That's great that you are learning to love being comfortable in your own skin! I feel so comfortable in my body when I am exercising and love to spend hours at the gym working out. It is great to realize how strong we are and work up a good sweat. That's very sweet about your kids! :)

I've never really played raquetball. Sounds fun!

I use to love playing raquetball! But the action is too fast for me now and I hit with my bad arm, so no can play anymore. Someday!

We just got back from hauling huge boxes of every kind of hanger you can imagine, into the store's storage. And fixtures. So many diff ways to hang clothes! I got a special gold bar and chain so i can hang it off the ceiling high to hang my wedding and evening gowns. Beautiful!

I still have another load to do. The couple I am getting this stuff from were scrabbling so I had to call it a day. If I tried to do a second load I think they would have divorced,lol. Moving things out from one's dream crashing (she had to close down her store) is so stressful. So Monday I go back...

I was dancing with the mannequin's yesterday. Tralalalala....my own music, my own theme song...a cross between Rocky and Bambi's theme songs..lol

thanks to a wonderful benefactor, I was able to layaway two beautiful showcases for my jewelry. Not only am I selling store bought jewerly, I have local artists who are making/designing special lines for my store that cannot be purchased anywhere but in my store!

Here is what one of them looks like! They light up and lock!

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/m...03389440_n.jpg

So true! And I am so happy to hear your news. Thanks so much for sharing.

Luckily I don't have medical issues that require frequent trips to the doctor, but for those who do, many doctors take the easy way out of helping us, blaming weight on issues that have nothing to do with the actual issue. I wouldn't say I have a "fat positive" doctor per se, but he also has never used my weight as a reason not to successfully address any problem that I've had over the years. My weight is not brought up unless I bring it up. I'm thankful for that, and it's a big reason why I keep him! What a danger it is for all the people who have to go to doctors and hear the same trite diet advice and fat phobic, ignorant shaming, while treatable problems are left not addressed. It's no wonder fat people sometimes avoid the doctor because of this! Each of us is worth finding the right doctor!

fluffy and happy
 

when I had no medical coverage after first returning to Ohio, I went to a free clinic. I could barely move, the pain was excruciating. I shuffled. I couldnt sit for any period of time and actually had to lay on floors if i went places, if the time last more than an hour. Life was horrible for me and I was so depressed. I needed medication to ease the back spasms and to get me back on thyroid meds, anti depression meds, etc. medicines that would allow me to live without feeling like a walking tomb of pain.

I had a Dr at this free clinic who would not focus on my symptoms. He focused on my fat. He said he wanted me to lose weight before he would give me meds. I was told to give up all animal products and go on a vegetarian diet. That was all nice but I had no money for food at the time and was getting free food from the churches and veggies was not part of their plan. He scolded me everytime I came in. I wept often. I begged for meds. He gave me synthroid finally and that was it.

When i got into the Bureau of Vocational Rehab, BVR, my case manager took one look at me, picked up the phone and ordered my medicines for me thru that Dr and paid for them. If not for her intervention, he would have punished me forever for being fat. As soon as I had my meds in me and they were working, I started losing weight. I was more active and my metabolism increased. But it wasnt the weight. i had MEDICAL CONDITIONS that caused my pain. My weight didnt cause them!

I look back on those days and wonder how I survived. And its amazing I survived and how far I have come in a few years! Fatopia now! LOL

Hi, I am a cortisone success story. It was a miracle for me. Years ago I developed a progressively more excruciating pain in my left hip such that I began to use a cane! This went on for a year! Of course, family and "friends" told me I'd better lose weight or expect to live this way forever. I went to my doctor, and he told me I had bursitis in my hip and gave me a single quick shot of cortisone before I could even think twice about it. The pain went away what felt like over night, and it NEVER came back, EVER (Everyone still told me that this was only temporary, that I really needed to "lose the weight" or it would come back. Guess what, it's been almost ten years and not a moment of pain!). It was a reminder to me not to avoid a doctor because everyone around us ascribes our health problems to our weight. And, for those who don't yet have one, finding a doctor who doesn't only see through the "fat is the problem" lens is worth all the frustration so that we can be healthiest as possible at whatever weight we are!

After my accident last year I was given an Epidural Cortizone Injection. It's not usually done on SB suffers and only has a 50% of success; on my it only worked about 30%, lasting for a few days. I suffered the worst headache I've ever had for nearly a week afterwards. I'm not sure if it was an allergic reaction to the steroid used or from the actual Epidural itself (a common side affect). Either way, I'm in no hurry to have any more in the future, although I've been refered for pain management.

Both my Consultants admitted that my size prevented my from being permenantly paralysed or worse!

so my landlord STILL has not done the carpets but he has made me a key finally. Progress! LOL.

I got to spend an entire day with horses yesterday. if you know me, you know how much I love horses and need them in my life. Well, today I cant walk. I cant sit up. I am in so much pain but its glorious pain! People who knew me before my surgery all squealed over the weight I had lost.But then they all said, "gee, we thought you would get skinny"

seriously? Another round of "your surgery was a failure. Doesnt matter that I can breath and my stumach isnt coming out of my mouth anymore...geee...

so tomorrow I go into my store ("my store" omg..it sounds so good!) and start to put together my office. Photos, files, decor, etc. I need to make it my special place.

Maybe i am emotional...but honestly I just wanted to cry when i typed "my store"...

I am so glad I have this place to come to and talk about it too. It means so much to me that there is a group of people who understand and can relate to why this is so important to me

What you are saying about how GPs are paid is not really true. Here is a link that explains how docs in the UK are being paid under the new contract.

http://www.bma.org.uk/press_centre/p...p#.T2jtiBHy_Qg

How general practice is funded

Almost all funding in the current contract is practice-based. This means that payments are made to the practice and not to individual GPs. Expenses - for example, rent, utility bills and staff wages - are taken out of this funding pot and the amount remaining, after the cost of providing clinical services has been taken out, makes up the pay available to the GP partners.

The funding formula is extremely complex and funding is distributed to practices according to the weighted needs of their population - for example a practice with a large elderly population, and therefore a greater workload, will get more funding than a practice with a relatively young, healthy population.

GP practices receive their funding through several major streams, though the main ones are the Global Sum, the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), and Enhanced Services:

Here is an abstract from Health Affairs (www.healthaffairs.org)

Quality Incentives: The Case Of U.K. General Practitioners
Peter C. Smith and Nick York

Abstract

The United Kingdom is implementing major changes to the national contract for general practitioners (GPs). A central plank of the new arrangements is an ambitious scheme to reward high-quality care. Each general practice will be scored on 146 performance indicators according to the measured quality of care it delivers, and its accumulated score will determine the magnitude of the quality payment it receives. About 18 percent of practice earnings will be at risk. This paper describes the incentive scheme, discusses its potential benefits and risks, and draws out the implications for evaluation.

One of the things that has happened under this new contract is the significantly increased number of folks being diagnosed with diabetes. It has been written up in several medical journals.




It is my understanding that New Zealand has a two-tiered payment system, although I have not done recent research on their system. (I lived in NZ in early 2000 and received health care there...)



There are plenty of inaccuracies about how nationalized health care works in other countries being said in the US. I just hate seeing more put out there.

Me in this color


As I said I hate inaccuracies. Anyway....back to the fat positive talk

I do believe the British Medical Association.....they negotiated the contract with the government on behalf of doctors..........is a highly reputable organization. What they say is factual.

Health Affairs is the leading journal of health policy thought and research. The peer-reviewed journal was founded in 1981 under the aegis of Project HOPE, a nonprofit international health education organization. Health Affairs explores health policy issues of current concern in both domestic (US) and international spheres.

Neither of my references are from just any place on the net. Both are highly respected and are factual. Your opinion is not fact.....no disrespect intended.

I have to speak to this, as a person with their name on several published research studies. Kiwi is correct, or rather her cousin is. The system at large, in the United States and from what she said, in the UK and NZ IS driven by funding, not finding. Statistics can be contorted and distorted to fit any argument and unfortunately, that is typically the case.

Big whoopeee you are an author on published papers.............so am I.

This is NOT fat positive based and let's not derail this thread anymore.

I was simply responding to what you wrote. Yes, author of books, several thousand articles, published studies and a practicing psychotherapist. As a published researcher, you should also recognize just how contorted and manipulated the medical system is.
I'm done here, didn't need to derail, but I also don't like the idealism placed on any medical association.

since I am puter ignorant and can't do it in this post...........

I uploaded a picture of a herd of longhorns on a friend of mines ranch outside Midland TX.

go to my gallery

oh gracious! I love this phrase! Imma gonna use it!

For Us....
 

I LOVE this quote...but change "flaw" to something more positive.





http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...39388991_n.jpg

Oooh! I musta missed this forum earlier. So glad I found it! :D

This fat chick today decided to get serious about checking something off her bucket list...eventually. I signed up for a 10K walk/run this summer! I will likely be walking it, but it's the first step towards participating in a triathalon *and* the STP bike series (It's a 200-mile bike ride between Seattle and Portland).

Am I crazy? Perhaps. But I'm sooo excited! :) :) :)

:stillheart:

I finally got it! He steamed my rugs and is putting in a whole new toilet and has moved most of his stuff out of there...thank heavens! LOL. Now I need to focus on moving in and this sign!

So the measurements are 90" long and 50" high for where this sign goes. Do not try to match colors. Do as you will for whatever you sign up for. I know Claybaby wants to do the letter BEAU. So the rest are up for grabs. Who else would like to do this? I will be posting this in the Scrapbook and crafting thread and would like to organize it there if thats ok with everyone. So please join me there if you would like to do this project for the ladies of my store!

Big girls make me happy. That is all.