green

Wow! Total bummer about the Thai food. :omg: I am crazee about Thai cuisine. :hungry: I see that a few of you have been asking me for the latest news about the facelift. Thank you all for your interest and concern. I am starting to look much better and can actually leave the house now without attracting attention. My black eyes are almost gone and the swelling in that area is going down. My neck and jawline are looking pretty fabulous. I am still a little swollen around the mouth area and my mouth still doesn't work right; he gave me lips and did some of the stitching of my face lift inside my mouth. This means that it is a real ugly experience watching me eat or drink. I am only marginally more competant at this than a two year old. :phanvan They have removed all the stitches and staples from my head and around my ears but I am very scabby. I have orders not to pick as this will lead to scars but this is difficult for me to do. This has also interfered with me upgrading my dye job. My hair looks a little peculiar as a result. I guess it is hats for Green, eh. My face still hurts a bit and it definitely feels like it doesn't belong to me, a result of the severed nerves, I suppose. My husband is really pleased with the results of this surgery and that of the lapband which I had last Sept. Man, do I ever look different now! I went from a size 18W to a 12P or a 10R and from a 3X to an XL. And now I have a smooth and jowel free face, one with lips and cheekbones. I still need my tweezers and my reading glasses, though. I am, afterall, 58 years old. Only the surface has changed! :tired It has been an interesting experience to have had the experience of buying my way into the zone of cute. (Actually I couldn't have done any of this had I not inherited some money.) As many of you may know, I have been defilled for awhile (since late July, I think) thanks to the worst case of acid reflux. I haven't gained any weight since my defill but I haven't lost any either. I do miss being filled, however. A filled band gave me confidence that I wouldn't turn back into what I was. This is one of my nightmares. :Banane10: And may be the reason why I have saved my favourite fat clothes.

I personally found this article very interesting and it is being covered in the Canadian media. I found the comment that although the overall number of abortions has dipped from approx 46 million in 1995 to under 42 million in 2003 there has been no change in the rate of illegal abortions. The writers surmise that this is likely because many of the same countries who do not permit legal abortions also provide women with poor or no access to contraception. Indeed, it is noted that nearly 97 percent of all unsafe abortions took place in poor countries. Of course what these stats indicate is that women will choose to have abortions, whether they are legal and safe or not. What these stats also indicate is that women do feel trapped and burdened by their fecundity and they sure do need a way out. Birth control is the best answer. Access to a safe and legal abortion is also important; this is the only fall back or fail safe position for women. The statistics for Western Europe and North America are interesting. In Western Europe there is about 12 abortions for every 1,000 women whereas on this side of the Atlantic there are about 21 abortions. It is interesting to me that they make a distinction between Eastern and Western Europe with respect to these statistics. The researchers note that there are 105 abortions for every 100 live births. I had read years ago that the Communist countries had bankrupted themselves by directing their resources towards beefing up the military, investing in space research and star wars technology. This meant that civilian life was very grim and was filled with shortages. One of the things which was specifically mentioned was that contraceptives were almost impossible to obtain. Abortions, however, were easy to obtain, were safe, and were free. This is why women who lived in the Eastern block countries relied on abortion as their method of birth control. Interesting to hear that this is still going on.

I'll drink to that!

Yah, that was a big shock to me, too! I used to have such wonderful vision when I was young. :phanvan But I am now so reliant on my reading glasses that I can't even eat without wearing 'em. :help: I spend a fortune on them. :glasses And tweezers mean a lot to my happiness, too. :tired Thank gawd I don't have any continency issues!!! That would be the icing on the humiliation cake. Oh, ugh! ....to be continued, eh......

There seems to be some misunderstanding about universal health care. In Canada, doctors do get paid by the patient and by the complexity of the procedure. They are not paid a flat fee by the government. Doctors with a heavy case load will make more money than other doctors. Family doctors are paid more for a full physical than they are for a drop in visit. The difference is that instead of private insurance or the patient himself reimbursing the doctor/nurses/medical technicians and hospital/clinic/labs for their services, the provincial government does. There are both good things and bad things about our system. Patients with expensive diseases will never find that their insurance has been cut off, nor will they find that they must mortgage their houses and businesses in order to stay alive. Doctors here can order diagnostic tests and treatments without any financial interference from an insurance company. This, by the way, is what my brother has told me. He is a family doctor who has practiced both in Canada and the United States. Medical treatment up here is excellent if you live in a major city. It may be not so hot if you live outside. You should also be aware that universal health care is actually considerably cheaper on a per capita basis. Sometime ago I read that the country which operates the most expensive universal health care system runs this at roughly $2000 less than what health care costs are in America per capita per annum - and this figure is with millions of you going without any form of health insurance. This is the cost of the middle man, I guess. To be fair, there are also problems which we are encountering at the moment. Our population is both growing and ageing. No planning has been done for the increased pressures on our medical system. Older doctors are retiring and our young grads are choosing to go into the higher paying specialties and they also want to practice in the big cities. This means that there are a whole lot of Canadians who are currently without a family doctor to keep an eye on their health. What do these people do when they fall sick? They go to a walk-in clinic or the emerg of the nearest hospital. Then they find themselves waiting...... An additional problem is that while our medicine is up to date, I have read that it does tend to be less innovative than yours. Americans are more likely to develop new techniques. I hope that I have given you an informative and balanced overview of the Canadian medical system.

That sounds mighty fine to me. :biggrin1: I love to meet for drinkies and a band-friendly meal. :hungry: (I've never thought that belief or lack of belief was a reason to like or dislike anyone. )

I am an atheist. I find it quite impossible to believe in some sort of sky daddy. My father was an atheist and both my brothers were, too.

Good luck to you, Claramae. And :eek: from Green. Keep on posting. How did your first fill go?

The other folks who posted gave you excellent advice. Do join al-anon. You will learn a great deal about how and why the alcoholic behaves like she does. You must remember that alcoholism is a medical issue as much as anything else for it is a physical addiction. Many substance abusers start abusing because they have pre-existing psychiatric conditions which cause them to feel bad. Depression is the most common of these. Through their substance abuse they are in effect self-medicating. They do this in order to feel better. This works, briefly - and then things get much, much worse - and of course the abuser develops a physical need for her booze or dope. It sounds like your daughter is a mess at the moment and as long as she is a mess you will be unable to communicate with her. She seems to have a lot of anger which she has focussed on you. AA not only helps people to stay sober, it also helps people to examine the role which their addiction has played in deforming their relationships with their family and friends. If she can stick with the programme I am sure that you will have your daughter back. By going to al-anon you will meet a lot of people who have been hurt in much the same way as you have. You will learn not to blame yourself and you will lose the guilt. This seems like it will be a very healthy move for you, Claramae. Afterall, you have already got your band and by now you will have had your first fill and have learned that it is no big deal. You are already making big changes in your own life and that's a good thing.

Yep, we are moving into that cosy time of the year. (By the way, I am another atheist. How do I change my info in order to announce this?)

Sometimes I wear bare feet in my boots or shoes. This gives me the excuse to buy really good quality ones in order that I won't get blisters. Congratulations on your weight loss, Michee.

Oooh, I had a real lot of trouble with body issues and self-loathing when I was young. I finally got all that stuff sorted out and began to feel very self-confident and then a few years later I became post-menopausally fat and now I am back to sorting my body issues out all over again! Life continues to be a learning curve, eh.

Yup, but that is just me. :phanvan I just hate wearing shoes. I always have. I don't even like wearing socks. I own a pair of really nice down-filled slippers and a pair of sheepskin slippers but I almost never, ever wear them even though we live in an old house with hardwood floors. My husband is the opposite from me. His feet are super-sensitive and he always has to have them covered up. The soles of my feet feel like dog's paws and the soles of my husband's feet feel like the hands of a wealthy woman. :Banane30:

Those are brilliant! LOL! Thanks so much for sharing. :biggrin1:

Maybe this decision was based on the fact that they feel that many of the female stars - Julia Roberts, Gwyneth Paltrow, Michelle Pfeiffer, etc - are "ageing out" and all the young ones are a bunch of irresponsible drunks and druggies. Or maybe they mostly make action and horror movies, not female star friendly genres.

I would be inclined to confront him with what you know and see what he says. Then the two of you can figure out what to do about this situation.

I am usually very pleased with our system of universalised health care but the above report is absolutely true. There has been media coverage of this situation inside of Canada. I cannot understand why this serious problem isn't being fixed ASAP. Afterall, Canadians are having babies and some of 'em will be preemies.

I am not fond of fruity drinks; too sweet for me. I prefer scotch rocks or a very dry wine.

Congratulations, Bandiva. I think that you have done a splendid job.

Yep, the weight issue is a loaded one because on one hand we do want to lose weight in order that we can blend with the rest of the folks out there and yet we also do want very much to be liked, admired, and respected for the people that we are, and not feel that all of this will be given to us or withheld depending on this shallow business of how many pounds of meat we are carrying.

Ugh! I never thought of that! And my mum never learned how to drive so he did it all. :help:

My father was one of those Canadian snowbirds who was also the driver from hell. Riding in a car with my dad was a terrifying experience. :fish2: He never got into accidents, however. I think it was because his driving was so bad that other drivers stayed clear of him. :rolleyes

And in fact we save our best humourists for ourselves; we elect them into office. Come to think about it, you Americans do the same.

Ahem, it wasn't that they had to go to the USA in order to do something with their talents, it is actually part of the Canadian stealth invasion of the States. :heh: (Oops! Now I've said too much! Stupid Green....) :nervous

Hah! Green loves this song. She feels that encapsulates Kanadian Kulture in just a few witty verses. (Nobody understands Canada better than Weird Al and the South Parkies, eh. :heh: ) Thanks for finding this. :kiss2: