Last night I was getting ready for bed, and I noticed dh was taking his bp. I asked him why he was taking it and he said he was having left underarm pain. His bp was 170/82. When I asked, he said he'd been having it all evening...great, now you tell me..so I gave him a nitro and a reminder to always tell me right away. At 2 am, he woke me because the pain was back, same place. He took another nitro and again, it went away. I told him if he needed another we needed to either call the doctor or go to ER. He didn't have any more pain, but I didn't get much sleep after that. I was going to cancel going to our gd's game but he said, no, he wanted to go, no pain etc. his BP was about the same, but it came down shortly after so we went and he was fine. He isn't one to complain but I it makes me wonder whether he's telling me when he has pain just cause he doesn't want to call the doctor or go in, but I realize he's a grownup and I have to leave it to him to complain unless I can obviously tell.
We also went to Costco as dh wanted to buy coffee, and we had lunch there. I got the chili but didn't eat it all and I didn't get any samples. I felt pretty good yesterday, but today I'm having the full uncomfortable, somewhat painful feeling just below my diaphragm again...hasn't moved lower...some tightness but not too bad...and nothing much looks good to me when I feel that. My dd who sells LulaRoe clothing gave me a pair of Valentine leggings. She said if they don't fit wear them for PJs. I don't think she realizes how big my belly is and how much I sweat at night. I prefer short sleeved, knee length or just below knee nightgowns these days. The leggings are very cute and so nice to touch. I'll try them again on one of my not so bloated days. I would love to support her by buying her clothing and hope one day I can.
Carol Sue - A new car!! So happy for you...try not to worry too much, it will work out. Our first new car (1965) was a Chevy Impala and it was a very good car. Of course then they were very long, and have changed a lot that way, thank goodness, I wouldn't want to drive that big boat of a car anymore! It was black with black interior...and we got to choose the colors as we ordered it. Probably not the best deal but what did we know at that age.
Glynne - I agree with you about fixing up the house to enjoy not just for the next owners. that's why we are trying to do it now before that time comes and hopefully we will have time to enjoy it. We don't know that we will move either...sometimes we talk about it...but dh won't make the decision. If we are going to move it would be better to do it now in my opinion so we can do it together however could we sell our house and get one with out going into debt..I'm doubtful, if we don't fix it up. So we are fixing it up with the intent of living in it as long as we can and then either we or the kids will probably sell it at some point. Perhaps we will just stay here and hire someone to tend the yards...at this point dh won't even decide to do that. Well perhaps it's not time. As long as he can do the basics at least, perhaps that's enough. Our sons are nearby now so they can help occasionally too although he hates waiting on them. Glad you got to visit with family. My dd (Portland) and I don't talk as much as I'd like, she is so busy, and sadly I feel a distance growing between us simply because of that. I really enjoyed our long talks we used to have. It was great to see them and the kids today though.
Karrine - I forgot to mention we also have two grape vines too. Our oldest son (the one who was living with us) gave them to us. One is for wine and the other for eating. We have gotten grapes on the wine one but they are not ready for using yet. I haven't even looked at the other one...I don't get out much in the back yard unless it is warm/dry.
Beloved - What diet plan are you on? Sounds interesting that you have a nurse/coach. If you don't mind, share your plan with us, perhaps we can learn more about this dieting/health thing too. Love the idea of your book ministry thing. I have SO many books ...not sure I'll live long enough to read them all! I have piles and piles of hard copy books, then a huge amount of books on my phone and ipad. Also on my kindle but my kindle no longer works. Of course they are on Amazon too so I can always move them to another device. SO many books though!! Recently I have started a book that is about fitness/weightloss etc but also is devotional I'm also reading a book called "God Knows My Size" ...bought it from a lady who spoke to the women's group at my church a few years ago...finally started reading it. And I'm still reading the book I described a few days ago on my phone. I usually have three or four books going at the same time. I have a couple others I read from time to time ...one is a Christian book I started many years ago but never completely finished it..not sure why as it's a really good book, and the other is one on decision making. It's kind of boring but I'd still like to finish it.
Well need to get started with dinner soon...if dh is even hungry...with this big full belly I'm really not but will start snacking anyway if I don't cook soon.
Good morning everyone,
Well it is finally here.....Super Bowl Game. I'm hoping Denver wins but from what I hear the Steelers have a better team with practically no loses. I wish the game would start earlier though than 6 pm my time. There must be lots of money out there as the average price for a ticket is almost $5,000. I think I might be doing a little snacking tonight watching the game but will try to restrict myself as much as possible.
Gayle - I have been here for a little over 30 years now and have enjoyed all the upgrades I have put into my place but I know that most people fix up there place for resale (at least painting and shampooing). Curb appeal is also very important in order to get some extra $$$. I don't blame you for not wanting to put anymore capital into your place if you think you might move....I'm not going to do anymore either.
Carol - how wonderful that you purchased a new 2015 Impala car. I don't know what I am going to do if I need another car as I really can't afford car payments. I'm driving a 2002 Toyota Camry but it only has 130,000 km. on it and it should be good for at least 250,000 km. I only put on about 7 or 8 thousand km. a year and is still in very good condition as I keep it regularly maintained. I might have to purchase a set of new tires soon though.
Mary - I imagine your DH put a scare into you with his underarm pain. You never know at our age what things like that might mean. My father made grape wine every year which was a family tradition that we all got together every year to pull the grapes off the bushels of grapes that he bought. He had one of Seagrams old wine presses which is an antique. My niece now has that press.....she restored the old wood and has it in her rec room.
Too funny....guess I don't know who the other team is playing against Denver....smart me. It's the Panthers.....I think? I've never seen them play.
ROFL....sorry.
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The more I thought about the car payment the less anxiety I'm feeling because I have a 401K that we never touch and I actually forget about it, and we can always fall back on that. We could have used it to pay cash for the car, but I would have been taxed taking that much money out at one time. DH and I are very dependent on each other for different things and I always worry about how the other will continue on after one if us is gone. I will not be able to do repairs and maintenance, and he will not be able to do the financial things or manage his meds and either of us will have our income cut in half. Whatever.
Mary, I hope DH is ok. Underarm pain can be caused by a few different things. I would always think lymph node infection, but I don't know why he would have high blood pressure with it.
Karrine, unfortunately the Steeler's aren't playing today. LOL I am not familiar with the Carolina Panthers but they are good.
Gayle, I strongly agree with you about fixing up the house for yourself to enjoy, not for the next owner. Our house probably won't be sold until we are gone, or if one of us is gone. It's not terrible, it's livable, but whoever buys it might want to make changes. Many people will come in and change things like carpet colors even if the carpet is new. Ours would just be priced accordingly. My BIL and SIL bought a 100 year old home for $9K. It took them 3 years to get it in condition so they could live in it and then it was paid off and they lived in it for 20 years. For whatever reason, they never replaced the old single pane windows. We have very cold winters here and they lived her all that time with those windows. Their heating bills were outrageous and the house always felt cold and drafty. When they decided to sell the house, they put new windows in. I asked why they were putting new windows in for someone else and they replied that they didn't think the house would sell with those old windows. They didn't seem to understand that they would have saved a lot in heating bills over all those years. Now they live in a brand new home in Las Vegas. They went from one extreme to the other.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
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I bought a turkey breast and decided to try cooking it in the slow cooker. I put in on around 10. A recipe I found online said it should cook for 5-6 hours, but it's getting close to done. I'm a little disappointed because it didn't brown like it does in the oven. I never thought about that, but I think it's going to be very moist instead of dried out. I might put it in the oven for a short while to let it brown, I don't know. It doesn't HAVE to be brown, it just looks prettier when it is.
We didn't get to church this morning..I didn't sleep well and dh was also tired so we stayed home and slept til almost noon. Last night dh shut the bedroom door as Halo kept coming in and I strained to hear her all night I think...didn't want to wake up to a mess. Silly me, to let it keep me awake. The kids are coming over to watch the game with us and bringing their own snacks but dh just went for some snacks he wanted.
Carol Sue - Glad you feel better about the car. I'd like to get dh a small pickup to replace our old Escort, which he calls his fishing car but uses much more than that. We know it's silly to keep putting money into repairs on it, and if anything big comes up we probably will not do it but so far it hasn't cost us too much each time. We don't do payments and I am saving but not really for a pickup. There are too many things we need for the house.
Infected Lymph nodes can usually be felt and also from my experience with myself and others the pain is different. Dh has had chest pain before thats why he has an ongoing prescription for Nitro. Plus If it were another kind of pain, I doubt it would be relieved by Nitro. Nitro works by opening up the blood vessels to deliver more oxygen. So I feel pretty sure it was his heart. He hasn't had any more ...again, typical of angina...it often comes and goes, can go away on it's own and is relieved by nitro...until it's not.
I'm glad we got new windows...they make the house more comfortable. Couldn't tell any difference in our gas or electric bills though. Just recently our gas bill fell by almost half, but suspect that was because last year's winter and spring were so mild. Now with the new better fitting door, it should be even better. Dh finally reached the door guy and has an appt to talk with him and hopefully set a time to finish the work. The work he'll be doing is just for looks but for the money we paid we expect it to be done.
We won't sell unless we can sell it for enough to find another place without payments. We have thought about renting it...and making payments on another place with the rental income, but I'm not daring enough for that I guess, plus don't want the hassles that renters can bring.
Here we are at the start of another week. I lost 1 lb. last week and I'm happy with that seeing as how I had extra treats. I'm glad Denver won last night and I think Manning will decide to retire now.
Carol - it is good to know that you are financially covered re car payments should anything bad happen.
Mary Rental income sure is a hassle not only interviewing for good people but keeping records for the tax man. My daughter has been renting her former house for about 7 years now and she sure is lucky to have a wonderful long term rental family who are thinking about buying it from her.
Good morning! I went to bed late but had no trouble getting up this morning. The sun is shining, looks like a beautiful day. Dh just left to go fishing. I have a lot of things to do today so we skipped the gym but I hope to get in some exercise here at home. Yesterday was a big day...the kids were here (2 fam) to "watch" the Super Bowl. Actually there were only 1-4 actually watching at anyone time. Most of us are not that interested. I caught a little now and then and saw the end. We had venison steak (from our sons recent kill) and it was very good and tender...tasted like beef to me. I sauteed some zucchini as my dil wanted it, and she made biscuits (from the can). It all tasted very good despite the fact we'd all been snacking on chips/dip, later dh brought out his little sausages which he heats in BBQ sauce. I ate quite a lot of chips and dip but only small bits of other things. My son posted a pic of me in the kitchen cooking and I hate it...my belly is HUGE! Oh well, it's the truth..if that's not incentive to diet I don't know what is!
I stayed up late last night setting up a Cozi Calendar. I usually use Google but this works well with Flylady who I use for my housework schedule. It auto loads the tasks into the calendar. I could never get them quite right in Google. It also has a phone app and seems to syn well. I had tried it before and wasn't too impressed, but it seems they've improved it.
Karrine - Congrats on another pound lost!! You are doing well. I'd be very happy to lose a pound a week.
Mary I read about Joe's pain and how scary that must have been. Glad you had nitro. I agree on the Super Bowl. It was on and I was reading a book by the second quarter. Actually rooting for Carolina, we've watched Cam Newton the quarter back even in college. Also saw Payton in college, but this time Cam was one I was rooting for.
CarolSue Your new car sounds good. Did you get a couple years warrenty with the car, too? We did almost 3 years ago and just having this time without repairs has been such a blessing. Wanted to take the car payment and keep paying that into savings for the next car or repairs whichever comes first.
Like you, I do the financial part of our marriage, and do worry about how he will manage when I no longer am able to. He does so much of the outdoor work and loves doing it. I enjoy it when air is not so cold, and in a couple of months I'll be out playing in the mud.
Karrine, our daughter is looking for a place to use as rental property. In the past she had very good luck, but when she moved back east to be closer to us, she is in a different culture. I hope she is as lucky if she finds a place that suits her to rent out. Seems like a lot of work and small return on the investment unless she finds good stable renters.
I've really fallen away from intent to lose weight. Yesterday I binged on candy and felt terrible. Resolving to avoid sweets thru Lent, and am glad it begins this Wednesday.
DH and I had a really special time with friends at the Marti Gras Pancake breakfast before Church yesterday. We were there by 10:00 am and not only enjoyed delicious food, but met some new people, one who has not been here very long and is a young Veterinarian. We don't have a dog, but if we did I'd like Kate to take care of it.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
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Mary, you would have a field day with our new car. The sales woman set my phone up to sync with the car. I can lock and unlock the car from my phone, and even start it with the remote start. If someone calls me in the car it goes over the bluetooth in the car. I don't want that, so I have the bluetooth shut off in the car. I called our son to see how it sounded and I didn't like it. You can also bring up a keyboard on the screen to text. I thought texting while driving was illegal? LOL It would be great for someone who spends a lot of time driving and has to have phone calls while driving, but that's not me. Most of the time DH is driving and I can just answer my phone, and usually it's only DH who calls me. Things keep beeping and icons keep showing up on the instrument panel and we have to look it up to see what it is. I told my friend that I think this car will sing God Bless America on the 4th of July. LOL
I have nitro to take if I have chest pains, but I rarely use it. The one time I went to the ER when I ended up needing heart surgery the doctor who was filling in for my PCP scolded me because I came to the ER instead of taking nitro. He said you were supposed to take 3 nitro before you seek medical attention. I felt pretty sure that what I was having was an emergency and I felt more comfortable heading to the ER. My body, my choice.
I have decided that I am going to start exercising every day, doing some weights even, and getting my legs, arms and core strengthened so I don't lose my mobility, even if I don't lose weight. Wonder how long it's going to take me to shuck that plan?
Carol Sue, your car sounds great!! We hadn't bought a car for almost 20 years when we got our Jetta and we were so happy to have the bluetooth and also a charger but they put the charger in the glove compartment, not very useful as if I do put my phone in there I forget to take it out. So we just ended up buying our own charger. We don't get many calls in the car but nice to have the bluetooth when we need it. We don't have the other things you mentioned though. Have to wait another 20 years I guess for those. I think the text capability is meant to be used when one pulls over or is stopped/parked but you know how people are. Before we had bluetooth I wouldn't take a call unless I was stopped and if I was still in traffic I'd just yell I'd call back. Only in a real emergency would I ever use my phone while driving. It usually isn't that long til you get to a place you can pull over or park anyway, but I am glad I now have bluetooth.
I think that medical provider was wrong....yes that is the protocol when one is having angina but if you are having symptoms like crushing/suffocating pain/shortness of breath, sweating etc. or anything that makes you feel you are in danger of your life, you should call 911. You absolutely did the right thing. Usually the patient knows their body if they will listen to it like you obviously did. A usual symptom however of heart attack is denial so I'm glad you didn't go there. Dh so far has just had slight pressure (at times) and mild ache either in his chest or his lt arm or underarm. These incidents have been few and far apart, most occurred before he had a nitro prescription. He should not ignore it, but taking nitro is appropriate. If he ever has to take a third, I would either take him in or call 911. Many years ago he had a friend who kept taking nitro all day long and by the end of the day he was dead and he was a much younger man. I don't think either of us will ever forget that.
I'm trying to exercise daily too...but haven't done much today. Maybe while I watch TV tonght. I've kept really busy all day though...I wanted to weekly clean the whole house but I finally stopped and have two rooms and the front hall to finish another day. Can't imagine how I did it before, however I did do some extra stuff...I decluttered the hall closet and transferred a few items from the small bathroom to the main bathroom. I also decluttered an upper kitchen cabinet and transferred stuff from the hall closet into there and vice versa. I only got the kitchen floor swept and mopped after dinner. So no more cleaning tonight, I'm pooped!
Our son still has lots of things in the main bath (because he is still staying here at times) so I'm trying to only transfer what I really need to start using it as my bathroom. Besides all the housework I also did a load of laundry. Still need to fold it. After the decluttering I now have a box of stuff to give to ARC...they just came last week so it may wait a while unless we take it in to them. I also cleaned the large furnace vent in the hall...that's something I often forget and it really needed cleaning.
I've done pretty well on my eating today even though I did finish off the chips and dip. I was just careful about amounts and also had vegetables and cottage cheese for protein. Tonight I made an Asian noodle dish with a few easier to chew veggies and tender meat. Dh still cuts up the meat but he seemed to enjoy it. I usually put broccoli in it but knew dh would struggle with that. He gets his new tooth soon, and we will both be glad!
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
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We had to go back to the dealership yesterday because one of the tire pressure sensors went bad already. On the way, there was this little icon on the instrument panel and it kept beeping. It looked like a phone, so DH told me my phone was causing that. I tried everything. It went off for a while but came back on and kept beeping. DH insisted it was my phone causing it. When we got there we asked the sales person and she looked at it and said that's not a phone. That's the indicator that tells you if you are going over the lines on the road. I still don't understand why it was on or beeping because DH wasn't going over the lines. She showed us where the button is to turn it off. She probably thinks we are nutty old people!! LOL
Mary When we are busy we are so much likely to reach for food. My worse time is in evening when I'm tired, sitting with DH at TV, and my hands seem to want to get food. Now that I'm playing games on his I phone, my hands are busy and I am far less likely to even want food. What a help!!!
Yesterday's walk in the Mall allowed my pedometer to regester it's highest in several weeks. I was not above 2K the rest of the past 6 days. Determined that I must be at or above 3.5K before bedtime. That means on snow days I'll have to choose the tredmill. I vow to make more effort.
New cars are a challenge as well as fun. CarolSue our car will be 3 years old in August and we just discovered the buttons on the console that let us unlock the car from inside!!! We thought we had to use the key button each time. Wonder what else we have that we haven't discovered yet. I'm like you, I don't like the blue tooth feature, but DH does. He has always traveled for work, but would pull over to take or make calls. Thank goodness.
Gayle I was thinking about the "fixing up our house" issue and realize at this time we are in good shape. I need carpets cleaned, but most major things were replaced in past few years. DD#2 uses washer so wash small lodes so often that I do worry about it not lasting very long. Her wardrobe is limited and she washes the dickens out of her clothes. At least the 2 hot water heaters are both fairly new, thank goodness.
It is a nice sunny day here today. It was a bit chilly earlier this morning, but has warmed up a bit now.
I haven't felt so good the last couple days, I think it is probably because I have strayed away from the healthy stuff I should be eating. So much for being good all month and having a treat meal at the end of the month. I sort of feel like when I do get a craving for something, it would be better to just go ahead and have it ~ have what I really want ~ try to be reasonable about it and not go overboard. Because when I try to substitute something else, the craving isn't satisfied and I keep stuffing stuff in and end up eating way more than if I had just gone ahead and ate the thing I wanted in the first place. Also, there is nothing here that is “good” when I am wanting something like that, so I am thinking I will just wait until I am out and about and get something that is good and satisfying and not some makeshift substitute.
And, so much for my thoughts/plans about walking. I am still struggling with that (I guess that and my struggles with the food explains why I am in the shape I am in). Oh well, I am not going to beat myself up about that ~ I'll deal with it one day at a time. At night, I think to myself ~ I am gonna get out there and walk first thing in the morning and get it over with. In the morning, I am dragging my feet ~ not wanting to do it. Sigh......
Sandy ~ way to go getting lots of steps registered on your pedometer. Regarding fixing up the house I mentioned, it wasn't the keeping up with the repairs type things, it was more decorating type things. There were window treatments in a couple rooms that I would have liked to change, and maybe some borders in some of the rooms ~ to kind of make it “us”. But like I said, we have lived here for a while now and survived without making those changes, and if we are eventually moving elsewhere, it seems kind of silly to spend the time and money on that now.
Carol Sue ~ interesting about the new car. They have all kinds of stuff on them now ~ some of them are helpful, some are confusing. We have the bluetooth thing and like that. I wondered about the texting thing you mentioned, and if it might work like the GPS that is in our vehicle. It will not let you operate it when the vehicle is in motion ~ you have to do it before you start out, or pull over and stop before it will let you enter information. I love that, because DH was guilty of trying to put info in while driving, would not listen to my requests that he not do that ~ just did as he pleased. He is going Grrrrr now, because Mr. Control is being controled by the vehicle.
Mary ~ I feel like, with all the cleaning and stuff you do, you are getting activity even if it isn't formal exercise. That's gotta count for something.
Karrine ~ way to go with the weight loss. You're doing great!!
Guess I'll get off ~ I have some papers to fill out for appointment with a new doctor on Thursday.
I'm really enjoying using the Cozi calendar/organizer. It would be esp great for families or couples where both like online calendars/communication. I keep my meal plans in it, a to-do list, and shopping lists, in it. I think I may even use it for my prayer list. Since it syncs with my phone, I'll have it whereever I go. I can message dh and family from it if I want too. Google did all this too but I like the layout better with Cozi.
I ended up consuming too many calories last night. I think it was emotional eating...I don't do that as often anymore but occasionally I do. My weight was up 1.5# this morning.
Glynne - You seemed to feel better on your diet, so I encourage you to get back on it. I want you to continue your success. I understand what you're saying about craving something "good" cause I'm the same way. I love variety in my eating (with a few exceptions and I can't stand feeling like I'm eating pretty much the same thing every day to lose weight. But when I think about it...feeling better, and being more comfortable in my clothes, finding clothes that fit...those are long term goals I really want and aren't they better than any food
This is what I ask myself. And I don't understand why I can't seem to get a handle on my eating when I'm actually a very pretty disciplined person in most ways. I think I basically just don't want anyone/diet telling me what to do. I think for some of us, discipline in this area is just harder than for others.
I just recently found this proverb that really struck me with a picture in my head of what my being undisciplined is like...
"Like a city broken into and left without a wall, so is a person who lacks self-control." Proverbs 25:38 I pictured a city in the time this was written. That wall around the city was for protection, but if an enemy was able to break into it, tearing it down, there was NO protection, there was just chaos and violence the city. The enemy and all kinds of marauders/looters could come and go doing whatever they wanted. When I lack self-control, I open my body up to humiliation/shame, sickness etc...in other areas of my life I like having control yet with the precious body that God has given me, I allow chaos. Really made me think about what I'm doing.
No the cleaning is not enough, if it were I'd be skinny already.
Sandy - GFY on the walking more! I'm lucky to get 15 min on my bike when we don't go to the gym. I was going to go today but then got busy and didn't...and dh is fishing so not here to inspire me. Thankful that he is in my life to keep me on track that way! At least I did ride my bike last night.
Carol Sue - It often takes a while to get the kinks out of new cars just like new houses. Our new car suddenly started vibrating on the drivers side...it is not consistent, doesn't seem to have anything to do with how rough or smooth the road is. We took it in twice during the warranty and they drove it and couldn't hear it, so they have no idea what is causing it. They said they looked in places that it sometimes happened but there was no vibrating going on at the time. It is irritating to me, mostly because it started soon after we got it, while still under warranty and a new car shouldn't be noisy!:mad When it's not vibrating it's a very quiet smooth driving car and I'm very thankful to have it. And when it's vibrating, I'm learning to live it, but don't like it.
Well need to get to work...doing less today but still busy. Want to transfer more to the main bathroom if I can figure out where to put it. Probably will have to move some of our son's stuff around too. Also hoping to arrange our storage containers yet again. Can't seem to get a handle on them. Also menu planning and other things I tend to put off if I can get to them.
The kids are coming over to watch the game with us and bringing their own snacks but dh just went for some snacks he wanted. 
We hadn't bought a car for almost 20 years when we got our Jetta and we were so happy to have the bluetooth and also a charger but they put the charger in the glove compartment, not very useful as if I do put my phone in there I forget to take it out. So we just ended up buying our own charger. We don't get many calls in the car but nice to have the bluetooth when we need it. We don't have the other things you mentioned though. Have to wait another 20 years I guess for those.
I think the text capability is meant to be used when one pulls over or is stopped/parked but you know how people are. Before we had bluetooth I wouldn't take a call unless I was stopped and if I was still in traffic I'd just yell I'd call back. Only in a real emergency would I ever use my phone while driving. It usually isn't that long til you get to a place you can pull over or park anyway, but I am glad I now have bluetooth. 
