Mary, I have tried so many different things, eating a snack, not eating a snack. It's hit or miss. But when it goes really high like that it makes me wonder why. I don't eat sweets or many starchy carbs, but I do eat some, but I eat a lot of vegetables, and they are carbs. I just ate some cheese and crackers so I can just imagine what they are going to do to my BS. They are Wheat Thins Fiber Select and are higher fiber than most other crackers. I quit buying them for a while but last week I gave in and bought them. I think they are healthier than most other crackers, but I tend to eat too many so I'm really better off not buying them at all.

My doctor never cares if my FBG is high, as long as my A1c is below 7.

I got really tired in the afternoon and took a little nap. I guess because I got up so early this morning. I sleep when I can because I never know when I'm going to have a sleepless night. When I was in the hospital they gave me Ambien but it only gave me 4 or 5 hours sleep. It is supposed to work for 8 hours. I can fall asleep in a matter of minutes, but I can't stay asleep. I don't know why I wake up so often. I have a Cpap machine and if I try to sleep without it I can't breathe. I am starting to worry about it breaking some day and having to wait for a new one. The medical equipment company told me I am eligible to get a new one, but I have a 20% copay. Now I'm thinking I should get the new one and put the old one away for a backup. I've had it since 2008 and use it every night. I think I would probably have to go for another sleep study to get the new one set up, and I hated that. I guess there are worse things.

DH always tells me that he is going to go before me, but you never know. I don't know how to do anything. He has been going out and shoveling some of the snow away from the foundation so water doesn't leak through the basement walls. It's things like that that make me worry about how I will live here if he goes first. I can always pay someone to cut grass, as long as I have enough money. God tells us not to worry about tomorrow, but I can't help it. I didn't have any children of my own. I raised my step-children and my step-son treats me like I'm his mother, but they live over an hour away. We hear from him 5 days out of 7. My step-daughter is rather distant, even with her Dad. They are only 3 miles away from us but we only see them on holidays or if they need something.

On the other hand, if I go first, I told my step-son that someone will have to help DH with the finances and his meds. He doesn't even know how to write out a check. He won't even discuss it, just expects me to take care of it. When I was in the hospital after surgery he brought the mail in to the hospital for me to open, along with the checkbook for me to write out the checks. Also, he doesn't worry about his meds until the bottle is completely empty, and he will tell me he's out of pills. We get them by mail order so I have to be sure to check his bottles occasionally to see how many he has. He doesn't know the names of his meds. He calls them the big pill and the little pill.

Gone are the days when we were young and didn't have a care in the world.

Good morning GG's,

A dreary drippy day here today. I would rather see sunshine, but am thankful that I don't have to go out.

The CT scan went fine ~ they say we should get some report back mid-week this week.

Carol Sue ~ I can identify with the blood sugar thing. What seems to give me a good reading one morning, doesn't the next time. :dizzy:

I have a C-pap too ~ and started the same year you did. My first one stopped working and I had to wait to get a new one. I can't remember if I had to have another sleep study when I got it or not. I almost think that the DME company set it up ~ all the settings and everything (that information was provided to them I think by the sleep clinic on the Rx and they required a copy of the sleep study that had been done). I am elegible for a new one, and we were thinking to go ahead and get it so I would have one ready to go when my current one stops working.

They tried me on several different sleeping meds and finally what helped me was Sonata (zaleplon). Sometimes I have trouble getting to sleep, other times, I have trouble staying asleep or getting back to sleep if I wake up. The instructions they gave me for using it were ~ if I was still awake for 20 minutes after going to bed that I could take one. Or if I went to sleep but woke up in the middle of the night and was still laying awake after 20 minutes ~ to take one (if I had 3-4 hours of sleep time left to my night). They also said that if I had taken one at the beginning of the night and woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, it was ok to repeat it ~ because it was mild. I don't use them very often, I don't want to get so that I use them too much and then when I really do need them, they won't work.

My husband and I have had the same discussion about who might go first. He thinks it will be him. Part of me hopes it is me, because I don't know how to do anything ~ like the bill paying and the financial stuff. It is not that I am unwilling to learn, but it just all seems so complicated that when he tries to explain, my brain just kind of freezes up ~ like it is overwhelmed. The other stuff ~ like taking care of the yard and things in the house ~ physically I don't feel like I could keep up with that stuff. My son would probably help me, but he works such long hours he barely has time to take care of himself ~ so I would hate to ask him. My daughter lives close by and could give me financial guidance, but because she has continued to have a relationship with her scummy ex-husband, who still has too much influence on her ~ we don't want him to have influence on that aspect of things.

My husband's father and his wife made their final move to one of those continuing care retirement communities ~ but I don't know if that is even something we could do.

If I went first, my husband ~ a take charge kind of person ~ would be just fine without me.
I guess my worry with him is that he will have some health problem and not tell me about it. He says he doesn't want me hounding him about going to the dr. He goes, but has kind of an attitude that he doesn't want to do treatments and things that aren't necessary and won't help anyway in the end.

I feel as you do ~ Gone are the days when we were young and didn't have a care in the world ~ and ~ God tells us not to worry about tomorrow, but I can't help it.
At this age, it seems like there is always some health thing coming along.

Mary ~ it feels sad to have reached an age where we are thinking about which one will go first. Maybe the sleeping pill I was telling Carol Sue about (up above here) Sonata (zaleplon) would be one your husband could ask about. I remember learning at work that benadryl wasn't as effective for older people.

Love2garden ~ so sorry to hear of the health problems of your family. Sending prayers for them. Keep us posted for how they are doing.

Hope you all are having a good weekend.

Gayle, I guess I was thinkiing you would have the results of your CT scan right away. Silly me.

My DH would never go to the doctor, but would go to the ER if something happened. He had a heart attack and was hospitalized for that 22 years ago. He didn't follow up with the doctor. Then he had stents put in about 10 years ago, still doesn't follow up. I finally got him to go to my PCP so he can get blood pressure meds and he keeps up with that because I hound him, but he won't let the doctor test for anything else. He says he will go before me because I go to the doctor for "every little thing." I always have things that they can't fix, like my chronic cough. I've tried everything for that. And my psoriasis, I just won't take biologics because of the possible side effects and nothing else seems to help.

I don't want to take meds for my arthritis pain or for sleep. If I have something I need to get done I will take something for pain so I can do it. Most of my pain is during the night. I figure since I am retired I don't have to be anywhere and I can sleep whenever I want, which I do.

I worked in a mail-order pharmacy so I've heard of Sonata. That sounds like too many rules for me to figure out. LOL I have no trouble falling asleep. Sometimes if I wake up and can't fall back to sleep, that's when I will take the Benadryl or Tylenol. For some reason, plain Tylenol helps me go back to sleep. If I have a lot on my mind, nothing helps me.

I don't want to go back to the lung doctor who prescribed my Cpap. There is another guy nearby who I would like to try. Maybe I will call him. I would like to get different head gear if I can, and he advertises that he will find something that fits properly. I have looked at them online, and nothing looks like I would like it. I hate wearing it, but if I don't I wake up gasping for air. My step-son had to get one. He tried it out for 2 weeks and sent it back. I think his problem was that they told him he had to wear it at least 5 hours per night for insurance to pay for it. So he would lie there awake, watching the clock for 5 hours so he could take it off and go to sleep. He says he sleeps like a rock, but his wife says he stops breathing a lot during the night. He tried to burn the candle at both ends. He has to get up really early for work, then he takes a nap on his lunch break, and then he stays up late at night. Some day that will all catch up with him.

Carol Sue ~ my uncle won't go to the dr. He is like 82 ~ he seems in pretty good shape. But two of his siblings are gone now ~ cancer and the one sibling that remains has cancer. Maybe he is afraid of what he will find out. Who knows what is right.

I don't go to the dr for every little thing. A lot of times I will just wait to see if what ever is bothering me will go away. I went when I found out I had RA, because I could barely walk ~ I was still working then, and I didn't feel like I was that old (I was 57) that I should just give up and spend the rest of my life in a chair. I still do more of that (sitting) than I should, but I can get around instead of dreading trying or only getting up to go the bathroom. Being in pain like that was no way to live.

As far as the sleeping meds ~ I was still working then too ~ and was desperate to get rest. I guess that is why I hardly use the med now-a-days. Sometimes, when I can't sleep, I just get up and do something on the computer for a while, then when I get sleepy, I go back to bed and can sleep some more. Like you ~ I (usually) don't have anything to get up for, so if I sleep later in the morning ~ it is no big deal.

At my last visit to the sleep clinic, the NP said I was getting a lot of air leaks and had me try a different mask. I told her I would prefer to stick with the one I have now. I have been through 4 or 5 masks before I finally found one that felt ok and worked ok. It would be nice not to have to mess with all that, but I feel better when I use it than when I don't. Even if there are some air leaks, I feel like some help (for my heart not to have to work as hard) is better than going without it.

I hope you don't feel like I am trying to argue about things. Just discussion. It is interesting for me to hear the experiences of others.

Gayle, I do not feel that you are arguing. I also like to hear the experience of others. Each person is different and has different needs...things work differently for each of us.

I go to the cardiologist every 6 months, although I don't know why. All they do is weigh me, check blood pressure, listen to my heart and lungs. They do an echocardiogram once a year for the 2 bad valves I have. To me, I think once a year should be enough, and after that, if I have a problem. I feel like they just want their money.

I used to go to the PCP once a year. He manages my diabetes. I know I should get my A1c checked every 3 months, but recently he has been having me get a full bloodwork, including lipids, metobolic profile, thyroid. Then he wants to to come in for a visit to discuss them. I don't think it's necessary to have all of them done every 3 months, but I found out that if I get 1 done or 10 done, it's only a $25 co pay. If I get the A1c done and then the other ones done at another time it's $25 co pay both times, so he is saving me the extra copay. But I don't think I should have to go in to discuss them unless there's a problem. My copay for an office visit went down to $10 so that's not too bad. But everyone is always complaining about the high cost of medical care, and I think having your insurance pay for unnecessary doctor visits contributes to that. My husband thinks you should only go to the doctor if you're sick. He doesn't believe in preventive medicine. I am very lucky that as many problems I've had with my heart, I've never had a heart attack. I always recognize the symptoms and get to the ER. Two of the times I went it was a false alarm, but I'd rather get checked and find out it's nothing that to think it's nothing and find out it's not, too late.

This beautiful weather is holding. Usually people up here complain all winter about all the rain and now people are wondering how summer will be since we have not had much rain this winter. We can't do anything about it anyway and so we will just have to wait and see, that's how I look at it. :dizzy:

I fixed roasted chicken served with a wine/balsamic vinegar sauce and served it with steamed asparagus with a little butter and lemon. I didn't use the sauce as it was not my thing but dh said it was good. He could only eat the soft bits of chicken inside the bony pieces but at least he could eat that. He also ate the top 1/2 of the asparagus. So think his mouth is healing, just very slowly.

It seems like a lot of people are on cpap machines these days! My son has one for sleep apnea but he refuses to use it. he says he just can't sleep with it on. He didn't even bring it into our house, it's in his storage unit I guess. I think I might be the same way but know he should use it. When we first retired, I was like you Glynne, I'd often get up for a while if I was wide awake and couldn't sleep. These days though I'm not usually wide awake...usually I'm sleepy but just can't sleep because of hot flashes and often I have pain too...it's not terrible pain but enough I think it affects my sleep. When I was younger I worried more and sometimes that kept me awake but I rarely do this now.

Glynne - I sometimes wish that dh and I were still in our 60s and had more time left on this earth but at the same time death of our bodies is part of life here and my faith teaches me that when this life is over, I go on to the next life which will be much better. But in regard to leaving this earthly life, I'm like you, I think it would actually be best if I went first. I handle the finances so that's not the problem, but I will have much less income. I also would not be able to maintain the house and yard. We have a large yard with lots of plants, left up to me it will probably be overgrown or die out, one or the other and probably a little of both.;) I would probably plant a few flowers or vegetables maybe in pots. I can hire someone to mow maybe depending on how my income stretches. Or if one of my sons are around then, they will help me. I know that God will help me when the time comes, so although I think about it and try to plan ahead all I can, I don't really worry about it. I do hope I don't lose my sight or my ability to get around and take care of myself, but regardless it will work out until it's time for me to move on. On finances, Glynne, I'm sure when the bills come in and you're the one that has to pay them, you will quickly learn and may even find you like it. My opinion is...don't turn your finances over to someone else until you really have to. You might like using a computer budget better...I use YNAB and really like it, it has helped us so much and I feel sure if I'm ever on my own, I'll continue to use it just with a smaller income. My budget is not rigid and I enjoy moving the numbers around and deciding how I want to spend our money each month. ;)

Carol Sue My dh is a lot like you about the budgeting. I've tried various ways to get him involved and he did get a little more into it after retiring, but still basically I was the one setting it up and telling him what to do. When I started using YNAB I went back to doing it all except that every two weeks we withdraw some cash and we divide it between us to spend on small purchases for which we don't use a card, otherwise most of our bills are on auto pay or we use cards. If I'm not here, our dd will show him the budget so he'll know where the money goes and will likely go back to paper and pencil and writing checks.

Glynne I'll mention Sonata to my dh. The doctor gave him something once when we came back from the Philippines and had trouble adjusting to the time change. The instructions were similar to yours and it did help him. He was only given seven pills though then. I was wondering too whether Melatonin might help him. I can't take it but it might be ok for him. Think I'll get some for him to try.

Carol Sue I'm like you...most of my issues turn out to be things they can't do anything about. :^: Makes me sorta feel like a hypochondriac. I don't think I am though and I am glad it's nothing serious usually. Our doctor doesn't like to address issues that are not related to diabetes at the four month diabetes appt., so if it isn't, that means I have to get another appt. That's a drag. Maybe he'll be nicer now that we have the medicare advantage program though;). Dh said he was very nice when he went in recently. This time I want him to look at my toe (think it's ok but still want him to check it and that is diabetes related), and the pain in my upper right abd. Might be just gas but doesn't feel like that and between the front and back it really hurts sometimes. I may have to get another appt for that one. :dizzy:

Love2 - Sorry to hear about the health problems with your grandchildren. I am praying. I think I forgot to mention that in my previous post, sorry about that, but I did pray. Any word yet on how they are doing?

Mary, my sleep apnea must be pretty bad because there is no way I could sleep without the Cpap. I would be gasping for air every half hour. My friend's husband never used his either, but my insurance and my son's insurance would not pay for it if you didn't use it. My machine has a meter on it and they called me periodically for the first year and I had to read the numbers off to them. I just automatically used mine. It took a few months to get used to it but now I put it on even if I'm lying in bed to watch TV, because I usually end up falling asleep. My son was told he had 90 days to try it out and return it if he couldn't get used to it. He returned it. I don't like wearing it, but I have to. I don't know if that would change if I lost weight, but I don't see that happening real soon. LOL

I love roasted chicken. That would probably be my first choice of a meal. Why didn't you have the sauce? I don't usually like any sauces on my meat, but the vinegar is supposed to help your blood sugar.

Mary, I have always heard that the NW was rainy. There was a guy at work who went there every year to visit family. When he came back we would always ask "Did it rain?" LOL I'm glad you had some nicer weather this year. We get every type of weather there is here. Mostly, it's always cloudy, even if it's not raining.

The problem with DH and finances is he does not know how to write a check. He can't write the number out in longhand. I don't pay anything online unless I forget a bill and it's close to the due date. I'm not going to worry about it, if I'm gone he will just have to figure it out somehow. He did OK during the time between his first marriage and when he met me, but I was writing the checks to pay his bills as soon as we started dating. LOL He used to pay his utilities in cash at the drug store. Isn't that odd? That seemed so funny to me when I met him. Otherwise, he only had the mortgage payment.

Good morning! Dh just left for his doctor's appt. Did I tell you at the last appt they found he is still anemic? His surgeon had said he was just a bit below normal and he thought eating a good diet would take care of it. But then he had all this dental work done and hasn't eaten much. He gets some meat everyday but just a small amount. So anyway he is back taking iron again.
I wondered about it...it sounds funny, but realize my dh is Filipino and is brown skinned, and when I've noticed when he is anemic, he gets kinda whiter in his face and hands. He began to look better but I was still noticing his hands were still kinda white but didn't say anything because he was so sure he was over it.

After his appt he is coming back for me and we are going to the gym. I am SO stiff these days. I need a good stretch class. If I'd gotten up just a bit earlier this morning, I could have had him drop me off at my old circuit training class, but my hair didn't cooperate and I had to shower so by that time it was too late. At our gym I think that is the best class for getting the stretching I need. I do some at home but not enough.

I have never heard my son gasping for air...but that was my concern. I have prayed that either I will hear it or that Halo will start barking if it happens. She sleeps on her bed in his room. He snores very noisily and sometimes I do hear that. That is a sign that he is not sleeping well but I can't wake him up all the time for that or he won't get any sleep. When they did a sleep test on him, they told him he doesn't get much good sleep...I think meaning the rem sleep. His GF used to hear him stop breathing..didn't mention gasping...and she would wake him up at those times. He got his cpap from VA so no insurance to deal with . I wish he'd go to a regular doctor (outside VA) but he won't. He trusts VA but they don't seem to do any followup with him. Might be him though that doesn't follow through.

Last night we went to a seniors meeting at church. There were several speakers besides our pastor talking about making ones home more accessible in case of physical problems in the future due to aging. One speaker works with this sort of thing and has written a book talking about what one might need. He has been in a wheelchair since he was about 19 and has worked with people at the white house regarding these issues. His told a story about working with Mrs Bush (I think that would be Barbara Bush). The white house at that time had no ramp and they had to bring him through the back entrance. She was very upset about that and then she offered him a drink, he asked for beer and she told him she drank Coors and after that always had a beer with him. Hearing of others experiences really made us think how life can change quickly and suddenly we might need these accessibility things in our home. Dh and I had have already thought a little about it (esp after dh fractured his leg in 2010) but need to actually start installing them. I think I already could use bars on the bathtub. But there are a lot more things that most people don't think about....electrical outlets higher up on the walls for instance, counters lower down, so many things. Dh was saying that lower counters though could be a problem...as if low and you don't need it yet could cause back problems...but one can have counters that are both higher and lower. The man in the wheelchair has that as his wife is 6 ft tall! So one has to think about their own circumstances, but good to at least do some planning and make some changes just in case. They were saying how these changes in our lives can happen suddenly and then it can be difficult to get things in place. It is not easy to find houses that are build with accessibility but one of the speakers was a builder in our area and he said because of the aging of America they are now building more of these type houses. It was very interesting.

Mary Your DH is anemic and I learned a way to check mine when I was younger (no problem since then) Doctor pressed down on my thumb nail till it turned white, then checked how long before it turned to normal color. Now mine returns to normal immediately. in my 30's I had real problem.

Carol Sue The sleep issue we all seem to have, must be far more a problem with the need for the CPAC unit needed. I'll be more grateful for doing without it instead of complaining if I'm short of sleep.

Gayle Remember those younger days when we didn't have to go to doctors so often, and didn't think about how difficult it would be as we got older? Seems a long time ago.

All four of us still have husbands with us. What a blessing! DH has survived cancer, and multiple surgeries, but is in remarkable shape. In fact, when the doctor told him (you just may live another 15 to 20 years) I was so shocked at the thought of live so long that I assumed that meant I would also.

I'm like Mary, I'm aware the next life will be far better and certainly am not afraid to be in that life. Lack of fear of my dying is helpful, but I am very afraid to loose DH. Sometime my hovering over him irritates him, so I have to back away.

On Medication we have tried two things that help us both.

I typed up his medication (and mine) with doctor's name and instructions for each med. He carries this and so do I. Meanwhile he has two containers with the days of the week on each. Once a week he sorts out his pills for morning and the ones for night and fills each slot. Once he began to do that he has done so very much better.

I take charge only when he is sick or has had surgery with extra meds (pain, ec) and develop a larger chart to write in it the time he takes heach med and monitor it for him.

DH is 81 and I am 77. He didn't retire till a bit over a year ago. I retired in 2007. I've had those thoughts about what each of us would do if one or the other went first. I do the finances and clean all but kitchen, and do laundry. Outside, I plant, weed, etc. He does cooking and cleans kitchen. Outside he mows and lots of other things including repairs, even electrical.

I would be in real trouble if I were alone. This winter when it was super cold, I couldn't even leave the house for groceries, etc. Even missed Church one Sunday, a real rare event.

DH and DD took care of snow, errands, and I was so grateful.

Today, DH and I both were out in garden in wonderful sunny warm weather!!! I cut back the old leaves from Lenten Roses so those beautiful pink blooms would now show. Lots of bending (thank God for good strong back) and 1-1/2 hour work with frequent breaks at picnic table where a thermos of coffee kept hot for our enjoyment.

DH moved some metal trellis to area between our big window and back neighbor's big windows so we can plant purple Clematis to cover and give some privacy for each of us. We have one Clematis between us and our other neighbor that is absolutely breathtaking each year. We'll need to plant 3 to cover the back fence area, but with the Rhododendron dying back, there is enough room between it and fence to plant the new vines soon.

How I loved being outside and doing what I enjoy so much. Probably be sore this evening, but I'm sure smiling now! Gardening is my passion, and now that I'm not working in our family business, I have plenty of time. Summer means 25 pots are tended. Some have Hostas in the pots that come back on their own, some have to be planted with annuals each year. Watering those pots consume lots of effort and time in summer, but we don't travel so I have the time and love doing so.

Mary, I might be misusing the word "gasp." DH said I would stop breathing, then all of a sudden I would take in a big gulp of air, like a big snort. When that happens now, it wakes me up. That is what's so annoying. I can't get into a deep sleep. It's so much better with the Cpap.

I am very happy today. That doctor that I told you about who is the pulmonary/sleep specialist had an ad in the paper today. It says you can do a sleep study at home. A women told me once that she did that but I didn't understand it. The pulmonoligist who took care of me was a lung specialist and I went to a sleep study center. He is the doctor who is associated with the hospital, so if you have a problem, he's the doctor you get. The other doctor is in the same town, but doesn't seem to be associated directly with the hospital. Maybe that's why he needs advertising to drum up business. I think he is the one my son went to.

Love2garden, I take a lot of meds. About 11 pills a day. I use a pill box that has 7 days, and 4 sections for each day...morning, noon, night and bedtime. If I didn't have that, I wouldn't know what I was doing. DH take a BP pill and and Aspirin. I got him a small round pill box that just has 1 section for each day. That way he knows if he took his pills or not. He is just really bad at telling me he's getting low. He waits til the bottle is empty and says "I'm out of pills." We take the same BP med, so sometimes if we run out we take each others.

He is 72 and I am 69. No one else in my family lived past 64, except for a half sister who lived to be 85. The doctors keep me going.

Reread my post and realized that I maybe wrong about which Mrs Bush that was...I think it probably was Laura Bush, going by the age of the speaker. I meant her but said the wrong name. I do that a lot these days...

The doctor told dh he doesn't want him to take a sleeping pill...he said not so good for older people. I suspect he is thinking of the potential for over dosing. Actually that is more likely to be me not dh but he doesn't know that. Anyway he told him to try Melatonin which I had just mentioned to dh last night. Dh was rather skeptical of it but now that doctor has suggested it, he's ok with trying it. His blood work was good other than his lipids being a little high. But even though he is now in normal range the doc wants him to continue the iron a little while longer to be sure. Dh said the doc was was very nice today...took his time with him and showed him things on the computer as they talked etc. He now wants to stay with him. If he does, I will too as I often go with him to appts and it would get too awkward. Dh said the waiting room was pretty much empty which seems unusual for a Monday may also be why he was calmer and more pleasant. I have to admit my first thought was that he is now making more money on us since we changed our insurance. I have tried to be sensitive to his situation but it has been difficult at times, still I am willing to continue to try.

Love2 - I loved reading about you are your dh. My dh will be 80 in April and I am 72. My view on death is that I will go from life to life! And the King James version of the 23rd Psalms speaks of going through "the valley of the shadow of death," so once I saw that I started thinking of death as just a shadow, sorta like the boogie man trying to scare me, but not really real. :) My sister (81) says she fears the "giving up" and she might be right but I always imagine I will be so exhausted I'll be glad to give it up. :D If I fear anything it is the pain that might be involved before death but with that, God will help me get through it and will not give me more than I can bear.

Like you thinking about my dh leaving me is much harder. On one hand I would not want him back because I know when the time comes it will be best for him, but I will miss him so! I will miss his help around the house/yard/car for sure but also just knowing he's here makes me feel good. I love all my children but my dh is the person I am most close to in all this world and comes right after God to me. I am glad for your reminder, I have SO much for which to be thankful!!

Thanks for the reminder about checking the blood flow in one's fingers. Used to do that a lot with patients, but hadn't thought of it with dh. I do notice that his fingers are often much whiter anymore. I have polish on my nails but usually my finger tips are quite pink, however I do have trouble getting enough blood to test with some of them.

I wish I were more comfortable working outside. I am still squeamish about bugs and worms although not so much as I used to be. Dh is like you, he loves to plant and feels his best on a sunny day working outside. I think that is so healthy and each year I do try to get out there a little more. Dh is going to start rototilling the garden this week. In fact he just left to go borrow the rototiller from a friend who is kind enough to share every year. In return dh helps him with his furnace and other things.

For our meds we use med cases/boxes kind of like Carol Sue uses except ours is only for 2x day, breakfast and dinner. So far when we have had to take three pills/tabs we have been able to take one at one time and two at the other. Dh takes the most pills but and I take six myself now, plus we also take a lot of supplements. The bedtime meds we keep in a separate case in the bathroom.

Carol Sue - just remember that just because others in your family have died early, you may not. I can tell from your posts that you are very careful to do the right things for your health and go to the doctor etc. You do not neglect your health. I know like me you have trouble with overeating and exercising but at least we both continue to be aware and work at that so it doesn't get completely out of hand. Same with you Gayle and Love2garden. I figure at least trying is better than giving up. My mom passed at 64 and but her mother was 104 and my dad was 88. So it's kind of a toss up....I figure with better medical care most of this generation should live at least ten years longer.

Wow two long posts in one day!! We went to the gym today and did a little shopping too, but of course, I haven't gotten much done here at home. Better get off this 'puter and get busy!

CarolSue Here is hoping you are able to get with the new doctor and that he can help you get a comfortable CPAC that works well. If you can do the sleep test at home, wouldn't that be great!!

Added a walk of a bit over 1/2 mile and found my bad knee was no more than uncomfortable toward the end. Hopefully I can keep up the strengthening so it is stable, at least. Scared silly to have surgery altho I did great in 06 when my Right knee was replaced. Weighed less then, tho.

Mary Sure agree with you that I love our children, but even they know DH comes first with me when I was 16, and even more so now. It is fun to let him know, too.

Biology was my field in College, studying insects, checking out how roots go underground, finding ways to make the soil richer, or even putting fresh worms into my different gardens is fun to me. Tramping in the woods was one of my passtimes as a child, and we took our vacations in the woods for decades.

Sad now how careful we must be when we are in woods - so we don't slip and fall, or such.

Hopefully as my weight goes down, (AND IT SHALL GO DOWN) I'm likely to be less uneasy on my legs, being afraid of falling (Also so clumsy)

I'm feeling so much more optimistic after so much time outdoors in sunshine.

Love2garden, Biology was my worst subject in high school. I had no interest at all in that stuff! Maybe if I had applied myself I would have enjoyed it more. I was more into Math and English. I did accounting for my life's work. It came automatic for me, working with numbers.

Mary, my husband's mother lived to 85 and her father lived to 92, but DHs father passed away at 60. DH had a heart attack at 50 and thought he would go early like his father, but in most things he is more like his mother, and is relatively healthy.

DH has little or no circulation in his hands. They get really cold sometimes. I told him I think he has Raynauds but he gets mad when I say that. I have a Pulse/Ox meter you put on your finger, and it doesn't even register on him. When he goes out to clear the snow he wears gloves, but he says they don't help. When he comes in his fingers are like ice and he says he can't feel them. I tell him to put them in warm water but he won't. Stubborn. I don't know what this can do to him long term, but he won't doctor for it. Then I told him to sit on his hands and let his body heat warm them up.

I think I will google Raynauds and see what it says about the long term effects.

EDIT: It showed pictures of Raynauds and the fingers were really white...like a piece of paper. His don't get like that. If anything they get red. So maybe he doesn't have Raynauds, but just poor circulation.

Good afternoon GG's,

Another dreary drippy day here today. I haven't accomplished much.

I have been having some fun though ~ playing words with friends with my sister. We used to play scrabble with my mom and grandma, so I guess it brings back good memories. Plus, with my mom having dementia, we feel like maybe it is exercising our brains. We don't sit there all day and do that, but in spurts ~ go do something else, then take a rest and check to see if a word has been played.

Love2garden ~ glad you got to spend time outside the other day ~ sunshine and a nice day are like a dose of medicine to make you feel good.

Mary ~ I have mixed feelings about death. I don't feel exactly like I am scared ~ know that I will be in a better place. Like you ~ worry about being in pain. The other thing is the timing of it ~ even though I don't feel wonderful ~ I'm not ready to “throw in the towel” ~ I have a lot of stuff I want/need to do yet and I just hope that God will give me time to be able to do stuff. Like sorting through stuff and down sizing ~ so it isn't left for my kids to have to do. Just doing things I enjoy. I looked so forward to retirement ~ I hope God lets me have a while yet.

Carol Sue ~ so, are you gonna be able to do the sleep study at home? That would be handy.

Guess I'd better get off ~ Maddie will be home soon.

Hope you all have had a nice day.

Sheesh I think I said everything yesterday! :D I am alone today as dh went fishing. I got up very late so haven't accomplished much yet. Hope to catch up on my housework, as I'm already behind this week.

Carol Sue/Love2 - In high school I elected to take three years of Home Ec rather than any sciences. Wouldn't do that now, although I did learn the basic housekeeping skills that I notice a lot of young women don't know these days. But now if they are interested they can look it up online. ;) In college (for nursing) I took Anatomy and loved it, chemistry was sorta interesting but not as much. And definitely no bugs for me!:^:

Love2 - Sorry about your knee. I'd dread the surgery too. Yes I think losing weight will help. These days I am so stiff and hurt some when I move and I notice I move much more slowly too. I am having a hard time getting up and down even just off the sofa. I've never been like that! For the first time I'm really beginning to feel old I guess but only physically. I think it's because of all that time away from the gym. Yesterday I did almost my old routine, so slowly getting back into it.

Glynne - Anything yet about your scan? Surgery scheduled?