dianah

Hello all! Tweety, SMH about floating the nurses who scheduled to work OT to help the unit. I'm sure it feels good to pay some things off with the extra money! Hello to George! Joe, I hope the smoke clears away, and that the fires are soon contained. I also hope your day was calm -- yay, the weekend is upon us! I slept my usual pattern last night, despite taking Tylenol and Benadryl (50mg) just before lights-out. I woke after two hours and was awake for the next four hours. Finally fell back asleep (after a hot-water treatment for itching) and got up later than I like. Oh well. Cumulatively, I think I got six hours of sleep. The cellulitis, while not gone, has been arrested by the abx. Swelling is decreased, skin not as tight. It is still red and hot and itchy (I think the itchy comes with the source: a wasp sting or bite. I recall my last wasp encounter, though it didn't result in cellulitis, was quite itchy for days). Will see how it looks after another 24 hours of Keflex. There is no distal nerve deficit. I'm glad I made a f/u appointment. So, today I will do laundry and some cleaning. AH! Time for lunch! W00t! Have a good day!

Thanks for the heads-up re: Keflex and MRSA. I made a f/u appt with the local provider group for Tues, just to get it eyeballed once post-treatment. So far it is responding well to the abx, what a relief. Itching, edema, and redness have all decreased with 24 hr of treatment. The provider I was did say I should see improvement within 24-48 hr, and I squeezed in all four of the doses yesterday. Despite Tylenol and Benadryl, I only slept 2 hr, and am now awake. I did a hot water therapy, which helped the itch, and then spread cortisone cream on affected areas. I may go get some Benadryl spray too. Later I will do some loads of laundry. Dh's appt was changed to next month. I think AI wasn't smart enough to hook him up with a hand specialist, so he got a text about the change. Sad he has to wait another month, but good he is now scheduled with a hand specialist. Have a good day!

I didn't sleep well, the upper arm is a full-blown cellulitis now, and it itches and is uncomfortable. So there. I called Kaiser at 0600, to inquire about a walk-in, same-day appointment at the facility in town. They had nothing till tomorrow. So I drove to the Fontana Urgent Care. Left at 0800, and they are open 9-9. I got to the department around 0835. I was seen and outta there with my prescription within an hour. Drove home (took the Keflex before I left the parking lot) and got in an hour of sleep, at least. I predict I will lie down after lunch for a snooze as well. The upper arm is pretty edematous and red and hot, skin stretched and firm near the bite (or sting) area. The itching is VERY vexing. I do with it what I did, years ago, with poison oak. Put it under hot water -- as hot as I can stand, for as long as I can stand. It hurts so GOOD!! And when I take it out from under the hot stream, the itch is temporarily relieved, hallelujah! I have ice on it now, and some cortisone cream. Will take Keflex QID for five days. Tomorrow dh has his initial ortho appointment for his trigger fingers. It would be cool if he had an injection tomorrow, we'll see (as I said yesterday, I think). So, those are my woes today! Thanks for 'listening'! Have a good afternoon and evening!

Hello all! nursej22, the view sounds lovely! And, we love Nepalese food, such interesting flavors! There is a great Nepalese restaurant at Big Bear Lake, we will eat there whenever we are in the area. Hope to see your photos soon. Joe, I hope work calms down for you. And UGH, hot and humid?? Yes, stay in! No Stars, so what didja get done today?? The Move is coming along! I hope you can get "your" bed installed soon. We had a good practice on Monday, and did our one-hour during-the-residents'-lunchtime-BBQ at the retirement community. We had a couple mess-ups, but just soldiered on and got done. After we took the instruments home, we picked up oldest ds to take him for a Birthday Lunch (his BD is Friday). He opted for Thai food (yay!), so we went to our favorite restaurant. Come to find out, during the night their A/C (and one of the building next to them) had been STOLEN!! (for the copper) They had a swamp cooler in the kitchen, and a very large fan in the small dining area. It was actually pretty comfortable inside, compared with outside. Dh gave them the option of not serving us, and they waived that, chose to continue serving. They had a steady stream of customers while we were there. I had some of their house-made coconut ice cream for dessert (what a treat)! After lunch we dropped off ds, and while coming in from the garage to the front door, I was bitten by a wasp on my upper right arm. I am quite allergic to bee stings but (so far) not to wasp bites. HOWEVER, it bothered me (itchy) all night long, and this morning I have a -- probably 4" X 6" area of firm, red, hot inflammation around the original bite. I iced it once (with great relief), and then we had to take Little Doggy for his post-op f/u (all is well). After the vet appointment, I dropped dh and Doggy off home, and drove to a nearby pharmacy. Did a consult with the pharmacist for the best way to handle a wasp bite (showed it to her). She recommended continued icing for inflammation, and also Claritin (loratidine) during the day, Benadryl at night for the itching. I have both at home, -- I actually take the loratidine daily for allergies, so there's that (already). Hmmm, now where did I put that Benadryl... ??? Dh has had many issues the last few years (thank you, Aging Process!) with trigger fingers, which interfere with his playing of instruments. He recently approached his PMD about the issue, and she had him get Xrays, and she submitted an Ortho consult. He received approval yesterday (out of the Kaiser system), and today he phoned for an appointment. They have several offices scattered in our area. The one closest to us? Nearest appointment was September. He (going through AI, mind you!) asked for the SOONEST appointment. Well, that was in Riverside and he doesn't mind driving there (probably 30 min), so he took it -- for FRIDAY!!! He is READY!! So, we will go there on Friday. We don't know if it will be a Meet 'n Greet only, or if they will introduce themselves, throw him on a procedure table, and inject all the trigger fingers at once, then salute "Buh-BYE!" We'll see. Oh, and it was 110 when I got into the car to take Doggy to the vet! But by the time we got going, it had cooled down to only 104. Again -- it's a dry heat! Have a good evening!

Hello all! We are hunkered down, enjoying the A/C. It is 95 today, will continue the same till Tues and Wed, when temps will reach over 100 degrees. Monday we have practice with E. Tuesday we have the retirement community music to do from 12-1, followed by picking oldest ds up to take him to an early BD lunch. Wednesday we have a postop f/u appointment at the vet for Little Doggy. He is doing SO well, eating (and taking his abx in his food, so I no longer have to give it to him) and -- his overall demeanor is improved. I'm sure before the surgery he was miserable, for there is such a difference now. He acts like a young pup again. I certainly don't begrudge the $$$$ we spent. :) I didn't sleep well last night, but got up in time to watch Zoom Sabbath School -- which I was not at my best to pay attention to, but I was there. Tweety, I hope you had a good lunch and good visit today. :) Hang in there, with your overtime. Joe, did you make the quiche (what kind)? And, did the rain hold off or attack you?? No Stars, sounds like your little section of I-17 has a lot of stores to choose from. I hope you can find the ginger ale you like, and the library (for later). Once your POD arrives, I will settle down with some popcorn and "watch" you try to put everything away. 😄😄😄 I ordered some beeswax preparation, to apply to the old, tired kitchen cupboards. Once it arrived, dh approved it (no harsh chemicals that may endanger the cats), I treated a test section and it seems to be doing fine, so my next project is to clean each door and then treat it - one by one. That oughta keep me out of trouble for a bit. Have a good evening!

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No Stars, I enjoy reading about your "new life!" Ah, that's the age-old question: What will we do with all of this stuff?? nursej22, congrats on getting the newsletter out! What topic did you choose for your editorial? Joe, sounds like a good gathering. I have been doing the laundry, have a load to fold, one in the dryer, and Little Doggy's towels in the washer (with lots of vinegar). I took a trip to the grocery store, and on my way out one of the bags fell over (Bad on store employee for not placing it securely in the basket, Bad on ME for not noticing!) and veggies were suddenly rolling around in the road in front of the store (in the parking lot). A nice man came over to help me shove most of the veggies back into a bag, and I got home without further incident. All is put away now, and I am cooling off (it was 92 when I was at the store) and re-hydrating. Dh and I need to do brush up on some music that we will do at the retirement community on Tuesday. We will practice on Monday with E (bassist) but still, need to have a few calluses and ideas for a set list! Have a good evening!

Safe travels, No Stars, and I hope we "see" you here real soon!

Hello all! We took the RV back to the storage area. While I was following dh, I noticed one of four brake lights wasn't lighting up with the others, and it also didn't blink when the turn indicator was on (the other one did). So, that is something dh will have the folks at the storage place check. I dropped dh off after dropping off the RV, then I got some copies made (our copier is making stripes on any copies we attempt at home), mailed a letter, and got a few items at the grocery store. When I got home, I put the groceries away, then drove the car to the car wash -- couldn't stand it anymore, it was TAN, not WHITE, from dirt! I didn't do as complete a detailing as I usually do, as it was 90 degrees out! But, as I told dh when I got home from washing it, "I feel better now!" Time to cool off and relax. Have a good evening!

Hello all! I continue to medicate Little Doggy (Buster) BID. I give the 0.25ml of pain meds first (gabapentin). He FOAMS at the mouth when I give it! HATES it! I let him settle down a little, and then I give the 1.0ml of abx. I don't force things but I am calmly persistent. And it gets done (with doggy slime all over dh's arms -- who is holding the dog!). I have had a hard time getting to sleep the past couple nights -- it doesn't seem to happen till after 2 or 3 a.m. And, here's my usual response: Oh Well. 🫠 Today I wrassled with the clean bedspread out in the RV. It is not a walk-around bed, it is enclosed on almost four sides (except one corner). I don't know how other ppl make the bed, but this is how I do it: I have a mattress topper and then a nice bedspread on top of that. When we travel, I spread either a flannel sheet or a regular sheet out on top of the bedspread, and then I sleep between it and another sheet, adding a blanket if I need to. NO tucking in of sides, making all things neat and beautiful! Heck NO! lol! I parked all the clean linens in the RV as well, ready for the next trip. We got some of those Muddy Mats for the RV too, they stay in place, feel nice underfoot, grab any dirt or moisture, and are easy to clean. Apparently our band will be helping out at at BBQ a week from Tuesday, just for an hour, at a retirement facility nearby. Guess we should work on a potential set list. My heart is not all a-flutter, for I am confident we can present good music to listen to, if we just play as if we are at a jam. Dh, even with his trigger finger and arthritis in his hands, can still play a reasonable banjo (if warmed up and the pieces are not blazingly fast). E will play bass and we may convince him to break out his guitar some. I will play guitar and sing (the usual). Though it will be in the mid-90's today, S and I plan to go walking at the park around 5:30. Temps will only be going up the rest of the week, reaching 101 by Thursday or Friday. Humidity is 22-24%. I enjoy reading about all your happenings and doings and goings-on. Thanks for the shares! Have a good afternoon and evening!

Hello all! Joe, ugh, too bad about the mosquitoes! I hope the birds eat 'em all up! Apparently dragonflies are quite the menace to the little buggers! No Stars, glad you have a plan for Before and After Packing POD. Yes, who knows where any of us will be, one year from now? But this move is a good re-start for you. Has it sunk in yet, that you have NO MORE Nannie duty?? I hope your move opens up new opportunities for you. Slept OK last night. I medicated Little Doggy with the FULL DOSE of pain meds (and the abx, of course), and HE. SLEPT!!!!! (he was quite sedated, actually) Dh is concerned that doggy hasn't pooped yet, since Friday's surgery. He is eating well; of course, the pain meds may constipate him. We gave him a reduced dose today (we have permission to do so, per the instructions received). He HATES getting his meds. Dh holds him and I am The Bad Guy (being a nurse, I don't mind, lol!). He is brighter today, and really doesn't seem uncomfortable. I am very relieved to see how well he is doing. Today I need to git myself to the grocery store, and buy soup-making stuff, and then come home and make more soup to deposit into the freezer, for evening meals. I have eaten more carbs than I should have, the past two weeks (while on our trip), and (of course) have not lost any weight. I still would like to lose 10#, at least. So, if I am careful with reducing carbs and getting in a negative caloric state, I can usually lose weight over a couple months. Dh, on the other hand -- who does NOT watch his diet who eats whatever he wants!!! -- has LOST a few pounds. Can you hear me roll my eyes??? It's just not fair! For lunch, I have a salad with many chopped-up veggies (no dressing, only pepperoncini juice and S&P). He has a chopped-up eggplant. He cooks it, then adds soy sauce and Crystal hot sauce. That's it! So, that IS pretty low-carb. For supper we both have soup. I may have a low-carb ice cream bar for dessert. Ah well. First-world problems, eh? I heard some fireworks last night but not a lot of big boomers. I always worry about the eagles, as the lake ppl always have a fireworks show for the Fourth. This year, though the eaglets have fledged, they are still around the nest a lot. Dh checked this morning via the cam, and apparently they are at the nest and doing well. Have a good afternoon and evening (stay cool)!

Hello all! Joe, the cakes (with CHOCOLATE!!! frosting) sound really good! No Stars, I am sending you an energy push, to help you in your tasks today! nursej22, Sorry I can't help you with newsletter topics, as I have -- not one, but TEN black thumbs when it comes to gardening! I'm sure you will think of something to share. We plan a quiet day today. We picked up Little Doggy yesterday afternoon, after his dental extractions. He is alert today, and is eating, drinking, peeing, pooping. Now to get him to take his BID meds (pain med and abx)! That will fall on me, I'm afraid, as the nurse in the family! It's OK. I would be more reluctant to give meds to our cats! I have done many loads of laundry: lots of doggy towels. We also removed old couch covers and replaced them. You should have seen us wrasslin' with the new ones! They are finally on, and look better than the old, tired ones. Feels good to have fresher covers on. We are attending Zoom Sabbath School right now, guess I better truly "attend" to what is happening (preliminaries going on right now). Have a good afternoon and evening! Oh, I was awake for a bit last night (the usual: couldn't fall asleep), and happened upon a momentous event: 32-year-old Kelsey Pfendler ROWED (solo and unassisted) from Monterey, CA to Honolulu, HI, making landfall at the Ala Wai Canal around 1230 am this morning!! She shattered ALL previous rowing records for that route (mainland-to-Hawaii): 2400 miles, 43 days, 17hr, 55 min! What a gal!!! Left in May, arrived in July! Tons of respect!!

Hello all! Ado, spending the day out on the water sounds nice, hope you have some sort of shade set-up, for spending the day out on the water IN THE SUN does NOT sound nice. I'm not talking about using sunscreen, but about staying out of the sun. Traffic might be a bear, getting in and out of the area, too. Enjoy whatever you decide to do! I've been away, thus have been sporadic about checking posts. So, I'm in the dark as well, Joe, what's going on with your knees? Sorry work has been so busy! I hope the heat wave really DOES break tonight! No Stars, I'm glad you did FINALLY hear from the POD ppl (that's a horror movie, if I ever saw one! The POD People!!! and I don't like horror movies!). It sounds like you are taking care of what needs to be done for before, during, and after The Move! We had a really nice time, drove up Hwy 395, a three-legged journey to Susanville, in Northern California, for their bluegrass festival -- held the weekend after Father's Day. We stayed in Lone Pine one night, Topaz Lake the next night, and then on Sunday (Father's Day) we arrived in Susanville. Got all set up, electric hooked up to the RV, and did some jamming in the days before the festival the next weekend. Dh and I had signed up for Music Camp, which was Tues-Wed-Thurs, with a stage performance on Friday. Music Camp was taught by members of the feature band, the Edgar Loudermilk Band, and was a lot of fun! Dh was the ONLY bass student, and Edgar was the instructor. Dh took it from him two years ago, at this same festival, and enjoyed following up. He also got a ton more insights and tips to work on, for his bass playing! I took the vocal class, which turned out to be just two students, with Rick Sparks as the teacher (he is not a band member, but a local with impressive credentials!). He's taught it the past few years. I always learn something! The other student was a man from Reno, who sang harmonies pretty well, but was learning to pick out and sing the melody. I learned a lot listening to Rick's coaching and tips, and sometimes adding some of my own (I was familiar with a lot of the gospel songs the man helped with, in a group that plays weekly at a couple long-term care facilities). The weather was in the 90's at first, then cooled to the 70's with a little bit of night-time rain, as a storm front blew in. It wasn't as cold or stormy as LAST year's sudden storm -- also during the festival! But it was sunny most of the time. We got to try some delicious Mexican food from one of the vendors, and in general had a good time listening to the bands, and jamming at night. We often jammed from 8-11 or 12 at night! The drive home -- again, in three stages -- was uneventful, thankfully! It is good to be home, we really missed the cats. They were pretty attentive last night, and I take that to mean they missed US, too! We are unpacked, food stuffs have been brought in from the RV, and I have done three loads of laundry (one more load is in the dryer now). So, I guess we are back to "normal." Dh will get some hand X-rays in preparation for an ortho consult for his trigger fingers, which (along with arthritis) are limiting his banjo and mandolin playing. He has accommodated and adjusted; some fingers developed trigger finger, then it resolved in a few months. Others are affected and they have NOT resolved. So, he is ready to have them surgerized! We'll see how the ortho scheduling goes -- first for the consulatation, then for a surgery date. He wants both hands done at the same time ("I'll already be out, they may as well. From what I've read on the Bass Forum, ppl who have had it done have just a couple days when they can't move much, but that improves soon, so I think I can get through that!"). We'll see. It's in the high 70's here, which was nice to come home to (rather than 100 degrees)! Have a good afternoon and evening!

I am reading and following you all, though I haven't been posting. We left Friday for a drive to Susanville in the RV. As usual, we split the drive up into 3-5 hour segments. We camped Fri nite at Lone Pine and Sat nite at Topaz Lake, Nevada. Today we pulled into Susanville, Lassen County Fairgrounds, and checked in around noon. We are all settled in, will be here about a week. Music Camp, which we signed up for, is Tues, Wed, Thurs; the bluegrass festival is Fri-Sat-Sun. We will leave Monday for the drive home. The cats are doing well, they are used to the neighbor caring for them in our absence. Abita, the gray tabby, even jumped up on her shoulders as she was preparing their food! She and her mom, Ciri, will often jump on our shoulders if we happen to bend over and they get the urge to jump. A few times they BOTH have jumped up! Silly girls! The drive up 395 was, as always, stunning as we went from desert to mountains. Coming home I think we may stop at Schatt's Bakkery in Bishop, for some goodies (for which they are famous!). We didn't want to take the time to stop there on the way up. Temperatures the next two days will be in the mid-90's, which we will weather with all windows open and fans going. It will be hot, but it WILL cool down at night. We are looking forward to music camp and to jamming. We played a little bit today, not much. I haven't played for a couple weeks, so my calluses are not great and I don't look forward to pain when I'm pickin'! Tweety, I hope your shifts go better than today's. Thinking of you. No Stars, good on ya, getting all that done! And yes, the deadline is looming! Hello to Joe, nursej22, Ado, and all who show up! Have a good evening and a good Monday!

Hello all! My appointment went smoothly. VS WNL, ECG has a T-wave abnormality (that, as she reviewed, has appeared in the past, so it's NOT new), heart sounds good. We had a nice chat and then I was on my way home. When I got home, I parked my car, jumped into dh's car, and we drove over to pick up ds. Then we three had a very nice Vietnamese lunch. They had pho (soup) and I had sizzling vegetable/tofu dish. It comes with a yummy pickled cabbage salad. I also got an avocado smoothie (dessert, yanno!). And we had a nice chat with ds. When we got home and settled, I lay down for a nap -- woke up almost two hours later!! Musta needed it! I will meet with T and S for a walk in about a hour. We'll walk and chat for an hour. Dh and I will have supper when I get home. That's it for today! Have a good evening!