Jeff, welcome back. I hope that the dialysis treatments will relieve some of the stress on your kidney and give your body a chance to catch up. It was very thoughtful of your sister to let us know about your hospitalization (and of you, to have her do so). Here's to your health.

I am impressed that Trudy knows what fruits have phosphorus in them. I was sitting there thinking, What foods glow in the dark? Avoid those.

Not only do we now know of the metabolic derring-do of one Jeff Mejia, we know he is a PhD-studying brainiac. What field, if I may ask? And will you be taking up rock guitar next, or experimental physics?

but having the tummy tuck since the c-section was already there would have been alright with me.

Are these two procedures actually done in the same place? I mean, there is "Well, I'm under anaesthesia so you might as well make more incisions," and then there is "You can do it all with only one cut." If someone offered me a tummy tuck as a gift with purchase on, say, a kidney transplant, I would make sure it was as gifty as the doctor says it is.

I didn't think to go for books on audio - that probably would have helped pass time. I did get through listening to some CD's (Coltrane's Love Supreme and Revolver by the Beatles). Also, reruns of Buffy and Angel brought the nostalgia factor. High sap factor with "I Will Remember You" and "Hero" from season 1 of Angel.

In a personal observation, TV news, even cable networks, is so full of crap as to make on despair. That was one of the real problems of no internet connection, since it was impossible to get real news.

Didn't Jeff say "potassium"? If he didn't I'm decidedly not clever.

Don't good breast implants go in through the navel? It would make sense to do the C-section, the tuck, and the boob-job all at once if they did.

And a lot of actresses are pretty tiny people. Taking a baby at eight months might not be that tough to justify or outrageous.

When I was in the hospital, I found myself saying, "Hm, this 'Ellen' show isn't too bad. When's 'The Price is Right' on?"

Forget cable in the classroom, there should be a patients' rights movement to get cable in the hospital rooms.

Didn't Jeff say "potassium"? If he didn't I'm decidedly not clever.

No. He said phosphorus (which I think is stuff like milk, cheese, beans, organ meats).

No kidney pie for Jeff!

Not only do we now know of the metabolic derring-do of one Jeff Mejia, we know he is a PhD-studying brainiac. What field, if I may ask? And will you be taking up rock guitar next, or experimental physics?

I was a microbiologist, studying the genetics of alcohol production. My professor was awarded patent # 5,000,000 for converting E. coli to alcohol production, with the hope of someday being able to convert biomass to ethanol for fuel. At the time, I felt I was probably burning myself out, and research prospects did not look encouraging at the time, so I decided to move into a job that I could use my computer skills. I'm now a system analyst for a hospital (irony of ironies) in the patient accounting department.

When I was twelve, I tried to learn guitar, and never could get anything to work. It was years later that I realized I was playing left-handed and the chords were diagrammed for a right-handed player. D'oh!

Actually, he said both potassium and phosphorus.

No. He said phosphorus (which I think is stuff like milk, cheese, beans, organ meats).

So English food is out.