StormWarning

I can imagine. I have had strep twice in my life. One was so bad my throat actually bled. Did you pick this up from your nephew when they were in? Thank god they gave you liquids. Those pills for strep are HUGE!! GO figure tho, medicines need to made over. Ailments like flu (no sore thraot) take a very tiny pill (tami-flu) and then strep, (sore, swollen throat) takes one of the biggest pills there is. I know you will overcome this in a few days. Best wishes.

Glad to hear that you are recovery well, and so sorry to hear about the monitor that the doctor forgot to take out. Hope they can get it out the easiest possible way. Best of luck to you and hope you continue to recovery smoothly.

Glad to hear from you again Susie, and so sorry to hear you have strep. I can think of many things allot worse than strep. In about 2-3 days your throat will start feeling much better. did they give you a shot too? I hope you have a speedy recovery and get feeling better very soon.

Glad to hear you got your approval. I wish you all the best in the future to come. You can do this. Just stay focused on your goal, it will help keep you motivated.

Actually the spider method is a single incision usually in the belly button and a device that once inserted has multiple arms like a spider. I watched one of those surgeries performed on one of the early morning shows. Not sure if it was good morning america or not.

I have not had my surgery yet, but my doctor also sews a suture line over the staples. He performs this method in some of his youtube videos.

Just wanted to wish you the best of luck. I hope your surgery is uneventful and your recovery is speedy. Please keep us updated on your status as you are able. As far as the packing, I have no suggestions as I have not had my surgery yet. But if you find something you wished you would have had, please let us know. Again Best of luck hun. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

They have biotin that dissolves under the tongue if needed. http://www.evitamins.com/biotin-5000-mcg-superior-source-13894 http://www.vitacost.com/Superior-Source-Biotin Just search online and see what you come up with, check your walmart/target/drug stores to see if they carry it on hand.

I completely agree. I had asked Susan about follow-up blood work with Dr. Alvarez cause I do not have any insurance and even the yearly blood works are outrageously expensive. She said I was always welcome to come back for follow-ups, and also stated that if anything was wrong that Dr. A would do his best to fix it. That is an awesome feeling.

OH wow. so glad you are ok. Was this your first time being put to sleep? The issue is not unheard of, but yet it is very rare. I am so glad that your heart turned out to be in good shape. They may have to lessen the sedation for your next surgery. My mom is a rare case that has a hard time coming out of sedation, so she gets like half what they would normally give a person. I wish you the very best of luck for your next go round on July 30th. I hope you can have your dream come true. Please keep us updated.

I kicked my major dr pepper habit a few months back. Then somehow I got a taste for Coke Fountain drinks. I threw those away a few weeks ago. I am now in my pre-op diet phase and I have to say, water definitely is my drink of choice NOW. I can't stand tea, can't stand fruit drinks everything is too sweet. I enjoy a bottle water over anything. Sometimes I may flavor it with water enhancers, but I find those seem too sweet too.

WooHoo, congratulations. Talk about working hard. You sure show how hard you worked. You look fantastic, fabulous, Inspiring.

you look FABULOUS. You are doing such a great job. Keep up all the great work. I love seeing the transformations everyone is making,

you still have the fever this morning? I am so sorry I fell asleep last night. I hope you didn't try to get ahold of me.

I'm not real sure. I see Walmart carries the premier Protein bars but I didn't see the drinks. I will try to do a search and see where all they can be bought once I get back to computer. Sitting in parking lot ( for an hour now) waiting on hubby to decide he's worked long enough. Sent from my iPhone using VST

I too am on a liquid diet. Doctor requested two weeks but I started early so I will be 19 days total I agree with the comment about premier Protein shakes. I bought mine at sams. They are pretty good. I am also using EAS advantage carb control in chocolate and strawberry. And also Atkins shakes in chocolate. By far Premier Protein tastes the best but they are all doable. EAS and Atkins have no where near the 30g of protein that premier shakes have but it changes up the taste and breaks up the monotony of things. Best of luck on your diet. Sent from my iPhone using VST

I want to wish you all the best tomorrow Luauna. I too hope that your surgery goes smoothly and recovery is speedy. Please keep us updated on your progress when you are able. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Congrats!!

For the record I have not had my surgery yet. That comes on the 6th. But I do have orders already from the doctor. Phase 3.Soft food diet that we begin in our 4th week. Here are some options that they have given us. Soft foods are comprised of: things that are easily chewed and will mush up in your mouth easily. Examples: scrambled or soft cooked eggs cottage cheese cottage cheese w/pureed fruit refried Beans tuna, salmon, chicken, or egg salad mixed well with low fat mayo chicken leg or thigh meat soft cooked veggies mac-n-cheese whole wheat grains meats that are cooked to really soft consistency-crockpot, pressure cooker Soft cooked or stewed fruits oatmeal, cream of wheat, grits moist meatloaf, turkey loaf Soups that have easy to chew veggies and meats I know there are some items on this list that will make somes jaw drop open like the mac-n-cheese and whole wheat grains. However they are not harmful in moderation and remember we are still healing and in need of some soft foods. Some doctors may recommend other things, this is just what my doctor says are options for us to try at this stage that others have done well with. Good luck to you.

First off, Best of luck tomorrow. I hope your surgery goes very smoothly and your recovery is speedy. Please keep us updated on your status. Secondly, Welcome to the boards. There are so many great people here who are more than willing to lend an ear, a shoulder or advice when needed. Just think tomorrow you will be sitting on the losers bench, fulfilling all your dreams come true. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

I love seeing these photos. It give me stars in my eyes and hope that I too can achieve success. I think you look fabulous and are well on your way in finding the new you. Keep up all your hard work.