What did you do today?

[zannej]

Sorry for the loss of your friend, Havasu.

Mom's blood sugar was 26 this morning. I made a midnight run to Ynotstop to get sugar cookies. Gave her an ice cream sandwich & some marshmallows before heading out. Couldn't find the candy i got her and she didn't want the Relion sugar thingies. She's doing better now.

Went for curbside pickup and brought brother along. Stopped at hardware store to grab pipe wrap. Grabbed groceries from walmart. got mail at the post office and scared some other people with my coughing. I was wearing a mask, tried to keep my mouth closed, and covered my face with my arm.

Had to get my brother's help to get the trash bag out of the kitchen trash can since my coordination is absolute garbage and I feel like my head is swimming. Mom wanted me to cook eggs and toast but I was dropping everything, tripping, stumbling, and said no way I could do eggs. Asked my brother to cook the eggs while I handled the toast. My brother used to be a cook at the casino and had to cook a lot of eggs so he's good at it. Mom was happy.

I really need a nap bc I feel like crap and can't do anything productive.

 

[C.J.]

Sorry for the loss of your friend, Havasu.

Mom's blood sugar was 26 this morning. I made a midnight run to Ynotstop to get sugar cookies. Gave her an ice cream sandwich & some marshmallows before heading out. Couldn't find the candy i got her and she didn't want the Relion sugar thingies. She's doing better now.

Went for curbside pickup and brought brother along. Stopped at hardware store to grab pipe wrap. Grabbed groceries from walmart. got mail at the post office and scared some other people with my coughing. I was wearing a mask, tried to keep my mouth closed, and covered my face with my arm.

Had to get my brother's help to get the trash bag out of the kitchen trash can since my coordination is absolute garbage and I feel like my head is swimming. Mom wanted me to cook eggs and toast but I was dropping everything, tripping, stumbling, and said no way I could do eggs. Asked my brother to cook the eggs while I handled the toast. My brother used to be a cook at the casino and had to cook a lot of eggs so he's good at it. Mom was happy.

I really need a nap bc I feel like crap and can't do anything productive.

Might be time for a new blood glucose meter because if her reading really was 26 she would likely be unconscious.

We got a new BG meter for the old man on his doctors advice and sure enough there was a noticeable difference in readings between the new one and the old one even though we were using the same test strips. The new one had higher readings than the old one. His BG is always off the charts high but he still eats like clockwork and never misses a chance to eat dessert.

Funny thing is whenever he has an option to have some watermelon he always has to tell us that watermelon is high on the glycemic index. Yeah, well so is a cookie, dad.

I need to get some of them Google glasses or something so I can start recording all the funny stuff I see in this retirement home. We were having breakfast the other day in the dining room and one of the old ladies started singing God Bless America. Hell yeah, I like that kinda stuff. Our waitress told us that’s a daily occurrence. I’m ok with that. One grumpy old F told her to go home while the rest of the dining room clapped when she was done. Wasn’t but 5 minutes later and she was singing it again. lol. Memory issues I guess but that’s to be expected. I looked at my dad and said told him ‘At least she’s not a Commie’. He chuckled.

Then maybe a couple days ago we were eating dinner and the wife said her chicken was kinda dry. I said ‘Gimmie that **** if you’re not gonna eat it cus I grew up eating dry ***** chicken’. The old man kinda snarled a bit. My wife n I just started laughing.

 

[MSLI]

I really need a nap bc I feel like crap and can't do anything productive.

There’s no time for the caregiver to get sick Feel better soon Z

 

[Tile Tom]

So disappointed right now. I’m flipping the channels and I found a show on TLC called Crack Addicts. Hell yeah, that’s the kinda show I can get into. Come to find out it’s a show about chiropractors. What a let down. I was wanting to see some down n out ****. I may have to put on some YouTube and watch me some Soft White Underbelly to get my fix.

I was just telling some of the young bucks at work about some of the entertainment we had in the 90s. Specifically, Bum Fights & Bum Hunters. I used to buy the bootleg vhs tapes at the corner store (no internet yet).

They spent the weekend partying & watching some episodes on the YouTube. Damn if I wasn’t cracking up on Monday with them telling me about it.

 

[kwfloors]

No school today, roads were real bad. My truck is headed in to the mechanic again and they can get to it the end of February. Blew snow and shoveled all day, a little more tomorrow. We're going to warm up on Sunday so better get it done. Epic storm, I've never seen such high drifts around my house, thigh deep and half hard, really dense.

 

[zannej]

I'm hoping we can get the continuous glucose monitor soon. still waiting on that. I still feel like garbage. I need to eat something but I don't really feel hungry. My stomach is empty but I'm slightly nauseous from all the postnasal drip. I managed to get Mom some lobster bisque (bought from walmart in a container that gets put in the microwave). It took longer to get the plastic off the top than it did to heat it up. Fippy was snarling and growling at me while I was helping Mom remove the plastic. He was eating his food (he does that when someone steps near his bowl) and snarling. He makes a sound that is similar to saying the word "Mine" when he does it. Some of the bisque got on my fingers so I put them in front of his face. He growled for a moment, stopped, licked my fingers off, then went back to growling and eating. I let him lick the stuff off the plastic and he did about the same thing. He's a weird dog.

 

[MSLI]

No school today, roads were real bad. My truck is headed in to the mechanic again and they can get to it the end of February.

How old are the kids now kw and Is that a new truck ? Nice photo, taken from a drone ? And Whose warehouse, is that your complex or the neighbors ? Have fun in the snow, we’re calling for 3 to 5” today. Ps > I keep forgetting are you in Montana ? ….. I just clicked your profile and found out what’s your temperature today

 

[Floorist]

I'm hoping we can get the continuous glucose monitor soon. still waiting on that. I still feel like garbage. I need to eat something but I don't really feel hungry. My stomach is empty but I'm slightly nauseous from all the postnasal drip. I managed to get Mom some lobster bisque (bought from walmart in a container that gets put in the microwave). It took longer to get the plastic off the top than it did to heat it up. Fippy was snarling and growling at me while I was helping Mom remove the plastic. He was eating his food (he does that when someone steps near his bowl) and snarling. He makes a sound that is similar to saying the word "Mine" when he does it. Some of the bisque got on my fingers so I put them in front of his face. He growled for a moment, stopped, licked my fingers off, then went back to growling and eating. I let him lick the stuff off the plastic and he did about the same thing. He's a weird dog.

My wife has the Dexcom 6 and will soon have the 7. She tried the Libre Freestyle and it was not very accurate.

 

[zannej]

Mom is wanting the Dexcom G7 but the doctor's office is trying to find a place that takes her insurance so it won't be as expensive. I think part of the delay is they are also trying to find an insulin pump.

Today I messed with Fippy by hugging him and telling him I loved him as he growled at me. If Mom does that he wags his tail and licks her face. I did make him happy by saying "walkies" and taking him, Princess, and Boo out for a walk. Boo wanted to follow along. He stalked Aminatu, chased after the dogs, rolled in the dirt, and wandered around. I had to go in early because my Metformin kicked in and messed with my guts though. I thought the fresh air and sunlight would help me feel better. It did in the moment but then I felt like garbage. Dropping things, stumbling, etc. I heard Mom shout in the hallway and something about "get out of my way". I asked her if she was ok and heard her bedroom door close. No response. Then she paged me on the intercom and hung up. I paged her back and she was confused. I went to check her blood sugar and this time the meter said 25. Got her a sugar cookie, candy, marshmallows, relion tablet, and some apple juice. Went up to 124. I nearly fell over in her room and she noticed. I had to sit down on the floor while she ate to make sure she got everything down and to see if she needed anything else. Had trouble getting back up. Must have been about 30min of me sitting with her before I went back to bed. Not feeling quite as bad as I did yesterday. Not coughing as much. No headache. But I've had the chills and chest discomfort and am exhausted.

 

[Floorist]

Mom is wanting the Dexcom G7 but the doctor's office is trying to find a place that takes her insurance so it won't be as expensive. I think part of the delay is they are also trying to find an insulin pump.

Today I messed with Fippy by hugging him and telling him I loved him as he growled at me. If Mom does that he wags his tail and licks her face. I did make him happy by saying "walkies" and taking him, Princess, and Boo out for a walk. Boo wanted to follow along. He stalked Aminatu, chased after the dogs, rolled in the dirt, and wandered around. I had to go in early because my Metformin kicked in and messed with my guts though. I thought the fresh air and sunlight would help me feel better. It did in the moment but then I felt like garbage. Dropping things, stumbling, etc. I heard Mom shout in the hallway and something about "get out of my way". I asked her if she was ok and heard her bedroom door close. No response. Then she paged me on the intercom and hung up. I paged her back and she was confused. I went to check her blood sugar and this time the meter said 25. Got her a sugar cookie, candy, marshmallows, relion tablet, and some apple juice. Went up to 124. I nearly fell over in her room and she noticed. I had to sit down on the floor while she ate to make sure she got everything down and to see if she needed anything else. Had trouble getting back up. Must have been about 30min of me sitting with her before I went back to bed. Not feeling quite as bad as I did yesterday. Not coughing as much. No headache. But I've had the chills and chest discomfort and am exhausted.

My wife is getting ready to go with the Omnipod. She needs to do the 2 hour class first.

 

[kwfloors]

MSLI, that is a eufy cam on my two story shop. I got it for watching the 1/2 acre beside the house. I had 2 mobile homes over there I had to demolish. Had to evict the grandson that wouldn't leave after the grandmother passed. Here is one of the trailers from my other cam on that side of the house.

 

[C.J.]

Been hanging out with the old man in a 5 star wrinkle ranch in Scottsdale for the past couple weeks. It’s nice here, something I would definitely never be able to afford myself, but damn. Anybody here watched the movie The Ringer, I love that movie. I feel like I’m Johnny Knoxville in that movie right now

I also see a lot of old people sitting in the dining room eating by themselves. If they are in the assisted living side a caregiver will wheel them down from their room, drop them off in the dining room where about half of them sit by themselves slow eating their meal while blank staring until they are wheeled back up to their room. They clearly have money but I can’t help but feel they somehow effed up in their lives because they’re rotting away all alone by themselves in an assisted living facility. They may be old but they still have it going on upstairs even if their body is the equivalent of an old farm truck.

Those of you that have kids, I hope you treated them right when you were raising them otherwise this is what you have to look forward to but maybe not in such a nice facility depending on how much money you have. Sign me up for one final cliff dive while I’ve still got it because I couldn’t imagine a worse ending to my life than this.

That’s it for now cus gotta take the robot, my old man, out to get an enchilada.

 

[Floorist]

Never could understand why those places make you get up early and go to bed early. By the time you are in one, you should have a little more freedom. I think I would rather be pushing up grass than to live like that.

 

[Incognito]

Never could understand why those places make you get up early and go to bed early. By the time you are in one, you should have a little more freedom. I think I would rather be pushing up grass than to live like that.

They don't make my sister in law get up at any particular time. The meds she's on keep her pretty sluggish so she rarely, if every makes it up for breakfast. I doubt she gets out of bed before 10AM normally and frequently rises after noon. Her dad, who passed recently also was not disturbed in his room if he wanted to sleep in. He was an early riser though so he'd go down for breakfast as a rule-----maybe skip lunch or dinner but not breakfast.

If they're making you get up it's most likely based on higher level care needs where they bring food to the room and monitor/administer the medications. There's 110 units in her facility. About half the folks have very little assistance other than cleaning the room once a week and all their meals served in a dining area.

 

[C.J.]

Never could understand why those places make you get up early and go to bed early. By the time you are in one, you should have a little more freedom. I think I would rather be pushing up grass than to live like that.

And that’s exactly why I’m here. My dad broke his hip. Hairline fracture but it still messes you up. He can’t be left on his own right now so if I wasn’t here he would be over in the assisted living side of this place. He would also be one of those poor miserable SOB’s that gets wheeled down to the dining room, eats by himself then gets wheeled back to his room where he would sit and rot while Fox TV blares in the background. Yes, there are people here to care for you but the reality is do they really care for you or are you just another task to be done until their shift is over.

My brother would, and does, visit my dad once a week, they have a different relationship so that’s just how that is. That means the other 6 days and 23 hours of the week he’s just left alone. I can’t think of a worse thing to happen to a person and I’m not willing to let that happen to my dad until it’s an absolute necessity because one day he will likely need more help and care than I or my wife could provide for him. To me it’s like a prison for old people. Nobody here seems unhappy even if they are alone but that still doesn’t make it right in my book.

My grandpa was put in a home after grandma passed and he was just miserable. Every time I would visit him he would just cry and couldn’t wait to pass on to be with his wife again. I was too busy running my own business to be able to visit that often and when I did have time it usually wasn’t during visiting hours so needless to say I only saw him a handful of times until he finally passed. That always bothered me, still does.

 

[MSLI]

I feel like I’m Johnny Knoxville in that movie right now

CJ and Jeffie need a hug That movie was so irreverently funny …. I think we need a pic of you, Pop and a hot staff member

Sign me up for one final cliff dive while I’ve still got it because I couldn’t imagine a worse ending to my life than this.

Wait until you’re older and you may think differently about that. Plus ! With your sense of humor, it could be an opportunity in life, closer to death, to share that humor with residents, workers and hopefully, as you’re doing now , with family.

 

[C.J.]

They have a few cuties here for sure.

Something I was told by someone who works in the caregiving field today is that some of these people are purposely sedated (that’s the 3rd floor here). The caregivers are not allowed to physically restrain people anymore so if someone becomes combative or unruly, guess what, you’re now going to be medicated and sedated to calm your **** down. That may explain some of the blank stares I see on these peoples faces. Damn, now we just went from The Ringer to One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Don’t think the old man needs to be sedated but I’d sure as hell give him a couple gummies to achieve the same affect.

I took the old man out to lunch today and we had a decent conversation about how things are now. Whether it sunk in or if he’ll even remember it, that’s another story.

What movie are you living out right now?

 

[C.J.]

Almost forgot, today I learned Columbo, Peter Falk, has a glass eye. I love that show and I never new that tidbit until today.

 

[zannej]

IIRC, When Peter Falk was younger he was playing baseball and he didn't like the call the Umpire made so he pulled out his glass eye and said "You need this more than I do!". Btw, if you like Peter Falk, you should watch the movie "Murder By Death".

Dementia patients can sometimes become extremely violent so sedation is necessary to keep them from harming themselves or others. They will kick, bite, choke, punch, etc and worse. I have friends who worked with dementia patients and have the scars to prove it.

My uncle lives in an assisted living facility. He chose to move there mostly because his late wife needed more care than they could give at home. His daughter lives in TX (he lives in Virginia) and his son suffers severe migraines. It's not that the offspring don't care about their parents, but not everyone is able to do it. It can be tough. Especially when people need specific medical care or when they have dementia and become violent. My uncle broke his hip recently so he has some people come to check on him and help him and he gets to go down to the cafeteria/dining area when he wants. They can also bring food up to him if he requests. But he likes to be around people. He told me he was eager to get back to his gardening.

I would hate being in a facility with other people since I don't like people.

I pretty much slept the last two days. Couldn't stay awake for a full 30min at a time. Absolutely exhausted. Feeling a little better today and able to stay awake for longer but am still very tired. Still coughing up mucus but it feels like I got it out of my chest for now. My brother went with me to the store today and helped get groceries in. He's off work for a few days because they are renovating.

Mom's blood sugar was 39 when I checked it earlier. The other day it got to 25. Had to give her lots of sugary stuff to eat. She's feeling better now. I made mashed potatoes with rotisserie chicken. Ok, it was storebought but I heated them up and mixed them together.

My cat Boo wanted food so he came up to me and swatted at my face until I got the hint. He didn't make contact, he was just swinging his paw near my face to say "Hey hey hey!" Then he sat on my lap and wanted cuddles after he ate. He's been trying to get me to go outside and walk with him. At least I know that he, Itsy, and Princess care if I'm sick. He'd try to help me if I was dying. But I mentioned I discovered that Fippy would just steal my food like he did when I was choking. Princess would at least wait for me to die before taking my food I think. Not Fippy though. LOL.

 

[havasu]

I giggle when i hear you say "Fippy!"