Hey Kelly ... when I got home, the anesthesia had worked out of my system - and the soreness was setting in ...

well, from them going down my throat - it felt (around 7p - the procedure was done at 1030a) .. that something was stuck in the back of my throat - I was coughing, stressing because whatever was "back there" wasn't loosening ...

this is where I feel really stupid :o... I was making myself cough so bad that I was spitting up blood ... so I went to Urgent Care/ER ... and it was just that my throat was still swollen, and that 'thing' that hangs in the back of my throat was 'in the way' with my throat being swollen/sore ...

of course, I'm not the most patient person for something to heal ... it's better today ... but, my throat still hurts ... drinking cool water and ice chips helps!

Hi every one Glad you all had a good Thanksgiving. :D
Vonn have you tried ice cream or yogert both good for sore throats. :hug:
I have been busy again but whats new :D Off to do tea now we having beef cobbler for tea with home made lemon cake for afters :) Big huggs love Jackie. xxxxxx:hug::grouphug::hug::grouphug:

Kelly, I was referring to students who cannot folow instructions. But I liked your reply:)

Vonn :hug: praying for good biopsy results. I hear ya on the bad cholesterol. Mine is up after I started Zetia. So I am stopping the drug and going back to the diet habits that brought it down better! Trying to exercise, but that gets tricky with the MS and getting over heated.

Kelly, sorry to hear about your neighbor. :hug:

Jackie, the lemon cake sounds good :cool:

I couldn't resist and went shopping anyway. I found a few good deals that were worth the trip. Traffic was good and the stores were not as crowded as I expected. THE BIG GAME was going on today... University of Alabama vs Auburn ... so the stores were empty by 10am! :D At last football was good for something :D:cool:! TO show how worried the local politicians were ...they were on the news pleading with folks to go shopping...the city and county need the tax money desperately.

DS is better today. No fever now for 2 days so he should be back in school on MOnday.

Hi all! I sat around today and bought xmas gifts online. I just about broke my foot last night after we came home. I was pulling out Jim's heavy ramps and thought I set it down right. Well, it slammed down on top of my foot (the boney part) and I fell to the ground. I am OK but it was touch and go for a few. I woke up at 5am and tried to walk and couldn't. I am able to now. Swollen and bruised but Ok. Whew!

The good news is I got almost all my shopping done! I have the mom's left and money cards to get but overall I am done!

:hug:

PS: That's Jim and I in my new pic. We took that last night. Now one of my fav pics.

I want to share with you all my sweet cousin Jaiden. She stuck to me like glue last night. We even played school together. Hahaha I bought her a guitar set today. She wants to learn so you know I was all about that! :D

Attachment 5357

Sandy, Great pictures!

Sandy, Sandy, Sandy .. you're a cutie ... and your handsome mate, Jim!!

my throat is feeling better ... spending tomorrow eve with friends for T-Day ... and games - like Scattegories!

2k2c ... I was reading about good/bad cholesterol ... guess I'll have to quit eating all together ... I'm confused ... will learn more this coming wednesday after the liver biopsy results ... but, they are looking at NASH ... (remember: diagnosis by elimination!) LOL

Supermoo ... have enjoyed applesauce and cranberry sauce .. and ice chips .. will pick up some ice cream tomorrow ... just haven't felt like dealing with crowds ...:rolleyes:

have a great weekend!! sent all the snow over to Jenn!! :D

Vonn,

To increase the good cholesterol, add fish oil, olive oil and avocado and walnuts.

To cut the bad cholesterol: No more than two eggs per week and not fried. Cut out the cheese please and switch to skim milk. No butter but use Smart Balance margarine. Avoid baked goods and prepared cookies and snacks, like Oreos and candy. :eek:

No ground beef or fatty beef cuts but lean chicken such as broiled breast meat is good. Lean turkey breast is good too. Baked or broiled salmon is excellent. I like canned red salmon. :) Also, water packed tuna. Forget bacon, sausage or lunchmeats.

You can do it and you'll feel better too. :hug:

Wiz, good advice. Thinking that the olive oil we use a lot around here might be the reason my good cholestoral is good. Married to an italian does have some benefits. ;) I always buy tuna in water because I give what I drain from the cans to my kitties. Helps their coats. :)

Vonn, ugh! Don't blame you for going to the ER, but glad to hear it was only because your throat was still swollen from the procedure. I can't remember what happened with mine since it was about 15 years ago and they had good enough meds that I don't remember it at all. ;)

Sandy, you guys are such a cute couple!

Kelly, sorry to hear about your neighbors. :hug::hug:

Everyone, :grouphug::grouphug:

~~~~~~~

Enjoying a quiet cup of coffee before preparing for the last round of family. We're making breakfast for them before they take off and head back home. I'm exhausted, but it was great seeing them.

My hubby has been helpful, and he's been having a blast being the chef. He learned to cook for large amounts of people (See above about him being Italian :D ) and except for the Thanksgiving dinner - we've had very little in the way of leftovers.

Good morning!

Vonn, I do not remember having any problems with a sore throat after my endoscopy and I woke up gagging during mine. It sounds like your doctor may have scraped your throat. Sometimes high cholesterol is also hereditary. I have to take simivistatin (zocor) for mine and it has kept it under control. I have not experienced any problems with it, but I am not sure that they will prescribe meds if you are experiencing liver problems.

I managed to grade 13 papers yesterday so I have 11 more to do before Tuesday. That is my self imposed deadline. I will be getting more papers in my grad class on Monday and my Am Gov class on Wednesday so I want to have these done. I am so looking forward to the end of the semester. We have two more weeks of classes and then finals. Then I have three weeks off! Of course, I have to drive to Ohio during that time for Christmas. I am not really looking forward to that as my legs are just being a real pain in the *** lately. But I would not want to spend Christmas alone either.

I need to go out and run a few errands today. Hope you all are having a good weekend!

Hi all, have been preping and cooking a big pot of steak onions and carrots to freeze. Comes in handy I like to do food from scratch then I know whats in it .
Sandy Lovely pics of you Jim & Jaiden xx
2K2C Glad your shopping went well :) Hope you find an exercise you can do. xx
Vonn Glad your throat is feeling better hun :) xx
Hope every one is well and happy Big huggs Lots of love Jackie. xxxxxxxxxxxx:hug::grouphug::hug::grouphug:

thanks, everyone!!

Wiz - this doctor 'pulled' me off of the Omega 3 Fish Oil until the EOM .. and I have a hard time with food ... don't like to cook anything, don't like to shop, sorry - whining!! :rolleyes:

I'll figure it out, eventually ..

UPDATE: was hoping that my throat would feel better .. but, still sore - probably because after the procedure, I had some Taco Bell (I hadn't eaten for over 30 hours) ... and then on Thursday - the yam I had was too hot (I guess) and irritated the throat ... :Talkative:

I've been drinking water ... but, feel that I may have overstressed my 'swallowing' ... oh well ... :(

it's a beautiful day out ... and hoping to travel to my friend's for T-Day dinner today/tonight ... right now, I'm not 'feeling' it ... :nopity:

Good afternoon all! Chris wants to finish decorating the house so we'll probably do that and then I'll work on my blankets or stained glass. I have everyone shopped for in the family except the mom's. I did everything online. I even got into a bidding war on Ebay for those darn Zhu Zhu pets. They are fake hamsters. I spent more than I wanted but it was for the kids and that's what the holiday is about. I would never do that for an adult. 4 nieces will have the latest fad. :rolleyes:

Everyone have a good day. Vonn, hope your feeling better soon. :hug:

I just read about the fake hamsters. I did not realize this was the "hot" present this year. So far, my niece has not mentioned them.

Barb, I agree that cholesterol is hereditary. My neuro was telling me about some incidences of isolated civilizations where all the people have low good cholesterol and high bad, and they live in a tropical environment and eat lots of fish. He said that it's common for them to die at 50 or earlier from artherosclerosis due to this.

He also has MS patients, not watching their diet at all, wheelchair bound with very high good cholesterol for no apparent reason. He said they'll likely never have heart disease because of this.

A lot of it is hereditary and that's why we're lucky to have statins to lower it like Zocor and Lipitor.

My dad ate high saturated fat, eggs, bacon, ham, butter and sugar all his life but also worked outdoors at least 40 hours per week (besides his factory day job working on the assembly line).

He had excellent cholesterol his entire life! :eek:

But still, mine is high, but I have very high good cholesterol and it's because I eat lots of olive oil, fish, and avocado on a regular basis and I take fish oil caps each morning. So who the heck knows what is right? I'm trying to watch my diet more though because my PCP is freaked out because my bad cholesterol went up some (I was eating a lot of cheese and eggs.) But I cut those out and added cheerios and skim milk for breakfast. He was pretty peeved at me because I refused to start taking a statin med. I told him I'd bring it down on my own.

He's my new PCP too and it looks like he might not last. My old one just retired, Dr. Lee, and he'd advise, but not push things on me and get in a snit if I didn't follow his advice. :rolleyes:

Vonn,

I just want you feeling better and I'm hoping your doctors can get you in ship shape soon. :hug:

Morning all, I'm up early as hubby off to do his hobby a preserved Train. ( well we all have our vices) :) So now I'm chillin with my cat. Its cold today and wet so not venturing out. Hope your all ok big huggs love Jacke. xxxxxx:grouphug::hug::grouphug::hug:

Hugs all!

last night and this morning were those BAD BAD back days!! sometimes it makes me wonder if something else could be up... and that we just think from my description spasm pain who knows..... but sometimes I wonder what if something else is causing especially the lower back stuff....

anyhow, could not stay in bed this morning due to the pain, came down and stretched out and did few moments of yoga stretching.... :o helps some... I think just being up and moving helps.... but would LOVE to sleep in once in while on days off....

heading to church but all alone... can not fathom waking the little ones..they are fast asleep... and sometimes want me to hold them during church... so not for me... feel too disabled to have such little ones at times... it hurts my feelings...

anyhow... maybe get out the christmas decorations... if some kids will help... as do not want to do too too much... hugssss and have a GREAT day all!! hugss,sarah

Good Morning! Got my weekly grocery trip over with this morning. I like to go when the stores are not crowded and it's supposed to rain tomorrow so I figured I'd get it over with today.

It's beautiful here today. Supposed to be in the 60's. But that's all gonna change by tomorrow. Rain, wind and colder temps are on the way. I looked at the extended forecast and Saturday (my garage sale day) is supposed to be pretty and in the 50's. Perfect! :D

DS is picking up 4 6-foot banquet tables for me today to use in my sale. DS's girlfriend's mother has them and they only live about five miles from me. She's sweet to let me borrow them.

Hoping everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. We did but I'm glad the leftovers are almost gone. I even sent quite a bit home with DS after we ate, too. I always cook too much.

:grouphug:'s to everyone! :)

Hi everyone! We got all the decs up last night. I even hitched the trailer to the van to drive tomorrow. Hope I don't clip too many mailboxes on the way up to Dekalb! LOL If your wondering what van and trailer, it's the one my brothers band left here while on tour. It's a big one (extended van with a 10 foot trailer) so I am a tad nervous. They will load their equipment and then drive me back home. I'll leave here around 5:30am. Anyone want to ride? lol

Other than that I plan to do some blankets. I didn't get to them last night. Maybe I can get enough done to start wrapping.

Have a good day everyone! :hug:

It is cold, windy, and dreary here today. Oh well -- Friday and Saturday were sunny, and I am just staying home today. I just finished grading a few minutes ago so I have the rest of the day to take it easy. The next few weeks are going to be really busy at school.

Sarah -- :hug::hug:

Wiz -- Hope you are able to get the cholesterol down naturally. Think I am getting the same look from my doctors when I tell them I have not started taking a drug for osteopenia. I still have not taken the actonel that I picked up last week. The side effects are really scary. I already have stomach problems, plus muscle and bone pain. Do I really need more?

Hi everyone,
Whew! The last of the kids/sig. others just left, and it's quiet here...our faces hurt from so much laughter. It makes DH's and my heart soar, seeing how great the kids turned out and how much they love and enjoy each other.:)
Lots of food eaten, alcohol drunk, and chocolate...which I hadn't had in weeks, so I got my usual reaction to it...became extremely crabby yesterday. Esp when we had the inlaws over, and now FIL wants to go to his old dentist 30 miles away, because his bridges are falling out due to the teeth that hold them in corroding. Our dentist has been trying mightily to save them, but it was only a matter of time before they fell apart. Dentures are probably now in order...
the kids got us a Wii balance board for Christmas...we had a lot of fun this morning using it. I only played the games in which I didn't have to use the tummy muscles at all...surgeon wants no stress on the stitches/healing. It's hard to remember not to bend from the waist...picking up the many things I drop is frustrating...have to get a chair, bend sideways and reach down. Guess I shouldn't drop stuff so often!!
Hope all of you and your loved ones get home safely...and that all of you had a wonderful holiday!!

Hi Everyone! I've been busy hanging out with DBF, DD18, and family that is visiting. I finally have enough quiet time to check in and say "Hi" to everyone.

Hope you all are having a great Sunday! (I just love Sunday's.:p):hug::grouphug:

Barb,

I tried Actonel and one pill was all I managed. I have GERD and take Nexium already. Then my PCP gave me Fortical, one that's a nasal mist. I tolerated that one really well. Maybe you could ask your doctor about it? I'm just amazed that more people don't take it. :confused:

I've got insomnia. SO thought I'd drop by and say hello. Tomorrow will be a rainy messy day but I have to go out for a couple of errands. DS will go back to school tomorrow. He is coughing like crazy, but it's a productive cough at least.

You gals taking the osteopenia drugs, did your docs do blood work to check calcium levels before you started the drugs? I ask because my mom had started taking Actonel and her doc did not do a blood test...just the bone density scan. She started feeling really fatigued... I mean she barely could get out of bed. I finally convinced her to call the docs office and let them know. They wanted her to get blood work immediately. It seems only a month on Actonel and her blood calcium was extremely high. Of course they didn't do the test before, so they have no starting reference point to compare. SO now she waits to see if it will go back down. She is too repeat the blood work in another month. I think she is going to blow it off, because she feels so much better. I'm dreading the phone call that she has fell and broken something :rolleyes:.

Hi all another early start. Hope your day goes well. Big huggs Love Jackie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:hug::grouphug::hug::grouphug:

real early start moo!! hope you get a nappy in if needed today!

hugss all

well yesterday turned into emotional day, (first let me add my oldest sister, Madeline the one that passed last year her daughter and new hubby were in town this weekend... and two nights ago we were looking at many old old pics she had on her laptop... so lots of her family as they were growing up with my sister... so emotional but wonderful)

so woke yesterday as I said much pain... headed to church a bit bummed to have to limit my life due to the pain... by not taking kids to church... so I get there sit with my parents... and as soon as some music starts.. I am fighting tears. If any of you know me well.. which you do.. hehe... did not take long for me to be red eyed.. and wiping away tears... with some looking over worried about me or wondering.

my parents started to notice... and handed me some new kleenex and kept reaching over a few times to comfort... but ME emotional ME.. if they did I would get more teary ... so had to leave downstairs... sat in the bathroom area.. table and chair mirror... just looking at self... and balling... I was thinking of my stuff....and the idea of always having to hold back in life at times. I was thinking of Madeline who although I have three other sisters.. she is the ONE that would just listen if I needed to talk about the pain... she would not tell me what to do/ not hurry me off the phone/ not think in my head possible ... anyhow... the tears were a rolling.

eventually I thought I toughened up... went back up... but almost to last song... we sang a Christmas song... a pretty slower one... so you know what happened.... so at end my dad said sit down hun... and they both started asking what is wrong. Thinking they thought more to it... but I just told them tired of my limits... no dx, no Madeline to call... and just dove into my dads arms sitting there like I was 3 snuggling.... which made me even a bit more misty as I know he may only have so much time with us left too.

sorry if this is long... or too emotional for any hehe....

oh when I start thinking of Madeline I always then start thinking of our baby Sabrina (for newer members here... I lost a baby in 98 full term)

anyhow a teary eyed day.... I feel it good to release them when it comes... just wish not at church or that I was tough to hold them back.. so not all wondering what is up with me lol

I did however come home and rest a bit, then mission... decorated the house for Christmas....Ciara was in heaven she loved it.. and could not wait for the tree decorations.... so since she did many my tree is bottom heavy with decorations...hehe

nice day overall... tears and smiles... thank you all for always being here... helps to type stuff out sometimes.. and know that you guys always understand or openly try to understand... hugss to you all.. and although I do not always do the personals back... KNOW that I read and think and pray for all here always ... love you all, and HUGSSSSSSSSSSS, sarah:hug:

Sarah, uber hugs heading your way. :hug::hug:

~~~~~

Survived the day long trip to see the in-laws. Since everyone was sick of turkey at this point, they made us lasagana. :) It was a good time.

Maybe this push was a good thing. See the Rhuemy this morning. Not sure how this is going to go, but we'll see.

Hope everyone has a good day.:grouphug::grouphug:

Good Monday morning peeps!

Its sounds like many of you had a wonderful holiday.:hug:

Vonn...I hope that throat starts feeling better soon.:hug:

fin...good luck at the docs today...let us know how it goes.

sandy...love the pics of you, jim, and your neice...you look mahvelous.

debd...sounds like you had a wonderful time with your family..now
rest, rest, rest.

tricia...I bet you had fun with your daughter home...I know I really enjoyed
having my oldest back at home.:hug:

Kelly...I was so sorry to hear about your neighbor....thinking of you :hug:

Pam....Its good news your son is able to attend school today. I still have
nasty yucky stuff in my throat and I have been over the flu for a week
and a half...Im still coughing!:eek: Hugs to you!

sarah...big hugs to you! I was wondering about your back. How old is
your mattress? Thinking maybe this could be whats up.:confused: Maybe you should see the doc as this could be something other than a neuro problem. Just a thought. I hope you feel better soon.:hug:

wiz...your new kitty is tooooo cute!:)

barb, moo, holly, weav and everyone else have a great week!:hug:

my update: Well, had a wonderful holiday with all of us together(39).
We dont do that too often but should. All the cousins had so much fun
together, it helped that it was 55 degrees and they all played outside.:)

We discussed getting a house that sleeps all of us this summer. Somewhere
in the Carolinas. We gotta move fast on this. It could potentionally
be a blast!

It was so good to have my oldest home. His younger siblings miss him so
much and they had lots of fun together. It warms this Momma's heart.:D

I started my Christmas cookies on Saturday so two kinds down and eighteen
more to go!lol I really enjoy this part of my holiday.:)

Hugs to everyone!:grouphug:

Sarah -- :hug::hug::hug: and more hugs

Jenn -- Hope you like your doctor and the appointment goes well

Soxmom -- WOW! Have fun making all of those cookies!

Pam -- Thanks for the heads up regarding calcium level.Doctor did not mention it. I am supposed to go in for bloodwork this week for liver and cholsterol. I am pretty sure calcium level is tested. I am holding off on the actonel at least until after the holidays. I too am afraid of falling (especially on slippery sidewalks, etc. this winter). I have moderate osteopenia in my spine and severe osteopenia in my hip.

I am sitting in my office getting ready for another day. Hope you all have a nice Monday!

morning all you cutie pies ...

well, going to get out the Monopoly money and pay the monthly bills ... :p

still debating about moving ... :confused:

throat is better (sorta) :rolleyes:

taking pix of more quilts ... mailing out more (2 for now) .. I love volunteering for the program!! :D

that's about the latest poop for today! hugs and prayers to all ... whether you need them or not ... you all get as many as you need!!;)

Morning all! I left out this morning to pick up my brothers band. The van and trailer wasn't too bad to drive and they just dropped me off a few minutes ago. They really are a great group of people. However, I don't think the other band appreciated me coming on the tour bus saying "Wake up everyone!" LOL

Anyway, I am home and getting ready to face the blankets calling my name. Mom's appointment is today too so hopefully they will release her this week. *fingers crossed*

Sarah, HUGE :hug:

Jenn, good luck with your appointment today.

Sox, hope you get the house for the family! We loved the cabin we had minus mom getting sick of course. lol

Have a good day everyone! :hug:

Back from the poking. Doc was a good guy and well worth the wait. Even hubby liked him.

I wouldn't call those spots they press to test for fibro as tender points. More like "feels like someone is trying to put a steel rod through my skin" points. On the plus side, at least I found out my tear ducts still worked, LOL!

So right now we're slowly increasing my gabapentin to see if that helps with the pain. Since I already do well on that med on such a low dose, he'd rather do that than try another one right now.

Jenn ... so good to hear that all went well ... about the steel rod pain ... mine 'comes and goes' ... and right now - I feel great ... I've been eating about 5 gingersnap cookies a day ... 'ginger' is to help with pain ... a friend of mine just told me I shouldn't eat the WHOLE bag at once! :eek:

come to think of it - it's been about a week since I started eating the cookies - and my joint pain isn't hurting ...

wouldn't that be great?? Rx: Gingersnap cookies!! :Dancing-Chilli:

Hello everyone! I've been working out in the garage all morning getting stuff priced for my BIG garage sale on Saturday. DS went and picked up five 6-foot tables for me this weekend from a friends house. They'll help so much with my sale.

Sox, I wanna come to your house for cookies! I'd make some myself but guess who'd eat most of them? :o My boys just aren't much for sweets. :rolleyes:

Vonn! Monopoly money works?? :confused: I had no idea. I'm gonna try that this month! My bank account could use the break! :p

Fin, I'm sorry your appt was painful but maybe they can pinpoint what's causing your pain. I hope the Gabapentin helps.

Sandy, I'm glad you got there and back safely.

I'm stiff and sore from just the few hours I worked in the garage. Probably because I'm so out of shape. I've got to go to the drugstore for my "bottle blonde" but it's raining and I don't really want to go out. I need to touch up my hair so badly. :o Oh well, at least nobody sees me but me.....but I'm my worst critic!

It's cool here and getting colder. By Friday our highs will be in the 40's. Yea!! :D Did I ever tall ya'll I love cold weather? :D

:grouphug:'s to all!

Good afternoon everyone...hope all of you are recuperating from the holiday...
I slept for 1 1/2 hrs sitting in the chair this morning...thought I was reading...the nap felt great, though!
The house is getting back to normal now. Phew, it was mayhem with the eight young adults here every day...noisy is an understatement!! But it was great to have all of that energy around again...

Sarah...:grouphug:
Vonn, my throat hurt for about 5 days after surgery...good thing the docs never tell you how you'll feel afterwards... alot of us would not go through with it unless absolutely necessary!
Jenn, glad the appt. went well. Fibro pain sucks...hope the increase in gabapentin helps...
Sox, sounds like you had a housefull!!
Kel, take it easy...you want to have lots of energy when the cash register buttons need to be pushed;)
Barb, hope the rest of the semester goes quickly...sorry to hear about the passing of the coach at your school...:hug:
Sandy, glad the drive went well...are you going to post pics of your decorations this year?

We're supposed to get hit with a cold snap in a couple of days...and a bit of snow...come on, spring!!

Evening every one, Sounds like your all kicking life into touch. I'm a bit tired and fed up as my throat is getting sore well tonsil is. I have very large and holey ones which they cant remove so they get sore. My doc gave me anti b's incase. Poor hubby has got tendonitis in his ankle and he is hurting a lot. Its so unfaire he is my carer and I wont to ;look after him and I cant. :( Sorry rant over. Sarah,I am so sorry your a bit down I understand as I have lost several babys Including Ectopic twins. Never managed to succeed in having one to keep so sending you extra Huggs . Big huggs all round. Lots of love Jackie. xxxxxxxx :grouphug::hug::grouphug::hug::grouphug:

Mom's being released on Saturday!!!! We'll head down and be back before Chris's graduation on the 13th. We'll most likely leave Tuesday and come back Thursday. Mom said she is feeling rushed. I'll talk to her later about it. If she wants me to wait until after Chris's graduation we can do that too.

I've read all of today's post and can't remember anything except those gingersnaps :D. I think I'm coming down with whatever the DS had. Fever has hovered around 100.8 all day. I had chills earlier and finally took a little Motrin. Gingersnaps might settle my queasy tummy. That or the Buffalo Rock Gingerale I have chilling in the frige. That stuff makes Canada Dry taste like distilled water! :eek:

Sarah, I hope you feel better soon. I had that awful low back pain/spasm thing when I was around 36-44. The only thing that finally gave me relief was sleeping on 6 inches of memory foam pads. Yes two of them. It cradles me so well I sleep more sound...which not getting good sound/REM sleep is part of Fibromyalgia. :hug:

:hug: to all. Oh Sandy you missed the perfect chance to confuse those poor musicians... Ya should of yelled wake up YA'LL. They would have thought they were in Nashville, not IL. :D

Pam, the ironic thing is they were headed to Nashville. LOL