Mama is home finally!! Yea! So she took one kid to school and the others have the day off. I felt a little guilty for not getting up to take care of the younger ones but knew they probably wanted to be with her anyway after not having her around for several days. Have to admit I'm glad the load is off of us for the constant driving back and forth and babysitting. Also have to admit that I was a loving mother but also a disciplinarian and it is difficult for me to see the kids not trained well. The little ones were still awake playing at 11 pm when I went to bed last night. Dad had gone to the airport to get mama so I told them to go to sleep and turned off the light (they keep turning it on, they are not afraid of the dark but they want to play all night.) But the eating is the worst part...I have never seen a family that eats so badly. My son is getting so fat and I see a very unhealthy future ahead for all of them if they don't shape up soon, but I have warned him and there is nothing more I can do. No they don't have a house yet...have to wait til next month as that's when their credit will be good enough again. Then hopefully after that they can find something. Ds thinks they will be out by mid-Aug but after what happened to my other son, I don't know whether it will work out that easily.
It wouldn't be that hard to change the little ones right now, some tears for sure but hunger would win if parents were persistent and showed by example....like yesterday the smallest one saw a big bottle of soda in daddy's bedroom and begged for it. I told her that was daddy's and I couldn't give it to her and offered water, juice or milk. Surprisingly she wanted juice and pointed to orange juice! I only put a small amount in her glass because she often wastes but she kept asking for a refill...she had 3 or 4 refills! Yes, I'd prefer she ate fresh fruit but hey, I'm not complaining when she's drinking real juice. Most of their "juice" is not really juice, it's sugar, high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavoring, but this was true OJ. What if I'd given her the soda? She would not have drank the juice. But now it's mama's responsibility....
Today I'm weekly cleaning the main bathroom and either hall or office. We also have another guy coming to give us an estimate on the siding. Dh is again saying he doesn't want to spend so much money on it because he may not live long enough to enjoy it. I understand that in a way, but also don't want a cheap shoddy job done. I've read online about people who got it done cheap and their disappointment. However I told him we can keep praying about it and continue to get estimates and if he then still wants to go with the cheapest I'll agree. So far though I really like the last estimate we got and feel it is worth paying for but that's just me.
My weight is down again to 168. My range is lower now...fluctuate from 168-170, but mostly no higher than 169 lately. I continued with just one of the nasty green pills (Amaryl) that made me gain weight and my bs were a little higher than they've been but not bad. I think if I continue to be careful with my eating, I may be ok, so I'm not going back to two pills unless I have to. It seems easier now to not eat so much in the evenings. I probably should go back to counting calories and carbs again but I can't seem to do it.
Dh and I just ate leftovers last night. If I can get to the store today I plan on making a Beef -Potato Casserole and serving it with a salad.
Sandy - I agree with Glynne - you seem to have plenty energy compared to me! I admire your work in your garden. I still need to get back to the deheading of the Rhodies. I did most of ONE plant, but have two others to do. It's been so hot it's hard to get out there, but a cooler trend is coming now so that should help.
Glynne - Glad you got the DNR settled. I've struggled a bit with how I want my living will written and so far just haven't done it but I think I'm ready to do it now. Sometimes the more you know only makes it harder to write. For dh it was easy....just a basic, if death is eminent type and don't think about it again...LOL but I think of all the other possible issues and go round and round in my mind. As I age though I think I'm coming more to his way of thinking. I agree about the labs...esp with older people, messed up electrolyes etc, can really throw them off. Hope she's more back to her regular self again.
Mary Good for you getting the little one to drink Orange Juice! What some don't realize is that it is easier in the long run if dicipline is taught young. Of course we kept pop, candy, etc out of the house as our kids were growing up. We lived so far from restaurants that when a teen was living with us, he called for pizza and discovered he had to drive almost 6 miles closer to them before he could pick up the pizza from the delivery man.
He had grown up in town and was shocked. Glad it was his money, gas and time and not ours. We usually had one car that DH drove almost 25 miles to work 6 days a week. 2 days a month I'd drive him in and get car, but then had to go back to get him when he was thru. Didn't complain, that was the way it was. I got to stay home with the kids, we lived away from the noise and traffic, I did part time typing to make some extra money and felt I had the best of both worlds.
Trying bit of dark chocolate daily to see if it helps. Making sure it is 70% dark chocolate and only a small amount. Heard that it gives extra energy. Enjoying the chocolate and hope it works.
Went to our Church Chapel for my turn at prayer and fell asleep! Was embarrassed when John worked in to relieve me and woke me up. At least I'll be able to stay away tonight to watch my team, the Golden State Warriors play the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sure enjoy basketball.
All of you sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite . . . as they used to tell us in the dorm.
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We were having trouble with our computer today and also the phone, which are both on cable. The TV was OK. I don't know if it was because it was windy or due to a big fire up on the highway. A closed business burned down. Suspicious, I think.
I did write a post, but I guess it didn't go through because it isn't here. My post in the Diabetes thread took. I don't know why this one didn't.
Sandy, a lot of the spices I use I don't even know what they are for. I just put them in in small amounts and I guess they all blend together for flavor. I can never taste any of them distinctly in the dish. None of my dishes taste the same twice because I don't measure.
Gayle, your stuffed pepper casserole would taste the same. We chop ours up to eat it, so no difference. What do you use in it? For example, I know Steve doesn't eat meat. I know you could use beans in it. Sometimes when I make it I will put the stuffing in DH's pepper, then add some beans to the stuffing mixture and put it in mine. Then I make sure he takes the one without the beans. He's doesn't like beans much.
Mary, it doesn't seem that you will be able to help much with the grandchildren's dietary issues if the parents eat like that and allow the children to do it too. It's a shame. When I was growing up, we only ate meals that were prepared from scratch at home. My mother even made her own pizza from scratch when we had it. Her own dough for the crust, her own sauce from scratch. And we only had cheese, no other toppings. When my grandson was little he would only eat things like hot dogs and chicken nuggets. Mac and cheese. Around age 3 they decided he was going to start eating what the adults were having for dinner and he adapted easily to that. He is very thin, but I guess that's better than some of the overweight kids. He isn't a real big eater when he's with us, but they said that shortly before bedtime he says he's hungry and eat a lot then. I told them he probably does that to delay bedtime. When he is here, DH lets him eat what he wants, and DH always had a lot of junk food in the house. He also lets him stay up as late as he wants. He doesn't stay here very often. His other grandparents take him often to spend time with him, but we don't offer. We only take him when they don't have anyone else to babysit. We just feel too old to be taking care of him. His other grandparents are older than we are, so I don't know. Maybe they are more disciplined with him and he knows he has to listen. DH lets him go wild. He says he's a boy, let him be a boy.
We have to be careful with Rusty. He still growls and barks at all our visitors, including our grandson. Our grandson knows to stay away from him, but if John runs, the dog runs after him barking. He sometimes nips, but has never actually bit anyone. My grandson has a dog that he can sit on or do anything to and the dog never does anything. Rusty is different.
I read that link you posted and I agree that you crave things because your body is lacking something. I used to eat a lot of sweets. After I started eating a lot of vegetables I lost my craving for sweets, and sometimes when I do eat them they tast so sickeningly sweet I can't stand them. The one exception is chocolate candy. I just have to keep it out of the house, except for the 85% dark chocolate bars I buy at Aldi's. They last me a long time. I just break off a piece now and then, and dark chocolate in small amounts is good for the heart. I also bought some M&Ms. They are also something that I can eat just a few at a time. Hershey Kisses are like crack for me. I can't buy them. I can sit and eat the whole bag at one sitting. Once I start I want more and more and the next thing I know they're gone. I bookmarked that site so I can go back and read some of the links. Thanks!
I had my stress test today and will find out the results in a couple days. I'm praying it's OK.
Last edited by Wannabehealthy; 06-08-2016 at 09:09 PM.
The good news first: I dropped another pound this morning! I'm making it sort of a game...weighing myself frequently (with clothes on) and estimating what I'd be tomorrow if I didn't eat anymore. Of course I do eat more (during the day), but it kind of makes me think about how much I'm eating. Last night I knew I could be down again but I never count on it because it sometimes doesn't happen. And it was rather shakey...at first it said 167.5, then went up to 168, then back down. When it went back down I accepted it. Now will see how long it lasts. The bad news: my bs was high this morning. I think it's my decreasing the Amaryl and if I have to go back on both pills, my weight may go up again.
Yes, it's a losing battle for me with these gc's eating...unless mom and dad change their ways. So sad to me but that's the way it is. This son is my only child that eats badly. He never goes to the doctor or dentist so it's kinda like the ostrich with his head in the sand.
Today I want to clean my office which isn't a big job, but I also have to get groceries, something I've been putting off, so think I'll shop first and then see what I can get done later on. So far I've kept up with my household tasks.
We had the guy here estimating the siding. His price was about the same as the last guy. Very expensive! We really liked his presentation...different than the other one but he was nice and answered all our questions and laid it all out for us very clearly. I think if we do it we will go with him. He said he'd try to hold that price until the end of the year for us. We have a bout 1/2 of it right now.
I'm feeling a little trapped right now, I'd like to travel even somewhere nearby but hate to leave my home with so many here. But then I think we are saving more this way for the siding, so perhaps this is for the best. It's also a good time to bond with my son and his fam. I am praying they will find a house and get moved by mid-Aug but am also a little doubtful things will move that quickly.
Need to get going..have a good day. It's cooler this morning..supposed to rain.
I asked Maddie if she would like to ride bikes with me in the mornings ~ kind of help me with my exercising. She said yes ~ that would be ok. Trying to think of something to do with her to keep her busy and spending less time on that iPad. My intent was to go in the mornings before it gets too hot. But, I am slow to get the kinks worked out and get going for something like that. It ended up being early after noon when we did it. Today, she also had to go home and feed the dogs, cats and her guinea pig. Mama had said she could earn some money if she would do that. So, we did my bike route, then ended at her house and fed the animals, then went back home to our house.
Mary ~ you are having trouble with your son's family eating habits. Our challenge is trying to keep Maddie busy and not on that iPad all the time ~ she would do it all day if we let her. And it would be easier to let her, but easy isn't always what is best. Steve has been her day care since she was about 2. As she got older, they would strike out on all day adventures ~ riding their bikes, packed a picnic lunch or snacks and go to the various parks and in the summer ~ pools. In the summer they would carry along a jug of water and use it to dump on themselves when they got hot. I was working then and there was no car for them to use. In the summers when I was no longer working ~ the car was home, so they could do stuff further from home ~ such as the Houston Zoo or the down town childrens museum. They were always on the go somewhere. Then, last year Steve had that heart blockage and stent placement and it kind of slowed him down. Between slowing down and having a lot on his plate here at home, they don't go as much, so Maddie is kind of bored and wanting to do the iPad. She fusses when we make her get off. Steve can usually get her to listen to a story or something else (but he has been working with her for a few years and knows how to get her to cooperate ~ well most of the time). I'm not as good at it or as patient when she doesn't want to cooperate as he is. I suggested a bunch of stuff the other day ~ reading, drawing pictures, coloring, play a game ~ she told me those were baby things and she didn't want to do any of those. Sometimes she will watch TV, but we don't want her doing that all day every day either.
Mom got to go back to the nursing home yesterday ~ her potassium was back to normal, and she was doing better in general. I talked to the nurse at the nursing home today ~ mom is kind of dozing a lot of the time like before and not eating or drinking so good ~ so the nurse is worried that mom will get dehydrated again and be right back where she was a few days back. I wish I was there so I could help with her.
I have gotten a little bit of sewing done on little granddaughter Evie's dress for her birthday in July. Hoping to make more progress on it this weekend.
Mary ~ I'm sorry for your continual battle with weight and blood sugar and that med.
Carol Sue ~ frustrating when these computers give us trouble. Hope you get a good report about your stress test. I haven't cooked that stuffed pepper casserole since we started this diet. I probably could make some kind of similar thing though.
Sandy ~ your experience with falling asleep at your prayer thing ~ reminded me of similar I had in church in the past ~ one time ~ nodding off in choir up in front of the church. Another time, dozed off during Sunday service while sitting in the congregation ~ dropped my bible on the floor. I decided maybe it would be better if I sat nearer the back than the front after that. I was embarassed too. I think I struggled because I was a night shift worker and on my days off, my body still thought it should be asleep in the day time.
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Gayle, I never did shift work but I don't think I could. I have a hard enough time keeping my sleep time and awake time straightened out. I guess since you watch Maddie all the time you need to find things to keep her busy. When we watch John, they send his hand held electronics with him, so I figure they don't mind if he is on them all the time. They limit him at home and do other things with him. He likes to do things with Pap Pap but he wants to play hard, and Pap is getting too old for that and tires easily. He plays baseball, and liked Pap to pitch for him, but he wants Pap to go fetch the balls and Pap wants him to do it. He's younger and can run after the balls.
One time, I heard that DH's great nephew was going to be on Jerry Springer. They are the side of the family we don't see much. LOL I don't usually watch Jerry Springer, but I had it on when Mom came to pick him up and she freaked out that he was watching Jerry Springer. LOL I don't think he understood what was being discussed, but I guess I can understand her being upset. He likes to watch scary movies on the Sci-Fi channel, but his parents don't allow him. DH lets him watch them. Whatever. I guess we are not good grandparents.
Steve's blockage and stent procedure should not have slowed him down. I was able to do so much more after I had my procedures, and my doctor encourages it. I told him about the day my dog ran away and I had to run up the street after him, huffing and puffing and breathing hard. He told me "We will have to get your dog to run away more often, if it's going to get you moving like that." LOL
Sandy, I say my prayers when I get into bed for the night, and half the time I fall asleep in the middle...before I get to "Amen." I think that just means we are very comfortable with God. We leave our burdens with him, and then we can relax.
Mary, I have never gained weight from the Amaryl but I think it could be part of the reason I can't lose. It's something I can blame it on, anyway. Your little game you play reminds me of what I used to do. I would try not to eat after dinner, and if I was tempted to eat something, I would tell myself "If I don't eat that, I might be down another pound in the morning." Many times I was, and felt that it worked. I should try to do that again, because it might really help me.
My DH grew up with a very poor diet. He said they went off to school with coffee and donuts for breakfast. His mother bought so much baked good every week from the bakery. He said he could remember coming home from Grandma's on Sunday night and his parent would go into the bakery and come out with bags and boxes of stuff, enough to last the whole week. She cooked dinner every night, but in between they ate junk food, and til the day she died she had a house full of junk food, and the 2 sons who still lived with her lived off that. None of them went to doctor's or dentists, including her. All their teeth rotted out at a young age. Funny, but with all the junk food they ate, none of them ever had a weight problem, or diabetes. To this day, DH only goes to the doctor once a year, and that's because if he doesn't the doctor will not give him his blood pressure pills. He will not get any tests done that the doctor recommends. What can I do? It's his life. His daughter is the same way now. She says she is afraid to go to the doctor because she is afraid he will tell her she has cancer. She feels that way because her mother died from cancer, but I tell her it would be better to know, and get treated, if that's the case. She feels just like her dad does, and he supports her decision on it. His son is more diligent because he has to get a yearly physical for work, and his wife makes sure he gets his dental exams. His daughter was having trouble with he wisdom teeth. She went to the dentist and they couldn't pull them because they were abcessed. They gave her meds and she was supposed to go back and get them out, but once they stopped hurting, she didn't go back. Eventually, they will start to hurt again, and she will go through the same thing. I also think she has a thyroid disorder. She has gained weight even though she was always thin, she is always very cold, and she is losing her hair. I told her to go get her thyroid checked but she won't go to the doctor. You would think losing her hair would be enough to get her to go! I get upset with her, but can do nothing about it. She has no children. She can't even take care of herself. She knows it too. She gave me a Mother's Day card that said "You took care of me until I was old enough to take care of myself, and I would just like to say.....You were much better at it!" LOL We got a good laugh over that, because it was so true.
I have probably said too much, but it felt good getting that off my chest.
I'm having trouble sleeping again these days...even with meds last night. I know I got some though. When I see my doctor next I'm going to ask him for another shot for my left arm which aches. It's minor pain but enough to keep me awake along with the other irritants. I wanted to go to the gym this morning but with little sleep I wasn't up to it and got up late. The little ones didn't have school so there was also noise, but then I don't want to sleep so late anyway. I think the kids are going to be out of the house most of today and evening.
Our son brought home a chicken dinner last night...wasn't very good and I didn't eat much. Funny thing he kept encouraging the kids to eat it similar to what I'd done with healthier food the other night and was told not to. Guess it can only be done with junk food and by parents, but I was thinking...I'm glad I don't feel like I have to "parent"...I'll offer, they can refuse but I do draw the line at "junk food" if they don't eat. They can wait for their parents for that. All though for years I abused my body by eating lots of sugar and fat and overeating, I've always been interested in nutrition and have eaten about 80% reasonably healthy. I say reasonably because I didn't know about whole grain products so only ate white bread, pasta, rice. Even today we eat white pasta and rice because dh doesn't like the whole grain, but I do insist on whole wheat bread. Once dh bought his own white spongy bread and it molded because he didn't eat it fast enough, so he never bought it again. I told him we could freeze it and only leave out a little at a time, but was happy he never purchased it again. We tried brown rice but he didn't like it and I don't force that...he grew up on rice and it's important to him to enjoy it, esp since he doesn't eat nearly as much as he used to.
I'm stricter than these particular parents in most ways...we only watch things like Judge Judy and news maybe. After that it's off until the kids are in bed. There are a few shows I'd watch with them but very very few. We have some children's movies we put in for them. Some of our gc really enjoy them, these don't so much...they watch some but get to playing with toys instead which is fine with me. Last night on the news they were showing an abductor of a woman (in the act), and our gs was up and watched a bit. I told him that was a bad man and they will be putting him in jail cause we don't like bad men around do we and he of course said no! But usually there is nothing that explicit shown.
Today is my weekly cleaning of my kitchen plus have a few extra jobs (kinda monthly things) to do but we plan to go to Costco to do our coupon shopping so don't know whether I'll get it all done. I'll try at least mop the floor before bedtime.
Carol Sue - it is nice your step-dd feels that way about you. Shows you really tried. Too bad she is letting her health go. Your dh is probably lucky to have stayed as healthy as he is. Some people get by with it mostly (like you mentioned him having teeth damage) for a long time and then all **** breaks loose in their bodies. Hope that doesn't happen to him but at least those type people live in innocence for a long time and live a pretty full life. Guess that's not all bad but I prefer to take care of myself although I don't always do as good as I should.
Glynne - My gc are on their tech most of the time too. The little ones do stop and play now and then but the older ones are glued to them. Even in bed which I hate esp in light of the fact that they now have grown brain tumors in rats who are exposed to the cell phones all the time. I told the parents and they try a little but the kids are so addicted and now it's difficult.
Wondering . . . .
Do you suppose that at times our children get a bit jealous when their kinds enjoy time with us? Our granddaughter came back from trip and went into her grandfather's office with pictures and was telling all about her trip. DH loved it!! She was late teenager and really enjoyed herself with us. Her mom came into DH's office and said sternly "you have work to do, NOW!" Really, she was simply shredding papers and didn't hold another up. Seems that the friendship with her granddad should be allowed to flourish.
DH has taken over Kitchen and is learning more and more about nutrition. He buys healthy with a bit of Root Beer once in a while. His meals are tasty and healthy. Pat cleans up after he cooks and they share chores as DH unloads groceries and she puts them away. I feel like I'm spoiled. After 55 years of cooking, guess it is time to pass it on. I don't miss it at all.
Today I finished the mulching of the new garden area in back. DH cut out some shrubs that were over powering the sitting area under the big tree. Now I have some purple Asters in sunlight and hostas and ferns in the more shady spots. Also cutting back the Johnny Jump ups I put in last October. Looking leggy now. Cut back royal blue spikes of Salvia, so it can send out new blooms again. Day Lilies are blooming all over the place. Shades of yellow and even a silly spider Day Lily that is 9 inches across and the petals dance in the wind like spider moving. Even the yellow cone flowers began out front near the mail box. St. John's Wort is absolutely beautiful with yellow flat flowers forming on the tips of many handsome green branches. I'm Itching now and will jump in the shower.
DH and Pat went to the Art Gallery to deliver her new Oil Paintings of the fishing holes we love. They are celebrating West Virginia's Birthday this month so the name of the exhibit is "The Best of West Virginia!"
Her paintings are of fall time with fast water, rocks and even a fallen tree. Absolutely beautiful. No wonder she won the right to show her work. Also took down some less expensive prints of some of her work. These sell rather rapidly, thank goodness. We'll go with her to the reception on Father's Day and celebrate with the fabulous salmon or trout that the Greenbrier chefs serve!!!
She also got news that 2 of her other paintings of Spring on that same river will be in a show near the Ohio River. Don't know when she has to deliver those paintings.
I paint with flowers and wish I could manage to get some of the pictures on here to show you all. Carol Sue gave me good directions, I'll try again soon.
Veggies? Lots and lots of Parsley used and bags frozen for this winter. DH harvests every week the outer leaves so it continues to grow. Single green pepper beginning and tomato blossoms forming. Cucumbers just beginning. Chives blooming in lovely lavender near the peppers. I divided them and spread them at the front part of the veggie garden. Thyme is ready to use, too. Rosemary is just surviving, not growing much. Basil the same. I watered all this today but the soil is really not dry. This week has had several cooler days that make it delightful being outside. DH and I hardly come in on such days. We have comfortable chairs on front porch with 3 gardens to enjoy, and on back patio in the shade, and under the huge Maple tree in the back near the area with veggies but I planted lots of Daylilies so we don't see veggies. They can be seen from the street, but I don't care.
I have started this post a couple times, then erased it. I wanted to share ~ our experiences with limiting the electronics. Then our frustrations with how much we are watching gd, the frustration of dd not returning until quite a long while after she says she will. Then the guilty feelings I have about being frustrated with these situations, because I know there are other grandparents who don't get to/or hardly ever get to see their grandkids ~ who would probably gladly trade me places. Partly, I guess I feel like I did my turn at parenting already and feel kind of like I am having to do it all over again. I got long winded ~ probably telling stuff you all don't want or need to hear, so I erased it.
I am struggling the last few days with wanting to eat stuff I shouldn't. I'm not even really hungry some of the time ~ just want something. I have things I need/want to do and can't seem to get around to doing them. I'm not sleeping well ~ gd has been sleeping with me in my queen bed, but she rolls around and her arms and legs frequently land on me. Oh well ~ this too shall pass.....
Sorry for whining.
Sandy ~ Do you have problems with mosquitoes and bugs bothering you? I wondered ~ with all the time you stay outside, how that is. Do you have to use some kind of insect repellant? If so, what have you found to be effective? I don't spend much time outside because I an not out there very long and I am having to constantly swat them away ~ doesn't make being out there very enjoyable. We have a deck and a nice comfortable glider, and I don't get to enjoy it because of the bugs.
Mary ~ sorry you are having trouble with the sleeping. It is hard to do other stuff when you are too tired. I think, but I'm not sure that during the summer ~ because dd gets home so late, that she lets gd stay up later so as to get to spend time with her. So, while she has been here these few days, I have been letting her stay up late. She gets up late. She was on the iPad for a while, but actually put it down (not at my suggestion) and said she was bored. Maybe she is getting burned out on it.
Carol Sue ~ I'm glad your step daughter appreciates that you took good care of her while she was growing up. Your husband and his not going to the doctor reminds me of my uncle (my dad's brother) he will not go to the dentist or doctor. He seems in pretty good health ~ is like in his early 80's and still goes to work ~ does masonry and construction work. Maybe not full time anymore, but he still goes. If he has anything wrong with him, he never talks about it and just keeps going ~ so who knows what is going on inside of him ~ or if he is just really lucky. His other siblings have all had cancer.
Dh is out helping ds with something and running some errands. It's been kind of a quiet day.
Good morning everyone,
Hope all is well with you and that you are enjoying the summer so far even though the weather hasn't been the best at times.
Just an update on Nan. She is finished with her radiation treatments and was put on chemo last month. She was in the hospital for a week because when she got up she found that she had lost a great deal of mobility in her legs. I was afraid to bring her back home because if it got any worse I wouldn't be able to get her to the washroom. We have spent the past 3 Sunday's in emergency at the hospital due to complications. The first one she had heart pain and the paramedics recommended she go to the hospital. The 2nd one, she fell as soon as she got out of bed so we called 911. Her blood pressure was way too low and the paramedics wanted her to go to the hospital. She was admitted for 3 days to get her blood pressure back to normal range and had a large amount of liquid drained from her left lung. The third one was because her legs were extremely swollen and the nurse who came to the house once again sent her to the hospital as she was afraid that Nan might have a blood clot. After several tests; EKG; blood work and XRay it showed no sign of a blood clot. Emergency called her oncologist to see if it was safe to send her home which it was. Yesterday she saw her oncologist who gave us more bad news. Nan is not a candidate for chemo due to her reactions. Two of the emergency visits was because of the medication and the third one was because of the cancer. Her oncologist took herself off of Nan's case and is sending her to 2 other doctors for respiratory care and pallitive care in the home from now on. The cancer cells are causing liquid in her lung and she will have to have a drainage tube put in. Then the nurses who come twice a week (and maybe more from now on) will take care of emptying any liquid. We have also looked at our local Hospice resources and they have a weekly day program for cancer patients which would give Nan a day out. They provide transportation to and from the Hospice building. They have volunteers who will come into the home and stay with Nan while I am out running errands etc. when the time comes that we will need that. They also have a hairdresser and massage therapists that she can use free of charge. Nan is also booking an appointment with one of the counsellors because she needs someone to talk to.
I am fine but do find it a bit hard lugging her walker around in the car. She needs it in the house and when we go out. It is lightweight but I still find it awkward carrying it up and down the steps. I am sleeping pretty good now but haven't lost any weight but I also haven't gained so that is good.
Thank you so much for keeping Nan in your prayers. I miss all of you and would write more but my mind is full of taking care of Nan right now. I'll post again when we hear more news.
Agree, Karrine, prayers for you and for Nan. The tremendous amount of work required to help her keeps you really hopping. Now that she is getting some medical help in the house, surely you will have some free time and more energy.
Does the help from Hospice mean she is not likely to make it? May you also find some things to do that gives you satisfaction but conserves your energy.
Gayle: Your enormous time taking care of grandkids must be exhausting. Sure understand. I used to do that and had most of the same guilty feeling you told us about. Because DH and I are each the youngest in our families, our parents were up in age. They also moved 6 states away when they retired so we had no grandparents to help us. We did well with our 4 kids, even tho the first 3 came a year apart. I was able to stay home and just be a mom, thank goodness. Loved being a parent and still do.
We celebrate our youngest daughter's birthday here on Sunday. She is single and we'll have good mean and just relax and catch up with each other.
Carol Sue: I understand that when we use spices we are supposed to get good flavor but not necesarily taste each spice. mom used to bake so many sweets that she only used nutmeg, cinnamon, etc. She wouldn't even allow onions or garlic in our home, yet enjoyed my cooking that definitely used those flavor enhancers. Have you heard about the blessed trinity of the cooking? Onions, garlic and celery!!!
Mary Hope you soon have your home for just the two of you. We love our kids, but trying to decide what is best for grandkids can be a real problem.
We could use some of the rain Houston has had recently. I had to water the north side of the gardens to keep them going and the 24 pots. Luckily I went out before it got hot (and no bugs, either.)
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Karrine, I was so glad to hear from your! I'm sorry that the news isn't better. You are such a good friend to Nan and will receive your reward, I'm sure. Continuing prayers for both of you through this.
Sandy, There is a local cooking show on TV where the guy always says that every recipe starts with onions, garlic and celery. I have read from Dr Joel Fuhrman that onions and garlic as so very healthy, and I eat a lot of them. I guess if I didn't like them, I wouldn't. I also put a lot of parsley in things, but I used the dried parsley in the jars. I don't use many actual recipes. I just throw things in and hope for the best. Or I will read a recipe, but just use it as a guide, and make my own adjustments as I go along.
Gayle, I believe that your daughter is very lucky to have you and DH who can watch Maddie for her. Not all grandparents would do that. I considered it when I retired, but then I was afraid that it would cause a problem if I got to the point it was too much for me and couldn't do it anymore. So I let them continue with the daycare. They can well afford it. I'm sure they have other things they would rather be spending that money on, but now he goes to the YMCA in the summer and they get to swim indoors and outdoors, go on hikes, and I think he really like that and like to be with the other kids. There would be no kids around our house for him. One of their neighbors drives the boys there in the morning, and my daughter-in-law brings them home in the evening. I can understand you doing this to help your DD out financially, as many grandparent do.
I don't think my step-daughter appreciated me at the time. I just tried to do what I thought her mother would do if she was here and make their life as normal as possible. But I think now that she's an adult she realizes that we were strict because she had to learn right from wrong. Over all I think my step-children turned out pretty good compared to some of the trouble other kids got into. As far as I know, neither of them was ever involved with drugs, and neither ever had any dealings with the police, thank God! They do love to party, though, that had to have come from their friends.
Mary, did the doctor ever say what the pain in your arm was from? I had that tendonitis in my right shoulder/arm for so long and it went away. I don't know how it went away, but it did. Now I have it in the left shoulder. It has subsided a bit, but it's there, and my shoulder clicks a lot. I don't take any treatment for it because it comes and goes. DH has it sometimes, too. I don't know if his is the same thing as mine. I always think his is from all the work he is doing all the time. Mine sure isn't from that! LOL
Another rough night...I went to bed at 1 am after doing some cleaning in the kitchen, cleaned out under the sink, and scrubbed the stove top, a quick clean out of the silverware drawer, and finished by mopping the floor. Dh had gone to bed early but I wanted to get all this done...still have a couple tasks I want to complete in that room but at least I got quite a lot done. It was nice to wake up to a nice clean kitchen floor. Back to my night...after going to bed I kept getting up because I forgot to do something..things that dh usually does at night, setting alarm, sensor (the one I call the ding ding), rearranging things in the family room so Halo doesn't get on the furniture, making sure doors are locked. Finally I settle down about 2 am but can't sleep. About 3 am I take Tyl PM and try again, still can't sleep so I get up and take my bs. It was 123 which is fine but I feel kind of hungry so I heat up some leftovers and eat it while I read for a while. About 4 am I go back to bed, still can't sleep but finally at some point after 5:30 am I go to sleep, not quite sure when I woke up but I think around 8:30. I don't know what's wrong with me...I usually never eat at night! I don't even usually get up like that. My arm was paining as usual...I notice the pain is going up into my head too so I am going to ask for another X-ray/scan too for both the shoulder/arm and neck areas. My previous doctor only x-rayed the shoulder and since it didn't show any fracture, he assumed it was bursitis, which it may be but he wouldn't listen to any other possibilities and I don't think he knew for sure.
Carol you asked what caused it....I took off my jacket in a plane, felt a twinge and knew something had happened. That will be 5 years ago in Dec. You may remember the PT told me, the injury occurred to my arm because the nerves in my neck were already damaged and that allowed the injury to occur so easily and also I had injured it at the gym about 2-3 years before this too and it had pretty much healed...but this time it just doesn't heal. It isn't a really bad pain but becomes very irritating when trying to get in a comfortable position for sleep and if it is bumped it makes it ache more.
We went to our gs' martial arts class and graduation. He got his orange belt.
Then went shopping a bit at a couple stores.
My weight went up 4# over night...so probably sodium..I'll try to watch it today in hopes of getting it to drop again.
The family issues are causing dh to feel depressed. We also think it may also be related to the Gabapentin he is taking for his neuropathy, so I'm going to notify his doctor right away. Those nerve medications can be very scary.
Karrine - So glad to hear from you! Very sad about Nan, but am thankful you are there for her. Continue to pray for you both.
Carol Sue - Onions and garlic are the beginning of most meals in our house esp when cooking Asian style. Love the smell! Our current visitors however refuse to eat them. How old were your dh's children when you married?
Sandy - I always enjoy reading about your gardens, whether flowers or veggies. They sound delightful! Wish I could be there to sit with you on your patio or porch and chat.
Glynne - It is a challenge taking care of gc. I hope you can enjoy some moments with her and make memories, but do take care of yourself too.
Now will see how long it lasts.
The bad news: my bs was high this morning. I think it's my decreasing the Amaryl and if I have to go back on both pills, my weight may go up again.
Guess it can only be done with junk food and by parents, but I was thinking...I'm glad I don't feel like I have to "parent"...I'll offer, they can refuse but I do draw the line at "junk food" if they don't eat. They can wait for their parents for that. All though for years I abused my body by eating lots of sugar and fat and overeating, I've always been interested in nutrition and have eaten about 80% reasonably healthy. I say reasonably because I didn't know about whole grain products so only ate white bread, pasta, rice. Even today we eat white pasta and rice because dh doesn't like the whole grain, but I do insist on whole wheat bread. Once dh bought his own white spongy bread and it molded because he didn't eat it fast enough, so he never bought it again. I told him we could freeze it and only leave out a little at a time, but was happy he never purchased it again. We tried brown rice but he didn't like it and I don't force that...he grew up on rice and it's important to him to enjoy it, esp since he doesn't eat nearly as much as he used to.
