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

[flyingdumbo127]

Thank you, dear friend Bobbi, so much.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Hugs to all! Mona, so glad to hear you’re making progress! Hello to Dad!

Lynn, your SIL may wind up getting a pacemaker, especially if she gets dizzy when her HR is that low or if any pauses show up on the ziopatch/holter. You must be sort of tired after your vacation, especially with the weather so hot?

Footballmouse, a lot going on with you! When did you start working at Kohl’s? Are you still at the hospital, did you change jobs there? Your sons are such good guys! Kudos to Jacob for saving that dog. Sounds like the poor thing hasn’t had a chance to be socialized at all. I hope things start to go better with the cat.

Bobbi, I like your water lily. You do so many fun things, that’s so cool!

Snowysmom, glad you gave the new therapist a go. Sometimes you know right away if your styles are going to mesh or not. I can’t believe it’s been three years. You’ve done a lot and we’re super proud of you!

We did a deep cleaning today of those rooms downstairs. I went through a large pile of boxes which held all my books. I refilled the shelves that DD had painted last year after sorting through everything. I got two big boxes of books for donations, and more for donations of some of DS’s stuff down there. I couldn’t part with my main books from nursing school, and even kept some of my original training materials from an ICU consortium I attended as well as early jobs. DD can use some of them now, as the way nurses learn today is a lot different. I want her to try the old way.

DH worked in the storage room - tore the whole thing apart and sorted through everything in there and cleaned and reorganized it. Got quite a few big bags of trash and boxes for donations. DD worked up in the attic in the apartment, then came down and cleaned the refrigerator in our storage room. She dumped out a lot of old beer and drinks that were in the fridge that hadn’t been used. Now we can use that fridge and shelving again instead of putting our things in the apt fridge and cabinets, so that that kitchen can be taken apart. We’re also going to get all new storage containers for the racks we have down there (and in the cellar under the apt when we finish cleaning that out; it’s about halfway done). So making progress. I’ll be so glad when it’s done. I want to work on a few other things for actual home improvement (flooring, new shower, etc.), not just cleaning and decluttering. (I still have my room to do, ugh! I cannot seem to get started in there!)

I hope everyone has a nice Labor Day weekend. I’ll be working then and a couple of days during the week. We took the following week off after that for our birthdays. Haven’t decided what we’re going to do yet, we may just have a low key cookout with family and a few friends and enjoy the last days of the pool.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Thanks Peaso much and for including my Dad. Thank you also for donating books. I've been enjoying re-reading my Love Inspired books. As I read through them, I've been pulling the books I no longer need to keep for donation. Dad has already dropped off a few book bags at a couple of thrift stores including a Discovery Shop which meant a lot to me. LA libraries are still not accepting book donations due to Covid. Our local county library is taking books for their bookstore, but a thrift store is closer. I have also sent a few books through the used book swap site I'm part of. I would always rather know something, especially a book, is being actively enjoyed and read than gathering dust. I also love that you are teaching and have taught both your children compassionate health care not only through books and other materials but above all else through your kind example--thank you my friend so much and you, too Footballmouse and Carol!

Extra hug to all.

 

[Snowysmom]

Lynn Hope your SIL gets some answers soon.

Pea Good to see you posting. I am not sure I like the type of therapy this therapist does. I will give a it a try for a bit but really think I want to fly solo for a while. I have had an epiphany about how to move forward a bit after reading a really good book. I am ready to try.

Bobbiwoz Nice pictures. I am glad your friend was able to get out and enjoy the day.

Flyingdumbo127 Such good news! So glad you are walking a bit and got outside. Keep doing it and you will see how far you can get.

Good morning. It is 51 here right now with temps heading to around 70. One of my smoke detectors went off around 5:15 this morning and it scared me so much. At least I was up and getting dressed. It went off for 10 seconds and is now flashing red. I googled what red means and it says that the detector is desensitized. All the others are flashing green. I am going to ask Kenny to come by and take a look. I have a 10 year lithium battery in it. But I do not trust that the builder got fresh detectors when he installed them. I joke with my neighbor that he got them second hand on Amazon. But I bet they had been sitting around for years and he got a deal on them. A few weeks ago Jeff had the same thing happen at his house and Kenny has had it happen too. Last night I had dinner with Kenny and family. The kids had their first day of school. Ethan is a bit embarrassed about having his arm in a cast. Most kids would be showing it off but he doesn't like it.

My boss told me yesterday that I can come into the office every other week instead of every week. The big boss said as long as checks are getting deposited he is fine with it. I may even be able to skip another week here and there. She was kind enough to think of it and to get the OK for me to do. I so appreciate it.

Off to work. Have a good day.

 

[bobbiwoz]

@Snowysmom, it’s great that you can go into the office less! It’s what you asked for and you were heard! We have had a similar scare with a smoke alarm, but not with such a new system. I’m glad it was only a false alarm.

@Pea-n-Me, you have accomplished so much! How great that you have your birthdays week off very soon! Thank you for your nice comment about the water Lily. I get a lot of pleasure watching my pond with the fish. Many folks tell me they like hearing the water, that it calms them too!

It’s cloudy here, and I think we did get the forecasted rain. We had hoped to swim this morning, but it still looks threatening.

Phillies won a very close one yesterday, very happy for that!

Enjoy Labor Day weekend, all!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Big hug Snowysmom and thank you always so very much for your kind encouragement. I really appreciate you. So proud of you, too, my friend. Knowing any health care provider is not a good fit for you takes courage which of course you have so much of. Remember God is forever with you. You don't walk alone. By His great love Chris is cheering you on forever too. We all care so much, too. I believe in you

Dear Bobbi, yay to the PhilliesDad was happy that the Dodgers also won yesterday. I'm very extra grateful to God for both you and Snowysmom, the fire alarm was a false alarm!

Happy weekend to all always with love.

 

[footballmouse]

Happy Friday!

I think today is supposed to be the last of the extremely hot days . I think it's supposed to rain tomorrow and then temps going back to normal.

Phillies won a very close one yesterday, very happy for that!

Congratulations! My Reds won last night also, bottom of the 9th, homerun!!!

My boss told me yesterday that I can come into the office every other week instead of every week.

Yeah!!! So glad it worked out for you.

When did you start working at Kohl’s? Are you still at the hospital, did you change jobs there?

I started there at the beginning of summer, just a couple nights a week. Still at the hospital.

Kudos to Jacob for saving that dog.

I've come to realize that I can't get mad at any of the boys for doing something like this because they're just like me. I guess if I've taught them anything in life, I'm glad it's this.

Going to the little church festival in Indiana on Monday that has a chicken dinner. I'm sure I mentioned it last year on here. I've been going to this chicken dinner & festival since I was a kid, my kids have been going since they were little and we've kept up with this tradition still. The farmers in the parish provide all the fresh food and then it's all cooked there. They also have a booth with homemade bread and baked goods. This is where we spend most of our money, buying the banana bread, zucchini bread, and cookies . We do play the games and I always buy chances on the quilts that they make.

The boys were going to put up a privacy fence along my back fenceline tomorrow but with rain predicted I think they might put it off for next weekend. That's fine with me since I work nightshift this weekend so it would have been hard to sleep while they were there (dog barking).

Back to work, have a great day & weekend!

 

[tazdev3225]

Good morning. I got back from the cruise earlier this week but had a lot of things to get done.

The cruise was great although Mikey thinks Jim and I argue a lot. He finally understands that we don't argue but that unless I get a little louder than I like Jim doesn't pay attention. It's been worse since he had the strokes. The trip was a lot of fun although I was disappointed there weren't as many activities on board that we liked. I did go to the art auction one day and was amazed at the prices of the art and even more that people bid on them. One lot of 3 pictures went for $165,000. I think one person bid multiple times and spent over $200,000. Way too rich for my blood and nothing I really liked anyway. The excursions were great, and we saw a number of whales on the one excursion. It was definitely worth the money.

The hotel we stayed in for the one night was nice and very close to the airport. They had a shuttle which even took us to the Jack in the Box and picked us up after we were finished eating. It also included a breakfast in the morning with eggs and waffles, so we were all happy with that,

The downside to the trip was using Southwest Airlines. The only "food" offered were tiny little packs of graham crackers or brownie brittle and really disgusting onion flavored pretzels. Mikey ate the pretzels as he liked them. He didn't get to meet his "friends" in Denver as it was too early for them and in a way, I was kind of glad. He only knows them through the internet. Coming home was a disaster. The airline denied us Port Valet, where they transport the luggage to the airline, yet everyone else on our flight had it. We had issues getting boarding passes and checked in before we left home so that added to my frustrations with the airline. The day before we left the ship SeaTac had some issues, possibly a cyber-attack. We sat in the airport for hours, with our flight delayed so long that we missed the connecting flight home. We spent the night in Chicago's airport having again only the graham crackers all day. We got to Chicago just before everything closed and it cost $45 for 2 prepacked sandwiches and 3 drinks. I tried to sleep in the airport and managed about 2 hours but not continuous hours. After all that all we had on the flight home was the Brownie Brittle. They don't even offer a drink refill. Thankfully my one daughter was off from work that morning and could pick us up otherwise I'm not sure how we would have gotten home. My other daughter and son had work and my mom had to take dad to an appointment. I contacted customer service and am waiting to hear from them. I will probably NEVER use Southwest again. They are not what they used to be, and I don't like that they only have connecting flights, even to Orlando from Philadelphia.

On the good news side Jim had the procedure to see if his Watchman is in place and thankfully it is so he is now off of Eliquis. That will save us around $2,000 a year.

Finally going to catch up on the laundry today. I can't wait til we get the basement finished and I can get a washer and dryer, although I do like the Laundromat. 1 hour a week and all the laundry is done and only $7 washed and dried.

Hope you all have a great day and weekend

 

[lynxstch]

Good morning everyone

We ended up getting some pretty bad storms around dinner time. I'm glad that I mowed the lawn earlier in the day. The thunder was so loud and the lightning was scary. It was right above the house and I jumped a few times. We got a lot of rain. I have now pinpointed the water coming into the new shed as coming from under the door. We haven't been able to figure out where it was coming from as it puddled up in the same spot every time. The floor is supposed to be level, but I suspect it's off just enough. I ran through the storm to stand in there and watch. I saw it coming through under the very bottom, despite Dave putting a piece of drip edge over the edges of the middle roof, and a door sweep along the bottom of the door. He's going to try and put a piece of metal on the bottom of the door to see if that helps. He won't stop till we figure it out, I don't want a brand new floor getting ruined. It dries out, but that's not the point.

Sister in law and niece had left the hospital yesterday, with sister in law wearing yet another heart monitor for a week. They were on their way to Panera Bread to get something to eat, when they got a call from nieces PCP with her potassium test results. She has to go for bloodwork every week because of low potassium. Her result was so low that the PCP told her to go to the ER. So back to the hospital they went. They got there at 2 pm and said there were at least 50 people in the ER and they got the last parking spot outside.
She texted me at 5 that they were finally seen and niece was given a slow bag of iv potassium. Well they're still there. They're on a second bag, because her level went down instead of up. It's only 2.6 (not sure what it's supposed to be). If it's not one of them, it's the other. SIL slept in a wheelchair by the bed. Said they both got about 3 hours sleep.

It's cloudy out and our temp will only be 82, fine by me. I can't wait for Monday when the temps drop to the 70's

@flyingdumbo127 Mona, yay that you were finally get outside, progress is indeed being made!

@Snowysmom It's always scary when a smoke or CO2 detector goes off. Glad you have someone to look at it

@Pea-n-Me I hated coming home to high 90's temps. I want to be back in Hawaii! You definitely keep yourselves busy

@bobbiwoz You always share such pretty pictures, thanks!

@footballmouse Keeping traditions since you were young is great. Enjoy the church festival

@tazdev3225 Sorry you had so many issues with Southwest. We used Delta from here to Denver and from Denver to CA, and Hawaiian Airlines from there to HI, and had no issues. Every flight was even on time, which was amazing. Glad that you enjoyed the cruise though!

Have a great day all!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Lynn, potassium should be around 4.0-4.4, ideally. When it’s as low as hers was, people can have arrythmias. Too high (over 5+) they can have cardiac standstill (and sometimes need things to bind and lower it). They will probably want to figure out why she’s running so low! Does she eat ok? Is she on a diuretic? That can lower it. Supplements have to be prescribed and levels monitored. (It’s not a buy over the counter type thing, or shouldn’t be.) Some foods are known to be high in potassium she could try to make sure she eats some of those. When Mom was in rehab and running low, they wouldn’t order her any potassium so we got her some Gatorade to drink. (I was really pissed they’d given her a diuretic, first time ever, without discussing with me, her health care proxy, and wouldn’t answer my calls about it. Can’t stand that place!)

Taz so sorry to read about your troubles with SWA. The same thing happened to us last year on our way home from Arizona, we had to stay overnight in the Baltimore airport. The first leg of our return flights was running late so we would miss the second leg. There was a nice guy who spent the better part of an hour trying to get us on the flight that took us to Baltimore (it had been another route) so at least we got that far. I did ask for compensation and we each got $200, but there was some foot dragging on that. I usually try to book non-stop but there aren’t as many of those anymore and they’re mainly to Orlando. I always loved SWA but worried about the new seating plans too. Glad you had a decent cruise. How did it work out for you with Jim and the wheelchair/walker?

 

[lynxstch]

Lynn, potassium should be around 4.0-4.4, ideally. When it’s as low as hers was, people can have arrythmias. Too high (over 5+) they can have cardiac standstill (and sometimes need things to bind and lower it). They will probably want to figure out why she’s running so low! Does she eat ok? Is she on a diuretic? That can lower it. Supplements have to be prescribed and levels monitored. (It’s not a buy over the counter type thing, or shouldn’t be.) Some foods are known to be high in potassium she could try to make sure she eats some of those

Pea--The low potassium is my niece, the heart issues are her mother, my sister in law.

As to the niece, they have had her on 2 different kinds of potassium at home. One is I think is twice a day, the other 3 times a day. This is the second time in a month she's been in the ER with it way too low.
They are both on so many medications, I couldn't begin to list them. Niece is having issues with Linzess. They halved the doseage but it's still causing issues.

Both of them are extremely overweight and that's not helping any of their health issues. Does she eat okay? Yes, if you consider eating out constantly eating okay, lol. The last time they told her to eat more fruit, so they went to the farmers market and bought everything in the place. My guess is most of it got thrown out uneaten.

Niece has to wear these pump things on her legs every night to reduce swelling. As to a diuretic I'm not sure, I'm guessing there's probably some in that pyramid of pills she takes several times a day. They both take every supplement under the sun, not sure they are all prescription, my guess is a lot are OTC. Everything someone tells them to try, they run out and buy some.

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it, I'm worried about both of them. They just told SIL that she can't have the surgery to replace her knee until all of these other issues are taken care of first.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Just a big hug dear Lynn and health prayera always for you my friend, you know that. Extra prayer for your extended family as well. Thank you also always for you and yourvkind support and friendship.

Taz, hug. I'm very thankful to God that Jim is doing better and also that most of your vacation was happy as it ought to be. Please get some rest this weekend.

Footballmouse, indeed you taught your kids kind compassion to all, no surprise! Thank you. I hope both your jobs are going well and that things at the hospital have become easier for you.

Pea, extra hug and it is great to aee more posts from you. As always thank you for thank 6ou kindly sharing your healthcare experience. Mom hug. Grandma, for Lynn, too, was on way too many medications as she got older. When we lived around the corner from each other in small town Northern, CA, I was in charge of her medications and also overso caregiving.

I finally did sit down with grandma's doctor who kindly gave me some time. It's not easy but so important to be aware of what medications a loved one (or yourself) are put on and why! Also to ask your doctor about options including natural ones and possible side effects. Thank you for the extra joy and love you gave your Mom along with peace of mind knowing you were there.

This morning I practiced getting up from my bed (much easier every day) and from my recliner chair with some assistance from the chair, raising and having it help lift me. I am working on balancing better to get up on my own from this chair. Yesterday, the more repetition of this the truly easier it became. I absolutely saw by God's grace that this is my time to heal and each day I am going forward. Dad will come with me outside later.

Have a good afternoon friends

 

[bobbiwoz]

I want to report my friend Lazlo who had a heart transplant is doing very well! His doctor thinks he will be going home before a month’s time! It’s been about two weeks now!

@tazdev3225, how did I miss your report of your flight? Sounds awful, we had a bad flight too, but to Seattle, and I do think yours was worse due to food situation . So happy to hear that Jim is off Eliquis!! Glad your cruise was good, ours was too!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

I thank God all the extra on Lazlo too dear Bobbi!

 

[Snowysmom]

Bobbiwoz Good news for Lazlo!

Tazdev What horrible service from Southwest. Time for another airline. Flights are very difficult lately anyway but your experience was awful. Glad the cruise was nice. What cruise line were you on? Good news for Jim!

Flyingdumbo127 Great news on your progress. Practice makes it easier to do.

Good morning. It is 55 here now with temps heading near 80. Kenny came by yesterday and took down the smoke detector that started the whole mess. When he took it off some small pieces of plaster came down so I wonder if there was stuff in it that caused the issue. He vacuumed it out, took out the batteries and put them in again as they are not that old. I will be vacuuming it every couple of weeks. I am heading to the car dealer today for maintenance on my car. After that not sure what the weekend has in store.

Have a good day.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Good morning, all

The cats got me up way too early for a Saturday, so after I fed them I fell back to sleep on the couch for a while, and now my body doesn't know what time it is.

No big plans for the day. I might offer to take DS tux shopping later, as Lodge season is beginning soon, but I'm not sure what his plans are.

...this is my time to heal and each day I am going forward. Dad will come with me outside later.

That sounds wonderful!!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Happy Saturday dear friends,,

I realized I never did give an update on our possible mold situation. Dad finally did talk with Sonia on Thursday. Sonia was kindly understanding and assured dad that someone will come out to test our bedroom wall and bathroom wall/ceiling next week. Stay tuned on that and no mold/easy remediation prayers appreciated.

Thanks dear Snowysmom. I'm so grateful you have such loving sons. How blessed they are to have you! Please stay safe.

Thank you also dear PollyannaMom. What a kind mom you are. Please though get some rest!

Early morning hug to all. I will check back later.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Please though get some rest!

Early morning hug to all. I will check back later.

Gosh, it's really early where you are! - I echo your instructions for rest.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Aw thanks my friendI still mostly sleep during the day but do get a good 8 hours. As I exercise more and get closer I pray to a complete recovery, I'm also praying my sleep cycle will start to normalize. I'm grateful extra to God for all sleep and rest.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Aw thanks my friendI still mostly sleep during the day but do get a good 8 hours. As I exercise more and get closer I pray to a complete recovery, I'm also praying my sleep cycle will start to normalize. I'm grateful extra to God for all sleep and rest.

They say getting some early morning sunlight helps set your circadian rhythm.