I will be ten years in October. I lost my husband to cancer in 2009, after 40 years pf marriage. I am 69 years old.

You may not be depressed, but you are not finding joy in life. I wake up every morning thankful for a new day. I make plans for the future. At a healthy 66 years old, it is not unreasonable for you to look forward to 30 or more years of life.

Yogurt, chunky soup and Lean Cuisine are incredibly boring. And believe me, I have gone that route. I force myself to go out and make friends. I am active in political action groups. I go to events at the senior citizens center. I go to the water aerobics classes at the fitness club that are for arthritis patients. I keep up with family and friends.

I treat my arthritis with Bio-freeze, ice, heat and rest. The more I move, the better it feels.

Most nights, I cook a great meal and invite others to eat at my house. I am fine with eating the parts that are OK for me. I bake brownies, cookies, pies and cakes and give them away.

Every morning I make a plan for the day. This week, I cut the grass, power-washed and completely re-organized the garage, dug a flowerbed, and spent an afternoon shopping at the mall. I have calling hours tonight, a funeral tomorrow, a family dinner on Friday and a wedding to attend on Saturday.

My secret of happiness is believing that the best is yet to come and knowing that I will have the strength to deal with whatever does happen in the future.

I was five years out before I became anemic and I did not donate blood. Being anemic is miserable for me. It is like having a very bad flu and no energy all day long.

I would advise never donating again.

All of the experimental repair procedures result in losing about 20 pounds. That is because the surgeon will put you on a liquid diet before and after surgery and that will cause some weight loss.

Cost of the endostitch, ROSE procedure, stomaphyx, or other procedures where they insert stitches or staples run about $10,000 and are not covered by insurance.

I have dumped several times. Always on Tootsie Roll or taffy type candy on an empty stomach.

Mine happened long before RNY. It is a simple operation to fix it. I was in the hospital overnight, but it could have been done outpatient.

Don't worry about eating. You do need to stress staying hydrated. Your body will have enough fat stores to keep you from starving. Just keep sipping your water.

I did water and protein shakes for the first four months. Then progressed to vegetable soup and finally to meat and salad by the end of the fourth month.

Every day will get better and six months from now all of your favorite foods will be appealing again.

If you have not already, post this to the revision board and check that board for people doing the same surgery revision.

I still don't like food much, but the malabsorption went away in year three and the ability to gain weight came back. Staying at goal is a struggle now.

I was shopping for swimsuits today and yearning for that year when size zero was too big.

Pay someone to help you with your son for four to six weeks and keep him at home.

You will be able to drive and do anything except lifting after a few days.

I was weighed on the morning of surgery. When I woke up from surgery and got out of bed for my first walk, the nurse walked me to the scale.

It was up 19 pounds.

The next morning, I asked the surgeon why I had gained 19 pounds and he laughed and said I just needed to pee it out.

To do the surgery they pump you full of water. One gallon weighs seven pounds and they used almost three gallons for me.

It was all gone by the end of the week.

I was cleared for core machines six weeks after surgery. I never had a hernia.

It has been years, but I used progesterone after my hysterectomy to control hot flashes. I would use it for three weeks, then take a week off.

Thanks for the reminder H.A.L.A

Minute rice works better than regular rice. But the best thing is high absorbency cat litter. I would put it in a plastic baggie and completely fill with cat litter. Then gently lay something heavy like a brick on top of the baggie. The extra pressure can help squeeze the water out. I have rescued several phones this way.