What are you up to today? This week?

[Deb]

Deb, so glad you were able to sit up. Healthy people have no idea how seriously hard it is to sit up and the toll it takes to do so when you are ill or weak. I had a dimwit nurse who decided I was not sitting up enough and put me in a chair and left me (no where near a help button) I was in so much agony when she came back 2 hours later (after saying she would be back in 30 minutes) that I had to be sedated.

Yep, you totally get it. Between the neurological stuff and the thyroid stuff, my muscles will either misfire (which literally feels like electric shocks and makes my muscles jerk, then paralyzes them) or they don't get the message from my brain to keep working and just stop whatever they were doing to turn into jello which sets off muscle spasms in neighboring muscles. It makes me fall a lot too. The biggest part of my hypoxemia is caused by my brain forgetting to tell my lungs to move, which is necessary for inhaling and exhaling. <chuckling> Living inside my body is like a bad carnival ride. But yeah, not having reliable muscles means that being able to sit upright without slumping over like a melting Peep in a microwave is an accomplishment. It could be just that my brain was fully online at the time but I'm hoping that it's more of a recovery of muscle strength as I overcome some atrophy. There was some burn and strain for the last ten minutes but nothing unbearable so that's a good sign.

BTW, that nurse who left you without a call bell should be taken out and shot. I'm sure that your Bruce gave her an education about it!

Deb

[chesterfieldzoo]

The doctor gave it to the nurse for leaving me. Then they got me this really cool bed than went from a bed into a real chair with the push of a button. The head part went up, the foot part went down, a footrest popped out. There was only one in the hospital because they were mega expensive. It weighed you and tipped sideways so you could roll. I think it vacuumed and did dishes too! It made it easier on the nurses because they didn't have to go get the hoist all the time to move me for 'chair' time. I shudder when I think of that time. Meal time was a real incentive to exercise for strength because sometimes the food person would set the tray in front of me and leave - I was not strong enough to lift the dome off or cut my meat, so I would have to wait until someone could come and do that for me.

[LouMorgan]

Well, the plumber left a bit ago and pronounced my dishwasher officially dead.

I will get another one but I need to look around at what's out there and save up some $$'s.

I've had this one since the year one so it served me well.

I still cannot bear to think about washing machines and have been using the laundrette for a while now, the last one we had a pipe dislodged at the back as I switched it on and then went to work for an 8 hour shift. I came back to find the entire ground floor was a swimming pool. The cats were marooned on the dining room table like it was a desert island. I am very houseproud and could not bear to look at it so I said to my husband and my son I can't deal with this and went off to stay with a friend leaving them to clean up the mess!!!! Bless them, they did a great job.

[havanaholly]

...I had a dimwit nurse who decided I was not sitting up enough and put me in a chair and left me (no where near a help button) I was in so much agony when she came back 2 hours later (after saying she would be back in 30 minutes) that I had to be sedated.

...BTW, that nurse who left you without a call bell should be taken out and shot...

The doctor gave it to the nurse for leaving me...

I was going to say I was amazed she still had a job! Even with the patient loads most nurses have, and old as I was when I became one, I managed to remember where I had left my patients and checked on them fairly frequently. The patient load in hospitals is ridiculous, especially in ICU units, because one of the most important jobs in an ICU besides keeping the patient alive is passive ROM/ range-of-motion exercises to keep those nerves firing properly and to keep those muscles flexible, especially a patient in a coma, whether natural or medically induced.

That bed sounds ideal; I don't know if it's that bed or an even fancier model that goes totally perpendicular to allow the patient to be upright; weight-bearing, even supported, is also helpful to keep up muscle strength and prevent the bone demineralization that prolonged bedrest promotes, as well as all the repiratory mess.

I was still convalescing from the allergies yesterday and couldn't help with transporting all the stuff for the jazz festival, but today we're leaving after breakfast to go help one of our friends in her tent until the rest of her volunteers show up.

[Peggi]

Holly, DH hasn't hunted the last 2 seasons due to his rotator cuff and torn muscle repair. A very dear friend of mine whole family hunts so last year they supplied us with the deer.

It was so nice to sleep in this morning, I really think I need a job where I don't have to be there until 10, I would get my much needed beauty rest LOL

Nothing special planned today, just laze around and finish recouping..sounds like I'm whining but just remembering what Deb and Deana go through makes me remember that I really am fine. You two are in my thoughts quite often, I was able to follow Deana recovery some on fb and was amazed and delighted when you started recovering. You both are women to be admired and are a good example to people to "never give up".

Need advice from ones who quit smoking, I desparately in need to quit but am powerless in the will power department for this particular vice. But I know especially trying to raise the 2 GKs that I've got to be able to run after them for a long time, (we haven't even got to the terrible teens yet). So, today I think I will pull out my e-cig and see if I can start cutting back so within a week maybe I'll be off the real thing,.

[KathieB]

Peggi, be careful of the e-cigs. I've been reading about a rise in liquid nicotine poisoning from them. Apparently 51% of the reported cases were kids age 5 and under. Those things are downright dangerous and probably should require a locked cigarette case, like guns at home.

[Peggi]

Kathie, thanks for the information, I haven't heard this and with the 2 GK around I will be careful. I've read articles where some doctors agree that this is not as harmful to your body, but recently have seen articles where some are not sure. But I've tried the gum and the patches and even a couple of prescriptions medicines and have failed. As weak as I am I know I can't just do this "cold turkey", I've tried and last about 3 days.

Do you and DH still travel a lot? I know you go back and forth between Missouri and New Orleans, but if my mind remembers correctly, you like Holly and her DH travel a good bit.

[Mandystar]

Peggi, I used those e-cigarettes for a couple of months when I stopped smoking three years ago. I tried all the flavors and they all tasted terrible! I finally, literally, threw up my hands in disgust, and trashed them all. Haven't had a cigarette since. Believe me, I'm not making light of this addiction... it's the worst addiction I know of -- worse than any street drug or opiate -- simply because it's both a physical addiction and an emotional and mental addiction as well. Remember when it was "cool" to smoke? Don't you know that somewhere in those grey cells, your brain remembers that? Just as I cannot even picture my mom or dad without a cigarette in their hands!

Just do it. Believe me... if I was able to do it, anyone can. Yes, I still get an urge occasionally, and then I realize just what it is that I'm looking for, and I laugh. Yeah, right. One cigarette now and it'll be all over (as I sit here breathing oxygen 24/7)! You CAN do it cold turkey, Peggi. It took me about 50 tries over the years, but I did it. BUT had I done it sooner, I wouldn't be in this condition now. My daughter and granddaughter are super. In fact, my daughter, who teaches in FL, is taking an FMLA leave of absence to come up here to be with me. All this... after 50+ years of them telling me to stop smoking and yelling back at them, "leave me alone!" Dontcha think I feel so guilty now, accepting their help? Don't put yourself in that situation! YOU CAN STOP!

I've been reading the posts for the last couple of days, but haven't had the strength to respond. I'm so glad to be a part of this group of strong women! I wish all of you health, wealth and joy!

[Deb]

Nothing special planned today, just laze around and finish recouping..sounds like I'm whining but just remembering what Deb and Deana go through makes me remember that I really am fine. You two are in my thoughts quite often, I was able to follow Deana recovery some on fb and was amazed and delighted when you started recovering. You both are women to be admired and are a good example to people to "never give up".

Peggi dearest, you are so NOT whining! Good heavens girl, you have pneumonia!!!!! And you went back to work!! I also happen to know what you've gone thru at other times in your life and you are the very last person to whine about anything. So c'mere..............

As for the ecig, go for it. That's how I quit smoking for almost three years. The way I did it was using two ecigs......one with menthol juice (because that's what I smoke) and the other with a flavor I would never normally associate with smoking like apple. Get a higher level of nicotine in your regular juice and use it when you have a nic fit. Get a very low level of nicotine in the flavored juice and use it when you just feel like enjoying the physical act of smoking. Most people who overdoes on nicotine using the ecigs are puffing on them too much because the vapor isn't quite as satisfying as a cigarette so they puff a little more. That's why it's good to have a varied flavor in low dose and use that for your primary ecig, saving the higher level for when you need nicotine. With all the levels of nicotine in the juices, you can step yourself down at your own pace until you're using 0mg of nicotine and find yourself using the flavored one only and even then more as a pacifier than anything else. At that point, you'll be ready to put them down and walk away. It might just be me, but the key to my succeeding was having the second ecig with flavor because it helped change the habit in a subtle way. Don't be in a rush either. It took me almost 6 months to get to that point, but when you stop and consider how long you've been smoking, that's not such a long time to quit.

Go Peggi go!!!

Deb

[Peggi]

Dang I've got change browsers so I can use the quote feature!!!!!!!!

Thanks Deb, although I ordered all with nicotine, I have several flavors..coffee, methol, regular but I think my favorite is peppermint. I was on my way to quitting a couple of years ago with this method, was doing fairly well when BAM, life around here turn upside down and the weak in me gave in. It did save a few lives cause some people were just asking to be put down and put me out of my misery. Some folks may not know what that last sentence means but a few will know what I'm talking about.

Thank you Sandy for your encouragement, I'm sure in the days to come I will refer back to your post, because if I don't stop now I will be where you are today healthwise and for not only my sake but my GK sake I got to get a grip and the courage to quit. My brain knows this, but the body doesn't want to accept it.

Poor Holly has been trying to encourage me for years and I know has to be disappointed in me that I still have not conquer this particular devil.

[Mandystar]

Peggi, don't think that anyone thinks less of you for not having quit yet. It's an awful habit. If I could make that word 10 feet high here, I would! It's horribly difficult to quit! Do you think for a minute that, if it was easy, I'd be where I am now? YOU. CAN. DO. IT! It took me a lot of "tries" but, finally, the last one "took." You'll be able to taste food again!!! I don't know your age, but if you have grand kids, I imagine you're in the ballpark, right up there with the rest of us. Lung tissue does not regenerate -- it doesn't grow back. HOWEVER, if you stop soon enough, you'll still have enough lung capacity to breath on your own. Read my words very carefully because I am choosing them very carefully. They say there's nothing like a reformed smoker. That's true -- because we finally realize what we've done to ourselves!

[Selkie]

Poor Holly has been trying to encourage me for years and I know has to be disappointed in me that I still have not conquer this particular devil.

Peggi, this is one of many "devils" that afflict us poor humans. We all have something that grabs ahold of us. Cigs are yours but don't beat yourself up for it. Accept that everywhere you look, the people around all have their own devils they are trying to unhook from. It may take time, but if you do it for you ,not because someone expects you to or nags at you, you'll have a better chance of succeeding.

Good luck, sweetheart. Your cheering squad is here behind you. Don't forget we'll need you to cheer us when we are trying to conquer our devils.

[Deb]

Thanks Deb, although I ordered all with nicotine, I have several flavors..coffee, methol, regular but I think my favorite is peppermint. I was on my way to quitting a couple of years ago with this method, was doing fairly well when BAM, life around here turn upside down and the weak in me gave in. It did save a few lives cause some people were just asking to be put down and put me out of my misery. Some folks may not know what that last sentence means but a few will know what I'm talking about.

<nodding in sympathy> Totally with you I quit for three years and the day that I finally realized that I was going to have to give up Deb's Minis was the day I stuck another one in my mouth and lit it up. (Sssshhhh........don't tell Holly coz she'll yell at me. :hide:) Even my shrink said that it was an understandable (although still not medically acceptable) reason for reverting back, so setbacks happen and it has nothing to do with being weak. The main thing is to never give up on giving up. When the time is right, it'll happen. <hugging you tightly> You know I love you more than my tiffany lamps no matter what mood you're in. :wub:

This morning I'm refilling prescriptions and paying bills. Isn't the internet a wonderful thing? I can do all of that without getting dressed!

Deb

[Peggi]

<nodding in sympathy> Totally with you I quit for three years and the day that I finally realized that I was going to have to give up Deb's Minis was the day I stuck another one in my mouth and lit it up. (Sssshhhh........don't tell Holly coz she'll yell at me. :hide:) Even my shrink said that it was an understandable (although still not medically acceptable) reason for reverting back, so setbacks happen and it has nothing to do with being weak. The main thing is to never give up on giving up. When the time is right, it'll happen. <hugging you tightly> You know I love you more than my tiffany lamps no matter what mood you're in. :wub:

This morning I'm refilling prescriptions and paying bills. Isn't the internet a wonderful thing? I can do all of that without getting dressed!

Deb

Oh Deb I love you too!!

The internet is wonderful, I pay most of my bills on line and those that can't be paid that way gets late payments cause I forget to buy stamps or just plain don't like writing a check

I can do the quote but really don't know why it showed 3 times.

[Deb]

Oh Deb I love you too!!

The internet is wonderful, I pay most of my bills on line and those that can't be paid that way gets late payments cause I forget to buy stamps or just plain don't like writing a check

I can do the quote but really don't know why it showed 3 times.

The quote thing just had a stutter, that's all. :tongue4: It's probably a random feature of IE.

I haven't bought stamps in ages and when I do have to mail something with postage, I go to the USPS website and do it from there. Of all the things I like about the internet, being able to pay bills and do my banking is probably right up in the top four. Talking to you guys is #1 and I'll let the other two remain a mystery. :ph34r: hehehehehehehe Now that I have that all done, I'm going to head to the studio and see if I can get one thing accomplished in there today. It's a small task so I'm sure that I can. The hard part is going to be trying to evict Deano from my office chair so I can sit down! He thinks it's his personal napping space.

Deb

[havanaholly]

Oh, gee, we went to the Jazz Festival this AM and left when it began raining the second time and the group that was performing was doing a fusion of African-Jewish music that just doesn't quite go together... (sort of like bright neon purple and orange) and I'm right back in the quit-smoking "thing". Peggi, I am NOT disappointed in you; I love you and will continue to pray for you to quit, but in the end it's up to you to do it. I would prefer you quit before, like Sandy, it's the end if you don't; to all of you, I lost my mother when she was 61 to what smoking did to her; she lived in kidney failure for nearly seven years secondary to what she did to her lungs (there is a very near & dear connection to the kidneys, the adrenal glands atop them, and lung function I was totally unaware of until Nursing School and A&P class); it also put her into congestive heart failure, and everything wore out pretty much at once. It wasn't pretty.

Peggi, DH wasn't ever going to quit, either, until the day he came back from having a tooth pulled and, risking dry socket, he lit up a cigarette; to quote him, it tasted so incredibly nasty he threw it and the rest of the pack away and hasn't lit another one since. He did start riding his bicycle and walking and then we started hiking and then we started paddling when we retired, and if he hadn't quit smoking in his fifties I don't know if we'd still be doing all these fun outdoorsy things in our seventies. Believe me, I don't like sharing all this, it brings back some truly sad memories for me, fresh as this morning; but if it'll get one person to quit smoking I'd do it every day.

[nuttiwebgal]

I turned off the radio to glorious....SILENCE....how I adore and love my grans...but we have been without youngins in our everyday life for several yrs and WOWZERS

the noise level is never far from deafening and Jaxon IS the definition of a chatterbox!!

so I m enjoying it and my hubby...doing the same things we would do with them here but not with a tag along asking bajillion questions without breathing

HOW do they do that??

[Peggi]

I turned off the radio to glorious....SILENCE....how I adore and love my grans...but we have been without youngins in our everyday life for several yrs and WOWZERS

the noise level is never far from deafening and Jaxon IS the definition of a chatterbox!!

so I m enjoying it and my hubby...doing the same things we would do with them here but not with a tag along asking bajillion questions without breathing

HOW do they do that??

I turned off the radio to glorious....SILENCE....how I adore and love my grans...but we have been without youngins in our everyday life for several yrs and WOWZERS

the noise level is never far from deafening and Jaxon IS the definition of a chatterbox!!

so I m enjoying it and my hubby...doing the same things we would do with them here but not with a tag along asking bajillion questions without breathing

HOW do they do that??

Oh Nutti: The silence is what I miss the most since the GK has come to live with us. DH and I had taken to the empty nest syndrome so well, enjoyed quiet evenings, but not anymore. Our 8 yr GD just does not know the meaning of "inside voice" and she can be so dramatic...funny at times but at others just plain annoying LOL.

Holly I love you too and am glad to know your are not disappointed. Sorry your jazz festival got rained out.

[nuttiwebgal]

Peggi...yanno Miss Poo is 9....Dramaticis a kind word for these girls....

but than the 6yr old is a never ending revolving door of super heros....all day long....

I know its kids...I had some....raised more than my 3...but HOW!!??!! SHEESH....

still the apples of my eyeballs but enjoy our moments of silence.....

after getting over the kids leaving...we also enjoy living and doing at our pace...so it has been an adjustment...but so worth it to see these

faces everyday

girl you hang in there...nothing worth while comes easy....

[KathieB]

.raised more than my 3...but HOW!!??!! SHEESH....

There's a reason children are given to young people. Hang in there, ladies!

[rackey]

Oh Jeremy, I just read your post, and I am so sorry for you and your wife. Of hand, I cannot think of anything more disappointing. Your wife must want a baby so badly, she is willing to do anything; but the most important thing now is her health.

I don't know if adoption is an option you and your wife considered, but she shouldn't do anything that would risk her life - not even giving life to someone else. I believe better days are ahead for the two of you, but for now you need to allow yourselves time to heal. I am sending the best of wishes your way.

[havanaholly]

The jazz festival hasn't been rained out, we just left as the second shower was beginning. We'll go back tomorrow after lunch. DH & I are the moving crew, we're going to see how many of the JSOP vendors will be willing to pack up their tents and let us load our truck tomorrow evening, rather than leaving it all over Sunday night and us have to show up at 0800 Monday to pack it all.

[Mandystar]

Holly, have you heard Alpha Blondy singing "Jerusalem"? Talk about African-Jewish music? This is very, very similar... reggae, French, Afro and Jewish music -- and it's fabulous! Try listening to this...

and let me know what you think (do let the song play until the rhythm picks up)! I've been enjoying his music for years now, but I'm a little strange. I also love Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London"...

[havanaholly]

Sandy, I enjoyed your two; I don't know how to embed the video, but here's a link to one: http://afroklezmermusic.com/abdul-the-rabbi/ The group is 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra and while I love traditional Jewish music, I love African music, and we both love jazz, it wasn't working for us.

[rackey]

As Mr. Rogers would say, It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. The sun is shining, the wind stop howling, and did I happen to mention that I was going to a dollhouse show today?