Oh - I SO don't know this virtual reality language lingo!!! My daughter was trying to instruct me a while ago cuz she was misreading what I was emailing - I said that how she interpreted my meassage was the farthest thing from the truth! I wasn't even thinking what she was thinking - but apparently, the way you treat the fonts in your messaging (like caps mean you're SCREAMING!) is indicative of how you're feeling! So it's not the message that matters, it's the way the message looks that determines how the message is received. Oh, I'm too OLD for this stuff!!! :) Maureen

Thanks for that! VERY interesting because the night candy cravings are jsut plain weird!! i will wake up out of a dead sleep and have this intense teeth grinding need for candy!!! of all stupid things!! i never craved candy like that when i was huge. NEVER. I just ate too much and snacked badly etc... but never for like...chewy candy and just... candy! starbursts or skittles or something like that! it is very weird. I had gotten some sugar free gummy bears and gummy fish for those wake up in the middle of the night cravings. But I swear, the sugar free ones make me dump worse than the normal ones (sugar alcohols are high I suppose) at any rate... also to keep in mind that I read that was discovered is that people who are morbidly obese have something wrong with their seratonin release. For example a normal person can have an intense craving...eat one piece of chocolate and it will satisfy the brain. For others... with issues with that seratonin release, they need more in order to get that "aahhh" feeling. Very interesting study that was to read. I may still have the link. if I find it i'll post. Wish they could make somethign to fix that... but then some of the diet drugs help with cravings. I also read Reenie that sugar is not good for the liver. SO be careful! it has to work harder when we put it in our bodies. We just never can catch a break! ask your doc about the hunger meds out there that may help with the cravings. See what they say. And feed that liver of your milk thistle. You can get it at the vitamin shoppe in liquid form in a small dropper. I just drop a few drops a couple times a day under my tongue. They say it really helps. :)

As you all know, I have a self-professed addiction to candy, specifically M&M's but I'm eating more other types of candy every day now. This addiction is snowballing and I feel like I'm drowning.  I resumed my research (as a person who always has the need to understand what's going on) and I found a very interesting article that basically says this: because sugar provides such a high jolt of energy, the body tries to recognize sugar as a vital nutrient.  However, processed sugar of any kind is devoid of nutrients - empty calories. To exacerbate the problem, the brain releases a huge jolt of endorphins in response to the high energy produced by sugar. So, while the body is trying to find the nutrional value in the empty calories of candy, the brain is throwing a party with the V.I.P. invited guest list made up exclusively of all those hormones that make us feel higher than a kite. This is why when the sugar rush wears off, the body - and the brain - start scrambling for more, more, more - compulsion sets in and is not satisfied until more candy/sugar is put into the bloodstream.  Here's the connect-the-dots factor - the article suggests that PEOPLE WHO ARE PRONE TO CANDY ADDICTION ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE DEFICIENT IN NUTRIENTS, vitamins, minerals... I have said it before and I'll say it again - I NEVER, EVER CRAVED CANDY before this surgery! Once again, this research points to the malapbsorption factors inherent in post-surgery life as a potential primary culprit in sugar addiction!  NOW maybe I can move forward in trying to solve this for myself.  It is not a mere issue of willpower!! I've got plenty to feel guilty and ashamed about but not this - I am not CHOOSING to eat candy every day - it's something that I cannot control - but maybe now that I'm armed with this information, I can tackle it a different way - thanks for listening, friends. Maureen

I'm sure you've all heard this by now. Acetominophen is a real serious danger to us all. My best friend is in the hospital still fighting for her life. (she's been in there for about 3 weeks now). She has Crohns disease, and had been feeling ill. She'd been to the ER aprox 5 times. They kept giving her medication for various things... sinus infection, fever, pain. etc...  She was taking acetominophen for pain and most likely they had her prescribed too much she had liver failure and kidney failure and her entire body turned toxic, her brain swelled. She slipped into a coma and nearly died.  It's a miracle that she lived. But they found out that she was prescribed to much acetominophen, which gave her the acute liver failure. She'd been on the list for a liver transplant (life expectancy after that is 5-10 yrs I hear) at any rate, she improved a bit and was taken off the list. She now has pnemonia. Her liver was doing better and her kidneys as well, but lately her liver wasn't doing as well as they hoped. She's strong and fighting. It's frightening when I think back on the PRESCRIBED amount of vicodin that i was taking not too long ago when I pulled my shoulder and back and was in so much pain. Now the dosage that I had taken then is now deemed seriously detrimental to the liver!!! How close had I been to damaging my liver??? I'd say very close since I had taken 2 pills for about a month - 2 months. the 2nd month was very infrequent though...but that first month when I was in so much pain... yikes... its really scary. We as WLS patients use it more often than other since we can't have the NSAIDS. I swear we're nearly S.O.L. aren't we if worse comes to worse. So I wanted to share my story and let everyone know to take care of those livers. We are more suceptible than others. Be careful of that alcohol too!! Some things that are good for the liver: Milk Thistle, Black Cherries, Water (of course) Prune Juice, Prunes, Spinach and leafy greens. Dandelion Root (careful, this is a diarutetic so don't drink to much (comes in tea form)) be careful everyone! ((hugs!))

P.S. PLEASE keep my best friend in your prayers. She needs all that she can get!! I don't know what I'd do without her! :*-(

Like a dummy...I should of learned my lesson from last time....my head now officially looks like a plum tree...you may now go back to your regularly scheduled program....ARGGGGGGGGGG