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CM....when Mom and I returned from our 2-week absence from the house (so floors could be refinished), the mailman pulled up in his truck and pulled out one of those huge bins they use to sort mail and asked if I wanted one of those to carry our held mail from the past 2 weeks into the house! I asked did we really have THAT MUCH?!? He showed me a 2' stack of catalogs, magazines and mail.

I receive at least 3 magazines every week that I never ordered and don't subscribe to - things like Glamour, SELF, etc - yeah right! I'd *never* read those. Then we get at least 2-3 copies of every Christmas catalog known to man - none of which we've ever ordered. I fill an entire trash bag every two weeks with the crap mail we get.
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Whine grump - we're already snowed under with Christmas catalogues, and now I've got Dorothy Parker on a loop in my brain:

"… why is it no one ever sent me
one perfect limousine, do you suppose?
Ah no! - it's always just my luck to get
one perfect rose."
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I don't need to worry about hubby going out in the cold to investigate he'd send me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Geez, FF!! You need to wrap your folks in bubble wrap!
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Captain, thanks for the laugh.... I really needed that :)
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men have always ran out in the middle of the night to grab / stab / shoot something . somebodys gotta do it .
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Jeanette, I sure hope so.... I am still shaking over this as I wished they didn't live in that big house all by themselves, but it is the culture of their family, their parents and siblings all continued to live in their single family homes alone come h*ll or high water. I have to keep reminding myself *their choice to live there* over and over... [sigh].

I feel I will be moving into assistant living before my parents do, just from all the stress :P
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Yikes ff.... I'd be a bigger basket case than I already am dealing with 2 parent's whom don't seem to feel they are as elderly as they are!

Someone would get a stern chewing out! - which would fall on deaf ears and things would more than likely continue on as they are. ugh.

Glad you father is ok. Maybe this scare will teach an old horse a new lesson?
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Ohhh Thank you LoisCorrine!! Happy belated birthday to you as well!! 91 - wow lovely lady! You are truly an inspiration and how awesome would it be to all sit down together and chat face to face over pizza and beer!! That is on my bucket list of must have's/do's. Surely will never happen but what a happy thought eh?

I broke down and bought a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio... thought it would go good with my dungeness crab. I was right. So Lois - clink - cheers- here's to a speedy recovery for you and may you have a wonderful Holiday season!
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At 8:15 p.m. the phone rang, it was my Mom, Dad had fallen outside, could Tony come over to help. So out rushed Tony. Then I was thinking why in the world was Dad outside in this freezing cold weather [thankfully we have no snow].

Tony said Dad was shaking like a leaf, of course he was outside with no coat before Mom noticed he had fallen, my gosh Mom is almost deaf/blind.... he went looking for one of his canes he thought he left on the front porch and Dad lost his balance and fell into the bushes. He knows he shouldn't be outside without his rolling walker. You wouldn't catch Mom outside in the dark doing that.... men [rolling eyes.... no offense to those who have common sense].
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Jeanette, Here's a virtual drink to you... (after my supper of pizza and beer - glad it's virtual). Birthdays are great. 'Had my 91st 12 days ago (gloomy Nov., as usual). Two lovely Birthday cards came from my two nineties friends - all the way from CA and WA. Nice surprise.. Old friends are the best!

It's hard to be alone on my birthday after 70 years of marriage, but once I get this compression fracture of my back healed, I'll make do. It happened on hubby's last day at home before Hospice.. 'Going visiting for Christmas and then two months with two of my daughters and families...

I'm keeping up with all you folks in your caregiving. I have lots of empathy and admiration for all of you! Keep it up with your heads held high!
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Thank you for the b-day wishes. In all honesty, it wasn't such a bad day. tSate of mind I suppose? Mom was sleepy and well, I just let her sleep most of the afternoon. She needed it apparently and of course, I relished the quiet time so I could putter around and do what I wanted to do. I even took my dogs for a decent walk. Heck, she was snoring so I didn't worry about her waking up scared...the young man that helped me do outside work this summer (my pool boy) surprised me and stopped by with a card and a Mike's Mango Hard Lemonade! LOL!! He's been MIA now for several weeks and I thought it was just so sweet of him. Ha! Who needs siblings when true friends are so much better? :)

Going to treat myself to a FRESH whole dungeness crab... Safeway had them on sale for 5.99 a pound. Win win.

So, all in all, it wasn't so bad being on this boat with a lot of you!

Boni.... now I am jealous! Sounds like SO MUCH FUN!! enjoy enjoy enjoy!

Off to crack some crab now and have the hot melted butter drip down my arms !!
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Happy Birthday Jeanette!
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man , we are inbetween so many generations that i feel like the pivot man at a circle jerk sometimes .
hope ya have a fun time boni .
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Happy Birthday Jeanette! You're a Baby at 51 in AC land!

No whine from me tonight. My GRAND CHILDREN will be here in less than 48 hours! We found out the new one in the oven is a boy and they are naming him after my Dad.

I have 5 1/2 days of Dress up, arts and crafts, hugs, kisses, cup cake making, hugs, bed time stories, pajama parties, kisses, tickles, coloring, balloon blowing, hugs..............WOOOO HOOOO!
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LIttledogtoo. I recently discovered that the pharmacies sell a dip stick that alerts you to UTIs. That has been great for those days I wonder whether to call Doc or not. Take advantage of that hosp. stay. Collect the toilet "hat " she will prob have in her room so, you don't have to rely on collecting in the cup anymore. (you do have to disinfect before each use). When I need to collect a sample that clean little "hat" is in a bag nearby. Quiz the hospital staff, esp the nurse assistants on tricks to manage the wetting etc.. Cutting a wet diaper off is so much better then looking for tabs to pull. Hubby also sits on toilet fully clothed, so I help start the "pants down" process by getting him started. This may be a good time to transition her to a tab style diaper. Your life will be easier. Her fall sounds terrible and I'm so sorry. We all hate the falling.
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Lil, so sorry about mom's fall and hospitalization. I always take comfort (weirdly) front a discharge RN who told me that her broke her hip, standing up, in a room with 3 RNS, one of them her daughter.
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Happy birthday, Jeanette!
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happy birthday jeanette . my 56 th is coming up in 8 more days . i always reflect on how fortunate ive been to make it another year . when i visit edna at nh i always think , as a visitor i have to punch the current year into a keypad to leave . when i get too stupid to do that , ive been successfully trapped .
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Lot of us in that boat wishing you a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY :)
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Well, fishing or not, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEANETTE! :-)
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Happy Birthday Jeanette!!!! Hope your day is extra special. This year, mine was actually pretty good too...Mama sang "Happy Birthday" to me and remember all the words and I got that on my cell phone and I will cherish it forever. But I hope you're is extra special sweet lady!! You deserve it!!
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You're much better at handling birthdays than I am, Jeanette - I love the way you're focusing on good times before. Wish I was better at banking them, instead of feeling sorry for myself that they're not still around - never mind me, old gloomy boots, I'm just living up to my favourite role model, Eeyore the donkey. Here's to more good times ahead, eh? I know you're not fishing, but many happy returns anyway - and good bowling :)
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Shhhh, it's my 51st birthday today :) don't tell anyone though, I'm not sure I could handle all the calls and visitors stopping by. Might give me an attack of sorts!

Not fishing for any happy birthday's, just trying to make it through another year without acknowledgement from anyone here. Which is fine. Just gives me more determination to be a better person and when the day comes that I can go back to my other life it will be with pride and accomplishment.

I remember how fun birthday's used to be, especially working at a school where we were all family. Nothing like getting homemade cards from all the children. The staff had a "Sunshine Committee" that did an awesome job for everyone. Even my boss/friend was fun. He'd always give me like $50 bucks or so and lots of us would go to "Chili's" to finish up happy hour and get the free lava cake. Oh what fun ")

Mom's in a pretty good mood and it's warmed up a bit outside. Rainy and foggy but not freezing, so maybe I will have her take me out to dinner at the fanciest place I can find in this small town. Although the Burger Basket at the Bowling Alley is pretty tasty and lots of people watching for entertainment!

Have a great day AC peeps!
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Oh no! So very sorry for your mom lildog!! What a nightmare of a day. Poor dear is going to be so sore the next few weeks. I feel for you as well. My mom doesn't listen either. Just keeps at whatever it is she's doing. Accident waiting to happen. Scary.

One thing I have learned this past two years. No one, not the Dr's, not the ER people, no your loved one like you do. Even if it's medical, like your mother's leg, they don't notice those things. Gotta be ever so vigilant with those people!

Please take some time to breathe.... and keep us posted!
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I wonder who invented those exam tables. Dr. Frankenstein? I can't figure out why geriatric doctors use them. Their patients have a hard time getting on them. I'm sure that many can't. I wouldn't be surprised if these type accidents happen more than we know, lildogtoo. I hope your mom pulls through it okay. It sounds pretty serious. "They" say that two places that are best for getting sick are the doctor's office and the hospital.
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Shoot, I hit "post" too soon.

On the urine sample topic - I can completely identify with that one. Mom is a large woman, and there's no way in heck she can get a cup under her to take a sample. So we're in the restroom in the doctor's office with mom sitting on the toilet, me squatting in front of her and reaching up under her to try and catch the sample in the cup (yes, that was every bit as awkward as it sounds). Then she decides that she can't go - doesn't have to go. Stands up to pull her clothes up and promptly pees on the floor. Then they tried to tell her she had to bring back a stool sample from home, which she refused to do. (sigh)

Why they didn't take one look at this large woman and put a HAT in the toilet to catch the urine sample, I'll never know. I thought about that after the fact, and will definitely mention it to them next time.
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Sorry to hear about Mom's fall, Litldogtoo...seems like if it's not one thing, it's another, right? Sheesh. I hope your Mom comes through this ok. All that over a UTI....ugh...
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Litldogtoo, oh my gosh, so sorry to hear about your Mom's fall... it can happen quickly, within seconds. Hope your Mom mends comfortably.

Now about those exam tables... someone needs to resign those terribly uncomfortable tables. Even I have issues climbing up onto one... they are designed for someone over 6 foot tall. Design one with a hydraulic lift that moves every so slowly not to scare one.
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Oh, and doctors apparently do call people back quickly. Call was placed to doctor's office at 1806 with return call 1809. If only :) BTW, 'cut' up there should read 'cup'.

And you know what else bothers me...so many patients, yes, lots of help, but nobody listens to you. She's got diabetes so I'm telling them she has to eat and take her meds at a certain time. They get the chart and say, oh yeah. Whatever. That nurse shouldn't have been walking with my mom. She should have been cognizant of the fact that this was a woman who was limping and she was telling her 'it hurt'. If I wasn't there, she would have had nobody speaking for her. I mean, gees. And so many people! So many sick people. I just kind of want to cry when I see all the people, older, and their lives gone. Personnel just treat them as 'next'!' like a fast food restaurant. I'm not saying people aren't 'nice' but they're not 'nice-nice'.
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