Quarantine and chill and kindness chatty clubhouse: Jump in and join the conversation! All is welcome!

[PollyannaMom]

freezer roulette

I love that name for it!

 

[easyas123]

I love that name for it!

I won't lie, the seafood mac & cheese has been screaming at me for the last week or so

 

[tazdev3225]

I get it. Unload where you can - you are among friends here - and let us help you recharge the strength you've been using to get thru. I have a immediate family member undergoing what I feel is a touchy surgery on Monday. They don't want anyone there, and I respect that. But I also feel like I SHOULD be there... hugs to you during this time of the year when you are recalling both the best & worst and trying to reconcile them and your response to them.

Thank you and prayers for your family member.

Oh Laurie,,no wonder you have been in a 'mood'. You have just so many feelings associated with April (I have them at a certain time in May). , that it's totally understandable. You can unload here all you want. We all have broad shoulders and can get each other through the tough times, sometimes just by listening. I am glad that you feel you can share things like that with your QUACK family. Also--you can pm me anytime you want if you think you need to unburden about anything, or everything. Sending you hugs and prayers to get you through the tough times. You are a strong woman, you still have your husband with you (as I do with mine), even though they have both been through some horrible medical problems, and both have come very close to death,,they are still in our lives, and we should both feel blessed (and yes, sometimes stressed) about it!--So hang in there,,there will still be good days to offset the bad ones, I promise!
Glad everyone got over the virus with no serious side effects! Here's hoping you have better days very soon!
Lynn

Thank you and I do still have him with which is a blessing and worth more than anything. It's just hard sometimes to see what the strokes have done to him sometimes. Still he is here and that's the important thing.

Taz Dev and much prayer as well. Thank you for trusting in us to share. Please know we are here and CARE! I have shared with you that I have felt similarly sadly about my own church in terms of support during this pandemic and in general how operations are handled. There was nothing, btw, (this is to all of you) said further in this week's newsletter regarding progress on the search for a new interim minister. Meanwhile, listed on the newsletter as current senior pastor, is the gentleman who is deceased. I know God has this and will guide me in His will for me in post pandemic church(and otherwise) steps. It is disconcerting and sad.



Water prayers around here please or rather for my Dad to be still and let go of Sparkletts delivery! We had another huge leak later last night of a bottle. Plus the motor of the cooler sounded like it could conk out at any second--that never happened before. Last time we had a leaky bottle flood, Dad did agree to cancel delivery should it happen again. He admitted finally he did not care to have to clean up such a big mess again. Now he's just needing to work through giving it over fully to God and letting go! I have reminded him there are delivery options of both gallon bottles and cases of Aquafina. Plus easy day to day choices for the gallon bottles such as a smaller version of the Igloos I used at church camps with the kids. The other positive is this route is cheaper than Sparkletts! I remember posting about that on here. I'll have to try and find some of your kind replies.

Thank you and I continue to pray that your situation with church resolves.

I hope your water issues resolve as well. I have to admit I only use bottled water for my coffee maker. I can't tell the difference between tap and bottled and I try to lessen my plastic use as much as I can. My aunt thinks I am crazy when I say I can't tell the difference.

@tazdev3225 I understand your feelings. Aside from all the troubles she's having right now, my mom had a brain aneurysm 10 years ago. She is partially paralyzed and I ended up being her caregiver for a long while after while my dad was still working. Everyone says let us know what we can do to help and then when you ask, no one can do anything. She's annoyed right now because all of a sudden everyone wants to go visit her(or says they want to anyway) in the hospital but she says they never visited me at home, why do they need to see me here. So big hugs to you....we are here when you need us. Glad you hear your daughters family is doing better.

Thanks and I get it with your mom. I was very fortunate when my husband had his strokes his best friend of 50 years was there constantly. He really made a difference and just his visiting as much as he did gave me a break. I hated my husband being in the rehab facility but it was where he needed to be. My daughters visited often too and we could take him on the grounds when the weather was nice so he could see the grandkids. When Wyatt was in speech therapy they showed him a picture of a wheelchair and asked what it was. He just kept saying "Poppy Boo-Boo". My daughter finally realized that the only time he ever saw a wheelchair was at the rehab place and associated it with his Poppy.

Thank you for the support. It really means so much to me to know that I have friends, that while we have never met in person, we share our lives. Some of my best friends have come from these boards.

I hope you all have a wonderful evening.

 

[sweetpeama]

Not a bad day so far. Just find it major annoying that one delivery company who has over a 10 year history of 1-2 days late, misdirected, or simply lost packages uses we are in a pandemic as an excuse for poor service. Especially when I paid extra for the overnight shipping which is still 1-2 days, though the next cheapest was a delivery time of today through Monday and since the iPad was needed to be in a case by tomorrow I needed the new case by today. .
Had DH do the driving for a quick stop at the health food store and the coffee shop drive thru on our way home from bowling as I was drifting off to sleep. Gonna get a couple hours of sleep and then head back into town around 8 to do the grocery shopping for things needed tomorrow.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Extra and to each of you.

I so appreciate all of you letting me know about Ralph's. Thank you also for your church and water prayers and good wishes. Water update is Dad decided to go ahead and put on a new bottle! So far it's doing just fine. I would not have done that after last night, no way, but it was obviously his choice.

Enjoy your dinner and R&R, Easyas.

Hug, Carol, ITA with you on cemeteries. LOL on the "stolen" tutu.

Thank you Taz Dev, so much and continued prayer to you, my friend. Lol, I am water picky enough perhaps for both of us. I definitely can tell the difference (out here the tap water=highly questionable anyway even IMO when filtered through a home device) between tap and bottled. I also have definite bottled preferences.

Glad you got to have some bowling time, Sweetpeama, When I was a kid I used to enjoy bowling. I was never any good at it, it just was fun.

Gray and cold here. I am so hoping it will truly be in the 80's for a couple days next week.

Still afternoon here but I know it's evening for most of you, prayers you all have a good one

 

[Allison Joy]

@tazdev3225 -- I'm so sorry. That is so, so much to deal with. And I'm sorry about the response from your church. That is not how its supposed to work.

@lynxstch -- Again, that is too much. Insurance and healthcare stuff is really difficult to deal with sometimes.

For those curious about the launch -- I'm so sad I missed it, since it was too early o'clock for me. This was the third SpaceX launch, and the first where they reused parts from a previous launch. The rocket and the capsule were both reused. The first manned launch was a test run with two astronauts, named "Demo-2" which, honestly, does NOT sound like a good name for a manned space flight! We want nothing to be "demoed" here! Ha! That launched in May of last year, and landed/splashed down in August. You can see these launches online after, usually, and they are fascinating! The rocket (or at least part of it) comes down by itself and lands upright on an aircraft carrier! If you get a chance, try to find the Discovery or Science channel's program about all the emergency systems in place. It is amazing! The second manned launch was in November of 2020.

If you are interested in such things, you should know that the second crew is actually still up there, but are scheduled for splashdown next week, on April 28th. I'd strongly suggest trying to find a way to watch it. The NASA website should have a link. I won't really get to watch because I'll be at work. Though since I'm working at home that day, I'll be sorely tempted to take off early that day to watch. I have enough time... These splashdowns are amazing to watch and reminiscent of the Apollo splashdowns of the 1960s and 70s.

If you can't tell, I'm a bit of a NASA geek. My favorite movie is Apollo 13, and I joke that I can probably quote more of that move than anyone who didn't actually work on the set should reasonably be able to. And then my dad personally knew Apollo 15 Astronaut Al Worden. They were in the Air Force together, and Worden was my dad's "Radar Officer in Charge" (I think I got that term right). My dad also debrief Worden after some of his Air Force flights. We knew that first part, but we didn't know the second part until after my dad passed. When Al Worden passed in 2020, my dad's old Air Force buddy called us (my mom and me.... we live together) and told us that. It was really neat to have this extra info about my dad's connection to Al Worden.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I just caught some video of what's going on now. This link seems to cycle through live stuff and stuff recorded earlier:

https://www.spacex.com/launches/

 

[Kirby]

Do any of you shop at Ralph's? Kroger in some places or there is also a discounted related chain called Food 4 Less? Question to anyone who does if you could PM me, thank you so much

I shop at Kroger, PM sent.

If I get so frustrated with a person, I just use that little tool, and no more frustration for me! It seems to have gotten quite a workout the last 18 months, lol. The boards seem less busy, but more tailored to my...tastes.

I have done that with ads on Facebook. I have hidden so many that it seems the Facebook ad people are hard pressed to find something to show me. I get more posts from friends now than I ever did before.

Well, I royally jacked up my back somehow.

It's the best of days, it's the worst of days.

We had a grand old thunderstorm this evening with lots of rain! It was wonderful! No severe weather thank goodness.

Got together with three other couples for Game Night. It's been over a year since we've been able to do it. We each take turns hosting Game Night every four to six weeks. The hosting couple provides the main course and the rest of us bring sides and dessert. We play simple games that we can chat while we play, usually Left, Right, Center or Screw Your Neighbor and we play with quarters so there is always a chance of going home with a couple more dollars than we arrived with.

 

[sweetpeama]

Got grocery shopping done with the girls though ended up changing my plans to bring a cauliflower brocolli salad for a clan event-just several of my granddad's cousins children, grand children, great grand children and a few great great grands for good measure should be between 60-75 people at least-due to having to stretch to find enough small heads of broccoli to make even enough for one batch of the recipe much less tripling it. Thinking about doing a macaroni salad since I have everything for that though might see what DH thinks about just grabbing some fruit and vegetable trays and calling it good.
16 year old was a great help in watching 13 year old so that I could get a nap and them making sure that everything is prepped and ready to go for tomorrow. Stuff that does not need to be kept refridgerated until just before we leave in which case it will go into a cooler for traveling for the girls demonstrations for 4-H communication day she even got boxed up and ready to go.

 

[lynxstch]

Good morning QUACK'ers! 35 now, but temps are going to start rising again today. Will only go down to 50 overnite with rain predicted. Then back into the 60's and 70's and mid 80's by Tuesday. Will have to mow the lawn again before then, as I refuse to do it when it's that hot out, I just can't tolerate it anymore.

I think last night is the first night in forever that I have slept straight through the night. If hubby got up, I didn't hear him or feel him move. I didn't even wake up and look at the clock around 2:30 like I usually do. Slept from 10 until 4:15, that's good for me!

Few errands to do today, then cleaning the bedroom and changing out the sheets. Have to repot more tomato plants as they are starting to get bigger. I got one of those little standing greenhouses at Aldi's on Wed. Will put that together today and find a place outside for it, out of the direct sunlight. I can't wait to get the plants out there and out of the cellar!
Have a great morning everyone, enjoy your weekend!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Whoa, just caught up! Lots of things going on here (in this thread)! I had a very busy week with work and home stuff. Later today we are burying FIL’s ashes at the cemetery and then going out to lunch with a small group who will be with us. I’ve been up since 3am thinking about what I’m going to wear. I should’ve done this last night, and honestly, gave it a half-hearted shot in between catching up on laundry and cleaning, but I couldn’t find the clothes I was looking for, so gave up so I could get some sleep. And I did, for a few hours. Tonight I think I will sleep better with less on my mind.

Everyone‘s food posts have made me hungry! Haven’t wanted to wake anyone up, though, so have just mulled over in my mind what I might like to eat later on. Soup and sandwich are sounding really good right about now!

We had some wintry weather here several days back. We didn’t get snow, but friends and family did who are just north of us. In fact, SIL hurt herself shoveling! Ugh! That’s crazy in April, but how it is in New England. I’ve heard people talking about being out on cold ballfields now that some sports are resuming. Weird feeling for us since it’s the first time since DS was 5yo that we haven’t been those people. We get to watch his college team’s games on TV though now, which is a heck of a lot more convenient and comfortable than schlepping to the fields, but we do miss it. Fortunately DD’s boyfriend still plays post-college, and happens to have a double header tomorrow, so we are thinking about getting our fix that way. DS is more into golf (and softball) these days, but he’s told DD’s boyfriend if they need a player, he’ll help out, so we’ll see if that happens this summer. He’s also going to help out with his old HS team next week. I picked him up a mask that I saw in a local store with the HS team logo on it to wear there. Strange.

@AuntieM3, as a breast cancer survivor, thanks for your work with the Relay for Life. We did it for years, too, and had so much fun! We had a large group of friends and family that joined us to support me. We had a themed tent and sold food for donations - DH cooked on the grill, it was a big hit. Sleeping out overnight on the field with friends was a blast when the kids were young, and of course, the Luminary event and Cancer Walk were very emotional, yet uplifting. My cousin and I and two other cancer-surviving friends did the walk one year with arms locked together the whole time. That was so comforting to a new cancer survivor (me). And I remember just sobbing when I happened to see the social worker from my support center show up who was so helpful to me in my own journey. Good times.

And although that sounds all wonderful, I know (and it was), I do understand people who say some weren’t really there for them during tough times, too. But in their place, some others did step up, some of whom surprised me. So I just figure that’s how life is. Sometimes people are up for challenges at certain times, and sometimes they aren’t. I’ve tried to just pay it forward when I can for people. I’ve always figured I know there have been times where I haven’t always been available to others, either, but I’ve done the best I could, and I think that’s probably true of others, too. At least that’s how I cope with that type of hurt. If that makes sense. We help the ones we can, when we can, and try to let the rest go. That’s been my philosophy, pretty much. For sure, there were hurts along the way, but unless I’m perfect myself with others, I’m not going to hold it against anybody. I did a lot of “soul work” on my own cancer journey at my support center, and learned that it’s important for ME to keep a soft heart. So that’s how I’ve played it, and what works for me.

Love the Dooney, @Bianca and Bernard! I have a Haunted Mansion one that was a Mother’s Day gift, and a little birdie told me that I have a Disney Dogs bag coming for Mother’s Day this year! (Already purchased!) DD and I got the little purses for ourselves in the same pattern last year, and they make us smile. My mother had bought me, not a Dooney, but a similar type bag (I forget the name) as a thank you after helping her through a tough surgery a few years back, and I’ve been using that ever since (and am even a little reluctant to move on from using it; the other may wind up being just a bag for Disney trips or something). I get a lot of compliments on it. I think they sell them in Disney they have the Florida coastline on them. But mine has the New England coastline on it. (Where we live.) I will say the quality of these bags is so good they hold up well for years if you’re easy on them. It’s nice to have a bag you really love.

I hope everyone enjoys the day, and the weekend. We’re supposed to be around 72 today, so I hear, which will be perfect for the day we have planned. Oh, and I took a pic to show you guys of this plant that we had. Someone gave it to us (aforementioned cousin, I believe), after my mother passed. It died, but DH put it aside, and lo and behold, it came back this year and looks really nice. Something small, but it made me happy. Our backyard is shaping up, but we have more work to do out front. Soon. DH re-built our vegetable garden so it’s got tall sides now so the bunnies can’t eat everything.

The Welcome thing came from FIL’s house when we cleaned it out. It was a little oxidated so we spray painted it, and it looks fresh again.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Sometimes people are up for challenges at certain times, and sometimes they aren’t. I’ve tried to just pay it forward when I can for people. I’ve always figured I know there have been times where I haven’t always been available to others, either, but I’ve done the best I could, and I think that’s probably true of others, too. At least that’s how I cope with that type of hurt. If that makes sense. We help the ones we can, when we can, and try to let the rest go. That’s been my philosophy, pretty much. For sure, there were hurts along the way, but unless I’m perfect myself with others, I’m not going to hold it against anybody. I did a lot of “soul work” on my own cancer journey at my support center, and learned that it’s important for ME to keep a soft heart. So that’s how I’ve played it, and what works for me.

I really like this philosophy!!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Morning everyone. Haven't really been on much the last couple of days. I've been in a mood leading up to today.

It's the best of days, it's the worst of days. Seriously that fits. 15 years ago on April 22nd my daughter was in a serious car accident but 15 years ago today she gave birth to my grandson Michael who thankfully was born healthy although a couple weeks early. Ten years ago my nephew Owen was born. Michael shares/shared his birthday with his 3X great aunt (my grandfathers baby sister), his cousin Michael on his father's side and my cousin Michael along with his cousin Owen. April 23rd is a popular date in our family. I try and remember that this is a good day for that reason but it doesn't always work now.

4 years ago today, on my Mikey's 11th Birthday, I woke up to my world being turned upside down and sideways. My husband was in the hospital for foot reconstruction surgery. The surgery was on April 21 and that was a success. On April 22 he was very agitated and complaining of a severe headache and his BP was through the roof at about 197/118. After spending a few hours with him I went home because he wasn't even aware I was there.

At 2 AM I was awoken to a phone call. Phone calls that early are never good news and it wasn't They found my fall risk husband on the floor and were doing a head CT because he hit his head. At 3 AM I got a phone call that he was OK but they were doing more tests in the morning. After very little sleep I called him around 7 AM. No answer. I showered and tried again with no answer. I called the nurses station to find out he was in the ICU. The ICU told me nothing and I knew instinctively it was bad. The only thing I kept thinking was that it was my Mikey's birthday and he needed to feel special, not know what was going on with his Poppy. I got him a Birthday cake and made sure my mom would have the church sing Happy Birthday to him and get the kids home, it was a Sunday. The church sang Happy Birthday to him twice. My husband's father died the day before his 7th birthday and he always associated his birthday with that so I didn't want that for Mikey.

I flew to the hospital which was about an hour away and got there in less than 30 minutes. Yes I did speed well over the limit but I was willing to risk the ticket. My son was on his way to the hospital also, my daughters were already there. I walked into that hospital room and collapsed. My worst fears confirmed. My husband had a significant stroke, a bad cut on his face and he was blind in his left eye along with total left side involvement. This day will always hold so many mixed emotions for me. And as it approaches I remember how I failed him. He was a stroke risk and had a stroke in a hospital with signs everywhere how to recognize the signs and yet they didn't. They only realized he had a stroke when they found him on the floor of his hospital room frightened and. screaming for help. I should have realized what was happening when I visited him that day, it was my responsibility to be there and advocate for him but I trusted the medical people. I will never make that mistake again. He worried about losing his retirement money and I couldn't find one lawyer to take his case because he lived. If he had died I would be very wealthy but because he lived it was worth nothing. I'll take poor with a husband.

I think the pandemic isolation has been easy to handle because in many ways for the past 4 years I have been floating alone on an island in the middle of nowhere. I also realized many of my issues with my church were because of this. No one reached out to check on me from the church, my priest didn't even visit my husband who was in a rehab literally around the corner from his house yet he drove great distances to visit other parishioners. I know in some ways I am being selfish but I was at my lowest point and no one was there. I will be forever grateful to my youngest daughter. She helped me understand what was going on as she was set to graduate from nursing school and understood the medical terminology. She made sure I ate every couple of days because I would seriously forget to eat for days on end, I wasn't hungry. My grandson's Baseball, Star Wars and Disney got me through the weeks ahead. I think I watched the Force Awakens over 30 times, I actually knew the dialogue after awhile. I planned the Disney trip I had dreamed of since my kids were babies and we did take it although it was a little different.

I am sorry for being such a downer today but this group has become friends. I don't like to talk to my husband because he has his own emotions to deal with, my mom is a suck it up type person who just doesn't get it and I don't like to burden my kids as I am supposed to be the strong one. So thank you everyone for just being here and letting me ramble on. It means a lot to me to have "anonymous" friends.

On a positive note my daughter's family are doing ok. The boys are pretty much over the virus, one never showed any symptoms at all even though he tested positive. My daughter is weak but feeling better and her husband just feels like he had a mild case of the flu. I am grateful for that.

On that note I hope you all have a much better day than I am having. Happy Friday all.

I wanted to respond to this by itself. But first, a . What a tough situation to go through, and live with for these past four years. I’m so sorry that happened to your husband. You’re right, April must really be a mixed bag for you. (My father passed on April 22, and it’s also one of my closest friend’s birthdays, too, so I experienced both of those emotions this week, as well, as I do every year.) I’m glad your daughter was able to help you understand everything. You can’t feel guilty. I mean, you can, but you shouldn’t. As a nurse, I can’t tell you how many times people have shared these types of stories with me. And as a patient myself, as well as a mother, daughter, wife, etc., I’ve been on the receiving end of some not-so-great medical experiences, too, and it’s super frustrating.

I can’t answer for what happened that day with your husband, but I do want to tell you this. My own personal philosophy (once again), is to treat every patient as if they’re my own family. Really. I am also blessed to work with a wonderful team of people, and I know that they are all working really hard for people, too. But we work in a place that has the right number of people working so that things don’t get by us as easily as they might in places where there aren’t enough people working. (Not saying that was the case where he was, but I think it can be more common than we as the general public realize.) In a situation that warrants fast and accurate care, people, generally, are advocating for that to happen. Where I work (and I imagine at most hospitals now, but I can’t speak for elsewhere), we have a certain protocol in place for if anyone has any concerns about a possible stroke. There is a whole team that responds just for that very quickly with one page. This helps get a fast diagnosis and intervention with the best medical or surgical option right away, which is nice, in order to minimize damage.

Surgeries and procedures can be funny, you never know what can happen, and sometimes to those you least expect it. Saying this as a reassurance that not all let things go. Again, I’ve been on the receiving end of that several times, and it sucks. Even with my knowledge and experience, on scene, it can happen. But I hate that it does. Fortunately, there are also a lot of good people out there working really hard to provide quality care, and I myself am reassured by that. In many ways, though, things are getting harder. (Just keeping that very general.) I love being a nurse, but in some ways, I’m glad my career is winding down. In the meantime, I’m glad that I can make a difference when I can. This past week I had a really difficult situation. My patient knew I was doing my best, as well as the team I was with, but things weren’t going well for a while. Very tense situation for almost an hour! But ultimately we were able to do what needed to be done, and despite going through a lot, the patient thanked us over and over. Not something where anyone did anything wrong, but just something that happened (post-operatively, as well). I was surprised to see in a doctor’s note that the patient had been grateful for the excellent nursing care he got! Yay! He saw through the difficulties that it was just a really tough management situation, but that the team came together to do what needed to be done, and it did get done, and he got through it. These are the little things that make the hard times worthwhle, from this side of the bed, anyway. Rambling, but hoping that it reassures you a little bit. Not exactly sure from what you said, but did anyone ever say they were sorry to you? May sound funny, but sometimes when patients and families are angry, that’s really what they’re looking for, ie someone involved to say they’re sorry. Had an excellent in service on this very thing once, and people are even less likely to want to sue when this happens. It’s a very difficult thing to admit wrongdoing, though. (Again, no idea if this applies here or not, but just responding generally to your post.) At any rate, please take care, and know that others do care.

 

[dazedx3]

Pea-n-Me...
Thank you for being a wonderful, caring nurse, It is always obvious that you are a very special caregiver by how you respond to posters. That type of caring can't be taught, it is who you are. You often help explain, the medical side of things, and it is always done in a very compassionate, understanding tone.

Thanks for being you. Your patients are blessed to have you, and so are we!

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Good morning.

Beautiful day here today. It is open house at Camp Pecometh today but I don't think we will go as things are so different this year. Plan to do yard work and maybe a hike in Fair Hill. DS and DDIL coming here after dinner to spend the night before Carter's baptism tomorrow.

Not pushing religion but if anyone wants the link to tomorrow's service to see Carter, I can share it with you. I know Mona will be watching later.

I do understand people who say some weren’t really there for them during tough times,

This brought up some bad memories for me. Back it 1996, so you can see I have trouble letting it go, my father was in the hospital for surgery that if he didn't have, he would die. It was a bad situation. I was there with my mother as I only live an hour away. My brother came down from CT to MD before the surgery to see my dad but as soon as my father was wheeled back to surgery, he left. He went back to CT. Did not stay with my mother and me to see the outcome. I tried to convince him to stay, offering to drive him to the train later or stay at our house but he insisted on leaving. My parents' pastor was there and I unloaded on him because I was so upset. And before anyone says my brother might not like hospitals, he is a surgeon. It took be years to be able to not feel like a wedge was between us. And my father survived the surgery but was in the ICU for 6 weeks.

Enough of that. On to a bright beautiful today.

 

[lynxstch]

@Breezy_Carol--I would love the link..you can pm it to me if you rather not put it on this thread TIA

 

[PollyannaMom]

Not pushing religion but if anyone wants the link to tomorrow's service to see Carter, I can share it with you. I know Mona will be watching later.

@Breezy_Carol--I would love the link..you can pm it to me if you rather not put it on this thread TIA

Me too, please!

 

[tazdev3225]

@Pea-n-Me Thank you.

With my daughter in nursing now I understand that it can be incredibly difficult and just as rewarding to be a nurse. She sometimes calls just to cry on my shoulder, especially during the initial crisis from the virus as she worked in the Medical ICU and had nothing but Covid patients. Never details of the patient so that I could ever ID them. She is very careful about that but she needed to just let it out. She is now training in the OR and is so much happier.

The care my husband got in that hospital was horrendous. I think that was where my guilt and anger came from. He couldn't move and when my daughter asked why he wasn't on a pressure mattress I believe, the nurse flipped out on her. My daughter gave it right back and the next day he was on an egg crate type mattress to prevent bed sores. When we asked about pain meds the same nurse refused to obey the drs. orders because he wasn't eating. Again thankfully my daughter was there to address that. The drs. refused to answer my questions about his care and actually avoided me, as crazy as that sounds. My husband was severely constipated and I just wanted to know if they were addressing the issue. Between pain and the constipation he had no appetite and we knew with the diabetes he needed to eat.

When I demanded that they look for one of 3 rehabs in my city that my primary recommended they balked yet again. We live in Philadelphia and the hospital was in Hamilton NJ, over 30 miles and about 45 minutes away on a good day. It was not the hospital I wanted and again I think that adds to my guilt. We did get the rehab center I wanted. The day he was transferred I went to visit him to make sure everything was in order and then went to my grandson's baseball game for school. The rehab center was literally 5 minutes from the school and I couldn't go with my husband anyway so it took some stress off of me for a few minutes. My grandson pitched a great game and was given the game ball. He signed it and gave it to my husband. He actually dedicated his season to his Poppy and gave him all 3 game balls that season. Anyway when I got to the rehab center I was told they were getting ready to transfer him to the ER at the hospital they were associated with. My husband was transported medically unstable, wearing just a hospital gown and on a bedpan. He also was running a fever of over 101. Thankfully the drs. at the rehab were able to stabilize him. The hospital also forgot to send the orders for his follow-up visit with the surgeon and the orders for meds that I had at the house the surgeon wanted him on for 3 weeks. The answer the rehab center got was he was mobile so he didn't need them in their opinion. I wanted to know when he became mobile since it took 3 people just to get him to sit up for 5 minutes. The surgeons office was another fiasco. They tried billing me for follow-up visits and refused to talk to me or the rehab center at one point. I was listed on all paper work, I filled it out so I knew that I was, they tried to tell me I wasn't. They were calling my husband who was still in a fog most days to set up visits when they knew it had to go through the rehab center since they needed to arrange the transportation.

I think initially if I had gotten just one I'm Sorry from anybody I might not have felt so bad. But everyday when I went to the hospital there were signs EVERYWHERE how to recognize the signs of a stroke. The hospital was a stroke accredited center. That was what frustrated me so much. And the pre-op paperwork with all his meds had been lost somehow. It wasn't just the nurses it was the whole experience at that hospital. And they did nothing to find out what caused the strokes so 2 days after he came home from rehab he had a second stroke, ironically on my son-in-law's birthday. That hospital apologized for the other hospital's treatment and actually did find the cause of the strokes.

I still feel guilty at times because I get so frustrated. He can't see well so when I say something he gets mad, he thinks he will miraculously get his vision back and be able to drive again. I have to be the one that makes him see reality and it's hard He has mood swings he never had before and they are hard to deal with sometimes. He does know how hard it has been on me so he makes me go to Disney once a year all alone. He said it's the best therapy in the world for me because for one week I am totally on my own with no responsibilities. I do make sure he has food and his meds out for the time I am gone and call him often but I do destress. My kids also check on him while I am away. I missed that trip this year.

Thanks again for just listening. It really does help me to just talk about it sometimes.

Well now that I have been a downer again I hope everyone has a nice day. If the weather holds off I will have 3 ball games to watch for my grandson tomorrow. I do love watching the boys play and taking lots of pictures.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

@tazdev3225, certainly all reasons to be angry and upset with the care he received.

@Pea-n-Me, such a pretty plant.

We just booked a condo in Sanibel, FL for mid-October. Invited DH's sister to go as she loves Sanibel and hasn't been on vacation in several years. She was reluctant at first, thinking she'd be a third wheel but we convinced her otherwise. It will be her first travel without her DH.

I hope I don't offend anyone but since some of you asked for it, I am going to post the links for the baptism here.
Service The service is live at 9:30 am eastern time but can be viewed on Youtube anytime after the conclusion. bulletin for service details.

 

[Snowysmom]

@tazdev3225 You take such good care of your family and especially your DH. It sounds like he appreciates it and understands. It is nice that you can destress too.

It is a nice sunny warm day here today. It will be around 70. I logged onto Zoom today for Tai Chi. We got 45 minutes into the class and the connection went crazy. Oh well, we will try again next week. We only lost 15 minutes. I can't wait until we can do Tai Chi outside again. It is not easy to follow online.

Jasper will have his blood pressure check up this week. Hopefully it has gone down. He can't tolerate the kidney diet foods so they will just have understand that. He is staying on his regular diet as it is the best for his digestive health. I want him to be as healthy as he can be when he goes to the kennel.

Today will be a housework and errand day. 3 of the grandkiddies have birthdays in the next 2 1/2 months so we will get cards and wrapping paper. We have clothes and books for our middle grandson who will be 4 the day after we get back from our trip. DH wants to look for the gifts for him since I picked out the books. DGS likes dinosaurs and Spiderman. After his birthday our oldest DGD turns 6 in June and youngest DGS turns 3 in July. I will have to start looking at more books for them.

Happy Saturday!