The low down on the lows

Hi.  First, the Tweet Hearts can be found in Blackbird Designs book, For My Friend.  The blue I used was DMC 926 and the wing GAST Sable.

More info about the nephew.

It would take several pages to explain fully.  My nephew has a pump along with a sensor.  He works shifts so although they set the insulin infusion rate, there are obviously times when he is working and not getting enough, sleeping and getting too much.  He adjusts and suspends as needed.  The Tegaderm and glues that he uses to keep the sensor secure to his body do not hold well enough when he perspires.  But even when they do and the alarm sounds, if he is sleeping he does not hear it nor always feel the vibration.  There is no setting to increase the volume. The sensor reading is somewhat delayed and by the time it registers 75 to set off the alarm, he is far lower than that.  It happens rapidly. But even when admitted to the hospital to follow his ups and downs, they could not explain the sudden and severe drops.  Many times the alarm will go off and he is already unable to process his thoughts and react.  The low glucose affects the brain.  This is why he is difficult to handle when trying to administer a remedy.  He also has to deal with ADD and flits from one thing to another, is always in high gear, and that speed prevents him from getting everything being said.  This is why I attend any important meetings with the pump people for changes.  Patience and diligence are difficult and both are necessary to monitor your numbers and swings throughout the entire day, every day.  The newest pump is very sophisticated and would help tremendously, but the contract for his current model is until 2019.  I am trying to get an upgrade outside of his insurance and pay the difference, so far, no answers.  Buying outright is over 10 grand.  To make things even more complicated, for the sixth time, the endocrinologist here that understands the pump, is leaving.  He will need to start over again and drive 45 minutes to a new doctor.  There will be no one locally he can see when he needs help and adjustments, like now.  Many times the disease progression causes these weeks of hell and it takes a while for the doctor to find the right mix for the unit.  He can go for months without incident, then it starts again.  We're hoping that the new doctor will be more of a help and also be sympathetic to his issues.  Until then, his glucose tablets, gels, orange juice containers, and candy will stay on his night stand, but usually he is already too far gone to understand what is happening.  If he happens to awaken during his sleep and is rational, he will drink a box of juice before falling back to sleep.  Eating something sugary or high carb before sleep works for a while, but causes the rapid drop a few hours later.

Until two years ago he was living with his girlfriend and she was wonderful, but they are no longer together.  With Carole's financial situation and also her fears about her heart condition, she wants him to live upstairs.  It's also too scary for him to be alone, he would have been lost years ago.  Since he does all the yard work and maintenance any way, he agreed to stay.

 

We just came back from there, Carole requested we get her a piece of pizza, the first food she has felt like eating in a week.  To me, she looked a little better than yesterday, but oh my that cough is sickening.  She can't lie down at all even with a wedge, the cough is incessant and she has trouble breathing.  So she hasn't really had any rest and is trying to sleep upright.  It's comical, but I made a wide nylon strap with buckle to hold her upright in a chair during her heart issues.  It fits around the chair and across her chest, and that's how she slept since lying down had her gasping for air.  She used a U-shaped travel pillow backward to hold her head up.  So I told her to buckle up buttercup.  It helped before and I'm sure it will now.  It's a sight!  I'm hoping the lack of air is all congestion and not the heart again causing fluid in the lungs.

 

To those of you that celebrate Easter have a wonderful and blessed Sunday.

 

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What a week

It started Monday and continued, she is home but no better, and her son has had three close calls with his sugar.  Totally incoherent once (they become very combative), another time even worse and already clenching, third time not as bad.   She calls us first because Mark can usually fight with him and get the glucose into him, sometimes not.  After the tablets, 2 mugs of orange juice, 1 mug of milk, peanut butter/jelly sandwich, he was only 48 a half hour later.  The EMT's took him to the hospital and we picked him up at 2am. He will not survive when Carole is gone because this happens when he sleeps and without someone there to make sure he wakes, he will slip away.  Hopefully Friday will be a quiet day for us and things will settle down.  I know Carole will eventually show improvement but this flu is the worst I have seen.  BTW, Emily apologized to Chris.

 

I finished the Tweets,

 

added a button on the back to wrap a ribbon, or not.

 

 

 

I think she will like them.  I do.  But until I settle down and stop eating all this damn chocolate, I do not feel like stitching. 

 

Hope your week was a good one.

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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Skittish finish

Greetings stitching buds.  Hope all is well with you and yours. 

 

We had a long day yesterday starting early with Mark's xray and MRI and going right into Carole.  She is home after breathing treatments and xrays along with more meds and steroids, will get results today.

 

So I finished the tweeters and now it's time for sewing.  If you notice a slight difference in blue bird, I removed his wing and stitched it again with GAST for a little more interest.  Since the wing appears to be angled, I stitched diagonally thinking the variation would follow that line and look like feathers, didn't happen.  But it does look better.

 

 

I am just as reckless completing a finish as stitching it.  But because this is sewn so close to the design, I'm nervous!  After fusing the interfacing which helps a great deal if sewing needs to be repositioned, and having a template, this should be a piece of cake.  Damn.  Cake.  Anyway, I held it to the light for centering and it looks good, I outlined with the Frixion, and I will slowly run the machine a tiny bit outside that line, just in case. 

 

I really enjoyed this very quick and easy stitch, can't wait to do a set for myself.  I do like them on the Belfast Flax, but will do a floss toss on the yellow and putty first.

 

Have a great day.  Thanks for the prayers for my sister.

 

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Bird two

Just a few more stitches and I can sew the hearts.  Not planning to fill the bottom area with the satin stitches, I don't think it's necessary.

Made a sweet potato casserole for Carole.  Recipe here with a note - you don't need that much brown sugar or butter since the Ritz sleeves are smaller than they used to be.  As much as she loves this, she just doesn't feel like eating. The cough and head are no better. She is just so sick and Mark is accompanying me while taking her to the doc this afternoon. She is weak, low BP, and lightheaded, better for him to support her since my shoulder is useless.  Boy we've become a sorry lot.  We have appts every day this week.  What happened to the once yearly visit?  I hope there is something he can do for her without a hospital admission.

 

We have warmer temps in store with rain rain rain and then it will rain. The deer have ruined the lawn and their feeding area is almost impossible to walk on.  We'll try to find a few boards to lay on the ground for us to walk on.  Meanwhile, the Nit is on the prowl.  Sun is out, it's warming, let me out of this house!

 

Between trying to pick a house color, making decisions on the interior, Carole's illness, I have gained 8 pounds.  It's amazing how that happens so quickly.  My fault entirely.

 

Have a good week.

 

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Bird one

Changed the pink to blue, used Belfast Flax.  I tried the other linen colors but didn't have the patience to change all thread colors to those that would be appropriate.  I am meeting with an old friend that I lost touch with when I became Mom's caregiver.  She co-owned the only needlework shop we had here decades ago.  These birds along with a velvet berry would be a nice gift and I decided to use the lighter linen and follow the chart colors (except for the bird). 

 

 

Hope you're enjoying the weekend.

 

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These will be so tweet!

Hi everyone.  Received my gift of BBD and started pulling fabric for the Tweet hearts.  I would love to do a few in different colors, change a bird to a blackbird and another to a cardinal.  Instead of the 32 count which is too bulky with two threads and too skimpy with one, I chose 30.  During this task, a closer look revealed two 13 x 17 pieces that are clearly marked 32 count, and are in fact, 28.  Not happy and it's too late to return.  From now on I will check very closely because this has happened before, but seriously doubt any future orders will be placed since I have plenty of linen and colors.  These are my choices for a Tweety quartet.

 

 

But you know that I may will can probably undoubtedly change my mind, don't you?

This is my first inside look of a BBD book and they do a wonderful job of photos and instructions.  Very nice. 

 

For those interested in the Day Clock, it is here, available in several frame colors.  And I received a note from Martha about cold brew coffee, she helped a lot!  I was following several major online food sites for instructions, no one told me that there are filters you can purchase to make it easier.  So thank you very much Martha!  Here's a few options, also Amazon.

A long filter to use in a 2 quart mason jar here.

A very fine mesh bag to hold the grounds here.

And a different method, also to use with a mason jar here.

Cold brew is less acidic, concentrated, sweeter.  You can add boiling water to the brew for a hot cup, or ice for cold.  Another tip I received from Lenore is to make ice cubes from coffee to prevent diluting the drink.  Mine is sweetened with cream added.  I have the flavored syrups (Torani) in vanilla and hazelnut but prefer plain.

The amount of water to coffee varies depending on individual tastes, but having a pitcher of concentrate for an anytime treat is very appealing.  Must be kept in the fridge and I prefer glass so until I find a nice container, the mason jar will work.

The snow and ice yesterday is probably the reason we saw a young doe with a broken front leg today.  She was fine two days ago. 
 

Have a great end to your week folks.

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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