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About Pride Month

I put this graphic on my FB header the other day. Everyone assumes it’s to “celebrate” Pride Month:

Well, not exactly. When I told Nick it was just for giggles and I was taking it down because I’m SICK TO DEATH of Pride and the double standard that SO many of the Community have, he INSISTED that I make a post about my feelings and lean into it rather than just be silent. So, here it is!

I’ve been very unhappy with the trend perpetuated by mostly the younger set of queer kids that REQUIRES everyone to label themselves and also make sure to tell everyone they meet about those labels in great detail. Also, this is an AMERICAN thing. Americans tend to obsess and this is definitely the case here. The obsession with labels runs deep.
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Customer No Service

Everyone knows I am notoriously impatient and intolerant of companies with shitty customer service. It’s called No Service for a reason.

These days, it’s considered “Karen” behaviour to ever demand better service, EVER, but I think demanding service has gotten a bad rap because of the Karens who just want SPECIAL service. There’s a difference between demanding to be treated as SPECIAL and demanding decent service in general.

I demand decent SERVICE. If I’m paying a company – any company – for a service, then I expect to be given decent service. It’s that simple. I deal with companies for a living. I’m an admin assistant aka office manager and I get to deal with vendors for everything from linens to internet service. I won’t tolerate bullshit – especially from a sales weasel – and I expect to get the best deal possible. YES, I want a detailed bill. NO I won’t accept your “bundle” just because. Lookin’ at YOU Combastard.

I run my house the same way. This is how I get 200mbs internet for $50/mo. I negotiate. I demand. And I usually get what I’m after because I’m persistent. Persistence is the key when dealing with vendors, especially large corporations.
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VSG 5 Year Anniversary!

It’s been five years since my Mexico visit and changing my life! Time flies!

I’ve learned a lot in these last five years, that’s for sure. LOTS of gains and losses. Then Captain Trips. It’s been a strange five years.

Despite constant GERD, I still do not regret getting the VSG surgery. I almost reached my goal weight of 170 in year two – I got to about 174, I think. But then my weight rebounded to around 180 and it has stayed there, give or take 10#. So my actual weight loss from VSG was 70#, which is not too shabby.

I refuse to diet at all, but the GERD keeps my intake pretty low. My body likes set points, however, so it’ll stay in the 180s unless I diet it down. It’s maddening to be able to eat VERY little and still not lose. But that’s what I got. I did gain about 8# of pandemic weight, which is coming off on its own. That is from the WINE, no doubt. LOL

Today my weight is 188-ish. I will get it back to 180-ish if it kills me.

I wear a 32/32 jean, which is either a 12 or a 14 depending on which brand it is. I wear a large shirt, which is what I wore before the gain.

Overall, I’m happy that I got the VSG done. I wish they’d have done the anti-GERD part when I was getting it, but that wasn’t standard at the time. It really sucks that I can’t get it done now, but it is what it is.

I take Tums chews (750mg calcium carbonate) and Pepcid (famotidine and calcium carbonate) at night for the GERD. Some days are fine, some suck. It is completely random. Food is random, too, I can eat steak and be fine or I can have a salad and get heartburn. SO, I eat what I feel like and hope for the best. I eat a LOT of club crackers to soothe the burn.

But, overall, I’m fine. I don’t like the way I look naked, but that will not change unless I get tons of plastic surgery, which I’m not willing to do. I’m 55 years old, I feel it’s too late to go through plastic surgery and I don’t want the HORRIBLE recovery of a tummy tuck, either. So loose skin I stay. Whatevs.

I hope to stay in my current weight range forever. I probably won’t, but by the time I get round again, I’ll be too old to give a FUCK. LOL

If you are chronically overweight and have other issues because of it OR can’t get proper medical care because of it, I HIGHLY suggest booking your trip to Tijuana Mexico and getting VSG. It is four days and $4000 that will change your life. Skip the bullshit of the US and just GET IT DONE. Bam. Contact Veronica at QMF and take control of your life. You WILL NOT regret it. Veronica at Quality Medical Facilitators. They speak English and I promise the care you get from this team is AMAZING. Find them on FB HERE.

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More PPI and Famotidine Info for GERD

This is a repost of the update I just did on my PPI post from last year.

While I am glad I’ve rid myself of PPI use, I can’t say that it’s been without its issues. I have bouts of GERD every single day, while awake and while asleep. I typically get a flare after eating (doesn’t matter what it is) and occasionally with alcohol.

I have been using Pepcid, an H2 blocker with antacid (10mg famotidine + 750mg calcium carbonate) when GERD was really bad or it was flaring before bed – and it works GREAT! I was having some issues with the H2, but they planed out. I do have some constipation issues, but nothing that a senna caplet can’t handle.

I looked up famotidine and it has the best track record for long term use. There are no long term health issues from using is, as there are with PPIs. I discovered that PPIs have been DIRECTLY LINKED to liver damage with long term use. That is in addition to the potential kidney issues. Here is the NIH article on liver damage. Yeah, HARD PASS on the PPIs.

I do use Tums (calcium carbonate) A LOT to manage the breakthrough GERD that I get during the day and sometimes at night. I was looking up the details of calcium carbonate, such as safe amounts to take daily and found that it’s generally 2-3 grams per day for old people like me. Each chew is 750mg, so that’s 3-4 per day. Sometimes I am within that, sometimes not. The long term overdosing on calcium carbonate can cause kidney stones, but that’s about it. Constipation is a common side effect, which I manage with senna.

BUT overall, I feel that famotidine and calcium carbonate are my long term solution to VSG induced GERD. I use calcium carbonate (Tums chews) during the day if I need it and I take one Pepcid (famotidine + calcium carbonate) before bed. I’ve been on this regimen for about a year and it is OK. Not as good as PPIs, but I just can’t justify the potential organ damage that is caused by stopping stomach acid production. I think there is going to be a huge wave of people with organ failures from taking PPIs for years. I don’t want to be one of them.

So, if you use PPIs regularly, I implore you to rethink that strategy. Remember, ANY drug that ends in -zole is a PPI. Drugs that end in -dine are H2 blockers. That is an easy way to tell what your Dr put you on.

You have to understand that Drs are all about treating symptoms. They rarely look at the long term effects of anything they prescribe. If your Dr has you on PPIs long term, ask him or her if they are aware of the various NIH papers and studies on the long term effects. I’d be shocked if they have read ANYTHING about it. If YOU want to educate yourself, then I suggest you read my posts about PPIs. I’ve linked to various studies and papers that have been done about the potentially deadly health issues caused by long term PPI use. HERE is a fairly inclusive post with lots of referral links. If you want it all, go to the search box (front page) and search GERD, which will give you ALL the posts I’ve made regarding GERD.

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The Help Me Nots

There are some people in the world that you just can’t help. Some are too fucked up. Some are too self involved. Some are too arrogant and know it all. Some are just beyond your paygrade for whatever reason.

Wisdom is knowing when to disengage without blowing up.

There are a few people that I am friends with that I just can’t be involved with in anything more than a social way. And that’s fine. Social friends have their place! But it’s difficult to navigate interactions with them. I naturally want to help with problems, and this group is just not down with that for various reasons. SO I have to withdraw. Leave them to their own devices. And I’ve got to do this without holding grudges, which I am prone to do.

TRICKSY.

This is part of the reason that I am pretty much an island amongst people. I just don’t trust anyone and I come across as controlling when I just want to help. Me helping is offering information and solutions. Most people don’t appreciate that and don’t want it, I’ve found.

So I have learned to just back away from whatever conversation is being had where I am suddenly faced with pedantic replies by people who don’t even know SHIT about what is being discussed. I simply will NOT argue semantics over some small thing when I only chimed in to help. NOPE. I’ll delete my part of the convo and move on. Facebook is on my shit list now anyway. I really am SICK TO DEATH of the pedantic bullshit slung over there. There are a couple of people who are the definition of pedantic and I must endeavor to avoid them. They really piss me off.

While my reaction is justified, there is one person in particular who LIVES to argue pedantically about every little thing, meanwhile not really knowing anything about the subject. VERY ANNOYING. I like this person in general, socially, but MAN, I cannot deal with them beyond that. So, I deleted my part of the two threads and I am trying not to hold a grudge about it. I’d like to say I won’t. But I probably will. Sorry, you treat me with disdain and pedantic arguments often enough and I certainly will not forget it. Meh.

Anyway, there’s my Friday thought for the day. Now, to move on and have a great day! No more FB! :)