[dshobbies]

Blair,

I'm so relieved to hear that everyday is getting better. You've been through an ordeal in many ways and maybe now you can breathe a little easier.

Laxitives have been discussed many times through many surgeries. One thing I never saw mentioned is mineral oil. When nothing was working 'great' for me, and this is a common problem with these surgeries, I finally tried mineral oil, recommended by a proctologist. 2 tablespoons in the morning and again in the evening quite literally greases the pipes and things flow much more easily. Once I tried this, and it's not as bad as it sounds, no taste and a quick swallow doesn't feel like you're drinking oil, I would not go back to any other product. I do like the taste of prunes but you have to be a little careful with eating too many and warm prune juice sounds as horrible as it tastes.

Anyway, you can decrease this dosage as necessary to 1 tablespoon twice a day, then once a day, etc. An added benefit when not using it as a laxitive is that is takes off eye makeup quite easily, that is, once you're feeling more like you want to wear makeup.

As as for weighing in on the Dr. Apostle issue, everyone's taste is different. I give him a 6-7. Maybe in person ??????

Please take care and keep us posted.

All my best, Dale