@jakedduck1 We had a Hawaiian pizza. I had eaten too much at breakfast, so after my wife's surgery she was ready for lunch, but I still felt full. I seem to have coconut cream pie often at Shari's. Costco pies are really good. We get 12 slices of the apple pie and 16 of the pumpkin. We don't have them very often. I'd eat desserts and sweet snacks all the time, but I exercise a lot of self control. We have dessert most days with either lunch or dinner, and I limit candy to two small pieces a day. It's a challenge to walk through the kitchen and not grab a handful.

I've been losing weight lately, and I need not to lose much more. I'm not sure why I'm losing weight. It could be connected with my swallowing problems. I have to chew everything thoroughly because food gets backed up in one or more of three places. Sometimes the valve (sphincter) at the top of my esophagus doesn't open when it should, so I have to wait for it. In the esophagus there are rings (of ligament, I think) that line the walls and normally fire in sequence, which moves the food down to the lower sphincter. Unfortunately, they fire randomly instead, slowing the process down. Then the food eventually gets to the lower sphincter, and just like the upper sphincter, it doesn't open dependably. Sometimes I can swallow normally, but most of the time it's a pretty slow process. So, I sometimes get tired of chewing, or tired of waiting, and don't eat as much as I probably should.

It takes a lot of chewing when I eat meat, especially. Tonight I had a small piece of boneless chicken thigh, and it was a chore getting it down in tiny bites. Sometimes it helps to drink a sip of water or milk, to wash the food down, but liquids are becoming problematic now. I drink small sips after inhaling, with my chin tucked in. No straws anymore - it propels the liquid to the back of my mouth too fast. Not supposed to drink pop, but I do sometimes in the summer. The trouble with liquid is that I can aspirate it, which does happen occasionally.

TMI, I know. Sorry about that.

Jim