monkey5s | Entries tagged with pedotm

One of the items on hold for me at the library today was a music CD I had requested they buy.

That had been in the collection since last November. Oops? I always check the catalog before I do a purchase request, apparently THIS time I had a typo that I didn't catch. Still, at least the other four CDs I requested were not in the system. Hopefully a couple of them will make the purchase list.

Called my bro tonight to see how the home health person was (they were supposed to stop by today). They did not, in fact, do so- but called and said they'd be there tomorrow at 2. My bro is sounding really depressed and tired, he's still working on the stress processing from the whole situation.

Tomorrow I need to get to the grocery. And I had better get up early to do so- I really don't want to compete with Easter Weekend Grocery Shoppers. Right now I'm trying to decide if I want to see about getting a haircut tomorrow. It's not quite to the 'assault myself with scissors' level of UGH, but it's gotten to the 'can't I clip it back on the sides? No, nothing will stay IN the hair to do that' phase. So a haircut tomorrow would be prudent.

I watched Magic in the Moonlight last night. I was sadly not amused. Possibly I am just done with romantic comedies, but it felt lame and boring.

And finally, Mr. Dash got an allergy shot yesterday because he's started ripping his fur out. Today he is still all grumpy and restless (in and out the door, repeat ad nauseam), not sure what's going on with him now. I saw him pulling at the long hair under his front leg, but that could be a burr tangled in there. The detangling combing I did yesterday got some twigs out of his belly fur, and he left a burr on my bed last weekend, so it's possible. I just hope he doesn't need more medical attention.

Crossposts: http://monkey5s.livejournal.com/556961.html

Yeah, that didn't work out so well. Maybe next month, it starts tomorrow, so anything's possible!

Today my bro was supposed to go to the Wound Clinic from the nursing home, for progress report on his leg sores and to see if the MRSA was gone yet. I knew it was a horribly early appointment time, s-i-l would have to pick him up at 7am to make it there on time. So I waited until after 4 to call her.

They were back at the nursing home. She asked if I wanted the day's good news or bad news first. I opted for the bad news. And it turns out insurance has decided that he's rehabbed enough for them, they stop paying for his nursing home as of today- it seems the MRSA is just not a big deal to them. The nursing home was horrified, they considered him about halfway to their physical therapy goal for him. Also, they said they have never had such short notice before from an insurer. And that they would protest, but they have never yet won a case with insurance companies.

So the bad news was both shocking and kind of horrifying.

The good news, such as it is, is that the Wound Clinic said his legs look much better (which... duh). But no, they weren't going to test for the MRSA, that's in the blood tests the nursing home was doing, and the results of the last one weren't back yet. Of course, this questionable "good" news was belayed by the fact that when they got there, the clinic had no record of them making the appointment. But they would ~~reluctantly~~ graciously fit them in. Uh huh.

And then someone was needing to talk to them there at the nursing home, so I hung up.

When I talked to my bro later this evening, he was clearly still in shock over losing his PT team so abruptly. Then I called my s-i-l, and she's still steamed at how things are going. Should be a horrible couple of days for them. Hope everyone survives intact.

Crossposts: http://monkey5s.livejournal.com/556437.html

Missed posting yesterday because I was feeling dull and tired and down. Also, I realized this had turned into Saga of Bro in Nursing Home, with not much about me, because there is really nothing going on with me. Hrm.

The Saga has evolved further.

Last night, the bro got a shower, and the attendant helped him wash down his legs, and get a good hard look at them. And what he saw was nearly-closed larger ulcerations, and fully closed smaller ones. Also, the attendant changed his bed completely, which he apparently thought the blankets and bedspread would not be replaced, so he was surprised and glad to have all-fresh linens.

Today was the big meeting between bro and s-i-l with the Head Nurse, the Head of Physical Therapy, and the social worker. And the hospital's original prognosis, that he would be in the nursing home for 6-8 months, was apparently based on the sores not healing well. But eleven days of care in a controlled setting (first hospital, then nursing home) has led to massively better blood sugar (hospital sent along prescription for 22 units of insulin daily, with another 2 or 4 as needed. His blood sugar has improved so much that they are not giving him the 22 AT ALL, and only give him the 2 or 4), and immensely healed sores.

Also, it seems nobody bothered to tell him that a large part of the nursing home stop was for rehabilitation. They let him know in this meeting that their goal was to have him functional on a walker, instead of needing the wheelchair. So they have been working him hard every day (except the weekends) with that in mind.

For the rest of it, it seems they will work on the consistency of care issues. But the new timetable is more likely he will be there only 5-6 weeks, with whatever recommendation for home care might follow. So he says he would rather stick it out there, since there is so much he appreciates.

Still not anything happening with me, though. I should work on that.

Crossposts: http://monkey5s.livejournal.com/555662.html

But I will persist.

Yesterday when I called my bro at the hospital there was no answer. No problem, probably in the bathroom. Half hour later, still no answer? Called my s-i-l on her cell. She answered in the truck, where she was hauling him to the nursing home. Through pea soup fog.

It was sudden, according to him. They had been trying to find a nursing home, the ones they had wanted so far were all full. So the hospital found him one. Yeah, that's right, everything rated "below average" and above were full. So he's in one with the lowest rating, where the rooms are doubles but no rooms have more than one person. S-i-l didn't know its rating or anything about it, but she said it looked clean and well-kept, and the staff were fast, friendly, and efficient. So we will keep fingers crossed. He's got 6-8 months, they figure, for the sores on his legs to heal completely.

I'm doing marginally better at getting my contact lenses out. Last night the right one came out on about the third try, like last time. And this time the left lens only took me about 20 minutes, and only one session of drops. The eye was red and ooky after that, but nowhere near as bad as the last time. So, progress, of a sort. Slow improvement is better than no improvement, right?

Crossposts: http://monkey5s.livejournal.com/554829.html

Because waiting until my day is getting done always seems to bleed into the next calendar day. THIS IS STILL MONDAY TO ME.

Not much happened today, I was slow-moving, everything took forever to accomplish (I'm talking getting washed up and dressed, getting breakfast made, that sort of 'everything'). But it was fine, I had no appointments, no demands on my time today.

When I talked to my bro in the hospital, he was kind of down- both their first and second choices for nursing homes rejected him- they're full. Not sure what will happen now, he didn't know when they expected to move him, anyway. He was less than thrilled that they implanted an IV port in him this morning, but they kept having trouble getting IVs to stay in him. Still nothing I can do to help.

Temperature was in the upper 40's today, and sure enough, I saw a teen strolling past the house today wearing shorts and a t-shirt, just casual, man. Despite the younger brother (dressed more for the weather) who stopped and made a snowball from the still copious snow on the ground (missed him, anyway). Where the snow is gone from the ground it's all soggy muck, and we are warned of rains this weekend so there will no doubt be flood warnings. Festive!

Crossposts: http://monkey5s.livejournal.com/554625.html

Oh yeah, Daylight Savings Time started today. Well, I haven't been to bed yet, so I declare this is still officially Sunday.

Today was my birthday. It was an OK day, for me. Which means that I feel like I handled the bad things fairly efficiently, with a minimum of fussing. And less swearing than usual. AR AR AR!

I also decided to treat myself to dinner at the Mexican restaurant in town, instead of staying home by myself and feeling glum. I posted on FB and asked if anyone wanted to join me, but since I only decided three hours before I was planning to go, I didn't expect anyone to show up. But when I got there, there WAS one person waiting for me! So that was a delightful surprise! We spent a long time visiting, since the place wasn't crowded.

Then when I got home there was a voicemail from another friend who now lives far enough away, and whose life is so frantically busy, that we just never manage to connect. I called her back and we had a good hour-long talk.

So I survived another birthday! Yay! And how is everyone else this early March?

Crossposts: http://monkey5s.livejournal.com/554410.html

One of the bigger problems I have with using the walker is that I can't easily get my food from the counter to the table. I've looked online for small wheeled kitchen carts, but haven't found anything that would work with the (small) size limitations in my kitchen. So I balance the bowl (tend not to even TRY moving a large plate, guaranteed spillage) on one handle of the walker and brace it with fingers/thumb that I can spare from actually moving the walker.

This morning the thing I dread happened- just as I was nearing the table, the edge of the bowl slipped out of my grasp and fell. It landed at an angle against the fabric bag that holds the magazines I haven't yet looked at, so the bowl didn't break. And, trying to stay on the bright side, I did not have all the cut up fruit fall out. Only most of it.

For the record, the apple chunks bounced the farthest, the orange chunks were the messiest, but it was the kiwi fruit pieces that were the most difficult to pick up. I was very sad to have to throw out all that beautiful fruit.

Then, when I called my bro at the hospital in the afternoon, he told me he hadn't had breakfast or lunch that day, "I just wasn't hungry." I asked if anybody there had had the talk with him about how important it was, as a diabetic, to eat on a regular schedule to help control his blood sugar? "They said I need lots of protein to heal my legs, yeah. Buuut..." So frustrating.

Really nothing else went on today, feel tired and creaky and lonely. The temperature outside got above freezing today, but there is still plenty of snow on the ground. And it feels like spring is just not going to come.

Crossposts: http://monkey5s.livejournal.com/554134.html

Missed posting yesterday, just too much ugh happening. The s-i-l called me in early afternoon, to tell me they were at the ER, because she finally got a home health care nurse in to look at the bro's open sores on his legs, which she has been treating, unsuccessfully, as per instruction from the Wound Clinic, for months. The nurse unwrapped his legs and said "hospital".

They finally got him into a room in the hospital proper in the evening. Then they realized he has a history of heart trouble, so they had to move him to a room on the heart monitor floor, which happened at 2:30 am. I just talked to him on the phone, and he's all depressed because there was a doctor in to talk to him, telling him he will be going to a nursing home from the hospital to get his legs actually healed, which will be 6-8 months. Which, I had to admit it sucked, but I really think it would suck a lot more if he lost his legs.

Then my own aggravation was opening the mail today. First, it appears I was possibly affected by the Anthem Insurance hack- because they believe it started the month before I took my retirement (and left that insurance behind). AWESOME, huh?

Second hit from the mail was the letter from the vascular surgeon place to give me the print copy of the arrangements I made for my followup. The appointment with the doctor was fine, but the test that was scheduled two weeks ahead of it? I could have sworn I scheduled it at the nearest hospital. This sheet shows otherwise. So I have to call Monday and see what's going on there.

So. My frustrations are minor, yet still irritating. I feel bad for the bro, but I have to admit it's a relief to know he's where he can receive actual help. And life keeps spinning along.

Crossposts: http://monkey5s.livejournal.com/553954.html

Today I went to the optometrist's office in the small city due east of us (he was booked solid at my usual office). It was fairly hilarious- turns out they are immediately beside a license agency for the BMV. I could have waited until today to do my renewals- because they are so low traffic that there was clearly nobody there except one clerk. AR AR AR!

The optometrist checked my contacts, and went ahead and had me get 3 months' worth, at which point he wants to see me again. Cool! Except that the cost of the 3 months' worth was... really more than I can, in good conscience, continue. But, the money is spent for now, so I will try to enjoy my time. Of course, then tonight it took me nearly 45 minutes to get the pesky things OUT of my eyes. Which was immensely frustrating (and my eyes are so very unhappy with me now). So, still a work in progress.

Then I went to lunch with three former coworkers, one of whom lives in that town. I had a blighted lunch this time. Two ordered salads, which were huge and gorgeous. I ordered what looked like a terrific chicken sandwich, and decided to try the cole slaw as my side. The fourth person, a vegetarian, ordered a veggie burger that she enjoyed with fries. My sandwich was OK, though the bun was so heavily oiled I needed several more napkins. But the cole slaw was the worst I have ever had. I think they put the cabbage through a food processor, but instead of chopping, it was in too long and was sort of... pureed. Then they added a miserably sugary dressing. SO my lunch was not very good (and I got broccoli soup at Tim Horton's on the way home). Still, it was a nice visit with everybody.

The worst part about the restaurant was not their fault. They are on the main street, in a block of mostly small storefronts. There is parking streetside, and there were a couple of places almost right in front of it. But there was also about 8" of uneven, partially frozen slush and snow built up curbside. With standing water in puddles on it, from the heavy rain yesterday. So I parked all the way down the block, directly past the official crosswalk, which was cleared and salted, with a ramp. There was a woman trying to shovel out in front of a store I walked past, she said they all got so frustrated because they would work to make sure there were paths cut through the snowbank into the street, and then the city would come along and plow again. Small business owners = not for the faint of heart.

Crossposts: http://monkey5s.livejournal.com/553509.html

Terrible weather, rain and sleet on top of the built-up snow, with rain heavy around noon. I had planned to go down to the BMV's license agency in the next town south to do my vehicle registration renewal and driver's license renewal, then stop for groceries at the supermarket on the way home.

I finally did make it out to the BMV. I knew it would be best to get that over with, even though I had no intention of stopping for groceries in this weather.

And, for the record, I had the best/most irritating visit to the BMV EVAR. They are super low-tech, there's a basket up at the counter with hand-written numbers on pieces of paper, for you to take when you come in. I walked in, noted that there were only three people there, and took my number. I turned around to choose a seat and got my coat off, and my number was called! WOOT!

Except, when I reached for my wallet to get out my driver's license, it was not in my coat pocket. Hm. Did I put it into my walker bag? I know I left the house with it, and I remember taking it out of my coat pocket to put on the seat belt... Oh. Well. Um, I will have to gimp back out to the car and get it. "No problem!" she chirped. "You don't have to wait again, just come to my desk when you get back!"

So I clomped out through the puddles and slush, only to realize, when I got to the car, that I did not have my key. This is the key that I used to lock the car when I got out at the BMV, so I know I had it in the building. And, that's right, when I was painfully getting back up from the chair at her station, I heard a 'thunk!' as I picked up my coat to put it back on. I had glanced at the floor and didn't see anything, though. But as I clomped my way back to the building to see if my key was somewhere else, a man coming out asked if I had lost one. Seems it had bounced under the desk to where the clerk was sitting (who knew Mazda keys were so talented?!). The man went back in and retrieved it, to save me having to make the rest of the trip.

So. Yeah. FINALLY I got myself squared away, and got the documentation. And this time, my photo for my license looks more like a PSA on the evils of drug use, like, "Kids, don't do drugs or you could end up like this weirdo!" Which was an improvement over the photo four years ago, which was pure "escapee from the women's penitentiary." Also, as I was leaving, I realized that there were now about 20 people waiting. So, GREAT timing for me!

Now if it dries out EVER, I can get the stickers on my license plate and be all done for another year. And, as a bonus, I wore my trial contact lenses and DID pass the vision test (they're multifocal, and the reading vision on the left eye is still adjusting).

So yeah. Good day with a comedy of errors. And crappy weather.

Crossposts: http://monkey5s.livejournal.com/553304.html

Kind of a cranky day for me, sort of a hangover from yesterday.

Good: I got my online bills paid. I started another book, which is going quickly.

Not so good: Only made it out to the bank, did not stop at the post office.

The kid who showed up to give me $7-worth of snow shoveling Sunday just pushed one blade's-width of a path out to the driveway. Which is about 2" too narrow for my walker. AR AR AR! Also, I was ouchy enough when I got into the car this afternoon that I let it run for 15 minutes to see if the snow on the windshield would melt enough for the wipers to dislodge it. The rest of the car had been in warm sunshine long enough to melt off all other snow. Sadly, the snow was too thick, so I did have to haul myself back out and use the scraper.

I tried using wet hands with a little oil on them on Corrigan, to see if I could get some of his shedding fur off him. It worked well, but he did want to wash himself some, afterwards. Unfortunately, then he went to cuddle with his mommy, and Chloe spent a LOT of time washing him (must get the oil off him!!). So I expect I managed to give Chloe hairballs. I've brushed Chloe and Bright Eyes, to see if I can fight their dry skin by stimulating their natural oils, but we'll see. Dash is the one really suffering- it's like his spring shed is related to the increasing sunlight, yet we are still having record-setting low temperatures, and he is still trying his best to spend as much time outdoors as possible. I have tried brushing him, but his fur is so long it doesn't do much except clump worse from the static. As it is, he gets mats under his chin pretty much an hour after I've removed the last batch. He's itchy, too, and trying to wash. So, yeah, his fur is well represented in the hairballs gallery of my house.

And, tomorrow (later today, really) we are going to have freezing rain and sleet, then snow, followed by more snow Wednesday and below-zero temperatures again Wednesday night, maybe Thursday. I will be really cranky if it's still snowing and sub-zero by the equinox!