Monday January 30 2023

[Joe NightingMale, MSN, RN]

Tweety that's pretty outrageous that they're raising your car insurance so much

Stars here's hoping you don't have to deal with a lot of rain on the way there,  glad you're sticking with your plan

Ado I understand that feeling.  Have considered a book club at the library but not sure if I have the time or interested

NJ22 that is pretty cold

Yesterday was pretty busy in the morning, an earlier church service followed by the  annual meeting and potluck.  Glad to see a bunch of newer members there and sat with one of them.  

Afterwards stopped at a store and at Goodwill to drop off some clothes.  Then did the cooking, made spahgetti and meatballs for the first time in quite a long time

Was pretty tired, sleep was disturbed the previous night for some reason.  Decided to skip exercise and go to bed a bit early, slept fine last night

Hoping for a relatively sane work week today and for the rest of this week.  Going to work on planning some more days off

Will be only around 13 today, think it will get down to -1.   Will generally will be pretty cold all week

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Good morning!

Stars, if the "family night" is a social event I would skip it.  But if there are group or couple's counseling sessions, I would advise you to try to make those.  You will be able to present how his drinking affects you and get some things off your chest and get some help for yourself, and hold him accountable.  No telling what he'll say if you're not there to confront him.  This would also let him know that while you're stressed and angry, he's still your husband and you are 100% there for him if he's sober.  I know you'll be glad when he's there and settled.  

I took a sleeping pill last night.  Seemed a bit anxious for no good reason and hard a hard time settling down.  It did the trick and I slept in later than I normally would even though the dogs rustled about at 6Am their feeding time.  I think they understand when daddy's not getting up and settle down but they have to try.

I've cleaned the bathrooms and got that chore out of the way.  

Haven't heard from my insurance agent about auto insurance, but it's only 9AM so I won't stress about it.  

I never made the bean burgers I was going to make yesterday and am going to make them now.  I think they are a healthier option than the store bought processed ones, and much cheaper.

My washer keeps shaking violently with every load the last month or so.  I need to have that looked at.  It's always something.

Have a great day.

 

[Ado Annie, ASN, RN]

Joe, I guess I can't complain about our cold weather if you're down to -1. It's currently about 22 and there is ice falling from the sky. 

Tweety, I'd probably like bean burgers. Hubs and the boys would not be satisfied, though. It *is* always something, isn't it?

I did go out to book club last night and was entirely frustrated with my GPS (I use Google Maps). I looked in the afternoon and saw the expected route, and an estimated drive time of 46 minutes. Perfect. Then when I actually left, it was showing me taking a state highway west first and then north, with a total drive time of 1 hr 10 minutes. Said it was the fastest route based on traffic conditions. But I figured I knew better and headed up the interstate. When I exited the interstate to get on the loop, I checked it again and there was no map, no nothing. So I pulled up the address again it was directing me onto city streets and ... yet another 30 minutes to get there. It made no sense but I was cold (the car is not heating up for some reason) and late and frustrated. Somehow, the "avoid highways" button had been checked. Probably me fumbling with the phone but it seems it would be hard to get there. I couldn't do it if I were *trying* to. 

It was good to see everyone; I consider them friends. Several of them I worked with at the university hospital. I started meeting with them in 2015 so there's some history. Most are quite a bit younger than I, but not all. So I was glad I went. And I get to choose the book for this month (and the meeting place -- I can pick something closer to where *I* live!).

I mentioned to Hubs the other day that the airbag light is on in that car and the car isn't getting warm. He said, "Well, what do you want *me* to do about it?". Um, fix it. ?

 

[No Stars In My Eyes]

Ho-ho-ho, another day in which hubby (again) broke his glasses. He was sleeping in his recliner last night and said he slept really well, but, y'know he came upstairs and  woke me up at 4:45 AM, 8 AM and 10:30 AM. "Do you think I could take another: Xanax, or Gas-X?" It seems he wanted to take SOME kind of pill every couple of hours or so, to make his stomach feel better, and help him sleep. I am frustrated with this aspect. He's going to have a rough detox because of all those PRN's he helps himself to at home,  but I ain't sayin' anything like that to him! Let THEM handle his pitiful self. 

He wrassled a lot last night with the large comforter from his bed, which he said was too big for the recliner, then too hot, or too cold, and somehow his glasses got tangled up in it....and when he was looking for the glasses, he found one broken ear-piece and flung it across the floor. If he's not losing his smartphone, he's losing his glasses, his keys, or his 'coozie' (holds soda-bottle to keep the drink cold.) I'd like to rig him up with one of those fisherman's vests that have lots of pockets and make sure all the pockets can seal-in the contents securely. 

 I stopped by JCPenney's and Belk's to look for a 2XL black hoodie with a zipper that goes all the way down on the front (not a pull-over hoodie).  I'd purchased a cheapo one at WalMart but the zipper is defective. I got him another t-shirt  (he only wants T's with a front pocket!) and a good-looking, sturdy nylon zip-up coat minus a hood. $78 worth of stuff for $32, not  bad discounts. Can't get his sweat-pants until he can try them on.

 I went to the eye-glasses place and they placed a temporary ear-piece on his glasses and had to order a whole new pair, lens's and all, because he also had a big scratch on one of the lenses. Pretty good discount given for them, though....only $70 for the whole shebang. I gave her my phone number so when they come in, she can call me. I am HOPING hubby will be in rehab by the time the new glasses arrive at their office.

He is still wanting to go to rehab but is also being drag-footed ( so to speak;  but not in 6" high heels!) about the getting-ready processes. Pain in the patoot!

Yeah, Tweety, I believe they do have family counseling as well as other things. But I'm not going there ANY evening to be social and mingle. If I can arrange any counseling sessions for early to mid-day, I'll go; I know it is a valuable part of the treatment.

I swear to you that Charlotte is a hideous city to drive in even in broad daylight with written or GPS directions. People used to say Boston streets were bad because they all "started out as cow-trails", but I knew the Subway system and did not have a car when I lived there.  And Nashville is like a big wheel  with many spokes. Asheville wasn't so hard for me because 9 years of week-end Home Health visits covering 4 -5 counties made the road system quite familiar to me. But even where we live now (NE of Charlotte) once it is dark, NOTHING looks familiar even on the routine routes I take, and it is too easy to get lost when you think you are confident enough that you know the short-cuts!  I don't!  Oh well, Live and Learn.

The other 'inmates' here are eating their suppers...hubby is having leftovers of the beef stew and flaky biscuits; Nannie is having Baked-stuffed Potato with ham chunks I mixed into it; an easy 9 minutes in the microwave. I had a 6" Subway club-sandwich for lunch and saved half of it for supper. I'll have a banana and a big glass of ICE COLD milk for a bedtime snack. I drink it all, even after the ice cubes have melted, so I am actually getting additional water. (patting myself on the back ?.)

I saw a 'bonded' dog and cat that need adopting together, and I would SO like to get them, but it would involve a lot of driving (they are somewhere in Kentucky) and we can't really have any pets right now. But the 2 yr old big grey cat is rubbing all over the 6 year old dog, who is really lovin' the affection! GOSH!  I need to stop looking at the dogs and cats wanting to be adopted!

All for now---

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

NoStars, you are making slow but steady progress. I hear ya about driving in the dark in unfamiliar places. Perhaps they'll have Zoom meetings you can call into. Yup, your hubby has grown dependent things that will keep him from feeling. 

It was cold this morning, 22, and yet I went for a run anyway. Then I tried to call the doc's office to confirm my appointment and my face was froze and they had trouble understanding me, LOL. I doubt I would have run had it been -1. But yes, indeed, I did have an appointment so dh and I drove down. I was a bit of a brat at the office because the tech is rather arrogant, as if I couldn't possibly understand how a pacer works. Wrong. My masters degree in in cardiovascular nursing and I spent a semester doing clinical with a pacer nurse, LOL. So when she tried to place the doohickey over my pacer to hook up with the machine she kept waving it over the left side of my chest. After about 5 tries she asked me if my pacer was on the left. Uh no, it's on the right. Says so in my chart. Same side that I told her a week ago. We stopped for lunch afterward. I found a cafe on the map app, and it turned out to be a little swankier that we expected, but tasty. dh had fish and chips, made with fresh cod, and I had fettuccine with asparagus. Nom. I am grateful that I don't have to go back until the end of March. Youngest ds had a job interview today for a school bus driver and I hope it works out.

Now, I have a tremendous headache, so I have 2 Tylenol and 2 advil on board. 

 

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Stars, I'm pretty sure they don't have social activities in rehab that families attend.  They do have activities for the patients I think.  I remember playing volleyball since I was in a group with youngsters.  They do have family visitation days.  I visited my sister when she was in rehab and we just hung out.  Your husband is used to medicating.  Not sure what they do in rehabs these days especially with people on benzos and sleeping pills.  Years ago when I was there after detox there was nothing.  Can't sleep?  Too bad.  But as I said I was in with the younger group.    

Ado, glad you made it to book club.  I use Google for my GPS on my phone and it's usually pretty good, but my nieces house in a small town in the county north of here always gives me a problem.

Stars, hope your headache is better.  

My veggie burgers were a bust.  I'm pretty sure there was a misprint in the amount of lemon use in the recipe.  It called for 1/2 a cup and that ruined it and I threw it all away and went to the grocery store for a ready-made meal as I ran out of time.

Good news!  I heard from the insurance agent and she found me a policy that is...get this...$625 less for six months than my current carrier.  Crazy.

 

[dianah, ASN]

I saw this and thought of you, No Stars -- and actually, I thought (ahem!) of a few of us:

[Ado Annie, ASN, RN]

Well. 

Twin B and I made blackened chicken alfredo. It was a bit too salty but not bad. Hubs has been in a mood since I got home. Said he "didn't feel well". The thing is he says that probably 3 out of every 7 days. After dinner he went into the bedroom and stayed. About 9 I went to bed and he didn't speak and he rolled over and went to sleep. Meanwhile Gma is snoozing in the chair in the living room where Twin B is doing an online game with friends. He finally cane in, asked his dad if he wanted him to get Gma to bed. Twin B tried but she's not going to listen to him (or me). Hubs says to me, "Thanks for caring, dear" all sarcastic-like. I have no response to that. So he's not speaking to me tonight.

Meanwhile, stepson sent a slew of texts (first thing I've heard from him since mid-December.) Most of it was completely nonsensical and included you-tube links. And photos from Hubs' wedding to his first wife. A couple of sentences that stood out: "I think it's time you divorced my dad" "Do you have breast cancer? Because I don't care"

At times like this I sure miss my mom.

 

[Ado Annie, ASN, RN]

Oh yeah, and my tummy doesn't feel so good either but that's because I ate an entire box of Girl Scout cookies. ?