My Sanity Needed Vents

[kayc]

Yes, only I'd say more than one....it's not only the day they die that we grieve...I'm still missing Arlie nearly four years later.  I love Kodie with all my heart and dread that day/s...

[KarenK]

Well, I'm really bummed, depressed and feeling sorry for myself, I guess. I saw the new dentist today and he seems nice enough and does have 30 years of experience. He's just not my old dentist.😐  None of my remaining damaged teeth can be saved so will all need extracted and will need dentures. (I'm still paying on the unusable partials from 2 years ago). Dentures and extractions will cost me $2000 out of pocket, with insurance paying the remainder. Better than nothing, I guess. Not looking forward to the pain for sure(I'm a wimp) and it takes me twice as long to heal. I decided to have extractions done in 3 visits. Don't think I could stand them all at once.

Am going to check again with my doctor about blood test results so I can decide what to do about my eyes.

Another fun day in the "Golden Years".....

[kayc]

Oh Karen, I'm sorry, $2,000 out of pocket does not sound bad at all, I had one bridge put in (didn't want a missing front tooth) and it cost me $3200 vs $4000 for an implant, I was out of work (2011-2012, gave up and retired 2013).  Can't remember what the one extraction cost but it was plenty, went to dentist, he couldn't save it, he sent me to an endodontist who couldn't save it either, so that was costly, no insurance. 

I'm sorry, I always joked "Life sucks and then you die." Only now it's not really a joke.

I wish you well with your doctor.  I know, I am missing my old dentist, but she split with her brother and can't see any former patients.  My ins. never covered them anyway. Was with the same family of dentists all my life until a year ago.

[Widow2015]

4 hours ago, KarenK said:

  None of my remaining damaged teeth can be saved so will all need extracted and will need dentures. (I'm still paying on the unusable partials from 2 years ago). Dentures and extractions will cost me $2000 out of pocket, with insurance paying the remainder. Better than nothing, I guess. Not looking forward to the pain for sure(I'm a wimp) 

Karen:  You aren't a "wimp".  So sorry the extractions will be so extensive.  Thinking of you.   Hugs, Dee

[Margm]

Karen, I am definitely a "wimp" about getting my cataracts seen about.  Afraid of anything I take by mouth bothering other systems that are so injured, they cannot be fixed.  I will have to "gut up" and pull up my big girl's panties to have it done.  I talk big, live small.

[kayc]

21 hours ago, Margm said:

Afraid of anything I take by mouth bothering other systems that are so injured

What do you have to take by mouth to get your cataracts fixed? I'd be nervous too! NO STEROIDS!!

 

[Widow2015]

On 7/6/2023 at 9:23 AM, Margm said:

I am definitely a "wimp" about getting my cataracts seen about.

Marg:  My cataract surgery was a Godsend for me.  It made such a difference in my vision enabling me to drive more comfortably.  In fact, it lessened the time I need to wear my prescription glasses when I'm home.  I do wear them for distance when I drive.   Too, since I have had to deal with macular degeneration since 2016 eye appointments are part of my life.  All of us have different health issues and how we choose to deal with them.  

My son fusses with me for not talking to my doctor about having knee surgery.  See, I am a "wimp" too.  As long as Tylenol gives me some relief to move around, I will suffer the knee pain.  I guess I don't hurt bad enough.   Dee

[Margm]

I go to my regular doc next week and will schedule an appointment.  Right now they are worried about  my right breast and what they see on ultrasound..  Heck, I had a collision that made me hit the windshield and that poor old air bag was in pieces and the seat belt did the rest. I just had a hematoma that has taken from May 22nd go from my clavicle down to my mid breast now.  If they think they are going to put it in the compressor, they have another think coming.  I have some appointments for my sister and then I will do it.  Still have minor discolorations.  My son is going to take me.  

 

[kayc]

Dee, have you tried Voltaren? It was a godsend for me with my hand injuries...

[Widow2015]

4 hours ago, Margm said:

Right now they are worried about  my right breast and what they see on ultrasound..  Heck, I had a collision that made me hit the windshield and that poor old air bag was in pieces and the seat belt did the rest.

Marg:  Bet you're wondering what they are thinking and seeing from the ultrasound results. Hope the appointment puts your mind at ease.  Good that your son will drive you.  Gone are the days when our husband, or special partner, was our shoulder to lean on or even to drop us at the front door of the clinic and wait in the car.  Your sister is so blessed to have your support.  Dee 

 

[Margm]

He will drive me for the cataract appointments.  My regular doc is only a few blocks away.  I'm actually not worried about it.  I cannot take chemo or radiation and probably not surgery either.  They would have to give me pain medicine and then it would affect the colon.  Gonna go one way or  the other.  I don't want to go sitting on my necessity.  

 

[Widow2015]

2 hours ago, kayc said:

Dee, have you tried Voltaren?

kay:  Yes, I've tried Voltaren and it worked pretty well for part of the day.  The Tylenol works almost the whole day. I know too much Tylenol is not good for us and I only take what my doctor has prescribed.   My old body starts shutting down into low gear around 4 pm where I settle down into my recliner for a bit, fix my dinner, and then watch TV and then bedtime.  Talk about a "boring life", huh?   

I couldn't keep up with you and your busy life nor could I keep up with Marg and her family responsibilities.  You two and all who are getting up every day and continuing with their life are my inspiration!  Dee   

[Margm]

1 hour ago, Widow2015 said:

I know too much Tylenol is not good for us and I only take what my doctor has prescribed. 

I had not finished getting rid of the sepsis from the colon rupture and my temp would go to 101 each night.  Heating pads, cold pads, nothing helped.  I had the drainage bag which was nasty, but Billy never minded changing it. (He really could have been a nurse).  I would hurt so bad I'd get in the street and walk from one driveway (long way) to the next.  That and Tylenol was all I could do.  I told him I was going to ruin my liver (doc) and he told me I could take up to 11 a day before that happened.  There were days I would take 8, but didn't go over that.  Billy would watch me from the front door trying to walk the pain off.  Finally, after GYN visit, all the sepsis drained away and then no fever.  Pain was gonna stay awhile, but I took the Tylenol to keep the temperature down.  I'm glad Tylenol helps you, but darn if I am going to take 11 a day.  

[kayc]

I can't take Tylenol (raises BP and BS) or Ibuprofen (Raises BS), I was on them for six months after my hand surgery, they didn't help. My dog tries to lick off the Voltaren, so mostly I just live with the pain.

Marg, I am wondering what they could see in the ultrasound! I hate they do it and you have to wait to find out, annoying! It's your body!  I agree, 11 Tylenol would be a lot.  You poor lady!

Dee, your schedule sounds like mine, I don't do as much in the summer, I'm worried about taking care of my grandkids next weekend, keeping up, plus they stay up later than my bedtime (7 pm is when I go to sleep), I live my life very much alone. After the power went out AGAIN yesterday, I'd just gotten back from walking Kodie so I picked up branches, ate cold hamburger casserole, then rescued Jazzy from her kennel, Iris hadn't told me she'd be gone yesterday, since the power went out I'd gone down there to kill some time, power came back on when I was leaving (4th outage in less than three weeks but who's counting! ).  After dinner Iris called, hadn't left town yet, so I got dressed again and went and rescued Jazzy again.  I'd been in for the night! She doesn't do her dishes, clean her house, pick up her limbs or shovel her snow, she gets everyone to do everything for her!  I should be sorry for her, Mike did everything and he's gone now, but instead it annoys me, I've been doing everything alone for 18 years now!  There's a time to stop being helpless and start doing for yourself.  She's in great shape physically so no reason not to.  I called her a couple hours later, she STILL wasn't home!  Time to stay home and take care of the dog you adopted!  She doesn't have food, water, or room to move in her kennel.

 

[Widow2015]

14 hours ago, Margm said:

That and Tylenol was all I could do.  I told him I was going to ruin my liver (doc) and he told me I could take up to 11 a day before that happened.  There were days I would take 8, but didn't go over that. 

Marg:  Interesting you were told you could take 11 Tylenol a day before the liver could be ruined.  That does sound like an excessive amount.  I guess doctors are like other professionals, it all depends on the school they went to.  Your Billy was your "angel" for taking such good care of you through your illness.  

This makes me think about poor Gwen and how she had to struggle with her pain medications and her anxiety medication.  Sad, she had to deal with different doctors and different rules on pain medication prescriptions.  I think about her every day.  Dee

 

[Widow2015]

6 hours ago, kayc said:

Time to stay home and take care of the dog you adopted!  She doesn't have food, water, or room to move in her kennel.

OMG kay, this would drive me berserk to know an animal is having to live in such conditions.  Wonder why she doesn't have a decent kennel if she has to be away from the house so long.  She probably knows you will be available to take care of her.   Thank goodness you live close so you can watch over Jazzy.  

Good Luck taking care of Grandkids.  It's fun to be around them but nice to come home I'm sure.  Take care and rest up when you can.  Dee

 

 

[Margm]

2 hours ago, Widow2015 said:

That does sound like an excessive amount. 

Looked it up and I think he was trying to get rid of me.  No, actually, he saved my life in a very unconventional manner.  You're not supposed to take more than 4000 mg a day.  I get numbers mixed up that I just read five minutes ago, but I distinctly remember him telling me I'd have to take more than 11 a day to ruin my liver.  I took eight some days in desperation for the pain, and the fever.  They do things so different now.  Supposed to let fever run its course, but I've seen my granddaughter go into a seizure with high fever.  I did also as an infant.  They also believe if you have chills to rid yourself of any cover or heavy clothing.  They tried doing that on me in the hospital and I pulled all my clothes up from the bottom and was flashing anyone that came in.  That one will never work with me.  I might not be helping get rid of the chills with heavy blankets, but my brain thinks I need them anyhow.  

[Widow2015]

2 hours ago, Margm said:

  I took eight some days in desperation for the pain, and the fever.  They do things so different now.

I can understand wanting to stop the pain.  I only take two for my knees and hip pain and there are days I would like to take more but find relieve in my comfy recliner.  It just doesn't make for an exciting life.  Like I said before, I couldn't keep up with you and Kay.  Dee

[kayc]

I fell trying to get Jazzy to stop biting Kodie, he was crying and she wasn't quitting. I ended up breaking my glasses, tweaking my breast, hurting my hand and my elbow/arm and knee...I can't go to the eye doctor for four months, but had a spare pair in the car.  The positive is I didn't break any bones, so my bone density must be pretty good, I didn't break any bones the last time I fell hard a few months ago either (also over there), although I sprained my finger and tweaked my arm/back.  Gotta be careful at my age!

[kayc]

6 hours ago, Widow2015 said:

I think about her every day.  Dee

Me too, Dee.

[kayc]

3 hours ago, Margm said:

You're not supposed to take more than 4000 mg a day.

That sounds like a lot to me, so you take 500 mg ones?

[Margm]

Of all the non-steroidal drugs, the only one that ever helped me was Aleve (naproxen) and I cannot take any of the non-steroidal drugs.  I can only take Tylenol (acetaminophen).  I never took more than two at a time, (500 mg each).  I have Factor IX blood and cannot take aspirin, although that was all I ever used to take.  Kelli got the real bleeding one, from me.  I guess I am just the carrier. They said Scott had some X chromosome that eliminated him. My cousin and I tried to trace bleeders in our family and cannot find them.  But I didn't know I had it till 2014, many surgeries, two children before diagnosis.  I can have blood draw and it is one tiny speck on the gauze.  Kelli has to take certain meds before any procedure.  

Families are odd.  I'm proud of all of mine, but my grandmother had my kind of cancer and then it skipped a generation and Marcy and I had it.  The essential tremor started when I was in the 6th grade, started later for all the rest that had it.  I worked for Neurology awhile and they assured me it was not Parkinson's, that was not inherited.  I retired the first time in 1997, they found out that year that possibly it was.  My grandfather and his brother had it at same time.  He died at 56 in the state's hospital for mental disorders.  He chased my aunt with a knife.  My aunt and dad had the essential tremors, also called familial and congenital.  None of my kids have them.  I cut out coffee but did drink 1/2 cup (with the rest creamer) yesterday and had to take a Xanax.  No more caffeine.  It was not this bad until after 2014, which might prove the head bone is connected to the tail bone.  

[Margm]

take 2 tablets every 8 hours while symptoms persist

do not take more than 6 tablets in 24 hours, unless directed by a doctor.

For a long time, probably 2-3 months, I sometimes would take up to eight tablets of 500 mg a day.  I still take a couple of 500 mg tablets a day.  My blood work is done every four months and so far, so good.  Diabetes is in front of me, and I hope each time I have avoided it.  The doc here in Minden takes my blood work because of the low moisture diet.  I can eat all the bad foods, not many of the good ones.  Potatoes, chicken tenders w/gravy, I eat a sandwich often (one a day) and like smoked turkey.  Ice cream and plenty of flour made foods.  Have to stay away from fiber rich foods.  My cholesterol was below 200, which was good.  The sugar levels are borderline. 

The results of the ultrasound were mailed to me.  "appears to be probably benign (probably not cancer), however, we would like you to return in 45 days to confirm that nothing has changed."  

I'm not worried, even after 45 days they will not put that part of my anatomy in one of those compressing machines.  I will be 81 next month.  

[kayc]

7 hours ago, Margm said:

It was not this bad until after 2014, which might prove the head bone is connected to the tail bone.  

  Marg, you're a hoot!  But I still am sorry for all you have to live with, it goes to show it's not handed out fairly and evenly.

Your ultrasound results are good, they're just being cautionary, but with all you go through and at your age, I'd pass too.

Yesterday Jazzy had Kodie's neck in her mouth and wouldn't let go, he was crying, she wouldn't listen to me, I went out to make her mind, she bucked me and down I went.  Lots of bruising and scrapes but all I cared about is it broke my glasses! $390, they aren't open on weekends. Wearing my spares but cannot be without two pair so will call for replacement tomorrow, if I lose the ones I have on, I'm in serious trouble.

[KarenK]

Kay, don't you think it might be better for Kodie if they visit through a fence for a while, at least until Jazzy can be better trained. I hope she doesn't turn on you!