hey everyone! its been awhile since ive been here because ive been busy busy enjoying all the newfound energy i have! but over the past few days ive come down with a raging cold.. can anyone point me in the right direction as far as what OTC meds i can take to help with congestion and runny nose? ive tried mucinex, and though it seems to help, i feel sort of drunk a little while after i take it.. i dont know if its because im not supposed to take that, or do we need to take less than the "normal" dose thats listed? thanks!

i was so happy to get the go-ahead from my doc to start phase 2 of the diet plan (soft foods) after my 2-week checkup.. however, its been almost two weeks now and im having difficulties with the foods... of everything ive tried, all i have been able to eat without complication is wing drumettes, pudding, and one tiny oreo cookie (i know i know but i had to have it!) for any of the other foods, on the first bite i start getting chest pains around my sternum area.. by the second bite im getting the feeling that i should head to the bathroom.. i havent actually vomited, but have gotten so far as the dry heaves... the bites are small, and im chewing things that probably dont even need chewing, and going slowly.. guess i need a bit more healing.. i also sometimes break out in a sweat, or get hot-type flashes or really chilly.. i dont go so far as trying a third bite.. anyone else have this problem, and is there anything i can try besides going back to the full liquid phase and wait awhile to try again?

your body has been thru a great ordeal and it will take a while to feel better... tomorrow marks my first 2 weeks post-op and i still have incision pains, as well as some random ones.. youre on the right track with being positive and knowing that each day it does get a bit better.. just keep on trying as hard as you can to get what you need... and dont worry about negative folks because they will always be there.. i just try to avoid them and keep my eye on the prize!

thanks everyone for sharing your own experiences.. i realize that every surgeon does have different methods, and i definitely was NOT upset and whining.. i was merely curious about the different steps that everyone had gone through before getting to the surgery point.. i dont feel like i got ripped off in any way, and actually im glad that i didnt have to suffer through some of the steps, which surely must have been agonizing to those that wanted things to move a little swiftly.. i was just interested in perhaps the different reasons (besides insurance compliance) that certain individuals were required to do different things.. again, thanks for the positive feedback.. curiosity satisfied

i agree the pain was horrid.. and this is coming from a woman who held out for three days after a c-section to take pain meds, and had a root canal with only topical anethesthetic! realizing i used to be crazy, after my surgery i hit the morphine pump button as fast as i could, and sometimes before i was supposed to!  but the pain didnt last that long, just a few days, and every day was better and better.. go ahead and feel good.. theres no reason to look back, just look forward to the great new life that you just started! good luck!