Follow
Share
Read More
Boni, you wouldn't ever want to hate smoking, now, would you? - 'cos you would hate it if you tried it now. My goodness you would feel soooooooo ill. Do something else nice, preferably involving fragrance and not something you associate with a peaceful gasper. Are you allowed a soak in a (not too hot!) bubble bath yet?

It's like that old song - I'd rather leave while I'm in love…
(0)
Report

CM, I think I've just about beat myself to a pulp this week...

(oops, had to get mom in the shower, back now...sigh)

I'm running behind on getting everything ready for this weekend/next week, so I know I'm going to be all day Saturday and Sunday getting it done - last minute as always. I'm probably doing too much, but the way I see it, the cleaning of cabinets, etc needed to be done, and when this step of the renovation is done, the house will look so much better, and all the cabinets will be clean, oven clean, fridge clean, etc. I'll just be glad when it's done.

Back to shredding - then on to my desk and hopefully I can finish the kitchen tonight.
(1)
Report

Susan, some day I will be doing that, sorting out old papers. My Dad [93] likes to cut out newspaper articles and put them into notebooks.... my Mom has been after him to clean out those notebooks so now around my Dad's recliner and his desk in his office it looked like a dozen filing cabinets had thrown up :P

Earlier this week I stopped in to see my parents, I volunteer to retrieve items that had fallen around Dad's desk, his computer, and his recliner: pieces of newspapers.... old photos the size of a large postage stamp [gosh people must have had excellent eyesight back then to see what is in these photos].... couple pencils.... paper clips... small ruler.... large magnifying glass that slipped between the cushion and arm of the recliner... twist tie.... couple blue Aleve... pocket size notebook [Dad's been looking everywhere for that].... and an old remote from a TV they no longer have.

It's like "American Pickers" on a small scale :)
(2)
Report

Boni why not do one of the other sins on your do not list. How about a cup of coffee. It is hard to give up everything all at once. Think of the benefits I went from a size 16/18 down to a 12. of course my skin looks as though it needs ironing. No salt no fats, less sugar watch the dairy,loose the grapefruit. No dark colored fruit and depending on the last blood tests glutin free. It goes on. Take calcium vit D and maybe iron. Eat healthy , no tea or coffee leave the alcohol alone. plenty of protein to rebuild the muscles. This test and that test maybe you need heart sugery, what about haveing your aneurysms repaired. NO NO NO forget it I AM NOT DOING IT AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME. Stamps foot. Sin a little bit Boni but just a little bit. I still climb ladders when no one is looking.
(3)
Report

Boni, when you are recovering you need potassium. Peel a ripe banana. Wrap it in plastic wrap. Freeze it. Bananasicles are yummy.
Jessie, eating one cigarette won't kill her. But it will get rid of pinworms and tapeworms. LOL
(0)
Report

Bananas are very high in sugar, so have to be consumed sparingly by someone with diabetes. My mother can eat half a banana and her blood glucose soars. I don't know how much banana is a good serving for someone with diabetes. Does anyone know?
(0)
Report

pams advice is as crazy as always and just as accurate . when i spent a couple days in the va stress unit , ( lost mind , hepc meds broke it ) , i didnt care to walk a half a mile to the outside for a smoke so i took a small pinch of cigarette and used it like skoal . i got wired like a japanese radio and in fact had to spit it out in a few minutes . my heart rate was as high as a complete cigar would have caused . ive used skoal in the past just for kicks . its just as powerful as meth. so , to my surprise , was a bit of cigarette tobacco . i wouldnt hesitate to orally ingest it if i had to quit smoking .
i found out from loose lip cuz terry tonight that the only thing keeping edna and i from our drives is indeed PIA . not only im not upset about it , im quite relieved that it wasnt aps or nh who caused this atrocity and im deeply satisfied now that altho unable to discuss the details with me , all involved can see that this is vindication on pia's part and petty jealousy on cuz terrys part . they are hurting edna badly but edna sees thru them like they were jellyfish .. sometimes they embarrass her at nh with their phony overcompensation . they attend the family conferences , i dont . the meetings must be laughable to this extraordinarily professional staff . everybody is connected . they know pia made me choose between 24 - 7 with edna or my visit with g - kids . theres no contest , i made the best choice , even edna gets that ..
geez, back to peeling my apples for a while . i have a metric f*ckload of them ..
(0)
Report

and pam , i well remember being fed busted up cigarette butts as a kid to kill intestinal worms . we were given cod liver oil too . potato soup wasnt keeping us healthy enough i guess . the two girls battled the tablespoon full of cod oil . it was fact that id drink the whole dam bottle full if they let me . we were hungry - ish more than a few times . id eat a stick of butter , drink ketchup or milnot at the drop of a hat . our situation wasnt unique , the majority of people were poor -- not much safety net in place .. bethany indiana is the poorest per capita town in indiana to this day . aint really a town , its a few squatter shacks around a long defunct brickyard ..
(0)
Report

Captain when we went off to school we all had tuck boxes brimful of supplies, for some reason always including a tin of Marvel milk powder (in case what???) and a packet of Ryvita crispbread. Come the end of term, ten weeks later, the Marvel had been eaten but most of the Ryvita was still there.

And the kids split into two groups at bed time - the ones whose parents had ticked malt extract and Haliborange tablets to have with their milk, and the ones whose parents had ticked cod liver oil. We felt doubly sorry for the latter because not only did they have to swallow it, but also it clearly meant their parents hated them. Although of course there were a few of us (sigh) whose parents hadn't got as far as sending the form back at all…

So what does Edna's POA imagine you're going to get up to on your drives? She's not thinking some kind of Thelma and Louis scenario, is she? Another POA lesson for us all: be REALLY careful who you pick for the job.
(0)
Report

Good morning!!

Boni, what about one of the new E Ciggs? They come in really nice packages and you can customize them for any occasion. Also the flavors are yummy and...and...you can choose the amount of nicotine put in them, slowly working your way down to nothing!!

Pure coconut water is loaded with potassium.... I drink it to keep my legs from wanting to move all night long!

Susan WOW!! Ive heard of spring cleaning but not fall cleaning.... ick. My dad has been gone 18 months today. Aside from a few items I gave to my brothers, it is all still here. His wallet sits where he left it, shaver is still in the drawer, so on and so on. Not an easy task, none of it.

I vaguely recall being made to drink cod liver oil? I also recall they used it to fertilize their tomatoes? Maybe they thought we'd grow better?

Cap, I saw a post on FB where this guy uses a drill to peel apples in a hot flash. Just impale the apple through the bit, take the apple peepler place on counter to support...turn on drill DONE!
(1)
Report

Captain, I'm impressed you're peeling all the apples. I'm going lazy this year with the apple haul - cut in quarters, cook down, run thru food mill.
(1)
Report

Ah ha, cod liver oil... I remember having that back when I was a kid... wonder if it helped any of us :P

Couple years ago I bought a bottle of cod liver oil and gave it a try.... OMG it tasted terrible, I don't recall it tasting that bad as a kid. Even the cat wouldn't touch it.
(2)
Report

FF my son tried to act the He-Man over this when his sisters were kicking up a fuss about taking their cod liver oil (I'd bought a bottle in a mini health drive I was having at the time) - he told them roundly not to make such a palaver over it, seized the spoon, gulped it down - and it came straight back up again! Mini health drive abandoned...
(2)
Report

Hi folks....peeping in to say hello ....I think of yall a lot but I am feeling like a dud these days. I am no longer interesting...I am not sure I remember how to be interesting. I used to be but no more...I can't get anything finished, so I just don't start anymore...I am living my life so I can feed Mama, clean up the pee and poop afterwards and then repeat every hour or so....eat, pee, poop, clean....eat, pee, poop, clean...God forgive me...I pray hard....I think I am in mourning....all she does is watch me..look at me...God I miss her so much...and I'm scared to say stuff like this "out loud" because I'm afraid God will take her away from me...and yet sometimes it is like He already has....I miss my mama so much.....and I just spend most of my day feeling ashamed of myself at how weak I have become...sorry I'm a downer...I guess that 's one reason I just dont participate in life anymore....my family has made it clear to me they are gone....and now here come the holidays...oh dear God, the holidays
(1)
Report

And one more note....when that day arrives...right now I feel like I am just going to stand up following the ceremony and scream at the top of my lungs..."Everyone of you may now go to H$$$. I think I have lost my mind. I'm sorry
(2)
Report

Jessie, an under-ripe banana is the best for a diabetic. Bananas are shipped up here still green, and never get as sweet as a field ripened banana. They do have 422mg potassium and Vitamins C and B6. Stuff she needs.
(1)
Report

I have no patience today my kids have their packages sent here because there is always someone home a flat rate envelope came yesterday and I put it where all the other packages go. This morning I am going through yesterday's paper and I find the open envelope with nothing in it of course my mom denies opening it. I know I know I know she cannot remember it but does bother me. I cannot find the car piece anywhere even had to go thru the trash. Then she starts going thru the freezer to make something for dinner and she does not cook anymore. Or remember how to. There is a tone of unmarked meat that has been in the freezer do over a year and I said I was just going to throw it away. She if course said no your not she woke up teary and now she is back in her hot room instead of the a/c living room feeling sorry for herself. Yes I moved the mail to my room where all my kids packages will go but I am so annoyed and I feel that is wrong I need a break so bad and I just can't seem to get away. I know this sounds trivial to most buts it's bugging me. Thanks for listening. Oh should I just go thru the freezer when she is sleeping and throw all that meat away in hopes she will forget?
(3)
Report

fligirl58, what I do if I find something to toss out from the freezer, I wait until trash pick up day and quickly put the item into the trash bag.... my sig other doesn't like to throw anything out that is past expiration, he says it won't kill you.... but I am of the old school of "when in doubt, throw out", and everything past expiration looks in doubt.
(1)
Report

countrymouse,
back a couple months ago i stayed with edna for over a week so pia could get nh paperwork in order . paperwork wasnt getting done, but worse , on the night i required relief , pia's kid / g kids showed up from down south for some kind of ignorotic party . they took edna for only a few minute visit and i walked on them . pia got stuck with edna and the paperwork task for bout the next ten days . ive been jerked around by family caregiver relief in the past with my sis .
anyway pia is getting even by denying us from leaving nh . its pretty sick . edna needs to get out occasionally , docs orders , but its not happening . edna is doing well at nh but misses our country truck rides . nasty person , pia ..
linda,
i brought home twice or three times as many apples tonight . i have a lot of canning to do . id can them chopped up with peels on them but i made apple rice once with unpeeled cut up apples and it made the rice bitter . im not really familiar with a food processor . i dont want applesauce , i just want cut up apples for baking . i dont mind the labor on them . its reconnecting me with who i was 7 yrs ago before going to moms house to live . its helping me to get myself back . canning has been my hobby for 30 yrs -- and boozemaking .. both sons have the " kitchen " ( cooking ) bug too . feminism is going to women right square on the ass one of these days . we'll be making the whole top of the hill smell delicious while theyre out fixing OUR cars if they want to get into OUR pants . suckers !!
(1)
Report

I am taking care of my mother-in-law....have been for two years. She was born in 1928 and no one really understood "Autism" back than....but she is on the Spectrum. My 15 yr.old son has Aspergers and NOW I know where he got it from. So....I am having to "deal" with both. I am very tired...My mother in law has Dementia and I she is also "Bolemic" throws up after eating....she weighs a whopping 88 lbs. I have to go back in the bedroom to make sure she doesn't throw up...just one more things for me to monitor in her life. I do not want to complain...I just want to talk, I guess....I am tired, and I guess that's all.
(3)
Report

Hi, flee. My father had what we would now call Asperger's. He was able to excel at his job, but remained a stranger at home. I am glad that he wasn't difficult. He was a hermit who spent his last 20 years in a chair looking out the window. He was a brilliant man, just totally lost with people outside my mother.

I was shocked to read your MIL is bulemic at her age. I read one time that it does happen in the elderly. Do you think she is afraid to gain weight? I guess it is strange because we would guess there would be a point in a woman's life where being thin wouldn't be as important. I am surprised that someone with bulemia would live so long.
(0)
Report

Flee, has your Mom been bulimic most of her life, or is this something fairly new? If fairly new, have the doctor check her for acid reflux, or some type of interference in her esophagus, or check to see if any of her meds might be causing this. I can't imagine someone her age having to go through that.
(1)
Report

FF makes a good point, Flee. Has your MIL's weight been stable since she's been with you, or has it dropped off? Worth checking out, I'd have thought. At only 88lbs - unless she's knee-high to a grasshopper - she can't have much more to spare, poor love.
(0)
Report

Well, while driving to my volunteer work at a local hospital, I had a major panic attack.... normally I have minor ones and can work through them, but this one caught me by surprise. I had to call sig other to come get me, I was so rattled I couldn't go inside the building. We will pick up my vehicle early Sunday morning when there is light traffic, and when I have a side order of one tranquilizer for breakfast :P

Hopefully my parents will start figuring out Plan B, because I just can't drive them to the hospital for their various doctor appointments... this driving had been the source of my minor panic issues but now it's over the cliff, so to say.

My sig other had delivered their groceries this morning [from an on-line service I use]... and Dad told him that he wants me to take him shoe shopping because newer shoes would help his knee [which I can understand] but Dad keeps forgetting I have a current health issue with my back and with a kidney stone. Guess Dad has fallen into the *me, me, me* column now.... [sigh]
(1)
Report

Oh ff ...bless your heart. I feel for you re the panic attacks. I had one the other night and thought I was losing my mind. I usually can talk myself through them but they are the strangest things...knowing they will pass, but at the time you are having them they are beyond horrific. I hope you are feeling better and somehow able to get some rest....(sometimes I feel so stupid telling caregivers to get some rest...because how exactly do we do that??? ) take care friend...
(2)
Report

Ugh! FF, could you possibly get your lovely-sounding SO to field all calls from your parents for, say, a week? This habit they've developed of assuming you're the local Parental Support Service, and completely forgetting that you're a human being with your own needs, has just got to be broken, somehow. If he's willing, he could deflect all but non-urgent calls and put the rest on a 'get around to it' list for you. It would be an act of charity but also of preventive healthcare!

With a bit of luck, it wouldn't take too long for the message to filter through. A nudge towards, as you say, Plan B…

What's going on with that stone? They're not just waiting for it to pass, I hope?
(1)
Report

Freflyer to follow up on CM's remark about the kidney stone. It can be dealt with thout invasive surgery. Under anesthetic an instrument is passed into your bladder then up the ureter and into the kidney. Once there the stone can be blasted and broken up and most of it sucked out. There may be some "gravel left that you will pass naturally possibly with some pain but not what you have been having. There may also be a little blood in your urine for a few days. Wake up from the anesthetic and go home. Tell them ahead of time about your panic attacks and they will probably give you an anxiolitic to take before you go in. Time to rattle some cages and get it done
(1)
Report

ff,
its a shame you couldnt trade responsibilities with a cousin . im saying your parents can wear you out . youve heard their incessant crap for a lifetime . " innocently " getting a cuz / friend to help with your parents as you trade off with their parents , in some situations could be crazy enough to work .
im sitting here canning apples today and discovering a million things about myself ranging from why my 18 yr marriage collapsed to who the hell i am . my family visited a guy and his wife once when i was maybe 6 yrs old . they had a beautiful old root cellar stocked with every concievable type of canned up food stuff . that striking image never left my head and never will . then there was aunt edna who prepared meager but delicious meals for us 3 kids when mom and dad were lacking in that area . she also was a woodsman , gardner , and " survivalist " . these are the influences in my life . my sons were raised in that exact setting except our home was handmade , old world , goth themed , and our cellar was slightly more modern with fluorescent lighting . i think i know who they are even as theyre out trying to find it themselves . i guess when i told my son a while back that he should pay attention for when he canned food someday ( and you will ) i told him , well he wont find himself until he does . that isnt my dream , its him and bluntmans reality . theyre halfway there as cooking buffs already . if they had better priorities both would have already built their first homes . not my problem , thats theirs to figure out .
edna was looking great yesterday at nh . those people are sharp . i hope shes around for me to hug tightly for years to come , senile or otherwise . she helped shape my family and future generations of same .
(4)
Report

oh yea, my kidney function alarm from va was a big , but brilliant bluff . liver doc said my test results were elevated at approximately the point that maybe i should have had a sip at the water fountain before i went to blood draw . the va is ahead of its time they just have personnel problems , budget constraints and growing pains in some regions of the country .
ill live to eat these m f ' n apples -- with my grandkids ..
(2)
Report

hope22, you are so right about panic attacks, they are the strangest things. Any time I mention to my parents that I have these attacks while driving, Dad would chime in with "who's going to drive us?".... [sigh].

To Veronica91 and CountryMouse... I had the ultrasound done yesterday and the stone is neatly tucked away so no urgency at the moment. Anywho, I do have an appointment with a kidney stone specialist. At least now the doctor waiting rooms are for ME for a change :)

Captain, wish I could call in my closest cousins but they are older than I am and still recovering from caring for their parent. Example, one cousin [also an only child] moved into a retirement community himself with his wife because he couldn't take care of his Mom's house and his house, too, which he had been doing for over 20 years... his Mom refused to move to assisted living/nursing home... she past at 100. He is still helping out his wife's Mom who is over 100 and still on her own. It's that generation, my Mom and her sisters and their mother were all tough women who usually got their way.
(1)
Report

Start a Discussion
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter