So despite my miserable cold today I have to go shopping. Normally this stresses me out enough trying to grocery shop. Today I have to prepare for my preop diet. This is stressful because I will have to buy stuff for two life styles. I can not deprive my husband and just by stuff for myself. How is that going to work and stay on a budget. I know most of you out there are just like me take bills month to month and try to get by. Not to mention if we are undertaking this financially stressing surgery or at least mine has been with the co pays and requirements and not to mention my doctor is an hour away. I am going to try my best to stay within my budget of my normal shopping with the exception that I have to buy my vitamins and host a party this weekend. My preop diet is the Robard diet. It is a modified atkins diet with meal replacements. I am allowed four meal replacements a day things such as soup cold shakes a hot cocoa and granola bars that you buy at my docs office. Then with this for one meal a day I will be able to eat a meal of my choosing low fat of course mostly meats no sauce dry spices and a green salad with lettuce cucumber broccoli green onions and wishbone salad spray. I think I will be okay with the wishbone salad spray but it will be hard to do without meat sauce. I have a hard time swallowing dry meats due to a surgery I had last year on my throat removing a growth that blocked 75% of my throat. So... I will do a lot of price checking on protein shakes. I have already tried several and they about made me sick. I am going to try the protein shots or Special K protein shake. Plenty of crystal lights LOTS of bottled water. May get several diet cokes since this will be the last time I will be able to drink soda. I am looking at the Viactiv Vitamin Chocolate chews and calcium chews. I have taken the calcium ones before and they taste just like heresy so I believe that will be my drug of choice. I have already invested in a blender from walmart made by GE that is much like the magic bullet but instead only cost 15 dollars and not 60. Will need something to wear after surgery plenty of chapsticks and some gas x!!! I have read the gas pains are awful. I believe I will wait to buy my post op foods until the friday before my surgery. Hopefully I will get everything I need and make some good choices for this stuff is expensive. Just wish I could find a protein shake I could tolerate. Oh well happy shopping with a miserable cold for me!