Monday December 30th 2024

Tweety, BSN, RN · Dec 30, 2024

Good morning.

Should be a peaceful quiet day. The roofing crew is out with the flu and probably won't be back until Thursday. The original project manager had the flu and was replaced and now the head crewman has the flu so they canceled today. So I have a roof that's in the works but nothing is going to happen until Thursday. I was hoping it would be done by then.

It rained big time yesterday. Heaviest rain in months. Coincidentally when my roof was exposed. Just my luck. But hopefully nothing happened or by Thursday if we don't have any rain it can dry up. We are a very humid place so drying out doesn't much.

Hopefully getting the storm store I ordered almost two months ago installed today soon. That was a cluster. Lets hope they get it right.

Working tomorrow an overtime shift because they needed a charge nurse and then Wednesday and Thursday on the floor. I'm overdue for a good shift both as a charge and on the floor.

Yes, it seems there is always a rapid response and I'm happy to have that team of support and I know step down and critical care beds are usually full, but they should better vet these patients before giving them to a nurse with 6:1 ratio. Even the rapid didn't want to move him off the floor because "his blood pressure was better" at 165/95. Even I know that one good blood pressure does not a stable patient make. I told the doctor I wanted him moved because he was too much for a nurse with 6:1 to monitor closely. The follow up blood pressure I got 30 minutes after the rapid nurse left was 200/90 and I moved him myself and I heard he never improved and went on a drip. The rapid nurse thanked me for getting him moved.

Anyway, I question my life choices. LOL

No Stars In My Eyes · Dec 30, 2024

Aaaaahhhh! A quiet house! ............................................................................If only it doesn't have to end when I bring Nannie back later this afternoon! I will have to leave to go get her a tad earlier, as I have to stop at the grocery store, because ya can't make sandwiches if ya don't have what is referred to here as "loaf-bread!" (as opposed to what kind of bread?) But we (*I*) don't use bread up as fast as when hubby was alive, and both loaves in the bread box were covered with mold. Kinda puts the kibosh on some 'easy' suppers, because sometimes Nannie only wants p'butter and banana sandwich, or ham and cheese, or grilled cheese sandwiches, or French Toast.

In a minute I will get up and get dressed, then wander around the house seeing what inspires me to start clearing up some of the messiness. I'll have about four hours before I have to leave.

Meanwhile, no more lolling in bed!

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Dec 30, 2024

Joe, glad you got to get together with your sister's family. Even if you don't have much in common, maintaining that connection is healthy. Says the person who hasn't called her brother or sister ... I *will* do that on NYE.

J22, that is cool and exciting that you saw an eagle. Twin A and I once went to watch when the wildlife rehab released an eagle back into the wild. It emerged from the carrier and flew away.

I need a "brain." Back in the day, my old company provided Franklin planners (remember those?) and that was a pretty good system for me. Now I find that half my brain is digital and the other half not... For instance, I used to have an address book with all my friends/relatives addresses and phone numbers. It was easy to sit down and address Christmas cards. Now, those addresses are willy-nilly maybe in my phone contact list, maybe not. Maybe in text messages with said friends, maybe not. Maybe still on paper somewhere, but where? I realize I could just purchase an address book, assuming they still make them, and fill it out.

I still like to have a paper calendar to look at to know what's going on this day/week/month, at least at work, but also rely on the Outlook calendar. And my phone's calendar.

TMB, that is really cold. I have experienced temps that low back in Indiana, but rarely and not for a long stretch at a time. The first year I lived there, I went to the mall one Saturday, and while it was cold, I wasn't aware just how cold. After I got home, someone from my church called to tell me the Sunday service was being canceled because of the extreme cold. I called "Time and Temp" and it was -27. I didn't go anywhere Sunday and when I went to drive to work Monday morning, the car wouldn't start. I guess it eventually did. I don't remember details beyond that.

dianah, I would hope your son will get some really good tips this week.

toomuchbaloney · Dec 30, 2024

AA I also did well with a planner. In that spirit, I use a physical calendar on my wall. A big one with big numbers and bright photos. I keep all of my addresses in my phones contact list. That transfers easily if I need to swap devices. Of course, Amazon knows my really important addresses.

The extended cold and dark of Interior Alaska winters is taking its toll as I age. It should be back to single digit above zero temps by next week again. Overall, this has been a relatively mild Winter so far.

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Dec 30, 2024

toomuchbaloney said:

Of course, Amazon knows my really important addresses.

🤣All too well!! 🤣

No Stars In My Eyes · Dec 31, 2024

Hullo~ It is a gray and dreary day, with wind tossing dead leaves everywhere like schools of fish all whirling together in water. Which caused Nannie to say, "G-o-o-o-o-o-d grief!

I woke up kinda late, even for me. But now we are dressed and fed, but I dunno what will be going on today. Wish I could just wander at will, but maybe one day it will not only be possible, but it will be 'normal' again. Yuh! I dream!

SiL said that Chatty CG WILL be here Thursday. And on Friday, SiL will bring Nannie over to the daycare center! w00t! I feel thrilled to have two more afternoons for myself.

I did get a bunch of stuff in the 'formal' living-room rearranged and ready to be distributed to the trailer at the side of the house to be deposited to the dump by BiL, and more stuff to go to the thrift store that supports battered women, and more things to go to the Humane Shelter for critters. I have so many things my friend sent me for Momo....but Momo will NOT wear any of the sweaters, and some of the toys are too big for her tiny little mouth to chew on, and since she NEVER goes outside to walk, I will donate several harnesses and leashes also.

Here's hoping and praying for a much, MUCH BETTER New Year for all of us.

No Stars In My Eyes · Dec 31, 2024

So far, in the last hour, I have had to get Nannie up to the bathroom SIX TIMES because she thinks she has to have a BM. But her mind and body are not working together on this. She sits on the toilet for maybe 3 minutes and says "I can't do anything." Back in her recliner AGAIN, and I give her 5 minutes before she will try to climb out of her chair to go to the bathroom to do NOTHING again. I've checked her manually, but feel nothing. I tell her to BEAR down on her rectum and she grunts once and then says, "No, nothing happening." BiL has turned off the water to the garden hose, so.....that wouldn't work, either! Oh well! and OH WELL, dammit! No enemas or suppositories here, more's the pity. They would not evoke any results, anyway. Small wonder I am tired of this caregiving. *sigh*

And to think I was bragging on her to SiL that she has pooped very well on her own, and with large poops that were so wide in their diameter that they would not flush AT ALL.! I had to plunge several times and flush several times to get it to go down, and it happened more than a few times this past week, that she had no need to be disimpacted. I just now took her for her 8th trip to the bathroom, and I had found a Fleet's mini-enema. but could not get her to sit on the toilet for even 5 more minutes to TRY to see if it helps. Checked her rectum again before I gave her the enema, only to feel more NOTHING up there. I fear that is the same for her brain, as well. I am waiting for her to try to get up for the ninth time. If I screech, it will be so loud that tmb could hear me all the way up in his dark, frozen tundra!

Sorry for this, but I have to vent to someone about what is going on. If I text SiL about it, she texts me back: "Bless."

nursej22, MSN, RN · Jan 1

I find many baking recipes to be overly sweet.

Tweety, I hope your roof gets fixed ASAP.

Annie, a hike sounds nice. Youngest ds and I are going to plunge into a local lake as per our annual tradition. Then, our immediate family is coming over for us to celebrate a late Christmas, due to eldest ds and DiL being out of town.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jan 1

wrong thread.

No Stars In My Eyes · Jan 1

Update......after all of that, including the mini-enema................absolutely NO results. But, I guess we got a lot of exercise in going back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth, x3. That is 9 (NINE, count'em@) trips to the bathroom. And all for naught.

Bedtime! YAY!