Friday October 28 2022

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 28, 2022

Good morning!

Joe, hope J feels up to seeing you.

Remember the old days when we put in a foley in practically every patient that was incontinent, bed bound or incontinent? Now the patients on my floor rarely have a foley but for urology surgeries and retention. I've never had one myself.

Yesterday wasn't too horrible at work. At the last second after case managers have left I had to get a patient home by ambulance which was annoying. I still left around. 8pm.

Just got a voice mall that someone wants to buy my home for cash. I'm tempted because its' a fixer upper at this point still. But prices are so high right now I couldn't afford to move if I wanted to.

Was looking at my budget and with only a few days left I might meet my grocery budget for the first time in a long time. Not sure why that would be with inflation. But I'm negative 100 dollars in my "miscellaneous spending" budget. Mostly because of my trip to NC and $120 yoga pass I bought. But I do have to scrutinize my spending. I've bought some coffee at coffee shops that I can trim, as well as some music and book spending. I really need to get a library card.

Off today. My former brother in law and his girlfriend are going to St. Augustine for the weekend and he's bringing over his dog for me to dog sit.

Have a great day!

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Oct 28, 2022

Good morning, all!

Joe, hope you're able to get together with J. Allergies have left me with a really sore throat today, wonder if sitting by the fire last night contributed. If so, it was worth it ?

Tweety, enjoy your weekend with an extra dog guest. Hope all goes well. I'm afraid to analyze our spending over the last couple of months but really must. The boys are going to Indianapolis next weekend so Twin B can get together with his high school band friends for the state finals at Lucas Oil Stadium. They're planning to stay with a friend, so the expense will be gas and food, maybe a motel room en route both ways. And my momma-heart worrying about them until they are safely home ?

I have another conference the first week in December, in Dunedin, Florida. Hubs is going to come along. A neighbor who works/worked at a local nursing home is going to stay with Gma during the days and Twin B says he can manage the night-time routine, even though this trip coincides with their birthday. I really wanted everyone to go but the cost just isn't feasible. Especially after paying stepson's bills and the attorney fees.

BIL was discharged from the hospital yesterday with his new ICD. Will stay with his daughter in Indiana until cleared to travel back to Florida in about 3 weeks.

Editorial Team / Admin · Oct 28, 2022

Good morning all!

Yesterday dh got a text from a friend who works at an assisted-living facility. We had recommended a friend's bluegrass band to play at the facility's harvest fair. The fair had just started and the band was playing! Dh stayed home to take care of the online jam, while I went over to listen. Had a great time hearing them play, and watching the fair's participants, and seeing who won the raffle prizes! I got a chance to visit with the band members too, which was nice. Hadn't seen them in a couple years! They sounded great (which is why we recommended them) - they are immensely talented and well-practiced! They sure know a lot of songs, they played for three hours!

So, I didn't sew the curtains yesterday. I may or may not sew them today, will see.

Only time I have had a foley is after heart valve repair surgery. It didn't bother me, and I barely felt when it was removed. I feel fortunate for that.

I used my elliptical last night, and hip bothered me during the night. It's OK this morning.

Wow, No Stars, so glad your dh is on his Librium taper!! Prayers continue!

Joe, good the vestry plans are going forward. It must be a relief to know all options have been examined and you are proceeding with the best one.

Hi nursej22, and all who come in later!

Have a good day!

No Stars In My Eyes · Oct 28, 2022

Hubby has been doing well on his Librium taper; the doctor went through a detox checklist and hubby did very well on that score. He is going to keep hubby on the 2 capsules as ordered. and then probably at hubby's Tuesday appt, he will cut the dose to 1 capsule TID for another week, and then he may come off the Librium altogether, and go back on the Xanax TID. So! Imagine that! After hearing about Matthew Perry's addictions and # of times in rehab, I am very glad hubby didn't go down the same road of alcoholism combined with Vicodin. Perry said he was taking 55 Vicodin per day, which makes one wonder why he is not dead already. I must say it is nice not to have to listen to hubby slurring and watching with held-breath while he traverses up and down stairs.

Hmmm. He just came into my room and didn't seem very happy that "the doc thinks that taking some Librium for a few weeks" will suffice for 'detox'. He said, "You take a man that's been drinking a fifth of Vodka a day for five years, you can't just give him some pills and expect him to be okay." (Truth be told it has been longer than five years he's been drinking that much, daily.) I told him that that's what AA meetings are for, to help give you support by others who've gone through the same or similar things. Guess I will look online for AA schedules in the area, because I don't see him looking it up for himself.

Budget-wise, I have stopped using my bank's credit card. I used it more than a few times to buy groceries, gas, and meds, plus Nannie's pads and pull-ups, and some stuff for myself (books, slippers, gifts and cards, etc.) Anyway, I read about a Discover card that you can get with zero interest until 2024; meaning if I transfer my balance, I can pay chunks of the debt off each month, faster and with less sweat and worry. But I have to wait a couple of weeks because I just used my bank's 'bonus points' worth $165.52 to pay down the card a little more, and once that goes through I can transfer the balance and cut up the bank's card. If I can get it paid off, I can switch back to the banks credit card, and escape whatever VARIABLE interest percentage they might switch me to when time's up on the no interest thing. What a financial whiz I am, huh? The real trick will be to NOT use either card, thereafter. Or if I must use it, to get the total paid off immediately after use.

Well, I had a pouch of tune and lemon/pepper for lunch. It is 1:35 PM, and hubby has gone back to bed from sheer boredom. I'd rather he stay bored than drink. Hope he can tolerate it! Meanwhile I'm signing off here for now and going on the hunt for AA mtgs.

No Stars In My Eyes · Oct 28, 2022

I did not eat a pouch of 'TUNE'. . .It was tuna. I guess y'all figured that out, huh?

I have never had a catheter, but I'd say that in my 40-yr-plus career I have inserted quite literally a thousand of them, at least! I started nursing in them-there 'olden days' when the foley cath was THE #1 treatment for anything bladder or kidney or age related.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 28, 2022

Stars, isn't it amazing how unique your husband is, in that he knows more about these things than a physician who has been in practice a while? In recovery we call that "terminal uniqueness". Chemical detox is relatively short, no need subbing one addiction for another. Looking at a life clean without chemicals can be a little daunting when you've been high for many years. This is probably why they tell us to focus on one day or even less at a time. It might be hard to get through life without sedatives but we can get through one day, the next hour or the next minute at least.

Brother in law's dog is here and seems a little relaxed. My Waffles has stolen her blanket. She's so skinny from a recent bought of colitis with explosive diarrhea but thankfully she's over that and on a special diet.

No Stars In My Eyes · Oct 28, 2022

Tweety, Glad your BiL's dog is over the explosive diarrhea! YIKES!

Had a moment of breath-holding a short while ago ... I went partway down the stairs to the den to wake Nannie up for lunch. She did not react or stir to me calling her name and saying "yoo-hoo" twice, a little louder each time. I watched her chest intensely and saw a small, shallow rise, twice, about 20 seconds apart. Hubby went to look and then he said he heard her snore twice. I can assume you know what *I* was thinking at first, because when you see someone who is SO VERY STILL .... Ahhh, well, 'tis not to be, on this day, I reckon.

nursej22, MSN, RN · Oct 28, 2022

Hi folks. I think my manager got an idea of what my work space is like. She stopped by this morning while I was trying to make phone calls while OCD coworker was taking nonstop, except to take a breathe. I finally got up and moved to a different office. She is popping her head in from time to time, but at least I feel like I can hear myself think. And I had a hour and a half Zoom call.
my routine bone scan showed osteopenia. Doc recommends weight bearing exercise (jogging counts) Vit D (just cut down but will resume) and calcium, which is in my multivitamin. And rescan in 3 years.
Annie, that sounds like a fun time at book club. And a fun trip.

Tweety, your experience with addiction is invaluable. I think too many people focus on the drug, and not the cause, such as trauma or a neurodivergent condition. Thank you for sharing.
NoStars, I hope the AA search is panning out.
Dianah, ugh, I hope your hip issues aren’t chronic. If you don’t mind sharing, would love to see pics of the curtains.

Joe, good to see that the vestry has settled on the building issue. For now. A problem in our area is getting a contractor.
it’s partly sunny today, I might pop out for a walk. My car is done, but I can’t pick it up until Monday. For our entire marriage it’s always been me who got vehicles to and from the shop, and finding my own transportation. I know if anyone but me asked dh for a lift, he’d bend over backward, but I’m on my own. Sigh.