Today's update

We are at 1253% of normal for the water year. It just keeps going up. Cold front coming through on Father's Day. I am sitting here in shorts & cold legs; sandals & cold feet, but … I have a long sleeve shirt on over a t-shirt, so top part of me is not warm, but comfy. How weird is that … for June???

I have to admit I felt a certain amount of relief today for not going in to work. And … no more work on Sundays!!! w00t w00t

Nick's doctor appt. Mother asked me why I was taking Nick into the doctor for a stiff neck. I said Dr. Beckstead speaks Nick's language, I don't. I L<3VE Dr. Beckstead. He is the man! He reviewed Nick's meds. Encouraged him to keep taking the metformin (glucophage) for the insulin resistance because insulin resistance is going to turn into diabetes. He told us that Nick's last blood work showed the insulin levels worse than they have ever been. Dr. B told me when he called me the first time for Nick's insulin resistance that Nick's numbers were the worst he had seen in his entire practice. He also encouraged Nick to lose 1 lb. a week.

Nick explained the stiff neck & Dr. B said in a person his age it usually meant muscle stiffness. I said Nick wouldn't take the ibuprofen because he couldn't see what good it would do. Dr. B said it was admirable that Nick didn't want to take more pills, but ibuprofen was a good choice. However, with Nick's stomach problems, it would be a good idea to take ibuprofen with food (something new for me to file away for future reference).

I also told Nick later that metformin is supposed to help with weight loss. It helps the body absorb the insulin instead of resisting it. Don't know if he understood that, but Dr. B told Nick to listen to his mother, LOL.

Dr. Beckstead told us that Medicaid will pay for a gym membership. He didn't know much about it but he has had patients in the past bring in the paperwork for him to sign. He told me to look it up, I'm good with research. Probably remembering the times I have suggested meds for Nick or refused them. Nick's the one that is good with research, but I'm the one that has to call.

The comment about calling reminds me, I didn't call Citi to see who the chick on our Hardship Affidavit is, sigh.

Act of Service, Dec. 3

These are not random acts of kindness, these are acts of service. The turkey yesterday was not an act of service, in fact, I hope Clareen didn't think I was unappreciative of her act of service by bringing Mother food from the Community Pantry. I just thought if she hadn't been able to get a turkey for Shannon, she could give that one to Shannon.

My act of service today was cleaning up the blood on Mother's floor & "finding" her bed. She fell this morning, cracked a rib, bruised her arm from wrist to elbow & scraped her shin, again. I think this is the 4th time she's scraped her shin. It's always on the same place. The wound wasn't too bad today. Home Health used up a couple of the things we need to care for the wound. After our doctor appt., I went into the pharmacy & picked up some supplies. We can't use a band-aid on Mother's skin, it just tears & causes another wound. We have to have a whole arsenal of supplies.

Her monthly doctor's appt. with Dr. Beckstead was today, so that worked out good. I didn't have to make an extra appt. He said, "Now let's review. What could you have done different so this won't happen again?"

I said, with some asperity, "Ask for help."

Mother said with equal asperity, "There wasn't any body around to ask for help." Dr. Beckstead kind of laughed & wisely left it alone.

She was trying to get a Christmas tree skirt out of the little trunk in her bedroom & leaned on a TV tray to get up. It was, of course, not sturdy enough to hold her. It collapsed & she fell. She got herself up & out to the kitchen. She held a towel over the wound & applied pressure. We are making process. Don-Mike came home, saw what had happened & called me. He didn't have time to take care of it because he would be late for work.

I expect fussy babies, but it's hard to have a fussy mother. I don't know how to deal with it. I know she hurts & doesn't feel good, but I'm having a hard time with that "gracious" heart.

Mother needs more practice puttering

Today was a production day for the weekly newspaper I work for. Production days are hard. Some harder than others. One of the things I enjoy about my job is flexibility. What is it about Monday & Tuesday that brings on personal crises? The days I really can't be flexible.

Today was a typical Monday with not one crisis, not 2, but 3! Mail at our house tends to get buried. Is it any wonder we're always living on the edge financially? I picked up a stack of towels on the arm of a chair & found a final notice of a final Qwest bill! What???? Of course, it couldn't be taken care of over the weekend. And I couldn't get online. So, this morning I clocked out & went out & sat in the car to call. Forty-five minutes later I returned to work.

The second crisis came at 4:17. Don-Mike called to tell me Mother was having an episode. He was on his way back to work. I called Luana & asked her to check on Mother. She suggested I call Dr. Beckstead & see what he said. I really enjoy having Mother's doctor right here in town. I called, talked to his nurse, she said she'd talk to Dr. B & call me back. She did. He didn't seem too concerned, but said to watch her. He was on call tonight at the hospital if we needed to come in.

I decided Mother was having caffeine withdrawal. Don called while I was talking to Luana. So, I called Don back & asked him to go get Mother some Mt. Dew. I also asked him to bring me a refill of ... you guessed it ... Mt. Dew. Don brought my refill & while he was there, Nick called, angry & frustrated. He hung up on Don. Don jumped right up & tore out of the office like he was being pursued. Next, I received a phone call from Nick, which was incoherent & he hung up on ME. So, I took off. I did have the presence of mind to grab my street glasses, bag, clock out & lock the door after me. It was after 6 & I was there alone.

Don, knowing Nick was working on a car, was afraid the car had fallen on him. I, not knowing what he was doing, thought maybe he, or one of the cats, was hurt & bleeding. He was okay. Just frustrated & jumped to the conclusion that his dad would take forever.

At 8 o'clock, I decided to call it a day. Besides I've promised Kelly (publisher) & Rod (editor) that I will not stay later than 8.

I went directly over to Mother's. Luana was there. Mother had red all over her shirt. That gave me a jump start. I thought it was blood! No, she'd missed her mouth when she was eating some red jello that Luana had brought her. That concerns me. She missed her mouth.

The washer was going. I had heard her say something about washing Levis when I was talking to Luana earlier in the afternoon. I thought we'd talked her out of doing the laundry. I didn't want her up when she was weak on one side. Luana had started the washer. I love having Mother right next door to Luana.

Tomorrow is another day. Dr. Beckstead wants to see Mother in the morning.

The fine art of puttering

Mother had a checkup with her new primary care physician, Dr. Beckstead. He again reviewed her meds with her. He reviewed why she was in the hospital, congestive heart failure. He wants her to continue to take the 80 mg of lasix & not to work, but to putter. So, I asked him to define puttering, LOL.

He said puttering is a fine art. You have to work at it. He doesn't want her working. She's worked hard all her life, now it's time to putter. She can get up & walk out into the kitchen & get herself a Pepsi. Then he laughed & said maybe he shouldn't have said Pepsi. I said it was ok, Mt. Dew is Mother's drink of choice. OK, she can get up & go get her a Mt. Dew. She can walk around out side & sit in the swing for 15 minutes. But while she is wandering around outside, she is not to grab that hose she sees laying there & drag it around. If she sees the vacuum sitting out because someone forgot to put it away. Leave it there. That is a job for the boys.

He doesn't want her to do anything to make her breathe hard. Just putter. He was pleased that her ankles are down. They are not as swollen as they have been. He wants her to continue taking the 80 mg of lasix & see him in a month.