My last weight loss journey: this is not medical advice

Last time I shared with you the amazing amount of fun I was having with acid reflux. The doctor put me on protonix. At first; I was super excited about this, until I started reading about the horrific side effects. It is my goal not to have to take these for very long. 🙏🏻 

What did I do before I got meds? My goal when I go to the doctor is never meds first. I want to know what the problem is and how to work toward fixing it. So for the reflux; I put a wedge under my mattress to raise the head (only) of my bed. I HATE it. It’s so hard for me to fall asleep like this. You could also put risers on the bottom of your bed posts at the head of your bed. I read it isn’t enough to lay on an extra pillow. You need to elevate the body from your waist up. This should prevent stomach acid from making it back up into your esophagus. 

Chew gum. This stimulates saliva production which is alkaline, neutralizing stomach acid and washing it back down the esophagus, reducing its irritating effects and clearing it faster from the throat. Increased swallowing from gum chewing also helps clear the acid, while some gums with ingredients like bicarbonate can offer extra acid-fighting power, making it a simple, non-pharmacological way to find relief after meals. Google overview. This really does help. But as most of us learned as little children, falling asleep with gum in your mouth can lead to all kinds of tears. 

Milk does a body good? Milk can offer temporary relief from heartburn because its calcium helps neutralize stomach acid and its coolness soothes the esophagus, while protein may aid stomach emptying, but high-fat milk can actually trigger more acid production later, making low-fat or skim milk the better choice for short-term comfort, though it’s not a long-term fix and can worsen symptoms for some. Google overview. 

If you take protonix, talk to your doctor about adding a multivitamin. This drug can leach the body. As I’m waiting on the pharmacy to get my script ready; I read a bottle of multivitamins. Some of those, I take every day. So it isn’t necessary to double up on them. Plus, doubling up on some can lead to other problems. Yes, there is such a thing as vitamin poisoning. 

I’m also doing an H. pylori test. That was gross. H.pylori is a bacteria that lives in our guts already. But about 50% of the world’s population, it’s too high. So looks like there is a heated debate over this little bacteria. With one side saying too much can cause acid reflux and ulcers. The other side saying maybe not. 

Interesting side notes; acid reflux can cause a cough and laryngitis. All these years I thought my frequent laryngitis was caused by allergies and that may not be the case.  Pepto Bismal can turn your poo green. 😳 No worries especially when every doctor in the world says if your stool is black seek medical attention immediately. When is black black and green green? 🥴 I know it sounds disgusting but knowing the color of your poo is a big health indicator. 

Twice in my life I’ve had stress tests done. There was nothing wrong with my heart. Those t.v. shows where you see someone going to the doctor thinking they were having a heart attack but it was really acid reflux; those are no joke. The discomfort started in the middle of my chest. Moving to my left side. My arm started to tingle as well as the back of my neck. It’s terrifying to think oh shit, I’m having a heart attack! Then I have the added stress that heart attacks are constantly misdiagnosed in women. 

If you have the means to do so, please talk to a doctor if you suffer from frequent heart burn. It can cause so many problems for you as you get older. 

And don’t wear tight clothing. Lose weight if you are overweight. Limit your caffeine as well as carbonation consumption. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Don’t eat fried or fatty foods. ‘Deep sigh’. I’m southern y’all. All of our food is fried. Well, the good stuff anyway. 😉

Coreopsis 7-a

      Sarah stretched awake. 

       “Good morning,” Orion smiled. 

       She sat up whimpering, rubbing her lower back. “Ow.”

       “Too hard?”

       “Yes.”

      “They never bother me.”

     She stood up doing some stretches to work out the knot in her back. “My bed at home is like a glove.” Neither of them mentioned the episode that happened the night before. 

     “The train is scheduled to stop in an hour.”

      “I remember someone commenting on my perfume?”

      “Really?” He raised his left eyebrow.

      She removed her bag from the closet. “Yes,” she teased disappearing into the bathroom. “What is the name of this town we are stopping in?” Her voice called from the bathroom.

       “Laza.”

       She poked her head around the doorframe. “The Laza?” Her hair was pulled into a ponytail. 

       “You’ve heard of it?” 

        “Only a shoppers paradise.”

        He laughed.

         She stepped out of the bathroom wearing blue jeans, an aqua blouse and a yellow button down shirt. Orion gave a soft chuckle, “he can laugh,” she smiled.

        “Why do you make fun of me so?”

        “It is a proven fact that people who laugh have better health.”

        He walked over to her taking her hair out of the ponytail allowing it to flow freely around her shoulders.

        “If you were not the Crowned Prince, I would chop off your fingers.”

        “What kind of doctor are you?” He asked.

        “A neurosurgeon.” 

        “Wow, really?” He thought for a moment. “Do you play with peoples brains?”

        “No,” she slipped on a pair of yellow sandals that matched her yellow button down shirt. “I specialize in the spine and peripheral nerves.”

        “Why?” He looked confused.

        “Why not?” She shrugged her shoulders.

        “Okay.” He disappeared into the bathroom. When he reemerged everything he had on was beige, right down to his shoes.

        She frowned.

        He looked down at himself. “What?”

        She raised her left eyebrow. 

        “I don’t like to shop.”

        “What about your wife?”

        “What about her?”

         “I guess I am just shocked. All the married couples that I know, the wife does most of the shopping and picks out her husband’s clothing.”

         “Weren’t you listening when I said that we really don’t have a relationship?”

        “I was. But even in the most dysfunctional relationships, wives will still buy for their husbands as to not be embarrassed when they are seen together.”

        “Are you saying that I’m an embarrassment to be seen with?” 

         “Not at all.”  

        The train came to a gentle stop. He escorted her off the train through the busy streets of Laza. It was breathtaking. He guided her into a perfume shop.

         A little bald man waddled from the back of the store. “May I help you?” He mumbled.

             “I want the worst smelling ladies perfume you have.”

        Sarah’s jaw dropped, “the worst?”

        The clerk looked confused. “K.” He produced a small purple bottle from under the counter.

        Orion took a deep breath inhaling its contents. He muffled a gag. Sarah wasn’t paying attention to them. She was smelling of other perfumes. He sprayed the vile odor on the back of her neck.

        It took her a minute for the putrid odor to make it to her nose. She gagged, “oh my God.” Groaning, she covering her nose. Before long a cough set in. “Why?” Frantically, she tired brushing the scent away from her nose. Her skin tingled as he drew a long deep breath off of her neck.

        It was the same smell that drove him wild on the train, “smell of this.” He motioned to the clerk. 

        Sarah’s eyes got as big as quarters. She finally leaned over allowing the clerk to smell of her neck. They watched him, as he smelt of the bottle again. He flinched. “I would not have believed it if I had not saw,” he cleared his throat, “smelled it with my own nose.”    

        “I still have that horrible scent trapped in my nose.” She hissed.

        “Do you have anything else?” Orion was desperate to find something anything that wouldn’t drive him insane around her. They still had several days left of this trip.

   “That was the vilest thing I have.” He stammered, “had.”

   “It is hopeless.” Orion admitted defeat.

   They went back into the streets. A street vender was selling a miracle hand softener. “I have to see this.” They wondered over to his cart.

   “Try it.” The vender smiled.

   “Why would you want to?” Orion frowned.

   “I have tried 90% of every product on the market for my hands and nothing works.” She dipped her hands into his sample. It was very oily. “This reminds me of cooking oil.”

   The vender rubbed his hands together. She took note of how smooth they looked. So she followed his example. “It feels like cooking oil.”

   “It will not rub off.” He laid out a white piece of paper. “Try.” 

   She looked at Orion grinning, holding up her hands.

   “No.” He took a step backwards.

   She pouted, batting her eyes. “Oh please. It would give me great pleasure to buy you a new outfit.”

   He smiled. She wiggled her fingers at him. “Okay.” He gave in.

   She giggled, putting her hands just below his shoulders. “No hand prints.” She pouted, “so much for a new shirt.” Then she smiled. 

   He looked down at his shirt to see that she was telling the truth. There wasn’t even an oily stain. 

   “I’ll take some.”

   “For you, a pair of moisturizing gloves use them at night.”

One candle

It has never been this cold. 

Though, I can’t see my breath as in stories of old. 

The coat clinging to my back; 

in one piece around my torso, is full of cracks. 

Has my god completely abandoned me?

Was my religion a hoax?

Alone I sit, on the cold pew.

Screaming at God until my face is blue.  

The force of my wailing, weak at best.

While the flames of many candles remain at rest. 

One candle is mine. 

One candle for a heart that pines. 

Monday Poetry Prompt: Candle, Religion, Sit | Living Poetry

Light box

A long time ago, the office I worked in had a light table. I never had an occasion to use the light table as it was meant to be used. It was more of a table. An extra desk. As I’ve gotten more and more into art and drawing; there have been times a light table would so come in handy. As I was shopping at 5 Below the other day, I found this.

Yes, this is for a child. The idea is the same.

Surprise! It didn’t come with batteries.

Lucky for me, I had batteries. It did come with 2 art sheets.

Cover with a sheet of tracing paper and get busy. 🎉

Thank you Santa. 🎁

Lost Past; A Star Trek Story

Paramount Global owns the Star Trek franchise. This is a piece of fan fiction based on Star Trek the Next Generation.

The wedding

     Picard was sitting at his desk, when his door chimed. “Come.” It was Counselor Troi; she was carrying a picture and a recorder.

     “I have asked Data to join us.”

     “Very well.” The door chimed again. “Come.” Data entered. “Report.”

     They sat down. “Data found this picture on the Jormungand.” She handed the picture to Picard. “It is of a Betazoid wedding.”

     “What relevance does this hold?” Picard asked. 

       Data spoke, “I have been unable to determine a reason behind the hesitance I feel around Counselor Troi. From my personal experience, I have no reason not to trust her. Sher does not appreciate the presence of a Betazoid.”

     “Is that where the ‘Beta leak’ comment stems from?” Picard asked.

     “I can only hypothesize.”

     “Data gave me the picture to see if I could find out who was in it. This is amazing. If I am right, that picture is 300 years old. The groom in the picture is Ambassador HiTzola. He was known as the greatest ambassador of his time. He settled the bitter war between Sar and the Hun, a war that had lasted 150 years. The Hun home world was ravaged. Both populations were decimated. At the height of this war there was 100,000 Huns and 98,897 Sars. Ambassador HiTzola was hailed as a hero for bringing an end to the destruction. The bride is Lady Corbon. Thought to be the luckiest lady of her time because she married the Ambassador. The story goes that they met during her stay on Sar. It never says where she is from. The stories say that her beauty was compared only with her intelligence. That she was the backbone of his triumph. After five years of marriage, she became pregnant. He was furious (at first) with the thought of her having a child. Again, the story doesn’t say why.”

     “At first.” Picard asked.

     “Deeper into the pregnancy, he fell into a deep depression. She lived with her friends in Erra, a small village on the opposite side of the planet from him. I have never heard of this city. It never says where he lived. It does say that if anyone would come around him, he would go into fits of hysteria until they left.” 

     Data interrupted her, “does it ever say who the friends are?”

     “No, this story is full of holes. The theory that the story sticks with as to why he went mad was that he lost his telepathic abilities when she became pregnant.”

     “I wonder if the union was forbidden?” Data asked.

     “It never says. After the baby was born, Corbon dies. There is no reason why. It doesn’t say if the baby lives or not. It does go on to say that the day the baby was born HiTzola dies. The story says that when the baby drew its first breath, he drew his last.”

There was silence for a moment. 

     Picard leaned back in his chair, “that’s it?”

     “That’s it.”

     “In a Beta wedding, when the party lines up to take a picture, do they line up the same as in an Earth wedding?” Picard asked.

     “You mean the bride, the maid of honor, then the brides maids?”

     “Yes.”

     “Yes.” Deanna answered. 

     “Data, who is standing next to Corbon?” Picard handed the picture to him.

     “Sher.”

     “Do you think it is possible for Sher to have been one of the friends in Erra?”

     “Anything is possible sir.”

     “Other telepaths can read your thoughts can’t they?” Picard asked Deanna.

     “If they want to.”

     “Interesting.” Picard scratched his head. “This needs further investigation.”

     “Agreed,” Deanna exclaimed. “This story needs to be completed.”

      “Are we sure?” Data asked.

     “What do you mean?”

     “In order to answer one question, that’s important now. Do we uncover a piece of the past that should remain uncovered?”

     “I would like to know why someone have never met would feel animosity toward me. And why this person has extended that animosity to someone I thought was my friend.”

 

     Data never said a word. He just stared at her. “I do not harbor animosity towards you.”

     “Maybe not to the extent she does.”

      “Search on.” Picard ordered.

Coreopsis 6-e

   “You were right in your assumption,” she spoke louder so he could hear her. 

   “Never?”

   “No.”

   “I envy you.” He drew a sharp breath as the cold water caressed his face. 

   “You know nothing about my personal life, don’t envy me.”

   “You have freedom.” He reached out and touched her face. “Freedom to choose a mate that will be good to you and love you.”

   “Your wife doesn’t love you?”

   “Nor I her.”

   “That must make for an interesting relationship?” She tried to keep the pace of the conversation as quick as she could.

   “There is something about you; I don’t know what it is.” He gazed at her for a moment. “I feel like you can see right through me. As if you can see my secrets and my deepest fears; as if I am transparent.” He closed his eyes. “What do you see?”

     Orion didn’t know how right he was. 

   She shook off all the thoughts rolling through her mind. “Shall I tell the Prince what he wants to hear or shall I be honest with the man?”

   His voice was almost a whisper when he answered her. “Be honest with me. I feel not enough people are honest with me.” His clothes were covered with sweat. 

   She closed her eyes, “your son is your only source of joy.” She saw him reading to his son at different stages of life. In the blink of an eye, she saw them lying together asleep on a couch, his son wrapped in his arms. “Your sister is your sanctuary.” She saw him lying in his sister’s room. She saw them talking as they walked through a garden. She wouldn’t tell him the other things she saw. “Outwardly you’re a corpse. Bones wrapped in flesh. Your eyes are dark. They are lifeless and empty. You have wondered why you haven’t died. You wish death to end your physical pain but it never comes.”

   His blood ran cold as she talked. How did she know all of this?

   “I have never met anyone like you. You are different. I find it easy to be around you.”

   “I was beginning to think you couldn’t engage in a conversation.” She smiled.

   “There you go being a tease again.” He gagged. She helped him raise up. His breathing was rapid and shallow. She held him up until her arm gave out. Once he was able to lay back down on the couch, he faded to sleep.

  When she had gathered her wits about her, she got up collecting a suit case from the closet where the porter put her bags. When she emerged from the bathroom, she had on lime green pajama’s and matching socks. 

   “Someone noticed my matching socks, look at you.” He ribbed. 

   “I just find it odd when a man matches. Usually they just put on whatever is in the floor. Well, the men in my life pick up whatever is in the floor.” She shivered, “is there no hot water on this train?” 

   He smiled, “Luke warm at best.”

   She plunked her suitcase back in the closet, quickly folding her arms across her chest; then placed her hands under her arms. “Oh my Sweet Jesus.”

   “Lay down.” He instructed calmly.

   She sat there a moment just shivering. He got up, kneeling she thought, but in reality falling in front of her. She slowly lay down. He opened a compartment under her seat. It was full of pillows and blankets. Gently, he lifted her head placing it back down on a pillow.

   “Do you want to dry your hair?”   

   “I never do. I don’t even own a hair dryer.” She chattered.

   He then took out a blanket wrapping her in it. He even tucked it under her feet.

   “I don’t think I can survive another shower like that.” She closed her eyes, snuggling into the blanket.

   Orion became dizzy. He steadied himself with his hand on the edge of her seat. His lungs began to burn with a different ache. “What kind of perfume are you wearing?”

   “Why?” His question caught her off guard.

   His breath jammed in his chest. All he could feel was his heart pound in his ears. His senses were flooded with her smell. 

   “Please don’t wear it any more.”

   “That’s all I brought.” She opened her eyes. His back was toward her now. She watched his head weave on top of his neck. 

    “I’ll buy you some at the next stop.”

    “Is it that bad?” She giggled. 

   He covered his mouth with his hand to conceal his rapid breathing. She was afraid he was going to be sick again. “Quite to the contrary.” He crawled on his hands and knees over to his seat, stretching out with his back to her. 

   Okay, she thought. That’s never happened to me before. She shrugged it off, drifting into sleep as she became warm.