2017--This Year is Our Year!!!
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Maryanne, I think the bargains are found more on big ticket items like furniture or electronics. If you have one nearby, as I do, I think there are bargains to be found in their meat and produce sections if the quantities work for you. Sometimes I go with a friend and we buy some items and then split them up so that neither of us ends up with more than we can use in a reasonable time frame. Some of my friends also like to buy books there and say their prices are good on those. Since I only read on my Nook nowadays, I don't ever look at those. I'm told their pharmacy prices are good and that eyeglasses and hearing aids as well as travel packages are good buys, too. So if any of those are in your plans over the next year, a membership might be worthwhile. Otherwise, I'd skip it.0
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Maryanne, Walmart.com has been advertising free shipping. Check their cat food prices and see if that plus free shipping would be a good deal for you. I could join Costco down here but there are no stores near me in MA. SO it doesn't seem worthwhile to get a membership for the few months that we're down here.0
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Pam - I'm definitely skipping it. Jean unfortunately has no choice but to drive long distances for things. Luckily I don't have to. No Costco in this vicinity but plenty of places to get groceries, glasses, prescriptions, etc. What we don't have is any warehouse clubs or any high end grocery stores (like Wegman's or Whole Foods). I guess we're sort of middle. LOL!0
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We have a Costco and a Sam's Club near us but don't have a membership to either. For only two of us, it just doesn't work out to much of a cost savings by the time you pay the membership fee. Plus, my friends who do have memberships are always willing to take me in as a guest if there is something I need or want from one of those stores. When Costco first opened, they sent us a complimentary one year membership so we did try it out but at the end of the year decided that it just wasn't for us.
We had major hailstorms all around us last night, but they skipped our area. We only got a trace of rain, but areas about 10-15 miles north of us had tennis ball sized hail. One of my friends posted pictures holding some of the hailstones and one of his car with the back windshield completely broken out by the hail. The insurance adjusters, roofers, and car body shops will be busy!0 -
I can't even imagine hail that big! Wow!
We're apparently in for some rainy weather. I'm really really starting to hate mud. Makes feeding the colonies and keeping their food dry that much tougher.0 -
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We had more extreme weather in the area last night, but once again our immediate area was spared. We did have some rain and an impressive lightening show, but no damage. Other areas were not as lucky. It will be like this for the next few months, unfortunately.
My friend's husband will go home next Tuesday! She is currently gathering up the supplies and devices they will need for him to be safe and comfortable at home. I have a two wheel walker she will be borrowing when she comes by in awhile. I'm so happy for them. Three months ago I didn't believe he would ever be able to return home, so he has made remarkable progress.
When I saw my family practice doctor last week about my back she insisted that I return for fasting blood work, which I did yesterday. I don't know the results yet, but I'm anticipating that my cholesterol may be a little higher than she would like since I am not exercising. I always dread having blood drawn if fasting is required since my veins can be difficult, so I started drinking water as soon as I got up yesterday. I think I had consumed at least 40 ounces by the time I got to the lab, and the tech was able to get it first try. I was so glad I drank all that water!0 -
Pam - that is totally amazing about your neighbor. I'm sure they have a long, hard road ahead of him but how wonderful that he gets to come home.0
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Good morning, everyone. Big ticket items, vacations, cars, etc. are where you save when it comes to Costco, Sams, etc. I had a membership to Costco even though I had to drive 3 hours to Columbus, Ohio. I saved $3,000 on hearing aids by buying the Costco re-branded version of what I was priced here. I would still drive 3 hours one way to save that much money. I have a Sams membership as they are big here but I am not renewing it. I can buy much of the equivalent foods, etc. in WalMart. Sams says it does hearing aids but they are not the same type which audiologist measure you and design accordingly. The Sams version is one fits all with the person flipping a switch to the good hearing position.
I have absolutely no desire to eat. I was officially diagnosed with the flu which I had already self diagnosed. In the past week, I have lost 6 pounds. I am totally wiped out. I just got the version which was not included in the flu shot. Usually I get a mild case if I get it but this year I made up for past years.
Midnight just barfed on the carpet. Why they can't go to tile, etc. is beyond me.0 -
Jean - that's a heck of a way to lose weight. Here's hoping you rebound fast!
We discovered Wednesday that the pipes under our kitchen sink were leaking. So we cleaned up and I immediately stopped using the sink and the dishwasher. What a PITA! Finally had a plumber here yesterday morning to fix it. DH fixes most things but even he admits he's not much of a plumber.
That was our first time of sequestering the cats since Indy got here. She was not amewsed.
We're watching the news about Sears. This house is full of Kenmore appliances (including a stove which is barely over a year old). We are really hoping someone buys Sears' Kenmore division or we've got problems. They've sold the Craftsman division to Stanley Black & Decker and hopefully someone will buy Kenmore.
Rained really hard here yesterday. That means the bowls at the colonies will be muddy. Can't wait.0 -
I went to dietdirect.com to buy pancake mix (LOVE it) and stumbled on a 20% off wonderslim sale. Says 33 more hours (it's 2:44 Sunday afternoon Eastern time right now).
Code is WSALLWK17
I added one or two things from their weekly sale and got to free shipping easily.
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Poor Jean and poor Midnight. I hope both of you are feeling better. I've often thought the same thing when my cats barfed. The first time it happened, they acted scared and afraid of being in trouble. DH showed them sympathy and and said ppor kitty. After that, they get sick and just walk away with no concerns about being in trouble. It would have been nice if they'd learned to do it on the tile floor. AT least there was a 6 pound benefit from having that nasty flu.
Pam, that's amazing news about your neighbor's homecoming. Just goes to show you can't count out the human spirit and determination even when things look grim.
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I think my neighbor's hubby may not come home on Tuesday, after all. I had lunch with her on Thursday at the hospital and while we were eating she got a call from his nurse saying he had fallen while moving from a chair to the bed. He wasn't hurt, but he's so weak that he's not able to do things unassisted and he's too stubborn to get help. His wife is a tiny lady title woman, so she won't be able to do much to help him transfer from bed to a chair, etc. I really don't know how they are going to do this and she's got a lot of fears and concerns as well. I asked her briefly about assisted living, but I could tell she's not ready for that discussion. I advised her to ask for a meeting with his discharge planner to discuss options and follow up. They also continue to have issues with low blood pressure and low blood sugars, so it doesn't sound to me like he's ready to leave the rehab facility.
Jean, I'm so sorry you've been sick. I hope you get your strength and energy back quickly. Wasn't last week your spring break? If so, what a way to spend it.
I just came home from a bridal shower for the daughter of one of my grad school friends. I have literally known her daughter since before she was born, as her mom was pregnant with her during our last year in school. It was a lovely shower in a beautiful home fairly near me, so I didn't have any added stress from dealing with traffic to get there, which was a nice bonus for me. Now I'm just relaxing and having a quiet afternoon. I think we are supposed to have storms and lots of rain for the rest of the weekend, so I will probably stay in for the rest of the day at least.0 -
Pam - that would be so disheartening. I know after my accident we had problems because DH couldn't do things like lift me from the floor. I know I couldn't lift him. I think the medical community has come to rely very heavily on family and that doesn't always work well and is sometimes downright dangerous. I realize it's a financial necessity for the medical providers in some cases but still it doesn't seem right. Insurance ought to keep folks in rehab until it's safe for them to be released. They probably need to push insurance hard.0
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When DH came home from rehab, a nursing service came over to evaluate him. Medicare wants them there within 24 hours of discharge. He needed nursing services for a couple of weeks, and in home PT for two weeks. He was evaluated for occupational therapy but didn't need that. The whole point of the evaluation and accepting help is to keep the patient from ending back in the hospital.
Your friend should talk to the medical social worker about having the evaluations done and what the purpose of having the help is. If he understands that it's probably short term and is designed to make sure he can manage on his own so he doesn't end up back in the hospital, he might be more accepting. Hearing what he needs from the social worker may carry more weight than hearing it from his wife.
They only came 2-3 times a week and stayed for about an hour so it's not that intrusive. DH had some problems with his medications when he first came home and the nurses were wonderful working with him on that problem. Dh came home with 17 medications after the heart attack and we were totally overwhelmed with what they were for and when to take them. Te nurse wrote out a schedule so we could figure out what nhe was taking and when to take it. Fortunately, he was able to get off a few of the drugs in a month or two.
They could help her husband figure out the low blood pressure and blood sugar issues once he's home. Having been in your friend's position, I can understand the fears she has of being home alone with him. Working with home health workers can give her the skills and confidence she'll need. Feel free to share my post with her. If necessary, she should make the arrangements to have them for her own mental health and even if she has to listen to his complaints about it.0 -
Helene, thanks for the information. I will make sure to pass it on for her. I fear she will quickly get overwhelmed trying to care for him by herself. She is a breast cancer survivor, and I think she feels like it's her turn to take care of him after he helped her through her illness. Admirable, but if she makes herself sick trying to care for him then they'll really have a problem. At this point, I don't think he would be safe at home since he is too weak to walk more than a few steps, using a walker. Their home isn't huge, but just walking from the bed to the bathroom may be more than he can manage right now. And she is too small to be able to physically help him get up and down or into or out of the car. I hope they get everything figured out before they send him home, but I know she has been frustrated by a lack of communication from the social worker and discharge planner. And the one who has been working with his case is taking some days off, so now she is dealing with someone new. Maybe this one will communicate better with her.0
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It's not even a matter of her feeling she has to care for him. It's a matter of what is safe for the two of them. Since she's s tiny and he's a large guy, she could hurt her back or drop him and he could break bones.
He may need a wheelchair in the house and she needs someone to teach them how he can safely transfer from bed to a chair or to a wheelchair. They probably need grab bars in the bathroom so he has support getting in and out of the shower. The occupational therapist suggested getting an elevated seat for the toilet. It fits right into the existing seat and it has bars built in so the person can use them for support getting up or down. She also suggested getting a shower chair for use in a tub or shower. That presumes he can get in and out of a shower or tub. That's where the grab bar comes in. The shower chair is an actual plastic chair with support bars built in. My mother in law used a shower bench instead of a chair. Part of the bench sits outside the tub and the rest sits within. She'd sit on the outside part and then slide herself along the bench so she'd be sitting in the tub. It has adjustable legs to take up the difference in floor heights inside and outside the tub. The home health care person could advise her on what type of devices she needs for the home and show them how to use them.
He may need a hospital bed when he gets home. She can rent one if he needs it. She needs a lot of information on the types of adaptive equipment he'll need before it's safe for him at home. I was lucky that DH was willing to spend the time he needed in the hospital and rehab. He never pushed to come home before he was medically cleared to be at home. That's half the battle right there. A medical facility won't force you to stay but if you push to come hiome, they may release you after telling you it's against medical advice.
Do they have a handicapped placard for parking? It took us about 6 weeks to get DH's. Maybe TX is more efficient than MA. But she'll need the parking placard to be able to take him anywhere. Do you think she's strong enough to get a folded wheelchair in and out of the car trunk? His other alternative would be to use a walker but it doesn't sound like he's strong enough yet to use a walker from a parking lot to traverse into a doctor's office.
The whole process can truly be overwhelming. She needs the support of trained professional to help her get through the transition. I'm sending prayers that everything works out for her.0 -
Thanks Helene. I know they've worked through a lot of this, but I'm sure there will be lots of things they haven't thought about or won't know until the issue arises. They do already have a permanent handicapped license plate due to injuries she received in a car accident several years ago. I don't think she is strong enough to lift a wheelchair due to her double mastectomy. I think she is restricted to not lifting more than ten pounds and even the lightest wheelchair weighs more than that. The one my MIL has is termed a transporter as opposed to a standard wheelchair. The difference is in the wheels. A transporter has four 6" wheels instead of the large back wheels you see on a traditional chair. The advantage to that is reduced weight but the disadvantage is that it requires someone to push it as the user can't easily propel it. Even so, a transporter weighs close to twenty pounds. She is borrowing my walker and was arranging to borrow a shower bench, but I don't think they were planning to get a hospital bed at this point. He may sleep in their guest room for awhile as it has an adjustable bed and it is a shorter distance to the bathroom than it would be from the master bedroom. He will continue to go for dialysis three times a week, so while he is there she will get a bit of a respite. He's scheduled to come home tomorrow, which will mark day 70 of this odyssey. I'm hoping for the best for them. What an ordeal it has been.0
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Pam - it really sounds like they are going to have a struggle. My sister told me once that they discovered that when her step MIL was in assisted living (and these were people with money) there wasn't nearly as much "assistance" as you might imagine. Very scary to think about.0
