she's not due for another 2 weeks and I don't usually get a gain until the week before, and that's only temporary. I'm not angry, I'm not really frustrated, I just feel pouty. :confused2: