Feelings

OMG.  I was walking through my tiny messy parlor and I got this ... twinge ..... urge ...... longing  ..... yearning .....

 

Much to my husband's dismay it was for a piece of linen and a needle.

 

Seen on Facebook -

Good one.

 

I went into Kohls today to return one of the tops I ordered for my nephew's grandkids.  They could not find it on my credit card, the tag would not scan, it didn't show on the receipt.  It was from JCPenney.  I of course blamed it on my sister.

 

Leslie I tried freezing the shreds and did not like the soggy result.  My sister does it all the time and just lets them thaw in a colander and then squeezes out some of the water.

 

It's hot here.  Muggy too.  YAY!!! 

 Hope your day is warm and fuzzy.

 

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Soup on a plate

Greetings folks.

Bridgewater Mercantile had a post about the Back Woods Fest (Thornville Ohio) where they will be a vendor.  Never heard of it, too long of a drive for me, but thought I would mention it if you're close and looking for such an event.  Looks like the Shaker Woods Festival but it may be larger.  The list of vendors is extensive and includes everything from crocheted and sewn items to furniture.  And they have fried green tomatoes and apple dumplings.   Oooooooh baby.

 

http://www.thornvillebackwoodsfest.com/vendors.html#vendors

 

Taking Carole to the doc at 4 and have an easy on the stomach dinner ready to go.  My friend made it a lot for her husband and never really gave me accurate measurements, so you sort of wing it. 

You saute a large chopped onion, 2 stalks diced celery, and at least a cup of diced carrots.  I don't use oil, just keep adding some water to allow them to simmer and soften.  Transfer them to a 13x9 casserole

and add 1 1/4 cups of rice and 1 Tbsp of butter to the pan and gently saute until the rice is no longer translucent.  Add the rice to the veggies, sprinkle with salt and pepper, top with diced cooked chicken. 

Add 2+ cups of chicken broth and cover and bake at 325 - 350 for 20 minutes.  Remove cover and add more broth if necessary (always needs more) and continue cooking with loose cover until rice is tender and broth is absorbed, another 10 minutes.  The tricky part is just making sure the rice is tender and not dried out.  I like to sprinkle Parmesan on top once on my plate.  It's sort of like chicken soup in a casserole.

 

I have my zucchini shredded and ready for recipes.  I always let a few zukes grow very large for this and remove the seeds and soft center before shredding.

Using the shredding blade on my old Cuisinart processor makes it so easy.  The pulp is not sopping wet, and I keep it in a colander over a bowl in the fridge for many days.  A bag over the top is all that's needed and it never discolors or wilts.  I tried Allrecipes's apple walnut zucchini bread (with less cinnamon) but it wasn't what I wanted.  Next I will try with even less cinnamon, more apple, more zucchini, and white (not brown) sugar.

 

Carole is still very weak so I need to haul out the transport chair again and get it in the car.  Mark will drop us off while he runs to the store to get more bread and corn for the deer.

 

Hope your week goes well.

Thanks for visiting.

 

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An easy decision

Hello people.  Welcome to the last Sunday of summer.  September may have warm temps but I don't consider it summer, do you?  I'm taking your advice and looking forward to a new season with less stress instead of whining about what is gone.  No I'm not.   Not yet!  But I plan to.  I think what bothers me most is the uncertainty of next summer.  Will I still be here?  Will my health be in crisis?  Will I be missing another family member?  Am I the only menomorbid that has these thoughts as I pack away summer clothes that I never wore? 

 

After wasting way too much time searching online and elsewhere for boxes to fit 24"-31" long gourds, tall angels with wide twig wingspans, and bean garlands, I've decided to just take them somewhere.  This decision was easy and quick, not something I can usually manage.  The box cost is more than I would get and I have too many other chores right now that need my time.  Bins are filled with wood bowls and stompers of a manageable box size and at a later date I may offer them.   A few stitched pieces and linen are easy to stick in padded envelopes, hopefully very soon. 

 

Upon opening one of the linen drawers I found Ann Greanawalt.  Forgot that I even started her and especially that I'd chosen to stitch only the bottom section with the top border.  All those years of using unbleached linen became a habit, and I do love my older samplers on it, but I am not loving it any more.   Most all of my linen is dark, but I have no intention to purchase what may never be used so a little bleach may be in order.

I love these clear zip envelopes that leave no question as to content, and also found a few smalls in the Magma.  But I still have no desire and must force myself to continue, maybe once that happens it will become enjoyable.  I purchased a lot of these at Staples sale for $2 and use them for storing interfacing and fabrics too.  The small ones hold my little card sized projects and floss threads.

 

Mark is making a few more benches from the old cedar wood and I'm off to wrap Carole's legs since the stockings are causing too much pain.  Doctor visit tomorrow and we will find out if the stomach pain is from the ERCP or another issue.

 

Still baking zucchini breads and this time will try adding apples, raisins, and walnuts with cinnamon.  I've made so many of the chocolate and lemon, passed them out to the nurses and doctors so I need to bake a few for our freezer.

 

Enjoy the last week of August!

Thanks for visiting.

 

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Big boxes and little pies

Greetings to all.  Was your week uneventful?  The older I get, that's what I hope for.  I hope yours could be described as good, at the very least.

 

Where the heck do you find long skinny shipping boxes?  If they are long enough, they are way too large everywhere else.  I made one for the sampler on board I am selling, it wasn't easy, and I don't want to do it again.  But what if I want to mail a few of these?  I am tired of having to explain the gonad gourds to visitors who look at them cautiously as if they are dried bull parts.  Hanging them on my exterior door was causing traffic to slow.

 I think I may ask a few shops if they want to buy the gourds.  I gave the others away last time but paid a decent price for these.  Too bad I don't have any shops close by!

When I pulled out a pie plate to stuff our excess tomatoes (garlic, basil, seasoned bread crumbs, Parmesan, Italian pepper, olive oil),

 

 

 

I found these sweet little Pyrex with the ruffled rim.  They are vintage and perfect for little pies, as long as I don't have to share.  This little 6" plate is one piece for me.  The 7" with handles I may be willing to share.  I missed out on elderberry season this year, my favorite pie.

 

Going out in a little while to ride a cart around 18 holes, searching for husband's flip phone.  Yes, flip phone.  He refuses technology.  On the way home we'll stop for a DQ blizzard for Carole.  Her stomach is so very sore so maybe a frozen treat will help temporarily.

 

Have a great weekend everyone.

Thanks for visiting.

 

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Quick update

After another 10 hour day in a hospital as cold as a meat locker, Mark and I brought Carole home after a successful stent and stone removal.  One.  Where did the second stone go?  Two more days on Augmentin and hopefully by the weekend, she can start getting back on track.  The inflammation and sepsis may be the reason the pancreas is not responding well to meds, but they kept her under 400 for the surgery with insulin.   She is 16# lighter than a week ago so the fluid is leaving and her breathing is improved.  I still need to go over every morning to put her compression stockings on, one more trip to the lab, and one more trip to the doctor.  Lifting that transport chair in and out of the car has not made my shoulder worse at all.  So it seems that all will go well as we head into Fall.  Except for an old gal with a bad haircut and bad attitude that missed August.  She is grateful that the crisis is over, but really ticked off that summer is also.

 

Thanks for all your prayers, well wishes, and support.

 

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Beans

Five years ago I posted my progress on stringing beans to dry for a garland, also called leather britches.  Don't know why.  But they do feel a little like leather, and I am ready to part with them.  One curly string of yellow, one straight yellow, one wonky green.  I can stick them in a large box for postage + $5 if someone wants the primitive strings.  A few may break in the process but they should travel without issue.  But right now, I've only been home from Carole's an hour, and I got a call that the doctor needs to see her NOW because she cannot get her glucose below 400 and finally called to let him know that.  So this afternoon will also be busy, tomorrow again with tests and taking her for a hair washing and cut, Wednesday and after will be more full days.  I may not be back because this is getting to be too much for me, but will answer any emails about the large angel (found another one) and the beans at the end of the week.  Something tells me the doc will be admitting her to the hospital today, which she will resist, but I could be wrong.  Because you have been so caring and concerned, I will update with any news or changes.  Thanks.

 

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The many shades of white

are driving me nuts.  Even though we are putting off the actual painting, I am still contemplating colors.  I'm cautious because the photographs all look wonderful, but they are just that, photographs.  And none of the depicted colors actually look like that in your own home.  I don't want the stark pure white, the bright white, nor do I want the creamy white.  I want dirty dull soft white. After reading several sites about the pitfalls of all white, I learned that using one shade for walls and another for trim is recommended, even if both are too close to tell apart.  The difference by eye is not noticeable, but the effect is.  Moulding and trim work do not disappear into a sea of sameness, even though it is still as white as the walls.  Weird huh?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was surprised that some Farrow & Ball color formulas can be mixed by Behr.  Most of the older colors and my choice of Shaded White were available, a more gray less beige with plenty of contrast for woodwork/trim paired with a soft white.  I haven't seen this shade anywhere, and I've been everywhere!!  One thing for sure, it is not the pinkish cast I see in almost every light beige and tan.  I am still not popping the cork for the look, and will probably use a darker shade of white/beige for the trim.  If our home was full of windows and bright light, yes, but it is not.  My attempt at this look will only be in one small room, the lightest in the house.

 

JL chose the yellow journal set so the stitcheries will be added to the others for sale.  It doesn't bother me at all to let them go.  Even losing some of the larger samplers would not be upsetting.  What's happening?  Of course there are some that I want to keep, and my favorites are still the simple, like Safrona Ager, Lydia Bond, Hannah Breed.  But seeing them grouped on the wall every day is too much.  It's strange.  Have you sold a portion of your needlework?  Did you regret it later?  I really don't feel I would.  More and more is being packed away, a fresh start later sounds like a good idea. 

Carole's fluid is not going down as quickly as we had hoped the new meds would cause, but any tiny reduction is welcome.  She was not gasping for air yesterday, still breathless, but not as severe.   Hopefully a few more days will have her more comfortable for Wednesday's surgery.

Enjoy the new week.  My leaves are already falling.
 

***********************

Saturday draw

Sorry I'm late but you probably didn't even remember the draw was at noon.  At Carole's all morning, slight improvement.  I put her compression stockings on and thank goodness for the latex gloves.  HUGE difference in being able to grab and pull them without pinching.

Anyway, can someone give me a hint about using Random.  After scrambling the names with the List Randomizer, I can't get to the number generator without printing the newly scrambled list.  Is there an easier way?  Email entries brought the total to 52, and this was the number chosen.

 

It belongs to Anonymous JL.  Please email me with your gift choice and address.

Thanks for playing along!!

 

 

 

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Elastic waists can't always save you

Like when you hit a bump in the parking lot and your sister's transport wheelchair sends her airborne.  Or you are going down those steep curb ramps and she slides out.  Neck on the back strap, ass on the very edge of the seat, legs and feet straight out.  She looked like a large surfboard.  I was laughing so hard I could barely get her into the car, and grateful for my panty liner!  We've had so many close calls when I am driving those chairs.  At least the transport doesn't have the hand brakes like others we've used, which stop you on a dime while the patient lunges forward.  The transport's tiny wheels do not make for easy maneuvering.  The slob standing outside three feet away and watched me struggle to open two glass doors while pulling the chair over the threshold almost lost a grape.  The two women that would not even move out of the way while gossiping between the two doors, let alone offer assistance, got bumped by the chair pretty hard.  Did I say excuse me?  No, I said "I'm sorry I bumped your arm, I meant to run over your foot". 

 

Stitches were not removed because of the bloating, afraid the incision will open. Carole is 19# heavier than two weeks ago, all fluid.

 

These two cuties will no longer be living here.  The big girl angel is over a pound and a foot tall and if I find a box big enough, will figure postage if anyone wants to rehome her. 

Always loved her but it's time to move on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next week starts with tests and doc appt on Tuesday, surgery and an all day stay at the hospital Wednesday, back for more tests on Thursday, doc appt on Friday.   Then I will have one week left of summer and hopefully her recovery will speed up.

 

Enjoy the weekend.  Back with winner tomorrow.

 

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My decision but your choice

Hello folks.  I've decided what to offer but the choice will be yours.  A stitched piece or a journal with square.  I'm not bothering with measurements and backing photos.  Let's just say they are smaller than 3" x 5" with a coordinating fabric.

a little sampler, no hanger, dark linen

 

about the same size, with a hanger, dark linen

more aged, no hanger

This journal is a set (5x7 and 3x4), covered in fabric, ragged raw edges, aged.  The 3" corner square is Anna Eliza Abe, primitive, double sided with a blue queen stitch.

The second journal is single (5x7), primitive paint and sampler label, inside label, and double sided 3" square.

 

Email me here-

samplersandsantas@gmail.com

if you can't leave a comment, otherwise, leave your entry on this post, initials please.  No need to state your preference.  Saturday 8/18  at noon I will have Random do its thing.

 

Oh my.  Typing in 8/18 was painful.  I can't believe how summer is passing me by.  I checked my desktop to verify the date and July was still on.  Circa Home Living's blog was the next stop for a wonderful desktop calendar.  This is August's. 

 

Be back Saturday. 

 

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Decisions decisions

I looked through my house mess to find something to offer.  That sounds like I went through the trash but not the case.  I have all my stitchery down and other items stored in another room until the inside redecorating is done, several eons from now.   I found some items in the should-it-stay-or-should-it-go pile for a future sale.  But which should I offer?  So here's the choices and I may just say, let the winner choose, much easier on my noggin.  I may whittle down the choices. 

 

Items considered for the giftaway.

A Blackbird Designs fabric covered primitive finished journal set in aged yellow.

 One of these smalls.

Or my prototype set of corner squares.

Or my two sided single square.

 

Mark just ran over to Carole's with my Zofran, she is sick this morning and miserable.  It helped her greatly in the hospital but she never asked for a Rx.  Of course she didn't.  She kept telling them she was fine because she wanted to go home but she was getting the drug every 6 hours and did not think about life without it.  Not only from the surgery, but the multiple antibiotics are upsetting her stomach.  She will get her own Rx at Thursday's appointment.  The stones removal will wait until end of next week but her side pain today may be an indication that the stent or one of the stones is starting the backup again.  It never ends.

 

Enjoy your day!

 

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Now I know

why most older women's pants have an elastic waist.  It's not because menopause causes daily ins and outs of the mid section (the word bloating was invented for such times).  It's not because older women usually have a closet full of clothes yet continue to wear the same outfit every year (and stretch allows a yearly gain).  It's not because arthritic hands and fingers have difficulty opening buttons and zippers (but it helps).  It's because one thing in their lives increases in speed and urgency as they age.  Having to pee.  Those pants must come down as quickly as possible! I drink decaf, water, milk, cola and it does not make a difference.  For some reason, that subtle inkling of a tinkling is gone.  No warning as sometimes is the case when a dam breaks.  Not even a hint.  It gets to the point where they ask the location of the restroom before the menu comes, before the browsing begins, before the wedding buffet line.  How can it hold long enough to be filled to bursting without giving a clue, but can't wait a minute more?  What the hell?

 

Spent Sunday at the hospital waiting for discharge which came late (lots of new patients were admitted).  She managed no worse at home last night, was switched to Augmentin, and we got her groceries this morning so she's content and resting for a few days.  I'll be taking her Thursday for two appointments, not only can't she drive, but she can't fit behind the wheel.  She is very heavy to begin with (not good for surgery) but her abdomen now is so enlarged that she can't get pants on.  I have to find a pair for her to wear tomorrow at Kohls or JCP, all we have left here.  Rock hard large ball and no one ever explained what to expect from the condition and surgery so we'll find out more later in the week and how long this will last.

 

Nit loves dirt.  Always has.

 

Bud likes concrete, Missy likes to show off, and Nit .. well ... the dirt spot.

 

I hope your weekend went well.  I barely remember the last two weeks, all I know is I missed the first half of August.  I am not happy about losing summer.  Did I ever mention that?

 

I think a giveaway should be coming up to thank you all for your support and prayers.  But what?  I got rid of almost everything!

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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Leftover Ativan

Hi folks.  Made it through the hardest parts with a few pills to spare.  I'm sure I will need them again.  Carole has been through many tests and they are stumped to find the cause of breathlessness.  We waited two days for the final CT results after they suspected lung disease, but they found none.  Whew!  Her lymphatic system has been compromised for many years because of destroyed channels, one leg from the ankle down, the other from below the knee.  Her legs are now huge, hard, and after massive Lasix doses, no change.  This fluid is probably throughout and may be what is causing the pressure.  Trying to talk is like having a blood pressure cuff inflated around her chest.  We have no lymphologist here, she will be getting manual manipulation to move the fluid from someone local though.  When is a good question.  Decades ago she was treated at Cleveland Clinic, but getting her back there now will not be easy, unless this exaggerated episode will not resolve.  Once the stones are out and antibiotics for the sepsis are done, the fluid will slowly dissipate.  Hopefully.  Her last surgery to remove the stones and stent will be end of this week.  It looks like the last month of summer will be over about the same time she recovers. 

Today is sausage Saturday.  Lots of Golden Daggers from the garden will be stuffed today and put in the freezer.  I cook the stuffing but not the peppers because freezing softens them.  From the freezer, cover with spaghetti sauce, into the oven.  My Italian sausage is always in large clumps making it hard to stuff so I threw the cooked meat into the processor and after a few pulses, perfect.  Ready for rice and eggs.

Now that I am finally settling down a little, I plan to check the linen drawer and start Barrick's sweet little design. 

The Stitching Girls are another option but this design has fewer color changes and I'm looking for something easy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think the Girls will be finished in a long rectangle for hanging, or maybe even smaller for a fob.  You know I am always changing something.

 

 

This evening after a hospital visit, Mark will take me for a ride in the county with an iced coffee. 

Hope your weekend will be a good one.

 

 

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Update

I was at the hospital since 8 am, just got home.  Her gallbladder was taken with four incisions, a little complicated because of many adhesions, and like a bag of small gravel.  The anesthesia did her in again.  The type she received was safer for patients with heart conditions and is used (and must be) with a muscle relaxer.  She's miserable.  Surgery was at 9 and she is just now fully waking, making sense and able to comprehend.  This afternoon ran the gamut of intense pain, hallucinations, sudden sleep as if she passed out, confusion, and I thought several times she was gone or having a stroke.  The breathing issue is worse than ever and she is in a panic, fighting sleep because she is afraid she will stop breathing.  They have no answers for her on that terrifying condition.  I got a few spoons of ice cream into her and that's it.  Tomorrow will be a better day.  But she has to go through this sedation again. 

 

As I watched her it was as if I was sitting at my mom's death bed all over again.  I know one day her tears and cries to help her will be her last as she gasps for air.  It was a very hard day for both of us.  And hopefully tomorrow will be better.  Even though a surgery and medication was the cause today, it doesn't stop my mind from storing the images of these episodes, and fear of the future.  I am very grateful she made it through the surgery, but feel overwhelmed by sadness.  How foolish is that?

 

I need to step back for a few days. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

 

*******************

Monkey Mona

But the dish for Fancy Feast Filet Mignon is missing!  I need them all before I can make a decision or I will continue to scatter pieces across the tray.  I do not care if you're busy.

 

 

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Change of plans of course

Greetings folks.  I got my Barrick charts today.  Wow.  So nice to have full size quality paper and print.  I plan to start one tonight.  If I can get the chocolate off my fingers. 

 

First off I want to thank everyone once again for support and concern and helpful suggestions.  There are several reasons we are staying here in this Steward facility, the first being Carole will not go out of town.  She has one son that works shifts and also volunteers (fireman).  He is lucky to catch a few hours sleep without interruption.  She has one sister (who is brilliant... well..  used to be) and one brother (obsessive personality is putting it mildly) and one brother in law.  To be alone a few hours away is very scary to her and with her health condition, does not want to be in a position that her son or we could not get to her if an emergency situation arose.  We are all only 15 minutes away here and that is comforting to her.  And us.  Dr. Sachdeva and Dr. Vallabh are very fine surgeons with excellent reputations that have treated family previously.  We are very lucky to have them both.  Her family doctor has been a Godsend to her and other family members for almost 40 years and treats us like his own family.  The mix ups and errors and rudeness are not as important as the people actually saving your life.  I found out that there is a nationwide shortage of Ativan!  It's not just the hospital, no one around here has any.  So I took her some of mine which they allowed.  The gallbladder removal is Wednesday, nothing tomorrow, because that surgeon is on vacation as we thought, but were told otherwise for days.  The process will be backward, gallbladder first, stones the next week, but that is what it must be.  Good.  She will have a week between anesthesias.  Hopefully the organ will not burst or disintegrate upon removal and that will go smoothly, and she will be monitored and dosed to wake from the surgery.  After the PCP, cardiologist, gastro, and pulmonary people said they are at a loss to understand the shortness of breath, I did my own research.  It seems a diseased/inflamed/enlarged gallbladder and complicated by blocked ducts can cause gastritis, which bloats the abdomen, puts pressure on the diaphragm, and can cause this.  It's the best I got!   Forums with other patients have shown this is common and many have claimed to develop breathing issues, not realizing it could be the gallbladder (or other abdominal issues).  She is hoping this is her case and the scary breathlessness will cease.  Dr. Vallabh said people Carole's age rarely have pain indicating there is a problem (she has NONE), but a younger person would.   Her antibiotics for the sepsis have created a real problem "digestively" and also a yeast infection in her mouth and throat.  But her fever is down and they are pleased.  So there you have it!   Wednesday is the surgery and we are praying all will go well and her heart can handle it.  I will update then, maybe even have a little stitching to show.

 

Thanks everyone.  Bless you all!

 

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Meeting of the minds

Monday.  Finally.  Two of the surgeons will get together and resolve the confusion of which surgery will be first and by whom.  The second will be the following day and none of us agree with this.  A high risk surgical patient should not be put under two days in a row.  One doctor said the gallbladder removal is not urgent, the other disagrees.  I want to know why she is so short of breath after the first bout with anesthesia.  Did the risk of weakening the heart already start?  We have no answers from anyone. Tuesday is the first surgery.  I have enough Ativan for a few days!  I may take a few of mine to the hospital and talk to the nurse.  They were ordered for Carole to help with the anxiety but of course, the hospital doesn't have any.  There is a large Rite Aid across the street and a Walgreens on the corner.  When my brother worked at the hospital he was always running to one of them to purchase medications.  Now, new owners, new rules.  So since they can't supply her I will ask if she can have one tomorrow since she is terribly upset.  What surprised me was when I kiddingly asked if we could bring our own drugs, the answer was yes.  They are scanned from the Rx bottle, taken to the hospital's pharmacy and dispensed as ordered.  The patient takes their meds back home when they leave.  I don't know if I mentioned that they also do not have Nexium which she needs at night so we took her bottle from home and she is now getting them. 

 

I came across more corner squares waiting to be attached and it was hard to throw them out. 

I also changed the Hannah Haines sampler bag to a stuffed small.  It did not sell as the pouch so maybe this will be more appealing.  Trying to keep busy and get things ready for a sale.

 

I will post surgery results Tuesday at some point, and hope all the prayers and wishes will be answered.

 

Thank you all.

 

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A few good things

I recently came across a few items that I'm happy to have found.  The first is the free color card of Farrow and Ball paint.  No where to purchase locally and quite pricey, but I've always wanted to see their colors.

http://us.farrow-ball.com/colour-card///fcp-product/700011

You can also order up to five wallpaper samples, which I hear is coming back into favor.  The color book fandeck of larger samples, all colors, is $35. 

 

The second goody is from Joanna Gaines Magnolia line of paints.  Her website offers a sample sheet of your chosen color for $2, that easily sticks and peels to all surfaces allowing you to check color on every wall at every light angle.  I love them.

https://shop.magnolia.com/collections/peel-stick

I do love the Shiplap shown here, kind of gray, kind of blah, not pure white.  A whitewash look that is light but not bright.

 

And my sister asked me to look for that sticky green stuff. ??  Of course she assumed I knew, I did not.  She said you knead it and then use a tiny piece on the bottom corners of framed items so they don't shift.  Any item really.  I know there are clear dots of adhesive in the paper craft section of the store, but I did find these.  She claims they have never marked her walls, and I can't say if they or those dots would.  But they work to keep displayed items straight.

 

 

Speaking of her, I went to the hospital this afternoon and straightened a few things out.  After nicely asking for her nurse, and why the leg sleeves were not hooked up to the pump, and why her antibiotics doses were 4 hours late, and why the woman in the next bed is taking over 3/4 of the room, and why there is no chair for her to sit, and why there is no room for the tray table, and why Carole was not given a walker, I decided that waiting over a half hour for this nurse was long enough.  We were there for six hours and still invisible. So I took my notebook and pen, walked to the hallway, and promptly wrote down the phone number of the nurse administrator from the large wall poster, making myself visible to all.  Before I was finished, someone tapped me on the shoulder and introduced herself.  A little out of breath so I'm assuming she came flying down that hall.  I totally understand that some patients need extra attention.  But a new patient should not be dumped in a room as she was for hours without her meds or a walker.  I got what she needed, I got her a new room, I got the medication list corrected, and as I was leaving the IV meds were being hooked to the pole, a full five hours late.  Will I comment to the administrator?  Yes, that our nurse was very busy, meds were late, but when she had the time she fulfilled the patient's needs.  How's that?

 

Carole's friend came to visit and we were talking about how she (Carole) always had cheese in the fridge and it was her favorite indulgence especially at night.  I made the comment that there is a good chance those stones are actually cheese balls.  First time she laughed in a while.  Then I came home and collapsed, ate half of a pizza, and decided to stay home all day on Sunday. 

 

Hope your weekend is a good one!

 

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The daily move

From ER to surgical ward, to ICU, to transitional, to telemetry.  She has been moved daily.  The last room was spacious, quiet, private, but the doctor feels she needs to be closely monitored.  Safer I guess, with what she has been through and her breathing difficulty.  Family doctor came in at 5 am and sat down with her for quite some time.  Explained to her the situation is very serious, there is a slight improvement in the sepsis, but she is a very sick gal.  Regardless, the stones must come out this coming week.  More anesthesia during sepsis?  I'm not a doctor, we trust them (except for the grapeless jackass).  Her breathing continues to worsen and her doc feels it is caused by the sepsis but he ordered Ativan, assuming anxiety is also playing a role.  With all of us having claustrophobia and watching our dad suffocate while an idiot pulmonologist ignored a pulmonary embolism, it's no wonder we panic watching someone gasp for air and especially experiencing it.

 

The sun is out this morning and it will be a beautiful day for a friend's son's wedding.  I haven't sat on the swing or rocker except for a few times, and summer is fading fast.  So I tried to sit and have a quiet morning with a cup of coffee and stayed not even five minutes.  Can't sit still.  I've stopped all projects, they can wait, and except for Carole will try to find some time to enjoy my favorite season which will be over in weeks.

 

 

 

I ordered a few small retired charts from Kathy Barrick's sale here, thought I might even stitch one!  Maybe.

 

Some of us prefer the shade.

 

As for my brother's bite, he is able to close the hand half way, still very painful.  The swelling in the forearm is still prominent and hard.  He was told last week that this could take up to six weeks to resolve, cat bites in the hand are worse and cause stiffness and mobility issues.

 

Thanks again for your support and prayers.

 

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Sorry - me again!

Nervous Mervous.  Me and Monkey Mona (brat Missy who is in here driving me nuts).  When I'm nervous I start many things at one time, make a mess, get upset because nothing is organized or completed, and then throw it all out.  In between the mess, I grab the laptop.  That's you.  Hiya.  One of the things I actually did accomplish was making a box to fit this sampler I plan to sell.  I have searched for weeks and there are no boxes long enough for it without being much too high and wide.  My Amazon shipment came in and I hacked away with glue and tape in hand.  Not pretty, but functional.

Carole is still in ICU and short of breath.  No fluid in her lungs, her heart is causing the problem.  A doctor came in and explained to her that she cannot leave because they are very concerned about the sepsis which is quite serious right now.  Two artificial knees are a huge concern and if they become infected, will need to be replaced.  They still act like anesthesia is not a big deal.

 

The doctor we were told was to perform the GB removal Monday, said he will do it after the stone removal.  The stone removal doctor is off for a week and said the GB will be removed first.  Dammit.  They are both top notch respected surgeons, happy with both, but what the hell???  I am very glad because she is in no condition to be put under for a second time within a few days.  Recovery from this episode is needed.  She has no idea what is going on other than an additional IV in the other arm, trying to get the sepsis under control.  If this does settle in those knees, I don't even want to think about it.  My concern is her breathlessness.

 

In the meantime, my doctor office calls and informs me I must be seen now because the DEXA scan was over the borderline and we must discuss which medication I want.  My hips are fine and the spine is right at the cutoff number between osteopenia and osteoporosis. I bluntly told her that we discussed this, I said from the beginning I will not take meds for this now, and she agreed to try diet if necessary.  Obviously I can't trust her word.  I am tired of being pushed with scare tactics into drugs I do not see the need for.  She's done this with other conditions. But if I want 30 Ativan pills once a year for times such as these, she wants counseling first. I think it's time to move on.

 

Hope your Friday is going swell.

Sorry for the multiple rambling posts.  But it helps.

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Another day

Carole is still in ICU (breathing problems) but will be moved back to her room later this morning.    Over five hours after the 30 minute surgery, nauseated, disoriented, difficulty breathing.  This morning, the anesthesiologist came in to see her and pointed his finger at her saying "this is YOUR problem, YOU are the problem, NOT me.  I did everything by the book and nothing wrong.  This is on YOU.  YOU are the problem."  And they are insisting she go through this again for surgery Monday.  If I was in her room at 6am, this man would be speaking in a higher octave because I would have plucked one of his grapes right off. 

 

I read online that very few cases of this GB removal have been done with local numbing and light sedation for patients at high risk.  I am contacting Cleveland Clinic and the Pittsburgh hospitals to see if anyone there can help.  This afternoon I will talk to the anes. department at the hospital also.  I know there is another doctor that is reasonable and kind, proceeds with the patients' concerns in mind, because I had him.  Then I will ask for the boss.  No excuse for a patient to be talked to like that.  I'm sure he did nothing wrong, other than not taking her concerns and comments about being drug sensitive seriously, but talking to her like that is inexcusable especially when she in no way confronted or blamed him.

 

She will get food for the first time in three days, the jaundice will recede, the sepsis is being treated, the antibiotics will continue.  She deserves a piece of Death by Chocolate zucchini bread which is in the oven right now, okayed by the staff.  Dinner tomorrow will be supplemented by her favorite kugel (low fat cottage cheese and no-yolk noodles).

 

Thank you so very much for the prayers and well wishes.

 

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An Ativan night

They put in a stent to open the duct, did not remove the large stones because of her Eliquis.  Cutting to remove anything could not be done because of the bleeding risk.  They want to remove the gall bladder Monday, and the following Monday go back in to take the stones from the duct.  All went well with the stent.  Until it came time to wake up.  She hasn't.  It's been hours.  She is now in ICU and we are waiting.  When you tell a doctor that she is drug sensitive so go easy, why don't they believe you?  Three hours after a 30 minute surgery and counting.

 

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Waiting

for doctors that were to see her early this morning, for nurses that are too busy to administer the Zofran so she can stop heaving, for the surgeon to explain why he has changed the anesthesia.

 

ERCP (a scoping method to enter the small intestine, locate the duct, and remove the stone blocking the duct) was scheduled for today under mild sedation.  Now they are putting her in the OR, not the procedure room, and using general anesthesia.  She is terrified of that because of her very low BP (88/50).  Whenever someone shows up to give her more info, she will ask to have the gall bladder removed instead of just the stone if she must be anesthetized.  I agree.  Why take the chance of needing the surgery months from now and going through this again.  So we are waiting ......

 

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I was right again

I told the doc this morning that I believe her problem is gall bladder, as I mentioned to him yesterday.  He said it could not be, there is no tenderness or pain.  Ta-Da!!  I was right again!!  Liver enzymes elevated ....  hmmm ... your sister may be right.  U/S proved it.  The surgeon will discuss her options since the duct is blocked by a stone and an infection is brewing.  She is terrified of anesthesia because of her weak heart, but she may have no choice.  My SIL waited too long and hers disintegrated upon removal and bile flooded, keeping her hospitalized and very very sick for weeks.  Carole is still lying in the ER without a room seven hours after arrival. 

 

This past spring Mark was doctoring for extreme pain along the side of his foot and I diagnosed it as an accessory navicular.  Doc said "stay off the internet!  Impossible at his age with no prior issue".  I insisted on an xray first but there were meds and injections instead because he assumed it was tendinitis.  After two months and an MRI which cost us $$$, I was right.  Doc could not believe that it never bothered him before and was shocked.  We're friends but even with his good sense of humor, I never mentioned it.  But I was biting my tongue hard enough to bleed.

 

Thank you all for your well wishes and prayers.  Except for two, everyone is no-reply so please accept my thanks here.

 

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Down that road again

After posting yesterday morning, I got a phone call from an old friend that lost her younger sister shortly after a devastating diagnosis.  During the conversation, someone kept calling over and over (I don't put friends on hold to take another call) so I told Beth I better check to see if there is a problem and ended our call.  It was Carole.  On her way to the hospital.  Was in the ER with her the majority of the day and took her home early evening with extra Lasix for CHF.  Again.  But they did not address the dry heaves and chills which stopped with Zofran.  I questioned that but she wanted to go home and said she was fine.  I was exhausted and fell into bed early even after a nap.  At 7am the phone is ringing and I just knew, the anxiety of those calls flooded back.  She is so out of breath after they worked on her that she slipped into a sleep and they rushed the oxygen on her.  This time she will stay and I suspect gall bladder again.  Surgery would be risky for her, even laparoscopic, but they do not know the diagnosis yet.  Blood panels were OK yesterday but chills and fever this morning.  They should have tested her yesterday for ALL symptoms.  Her son is there now and after working midnight shifts and not sleeping yesterday because of the ER, I told him to go home and I will be coming now.  It's 9am and I wonder how long it will be before they put her in a room.  They were not busy at all yesterday and the amount of time she and another patient in pain waited for answers is ridiculous.  Hopefully we will have a diagnosis soon.

 

Too tired to proofread, please excuse!

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