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@MusicCandy @SadMe70 A place to communicate

SadMe70 November 10th, 2016

@MusicCandy Hello! I have to get ready for work but will post more later!

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SadMe70 OP December 23rd, 2017

I had the endoscopy and colonoscopy yesterday. They biopsied my esophagus, stomach lining (which is inflamed and probably why I am having the pain and upset), and duodenum. I had a polyp in my stomach and one in my colon, both removed, so I'll have lots of pathology reports at my follow-up visit on Jan 16. I also have diverticulosis, which I did not know. I am glad that step is over, and I hope the stomach inflammation is not anything too awful.

I sent most of my Christmas cards out this week. There are a couple I want to write notes in so I kept those. Hopefully I will actually get around to writing the notes and sending those out sometime before New Years! We are heading to VCU to pick up my son today. His gf is actually coming Sunday night to stay a few days with us. My older son will spend Christmas Eve night here. I am looking forward to those couple of days very much!

How is your daughter feeling? I hope she is doing better now and will feel good for Christmas!

I have been eating lots of treats already and that is going to continue through New Years. I am not getting in all my exercise either, so I will have a project on my hands come Jan 2! Sounds like you have the inside scoop on the treat situation for your family gathering! :) I am glad your sister and niece are coming! That should be a nice visit. I hope your mom behaves and you all have a wonderful time!! Walks and music sounds like a great plan to me for blowing off steam - maybe a little Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer?

Ours is very low key, with just my boys and the one gf. My only stress will be getting more cleaning done before the gf arrives. I don't keep a neat house and I need to clean bathrooms and the kitchen floor. It will still be cluttered because we just have too much stuff, but hopefully I can at least make it look nicer. Next Thurs I will head to my mom's for several days. That is also low key, but will be very sad without my dad for the first time.

It was so sweet of your fiance to get the tree down and decorated! I'm sure that was a beautiful sight, and just what you needed to cheer you up a little! I just have a little sapling in a pot on the coffee table, with some lights around the table. We have no room for a big tree with my husband using the living room as his office and also with amateur radio equipment everywhere. :( No one but me cares about decorations anyway, so at least I have a little something pretty to look at for a few weeks.

I am going to do at least a short workout video this morning before feeding the goats and heading to Richmond.

MusicCandy December 23rd, 2017

It sounds like you had a long day with the medical procedures. That is never fun. At least you have some idea of what is wrong. I guess medicine should help with the stomach inflamation. Christmas food is not the healthiest usually, but I did make sure to add some good stuff for my daughter's spread. I put candied walnuts stuffed into dates, and that is a sweet treat. I'm still nervous about everything going OK tomorrow, but I'm going to try not to worry too much.

I hope you have an easy drive to Richmond. The traffic can be bad the day before the Holiday. I know you will enjoy the time with your sons and GF. It sounds like she is getting to know the family pretty well.We will both have to relax and just enjoy the company. My house is full of stuff too so I can relate. I don't like it and I'm determined to do something about it next year. Most of it is stuff Fiance brought over , but some is left from my other house too. How many staplers/pencil sharpeners and God knows how many pens,boxes of paper ect. And that is just the office stuff. Fortunately we have a cool Teacher Store nearby to donate to and get a tax deduction, and the teachers go in and get what they need "free". I feel good about donating when it really helps. Now, the boat is in the bacl yard too along with all his other equipment, and it is BIG on the trailer. Has to be cleaned and bottom painted.

I wish you a peaceful and happy Christmas. So" what would Jesus do?" R E L A X, I think.

SadMe70 OP January 4th, 2018

Hello and Happy New Year! I have had a wonderful holiday. I had both sons and one gf here for Christmas Eve and Day. We played games and ate a lot. I spent Dec 28 - Jan 1 at my mom's. My sisters, aunt, both sons, and the other gf came for a family dinner there on Dec 30. Lots more games and eating. We all trooped out to the graveyard with a bottle of drambuie and toasted Dad. I did exercise videos 3 days that I was there, but still gained 5 pounds. Those should mostly come off just by getting back to not eating cookies and candy all day long! I went back to work yesterday, and today and tomorrow we are off for the snow. A grueling one-day work week! I am not going anywhere today and probably not tomorrow. The roads here are not great.

How was your holiday? How are you doing in the snow? I'm sure you have to go to work, so please be careful on the roads!

MusicCandy January 5th, 2018

Happy New Year to you too, plus the rest of Christmas- ending Jan. 6 . We also had a nice time with family on Christmas. Daughter did a great job hosting everyone at her apt. on Christmas Eve I worked the week-end, and same for New Years but Fiance and I got fressed up right before midnight and went to the neighborhood country bar/lounge and toasted in 2018. It was his idea, and I was surprised since it is smoky ( they have a tiny non-smoking room - it is so funny). But we didn't stay long and the crowd was pretty soused by the time we got there- friendly locals . The owner put out little glasses of champagne free and no cover charge. That was just the right amt. of fun.

Then back to work. I got in right before it started last night and this morning Fiance came after me with 4 wheel drive. I never ever drive in snow/ice. He brought me back tonight, but the roads are clear now- just still bitter cold. I hope your animals are faring OK- it must take some extra measures when it is this cold. But at least there is an extra day off school for you to catch up and relax some. I am gradually getting to organizing some closets that needed it since I moved in and that was almost 5 years ago. The break from teaching has let me see how much I could not get done. It has not been a bad thing in the long run. 2 nights Fiance and I took sandwiches to the homeless shelter downtown. It was eye-opening to see a long line of people waiting to get out of the frigid wind. Thankfully, there are charity groups to help with food and blankets and warm clothing. Enjoy your days off and I'll check back during the week-end. I have NO plan going at the moment but I am exercising my usual. Going to do that right now as a matter of fact.

MusicCandy January 12th, 2018

Hello my friend , More sad news . My immediate boss lost her husband to suicide earlier this week. He was mid 30's I think with 2 middle school age boys - right after the New Year Holiday he hung himself in their shed. I can't imagine what she went thru going out and finding him, and then called his brother from the house who was there on a Holiday visit. They got him down and did CPR but it was too late. It is so awful I can;t even process leaving those children. The service is Saturday in the early afternoon so I will go and just give her a hug and then come to work. I never met him, but she is so sweet and doing a great job-newly promoted to the position. Me and fiance had a little um hum time tonight before work and I said to him I can't imagine a couple that has THAT still going could go that way. If the intimacy goes away that would be a warning sign for me even if everything else seemed OK. My boss told one of us that she "never saw it coming".

I hope you are doing OK.The weather caused a few more days out of school for you too I'm sure. I thought of you too the other noght watching the VCU basketball game on TV. I like watching basketball over any other sport and that game was amazing.. they pulled out of a slump to a 10 pt lead second half. Being from N,.C. basketball is another religion and I grew up with games on TV with my Dad. I miss him, and I know tou miss your Dad too.

Still no plan for eating for me yet in the New Year, but I have some ideas, that's something! Exercise is good as usual and family is healthy - Thanks Be to God.

SadMe70 OP January 16th, 2018

Hello. I am so sorry to hear of another loss in your life! That is just awful for his family. I could not imagine doing that to my kids even when I was in my lowest, worst depressions. There were plenty of times when I had no particular interest in being alive, but I could not do that to my kids.

I went back to school Jan 3 after the holidays, for one day. Then we were off Thurs, Fri, Mon, Tues for weather and bad roads, so basically another whole week off. I loved it of course, but that has delayed me getting back into any sort of schedule. I have continued to eat all sorts of bad things and not exercise much, so my holiday 5 pounds are still sitting there. We were off today so I went to the dentist, and didn't get to the Y. Tomorrow I will miss yoga for my follow-up with the gastroenterologist. On Wednesday, I hope to finally start getting back to my regular exercise routines - except it is supposed to snow again, sigh.

My son at VCU starts classes tomorrow, but he doesn't actually have any that day, so he and his gf are planning to go to Washington. My older son starts a new job tomorrow. He actually has to commute to their Richmond office for a while, though eventually he will be working up here. So, for a while, both my boys will be down your way!

I don't have a specific eating plan either, but I have to get the junk food and alcohol under control. The snow days also allowed for lots of wine since I didn't have to worry about sleeping well since I didn't have to get up early. I have made a couple of healthy meals this past week, and I have good lunches planned. I just have to do better resisting the treats!

Here's to us getting back on track!

MusicCandy January 19th, 2018

Good to hear your news- the good, the bad and the- we won't say what! My boss has come back to work already and it is probably better for her to have something to take her mind off the sadness. I'm like you, I could never imagine leaving my children with that pain and guilt, plus just not having their parent. I plan to just leave some little gift cards on her door Monday mornings for awhile. She doesn't share emotionally here and I respect that.

I ( my good shoulder angel) made an executive decision for myself( my bad shoulder devil) and so far it is working. I decided to just trick myself with cutting out alcohol for 10 days.I have my check up on the 25th with lab work including cholestrol and I would like it to be good. So I pretended that I HAVE to go no wine for this 10 days in order for the test to work,That is kind of true, but I acted like it was doctor's orders and if it was, I would obey that order without question.. I'm good at listening to authority. So 3 days so far. I also kept up the lemon water in the AM plus exercise even on the snow days. I drink warm peppermint chamomile tea in the evening and sparklomg water or diet root beer or regular tea dayttimes. No real food change but I'm trying to keep the carbs as low as possible.

This time the snow came on a weekday so I didn't have to work. That was nice, I got some cabinets cleaned out.It is Thursday night and I'm back at work, not too busy so far. I'm glad things are going well for your boys. My older daughter is doing well too- starting her next semester in her Master's at UVR.Rachael had 2 days off too and we went to the pool today, always her favorite thing to do. So pretty good days all around.

I cleaned out the bad stuff from my frig right after New Years and it does help - so get crackin at that this week-end. You will feel better. Treat yourself with something else so you have something to look forward to. I'll check up on you later.

MusicCandy January 26th, 2018

Hi my friend. I hope you have had a good week . I had a Great week. I kept my unconditional resolve to not have wine for 10 days. My lab work was today, but I won't have results until next week. The lab tech was terrific too- she got me on the first stick and sometimes my veins don't pop up easily. I drank a lot of water which is supposed to help. I haven't done anything special with eating. I am sure I more than made up for the calories in wine with snacks. I'll have to get to that soon.

Looking forward to a note Pretty much everything else this week was OK too. No drama or tragedies and I got more cleaning and organizing done. I am going thru some childhood notebooks that just got put in a drawer when I moved in 5 years ago. Would you care to read one of my (many) poems- perhaps from age 11? Maybe not. I'm going to toss a lot of that. Whose gonna read it 10 years from now?? I will save some of them though. Just because.

It is cold again, which is not my favorite climate, but Spring can't be too far away. Check in when you can- I look forward to your notes.

SadMe70 OP January 27th, 2018

Hello! I did not realize it had been so long since my last post.

Good for you for sticking with no alcohol for 10 days!!! I am very proud of you! I hope your lab results turn out well!

I have been focused on getting more fiber into my diet as recommended by the gastroenterologist. I tried my hand at baking high fiber bread, and made 3 edible but not great loaves. When I finish eating those, I will try again,hopefully with better results. I am back on my fiber drink at night. My stomach is better than it was back in Nov-Dec, but not normal. Aside from a pre-cancerous colon polyp (not surprising given my family's history on both sides), the procedures found no major problems. I do have diverticulosis, and the stomach lining was inflamed. The doctor feels they are due to underlying chronic constipation. I don't know about that, and I feel like I eat a lot of fiber anyway, but I'll try harder. (My husband says that my diagnosis basically says that I am full of sh*t.)

I am much more in control with the treats than I was for the 3 weeks of the holiday plus our many snow days in a row. I have not taken off the holiday 5 pounds yet though. My shoulder has flared up from a deep tissue massage I got that was a little too hard, so I have not been able to swim for a few weeks. I hope to try it this Wednesday. I have also been missing yoga a lot, but still getting to the Y about twice a week. I hope to get back on schedule with exercise this coming week.

I am a very sentimental person and love to keep personal stuff like your notebooks. I would love to read some of your poems! I think you should save at least some of them, if not all. You may have grandchildren some day who would prize something like that!

My son started a new job last week with a defense contractor, and on the 4th day they all got an email saying the company was being bought out. We are all worried about what that could mean for him. He does not have a security clearance yet (so far he's only filled out the forms), so he might not be very valuable to the new people. I don't know how all that stuff works.

I have had a lovely morning lying around in bed, but I'd better get myself up and going. I hope you are having a great weekend!

MusicCandy January 27th, 2018

I said as I logged on "THERE she is!" As usual in this life, some good and some worrisome news. But we have to worry some anyway, don't we. I hope things work out for your son's job. Corporate life always scared me a little- seems like they can hire and fire you most anytime. That may be a reason that people like you and me chose something that everyone needs- teachers and healthcare. Not foolproof, but generally more stable.

I am glad your tummy issues are getting somewhat better. The symptoms you describe are pretty common these days, as I talk to friends and coworkers. I didn't know you bake bread too! I was never very good at that but I do look for the high fiber ones in the store like Ezekiel. It is more satisfying and gives you something to chew on. I', definitely going to add my smoothie in the morning with fiber next week. I remember feeling a lot better when I did that. I have committed to the lemon water first thing and no wine except for special occasions. I still feel urges at times that were a habit to have a glass- but I am able to overcome them by immediately getting something else to drink and just letting the time pass. I also am not taking on big projects late at night since that was a big draw to having a glass or 2.

I finished my notebook of poems, stories and songs and I did save about half. I am also a sentimental person and I guess I'll read them again in another 10 years. Reading them also puts some perspecyive on my life as it was then ( pretty terrible) along with teenage love and loss- and my life now approaching 65. I found the death notice of my stepfather who died of a stroke- he did nothing to take care of his health. And he was 65. Plus, I realized I did some pretty good writing in high school. I feel good getting it all in a nice notebook to save.

I hope you enjoy your day off. I'm at work as usual, but it has not been to busy. Take it easy on the exercise util your shoulder gets better- you don't want to strain it any more. I worry about you!laugh