Lisa: I just realized it was time to start a new thread. Thanks for keeping this group going! 😊 I just posted a few replies in the August thread. I hope everyone hops on to this September thread and we can get a lot of support flowing again! I will have a brief absence (hopefully only brief) after surgery on September 9th to place (again) my left tissue expander as part of my breast reconstruction after my bilateral mastectomy (in March) due to breast cancer. I had to have the left tissue expander removed back in April due to infection. I am growing very tired of and leery of more surgeries, but this one is necessary for my emotional well-being and, quite frankly, will be physically easier in the long run I hope! Anyway, I am sorry to hear that you've been struggling a bit, but so happy to hear your resolve that you will not let a few (or several) bad days bring you down. I will keep you in my prayers! 💖

I gotta run, but please know I will check in when possible and post when I am able. Hang in there and have a great rest of the week! 😊

Hi all

I am having a day....

The first of the month is always hard because I only receive my disability benefit on the first of each month. This month, after I paid all my bills, and I bought groceries I had hoped would last the month, I found I only had less than $50 for the rest of the month, and my 18 yr old son has consumed half the food I bought already. When I asked him if he had submitted his application to the place he said he was going to apply for work at, he said he does not know if he wants to do that. So I got sad and upset. I have to support myself and him on about 1900 a month and with him being home all the time now ( graduated HS in end of May) and just eating food faster than I can buy it, I may soon be on a forced fast. It sucks, I was supposed to be off seeing the country, traveling in my VW bus right now, but instead I sit here and waste my days a way on the computer as I cant afford to do anything, Heck, I just realized as I type this, I cant even afford to buy food. and when I tell him this, all I get is "I am a developing young man and I need more food than you." Then get a job and start feeding yourself for goodness sake! :sob: makes me sad.... I thought I did a good job raising him and when he was in high school he had ambition and dreams and now, nothing, just plays on his computer all flipping day.... I had also planned on saving 123 bucks a month and shutting that off after he graduated as he was supposed to go on in the military to Quantico but nope.... sigh....

Hello friends!! LISA you are da bomb (do people still say that ) for keeping this place going, you are such a sweet person, I just read through August and YAY to you for keeping on even when you have bad days!! Was scary reading about Jennifer but so glad it was not a heart attack. Are you managing with your car payments now?? I hope so and so glad you are doing well on the med. here are more

KATHLEEN - omg your family committed you against your wishes?? i can't even imagine how awful that must have been. YAY to you for getting through that!! and all your surgeries...and huge congrats at losing 45 flippin pounds, boo to the meds that made you gain. I will be thinking of you especially on the 9th!

Cikan - hello!! I am sorry to hear that your son is being a doo-doo head!! Money worries are awful aren't they. I hope he comes to his senses and helps you out! and looking forward to getting to know you

EASY SPIRIT - hI!! congrats on being 140 you little thang

so again many apologies for being absent, it's been a 'trying' summer, husband has had job worries (due to a psychotic b*tchy boss) and they have been treating him awful for so long, then they canned him and it is really hard for a 'mature' (over 50) person to find a job nowadays. He did get one, only after just a week or so, and it pays like half what he used to make, but he is happy and that is all that matters. But he's been unhappy for a while and that means that we did not do anything fun this summer. Work, eat, watch tv, go to bed.

So the same week that happened, my beloved Subaru Forester did not pass inspection because her frame is rusted out...I loved that car!!! and she still looks good and runs good but you can't drive a car with a bad frame! so we had to scramble to find a used car for me, bought one on Saturday locally, I drove it today to work for the first time but the friggin turn signals don't work!! and the check engine light came on, wtf .

I have been working 7 days a week because I was so scared about money, and I guess I am burning the candle too much because I was so stressed about the turn signals and such , then I was not paying attention and put twice the chocolate into the brownie batch, then started sniveling and had to have a cry in the storage room!! i have never done that before, I am just frazzled feeling.

So I see I have ranted here but I guess that is what this place is for!

I don't mean to sound as if it's been a horrible summer, I'm still at the good summer job, and the weather has been great in that I've been riding motorcycle to work almost every day, that is fantastic. And my yard looks so nice, green grass and flowers well-tended ( I cut the grass at least once a week and spend almost 2 hours weed-whacking/trimming) and I am healthy but still chubby

WOW,Vermontmom, I never heard of them inspecting cars for rust... when I was in ND, I knew a farmer who had an old Subaru Brat, it was all rust, no floorboards, the bottom half or the car was all gone, but he still drove that thing around LOL

and Lisaluvshearts, hang in there, You are lucky to have a job, and even you can get a second one, that is awesome! SInce I have disabled and unemployed for over 10 years, no one will hire me. My pension is through CalPERS, from when I was a deputy. I had SSDI a few years ago as well, but the crooked SSDI doctors took it away from me, since I had to go to an appointment in a car my wheelchair did not fit into and had to walk with my crutches. SO, they lied on their report and said I was fit to climb scaffolds,a dn ropes, even though I am clinically obese. (No, I never in my life worked a job where I climbed scaffold or ropes, but hey, if the SSDI says a clinically obese 56 yr old woman with a 99% disability rating can do it, then I must be able to , right??? LOL Now, if I was addicted to pain-killers instead of allergic t them.... then ya, I suppose I still would have my SSDI... but I do not and since I have so many limitations and have not worked in over 10 years, no one will hire me for even part-time work. oh well, life goes on.... Still, hang in there, there is a good day ahead... waiting to surprise you

Hello everyone,


I am up in the middle of the night. My dog woke me, she needed to potty. I am ready to head back to sleep though. I need to get up at a reasonable hour in the morning, I am heading to the lake to watch the boats for a while. I may take my book with me and read a couple of chapters too, while it is so quiet. I am one of those people who cannot read with the tv one. I am heading back to bed now, I am drowsy.


Sweet dreams, friends.

Hello!! I had meant to check in every day, I will try to do better.

Lisa, did you go to the lake the other day? sounds nice to just sit and enjoy the view. I'm so glad to hear your anxiety has improved!! I have also looked back on times and wondered 'how did I get through that' and just been thankful that I did.

Cikan, hi! that is crazy about the disability disputes, sorry you had to go through that. I am sorry that you are willing to work but can't get hired how is the situation with your son? Oh and about my car, oh my gosh, cars and New England weather, the battle against rust is terrible, because from December through the end of March, there is salt and brine applied to our roads almost every day, you can have a car with an engine that will go forever but salt has eaten away the rest. And yeah our inspections are rigid about that.

But I am getting used to the car, at least it runs, and I'll get the issues fixed eventually.

My husband has a new job, something totally different, and different schedule than me, now that my evenings are solitary, I should use that time to work out. I did 30 Day Shred last night, that was a start.

Hello to everyone else!! and thanks again so much to Lisa for keeping this thread going

Lisa I'm so sorry to hear that the doctor's visit hurt you I sure hope the pain is gone tomorrow!!

it ..is...WONDERFUL to see you type that you feel like a new woman!!!

I think I might have mentioned before, that I am always in *awe* of someone who can drive in big city traffic, like around Columbus!! THAT would freak me out sooo badly. I always leave the driving to my husband or whoever else is in the car. I just have a fear of taking the wrong turn and getting lost forever or something So when I see that you casually drive around like that, I think you're Wonder Woman

Hope your daughter is doing OK after her surgery.

I am sorry that it was not your choice to be off work, I know when that happens to me, its always when I need the money!

In fact, our paychecks were not ready today, because of Labor Day. Hmmm...making the common laborer wait a day for their check because the pay roll company had the day off...not right

have a good night ladies!

Hi! I am new to this forum (3 days) and just found this support group! My struggle with anxiety/depression and resulting weight gain from medications has been simply maddening! I've slowly watched weight come on while at the same time cleaning up my diet and exercising. I would bring it up to well meaning friends and my physician and continued to get the same feedback: diet and exercise (translation: you must be doing something wrong). I went at it like this for three years and finally threw in the towel. My physician was skeptical about my actual diet and exercise practice so I agreed to see a sports medicine doc who, after many appointments, agreed that the medications were the problem. I had no thyroid, PCOS, or diabetic issues. My diet was clean, well under maintenance calories, and I was working out 3 to 5 times per week - even he exclaimed I should be losing weight. Finally, after having a "professional" see my struggle, my other physician agreed to make medication changes. They have been super slow but successful. Fast forward to today, I have decided to do a low carb plan to detox and kick start weight loss (fingers crossed) and came across this forum looking for support. It's nice to know that I'm not alone in this process and, frankly, not many people understand unless they've gone through it. So, I will be looking for, and hopefully giving, inspiration here to those that do understand and aren't going to deny the painful side effects of certain medications. If you got this far, bless you and thank you .