Now I know there are places where snow in October is the norm...but it ain't around here. Today TB and I made our shopping run after dropping Kristin off at her class and Heidi off at work. It was pouring down rain and cold. When we got out of Walmart, the rain drops were fat and heavy and I suspected the dreaded *snow* was mixed in. After Shoprite, we were sure. We were getting ice pellets and hearing reports of accumulating snow in northern Jersey. Sigh.
I love snow. I do. But I love it in winter, not in fall or spring! Who wants to see the little kid trick-or-treaters running around in heavy coats over their costumes? That's no fun! I also miss fall and spring weather. It seems like we get a few days of each and then the rest of the year is summer or winter.
I finally gave in and turned the heat on very low last night. I was hoping to hold out until November but the weather just didn't cooperate.
One benefit to the chilliness in the house: the cats all want to nap with us. I have pictures to share on Cats on Tuesday of various members of the gang. This afternoon I had Munchkin snuggled up under the covers, Mouse on top of the covers curled by my feet, and Kosmo and Cubby lying nearby and providing their own heat. It's like having space heaters all over the bed! :)
I wonder how the people at Occupy Philadelphia will fare. I know they want to stay no matter what the weather but today will definitely be a test. With the heavy rain, cold, and snow, if they can withstand this they may actually make it through colder weather. At this point, I think I would be a fair weather protestor and would pack my stuff up and go. My body ain't what it used to be.
TB still has pain and discomfort from the hernia surgery. I've been looking at his abdomen and the redness doesn't seem to be spreading but it's also not going away. I wonder if we should be contacting the surgeon but TB says we were to do that only if the redness was spreading. Fortunately, there is another appointment with Dr. Greenbaum on Wednesday so we'll see what he says!
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Saturday, October 29
Wednesday, October 26
TB's post surgery visit and other stuff
Yesterday was TB's one week post-op visit to Dr. Greenbaum. Everything seemed fine except ... there is a redness all around the incision. It didn't look like an infection and didn't feel hot to the touch, just warm. It sort of looked to me like a yeast infection, the kind TB got after his shoulder surgeries. Dr. Greenbaum, though, said it's an abdominal wall infection (cellulitis) and drew lines around the areas with his pen. He prescribed an antibiotic and said if the red areas spread, TB would have to come to the emergency room and get admitted for IV antibiotics. Since then, we've been watching the red areas closely. Boy, it's always something and it's exhausting!
It's cold inside the house. Everyone's wearing hoodies and sweaters and (in TB's case) blankets. It doesn't seem fair because outside it's actually rather nice. I open the windows to try and let the warm air in. In the summer time, it's always been hotter inside than outside so I'm not sure why the sun isn't warming our house up more. We won't turn on the heat yet because it costs too much. The rates jumped up a few months ago.
Is it me or has the fall colors been muted the last few years? When we first moved to NJ, I remember the trees being so vibrant with reds, oranges and yellows. I loved to go for a drive and just look at the gorgeous colors. One year we took a trip to northern Jersey to see the colors at peak. Lately, though, the colors have been so subdued I hardly notice the change. The leaves aren't strikingly beautiful. The first year it happened I thought it was because we hadn't gotten enough rain. The next year we did and then I thought, maybe it needs to be colder.
This year I just wonder if it's my mood or my age. Taste declines with age and so does hearing. Does the perception of fall colors decline too? I wonder.
It's cold inside the house. Everyone's wearing hoodies and sweaters and (in TB's case) blankets. It doesn't seem fair because outside it's actually rather nice. I open the windows to try and let the warm air in. In the summer time, it's always been hotter inside than outside so I'm not sure why the sun isn't warming our house up more. We won't turn on the heat yet because it costs too much. The rates jumped up a few months ago.
Is it me or has the fall colors been muted the last few years? When we first moved to NJ, I remember the trees being so vibrant with reds, oranges and yellows. I loved to go for a drive and just look at the gorgeous colors. One year we took a trip to northern Jersey to see the colors at peak. Lately, though, the colors have been so subdued I hardly notice the change. The leaves aren't strikingly beautiful. The first year it happened I thought it was because we hadn't gotten enough rain. The next year we did and then I thought, maybe it needs to be colder.
This year I just wonder if it's my mood or my age. Taste declines with age and so does hearing. Does the perception of fall colors decline too? I wonder.
Monday, October 24
More Miscellaneous Stuff
This little town I live in has been around since the Revolutionary War. TB found a website once that told him this town has had its share of good times and bad. I think it hit a height in the 1920s if I remember correctly. It was almost like a resort town. The natural lake reflects trees, sky, and any buildings like a mirror. Wikipedia says the median income for a family is around $45,000. I can tell you, with the cost of things these days that income isn't so great.
When we moved here almost 10 years ago, it didn't seem so run down. It was a middle class town with a barber, beauty parlor, library, grocery store, a few clothes stores, a shoe store, an ice cream parlor, a couple of fast food joints and too many auto parts stores.
There are two shopping centers not far from each other. One is the place everyone goes and the other is an eyesore. The owner of the eyesore gets some kind of tax breaks or something on the losses from the place and so he has no interest in improving things. At one point everyone wanted the place condemned including the town government. Somehow it didn't happen. The derelict lot is still there, bleak and ugly as ever.
We have a homeless population that has grown over the years. Many of them live in the woods. There's a hotel in town that provides shelter for the lucky ones.
There's supposed to be a couple of drug nests in town. I know where these places are and don't go there. I've never seen drugs bought or dealt anywhere I've been.
There's nothing for young people to do around here except go to the library. The nearest movie theater is about 20 miles away; same with the nearest mall. Luckily, we do have doctors and a couple of dentists here. Otherwise, we'd have to travel about 20 miles to find one.
I was ranting about the lack of public transportation around here. You really need a car to get anywhere, including the grocery store. Not everyone (including us) is lucky enough to live in walking distance of places we need.
Like I said, it just seemed like a middle class town when we moved here. Now, though, it's gotten older, sadder and poorer...like us.
I thought about boycotting Walmart and grocery stores but I don't think I'd be able to. With all the money those places make, they could treat their employees better. Part-timers get no benefits and these places like to schedule their employees up to an hour below full time just so they don't have to give them benefits. Walmart's benefits for full time employees will be going up as much as 60%. People don't make that much in those places. They'd have to decide between eating or paying bills or the health insurance. The other thing they do is suddenly cut the hours of their employees and hire a whole bunch of new ones. Employees can't be sure from week to week how long they'll be working.
If there was a Boycott Walmart day or week, I'd do it. I don't think I'd do it on my own because it would hurt me and my family and I don't want that. I can save a lot of money on groceries getting things at Walmart. That savings goes into our account for emergencies and things we need. It's about $5 or so here and there but it adds up!
As for boycotting the grocery stores...they all engage in this practice with their employees. I can shop less at grocery stores but there are still some things they carry I can't get elsewhere.
I wonder if there's another effective way of letting the grocery stores know I'm not pleased with them?
TB's recovering from his tooth extraction and hernia operation. He's very sore and hasn't much appetite and is sleeping a lot, but I guess that's to be expected. He sees his surgeon tomorrow. He has another tooth that is on its way out and it would be nice to save it but I doubt we can afford the root canal. So it goes.
When we moved here almost 10 years ago, it didn't seem so run down. It was a middle class town with a barber, beauty parlor, library, grocery store, a few clothes stores, a shoe store, an ice cream parlor, a couple of fast food joints and too many auto parts stores.
There are two shopping centers not far from each other. One is the place everyone goes and the other is an eyesore. The owner of the eyesore gets some kind of tax breaks or something on the losses from the place and so he has no interest in improving things. At one point everyone wanted the place condemned including the town government. Somehow it didn't happen. The derelict lot is still there, bleak and ugly as ever.
We have a homeless population that has grown over the years. Many of them live in the woods. There's a hotel in town that provides shelter for the lucky ones.
There's supposed to be a couple of drug nests in town. I know where these places are and don't go there. I've never seen drugs bought or dealt anywhere I've been.
There's nothing for young people to do around here except go to the library. The nearest movie theater is about 20 miles away; same with the nearest mall. Luckily, we do have doctors and a couple of dentists here. Otherwise, we'd have to travel about 20 miles to find one.
I was ranting about the lack of public transportation around here. You really need a car to get anywhere, including the grocery store. Not everyone (including us) is lucky enough to live in walking distance of places we need.
Like I said, it just seemed like a middle class town when we moved here. Now, though, it's gotten older, sadder and poorer...like us.
I thought about boycotting Walmart and grocery stores but I don't think I'd be able to. With all the money those places make, they could treat their employees better. Part-timers get no benefits and these places like to schedule their employees up to an hour below full time just so they don't have to give them benefits. Walmart's benefits for full time employees will be going up as much as 60%. People don't make that much in those places. They'd have to decide between eating or paying bills or the health insurance. The other thing they do is suddenly cut the hours of their employees and hire a whole bunch of new ones. Employees can't be sure from week to week how long they'll be working.
If there was a Boycott Walmart day or week, I'd do it. I don't think I'd do it on my own because it would hurt me and my family and I don't want that. I can save a lot of money on groceries getting things at Walmart. That savings goes into our account for emergencies and things we need. It's about $5 or so here and there but it adds up!
As for boycotting the grocery stores...they all engage in this practice with their employees. I can shop less at grocery stores but there are still some things they carry I can't get elsewhere.
I wonder if there's another effective way of letting the grocery stores know I'm not pleased with them?
TB's recovering from his tooth extraction and hernia operation. He's very sore and hasn't much appetite and is sleeping a lot, but I guess that's to be expected. He sees his surgeon tomorrow. He has another tooth that is on its way out and it would be nice to save it but I doubt we can afford the root canal. So it goes.
Thursday, October 20
Our Hospital Visit & PTSD Work
I saw this quiz on Facebook and decided to try it. Here are my results:
So it's nice to know I'm just moderately nuts in some areas! I'm surprised there was nothing for anxiety and depression. Those are the areas my diagnoses lie. Anyway...
Starting backwards, today I got up and was off and running almost right away. TB wasn't bleeding and was in relative comfort so I took Kristin to school and then went for my therapy appointment. For the last month, I've been working a program used by the military to diminish symptoms of PTSD. I've never been to war but it seems I have PTSD from growing up in another kind of war zone, the home of two alcoholic angry deaf adults.
One thing I've been working on is called "stuck points". They are areas where I've given myself an incorrect message because of something that happened to me. An example is when my mom found my writing, read it, and went all ballistic all over me. That's the incident. The message I tell myself, writing is bad; writing is not safe. The feeling is shame. There are hundreds of these "stuck points". Another one is where my parents were fighting and beating on each other. In terror, my brother and I ran from the house to our neighbor's. What I told myself is that I should have been able to stop the fight and didn't; I ran away instead. The feel is inadequacy.
With that example, my therapist wanted to know what I would tell the younger me. I thought about it and said I would say I'd done the best I could and it wasn't right that I should be put in that position. The therapist pointed out something I wasn't aware of. She said my affect was that of an orator and that I was disconnected from what happened. She said through all this, she's never seen me cry. She seemed surprised.
I told her there's no point in crying. It doesn't change anything and all you get for it is swollen eyes, hitching breath and a stuffy nose. She wondered when was the last time I cried and I can't remember. I'm sure it was after Rich died but then after that--say the last 5 years--I just have no clue.
The therapist thinks I've got repression going on, a defense mechanism to protect myself against painful feelings. That doesn't surprise me. I know I can detach from my feelings very easily. I also have a wall up that no one gets through. Will any of this change? After all, I'm 56 years old and have been using these defenses my whole life. Still, I have to try.
I would like to feel whole. I've often heard Dr. Phil tell parents that if they fight in front of their kids or abuse them or expose them to bad things, it changes the child forever. It's true. My brother and I were forever changed.
TB's surgery was a success! The procedure was done at the same hospital where we had our duodenal switches, Lourdes Medical Center. We really are impressed with this hospital and continue to be in spite of the mix-up in what time we were supposed to report. TB originally had an appointment with his orthopedic doctor in the morning because surgery was to be in the afternoon. However, we were told initially to report at 9 and so he had to cancel his appointment. Then they called back after it was too late and said oops, surgery is in the afternoon, come in at 11.
I had an up and down experience with the cafeteria. I went in at 11 to get a cup of coffee and found the door was locked. The vending machines outside didn't have coffee so I checked the time to see when I could come back. As I was doing that, the manager of the place saw me and said although the place was closed for half an hour, I could wait there. "Could I buy a cup of coffee?" I wondered. She smiled and said, "You can HAVE a cup of coffee." Ah! What a nice person. After TB went up for surgery I returned for a bite to it. There were no prices listed anywhere and no grilled cheese so I took a chance on a single slice of pizza and an iced tea to mix my protein with. It cost me just under five dollars!!!! For those two bitty things! Yikes, I felt like I was on Jersey Turnpike! So they got back they money for that first coffee. ;)
Dr. David Greenbaum did the surgery so we knew TB would be in good hands. Dr. Greenbaum also did our duodenal switches. He called me in the waiting room to tell me everything had gone well and TB would be back downstairs for me to see him in about an hour. Because TB missed his appointment with the orthopedic doctor, Dr. Greenbaum refilled his script for one of his pain medications.
So TB is holding up pretty well. His next big adventure is getting his tooth pulled on Saturday.
| Disorder | Rating |
| Paranoid Personality Disorder: | Low |
| Schizoid Personality Disorder: | Moderate |
| Schizotypal Personality Disorder: | Low |
| Antisocial Personality Disorder: | Low |
| Borderline Personality Disorder: | Moderate |
| Histrionic Personality Disorder: | Low |
| Narcissistic Personality Disorder: | Low |
| Avoidant Personality Disorder: | Moderate |
| Dependent Personality Disorder: | Moderate |
| Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: | Moderate |
-- Take the Personality Disorder Test -- -- Personality Disorder Info -- | |
So it's nice to know I'm just moderately nuts in some areas! I'm surprised there was nothing for anxiety and depression. Those are the areas my diagnoses lie. Anyway...
Starting backwards, today I got up and was off and running almost right away. TB wasn't bleeding and was in relative comfort so I took Kristin to school and then went for my therapy appointment. For the last month, I've been working a program used by the military to diminish symptoms of PTSD. I've never been to war but it seems I have PTSD from growing up in another kind of war zone, the home of two alcoholic angry deaf adults.
One thing I've been working on is called "stuck points". They are areas where I've given myself an incorrect message because of something that happened to me. An example is when my mom found my writing, read it, and went all ballistic all over me. That's the incident. The message I tell myself, writing is bad; writing is not safe. The feeling is shame. There are hundreds of these "stuck points". Another one is where my parents were fighting and beating on each other. In terror, my brother and I ran from the house to our neighbor's. What I told myself is that I should have been able to stop the fight and didn't; I ran away instead. The feel is inadequacy.
With that example, my therapist wanted to know what I would tell the younger me. I thought about it and said I would say I'd done the best I could and it wasn't right that I should be put in that position. The therapist pointed out something I wasn't aware of. She said my affect was that of an orator and that I was disconnected from what happened. She said through all this, she's never seen me cry. She seemed surprised.
I told her there's no point in crying. It doesn't change anything and all you get for it is swollen eyes, hitching breath and a stuffy nose. She wondered when was the last time I cried and I can't remember. I'm sure it was after Rich died but then after that--say the last 5 years--I just have no clue.
The therapist thinks I've got repression going on, a defense mechanism to protect myself against painful feelings. That doesn't surprise me. I know I can detach from my feelings very easily. I also have a wall up that no one gets through. Will any of this change? After all, I'm 56 years old and have been using these defenses my whole life. Still, I have to try.
I would like to feel whole. I've often heard Dr. Phil tell parents that if they fight in front of their kids or abuse them or expose them to bad things, it changes the child forever. It's true. My brother and I were forever changed.
TB's surgery was a success! The procedure was done at the same hospital where we had our duodenal switches, Lourdes Medical Center. We really are impressed with this hospital and continue to be in spite of the mix-up in what time we were supposed to report. TB originally had an appointment with his orthopedic doctor in the morning because surgery was to be in the afternoon. However, we were told initially to report at 9 and so he had to cancel his appointment. Then they called back after it was too late and said oops, surgery is in the afternoon, come in at 11.
I had an up and down experience with the cafeteria. I went in at 11 to get a cup of coffee and found the door was locked. The vending machines outside didn't have coffee so I checked the time to see when I could come back. As I was doing that, the manager of the place saw me and said although the place was closed for half an hour, I could wait there. "Could I buy a cup of coffee?" I wondered. She smiled and said, "You can HAVE a cup of coffee." Ah! What a nice person. After TB went up for surgery I returned for a bite to it. There were no prices listed anywhere and no grilled cheese so I took a chance on a single slice of pizza and an iced tea to mix my protein with. It cost me just under five dollars!!!! For those two bitty things! Yikes, I felt like I was on Jersey Turnpike! So they got back they money for that first coffee. ;)
Dr. David Greenbaum did the surgery so we knew TB would be in good hands. Dr. Greenbaum also did our duodenal switches. He called me in the waiting room to tell me everything had gone well and TB would be back downstairs for me to see him in about an hour. Because TB missed his appointment with the orthopedic doctor, Dr. Greenbaum refilled his script for one of his pain medications.
So TB is holding up pretty well. His next big adventure is getting his tooth pulled on Saturday.
Wednesday, October 19
Miscellaneous Stuff
Today TB is having hernia surgery. He's not allowed to eat or drink anything, not since midnight last night, and so he's pretty out of it. Originally we were supposed to go to the hospital at 9. TB was supposed to see his orthopedic doctor and had to cancel that appointment. Then around 7:30 the hospital called and changed the admission time to 11. It was really annoying because TB needed a refill of his pain medications.
It's so hard to watch him suffer. I'm helpless because there's nothing I can do. His tooth is especially causing a lot of agony and he'll chew a percocet and put it into the broken area. Sometimes that helps relieve the pain but not always. Then there is the chronic pain he has from busting his hump for an ungrateful employer all those years. Funny...you think you're doing the right thing by working hard but then you learn quick what a mistake it was when you get kicked to the curb after becoming disabled. I wish surgery would help the pain in TB's back but the doctors say it won't.
I think Occupy Philadelphia at least is becoming more organized and trying to set goals. I gave feedback about which issues I felt were most important and what I thought protestors ought to do about it. I hope they hear back from a lot of people. I really want to see this movement take off. One thing I would like to see is lobbying for healthcare for everyone. Poor people should be able to buy into a policy they can afford. I'd also like to see that fair trade act repealed--the one that gives credits to businesses allowing them to outsource. Even if we can't bring back the jobs already lost, let's save future jobs from going overseas. I've heard about another company laying off all their workers and setting up in the far East.
I heard the tail end of a story about a possible COLA for social security recipients--the first one in years--of about 3%. For a person now receiving about $1,000 a month it would mean an extra $30. Wow! With it, I can order a monthly supply of the bariatric vitamins TB and I need. Or we could get one half tank of gas. Something is better than nothing, which is what we've been having.
Speaking of bariatric surgery, TB and I had our annual visits with the surgeon and we're both doing great! I've lost 87% of my excess weight and TB 76%. My calcium was a little low so my PTH (thyroid) level was high. I need to take more calcium, no biggie. We both were low on Vitamin D so we need to boost the levels we take. No biggie, just means the vitamins will be a little more expensive.
Kristin decided to carry a double major. She met with an advisor to talk about what she needs to take to fulfill all the requirements. Kristin already had a schedule for herself mapped out for the near future and had questions written down so she wouldn't forget what to ask. I was really impressed with her organization!
Munchkin may be a bit of a bully but we still love her. One of the things I love most is when I nap or sleep. She will go under the covers and snuggle with me. I fall asleep stroking her fur. It's very soothing. The cats like to hang out on our bed. Many times we have five of them lounging around and it seems to be the one time they all get along!
Time to get ready to go to the hospital!
It's so hard to watch him suffer. I'm helpless because there's nothing I can do. His tooth is especially causing a lot of agony and he'll chew a percocet and put it into the broken area. Sometimes that helps relieve the pain but not always. Then there is the chronic pain he has from busting his hump for an ungrateful employer all those years. Funny...you think you're doing the right thing by working hard but then you learn quick what a mistake it was when you get kicked to the curb after becoming disabled. I wish surgery would help the pain in TB's back but the doctors say it won't.
I think Occupy Philadelphia at least is becoming more organized and trying to set goals. I gave feedback about which issues I felt were most important and what I thought protestors ought to do about it. I hope they hear back from a lot of people. I really want to see this movement take off. One thing I would like to see is lobbying for healthcare for everyone. Poor people should be able to buy into a policy they can afford. I'd also like to see that fair trade act repealed--the one that gives credits to businesses allowing them to outsource. Even if we can't bring back the jobs already lost, let's save future jobs from going overseas. I've heard about another company laying off all their workers and setting up in the far East.
I heard the tail end of a story about a possible COLA for social security recipients--the first one in years--of about 3%. For a person now receiving about $1,000 a month it would mean an extra $30. Wow! With it, I can order a monthly supply of the bariatric vitamins TB and I need. Or we could get one half tank of gas. Something is better than nothing, which is what we've been having.
Speaking of bariatric surgery, TB and I had our annual visits with the surgeon and we're both doing great! I've lost 87% of my excess weight and TB 76%. My calcium was a little low so my PTH (thyroid) level was high. I need to take more calcium, no biggie. We both were low on Vitamin D so we need to boost the levels we take. No biggie, just means the vitamins will be a little more expensive.
Kristin decided to carry a double major. She met with an advisor to talk about what she needs to take to fulfill all the requirements. Kristin already had a schedule for herself mapped out for the near future and had questions written down so she wouldn't forget what to ask. I was really impressed with her organization!
Munchkin may be a bit of a bully but we still love her. One of the things I love most is when I nap or sleep. She will go under the covers and snuggle with me. I fall asleep stroking her fur. It's very soothing. The cats like to hang out on our bed. Many times we have five of them lounging around and it seems to be the one time they all get along!
Time to get ready to go to the hospital!
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