This Year is Our Year for Success!
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I’m so sorry to hear this about Michele. She was always so helpful to people who had questions or frustration with the process.
I’m back from my visit to DC to see my friend who moved up there 2 years ago. Three of my friends joined me for this trip and our hosts really were so happy to have us. We had a nice dinner Wednesday night at their home and lots of time to chat, then on Thursday we were up early to head into DC for our White House tour. After that we went to the Smithsonian zoo to see the giant pandas before they are returned to China sometime before the end of the year. We were fortunate to get to see all 3 of them. After that we headed ver to a place called Eastern Market, where our hosts said they had found the best crab cakes they’ve ever eaten. We all ordered them for our lunch and they absolutely lived up to the hype! Unfortunately while we were there, one of my friends fell off the barstool she was sitting on and injured her elbow as well as severely bruised her hip and leg. We were terribly worried about her because she has both hips replaced as well as partial replacements of both knees. She was in a lot of pain, but refused to go to urgent care or an ER. The owner of the place was helping us and a homeless man even came up and gave her a bandaid. We hobbled half a block with her where our host met us with the car and headed back to their house where we cleaned up her wound and pampered her as much as she would allow for the rest of the night. She felt terrible, fearing that she had ruined the trip, which of course was untrue. Luckily, our hosts had a cane they didn’t need, so that helped her to get around for the rest of the trip. The next day we got up and had breakfast, then everyone got ready for the day. We had lunch in Reston at a taco place, then headed out to a beautiful winery where we spent the afternoon sampling wine and eating charcuterie and just enjoying the lovely views. That evening we played a board game at the house then went to bed early. Saturday we went to a diner for brunch, then walked around a nice little farmer’s market before heading back to the house to get our bags and head out to the airport. We had an uneventful flight home, and I think we were all glad to be back home.
Today I met my grad school friends for lunch to celebrate my friend’s birthday. We had a very nice lunch, but the parking around this restaurant was horrendous. I’m back home now relaxing and trying to figure out what I have going on next week. The most important item on the agenda is we finally got an appointment for DH with a pulmonologist for Wednesday afternoon.0 -
That’s terrible news about Michelle. I hope she’s one who beats the odds.
Pam, your trip sounded wonderful except for your friend’s mishap. How is she doing since she returned home? Congratulations on getting the doctor’s appointment. We’re still waiting on a specialist appointment for DH. I don’t have high hopes for getting it before we head to FL. His dental cleaning got canceled as well. There are three hygienists in the practice and his is out for surgery and recovery for 8 months. They suggested I call every morning to see if anyone has canceled. The earliest appointment with his hygienist is next June.0 -
DH saw the pulmonologist today and as I expected, more tests were ordered. He didn’t seem to think anything very serious is going on, but wouldn’t say too much until the breathing test and sleep study are done. Hopefully it won’t take very long to get those completed. He offered to do a telehealth follow up visit, which will be much easier than going to his office for the follow up consultation. He seemed to think it might be a recurrence of asthma, which DH had as a child, but needs the tests to confirm this. DH was annoyed with me for mentioning the snoring and falling asleep every time he sits down, but I didn’t want to waste the opportunity to get him checked for sleep apnea.
My friend is still having pain when walking, even while using a cane. She and her husband plan to visit a condo they own in the mountains of NM this weekend to close it up for the winter. She will have to climb stairs there as the bedrooms are up 1 level from the main level. She said right now she has a dark bruise the size of a soccer ball on her hip and is still having a lot of pain. I encouraged her to go to a doctor when she gets back home unless the pain is a lot better and she’s able to walk more easily. She said she would, but we’ll see if she does.0 -
DH had a fall two years ago. He had terrible bruises that took 6 weeks to completely fade. He’s on a blood thinner so the bruises were more prominent. I wonder if your friend is on a blood thinner?
Your husband’s appointment sounds encouraging. Good luck with the future appointment and tests.0 -
Yes, she is on a blood thinner because she had a blood clot in her leg, which the doctor found because she was getting ready for knee replacement surgery. Her doctor didn’t want to schedule her for surgery until the clot was gone. She’s been on Eliquis for at least 2 months now. I forgot that it would contribute to her bruising.0
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I’ve been sick for several days with a virus I caught from DH. It felt like a cold with congestion and some coughing. I had a mammogram scheduled today. I decided to err on the side of caution and took a Covid test. To my horror, it was positive. I rescheduled my appointment and I’m resting and watching TV. I’m sure the recent vaccination kept my case mild but it’s still a disappointment that I caught COVID after 3.5 years healthy.0
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I’ve been sick for several days with a virus I caught from DH. It felt like a cold with congestion and some coughing. I had a mammogram scheduled today. I decided to err on the side of caution and took a Covid test. To my horror, it was positive. I rescheduled my appointment and I’m resting and watching TV. I’m sure the recent vaccination kept my case mild but it’s still a disappointment that I caught COVID after 3.5 years healthy.
Oh, no!!! I guess we can't give up our vigilance. Here's hoping your case stays mild and you feel 100% soon!0 -
Yes, she is on a blood thinner because she had a blood clot in her leg, which the doctor found because she was getting ready for knee replacement surgery. Her doctor didn’t want to schedule her for surgery until the clot was gone. She’s been on Eliquis for at least 2 months now. I forgot that it would contribute to her bruising.
Hopefully it's just bruised. I just read a book where the heroine was limping around and when her husband finally forced her to go to the doctor she had a broken hip. No clue if in real life you can actually walk with a broken hip. I probably should google that!0 -
DH saw the pulmonologist today and as I expected, more tests were ordered. He didn’t seem to think anything very serious is going on, but wouldn’t say too much until the breathing test and sleep study are done. Hopefully it won’t take very long to get those completed. He offered to do a telehealth follow up visit, which will be much easier than going to his office for the follow up consultation. He seemed to think it might be a recurrence of asthma, which DH had as a child, but needs the tests to confirm this. DH was annoyed with me for mentioning the snoring and falling asleep every time he sits down, but I didn’t want to waste the opportunity to get him checked for sleep apnea.
Here's hoping they can pin down the cause and get him some relief!
Do you actually have to sleep to have a sleep study? That might be hard for a lot of people to do.0 -
I’m feeling much better today. It feels like the remnants of a mild cold now. I should be back to normal by Sunday. I’ll take a new test just to make sure I’m negative by then. In the meantime, I’m keeping my germs to myself by staying at home.0
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I’ve had a busy week. DH’s nephew, wife and 2 kids came for a brief visit on Thursday and we combined their visit with a small birthday party for DH’s mom, who turned 96 last Sunday. I made a baked penne pasta dish with salad and garlic bread sticks for dinner, as well as an almond layer cake with raspberry filling and a white chocolate amaretto frosting, then covered the sides of the cake with sliced almonds and fresh raspberries all over the top. Preparing all of the food kept me busy for most of the week as I’ve learned that I have to pace myself and prepare as much ahead of time as possible to avoid being in pain from my back. I had also made a couple of pastries and a breakfast casserole for Friday morning, but unbeknownst to me, they had made plans to meet up with some of our nephew’s wife’s family for brunch. So those items went into the freezer and I’ll take them to my sister’s house for our Thanksgiving morning breakfast.0
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Your meal sounds wonderful and the cake sounds amazing. Did you take a photo of the cake? Smart idea to freeze breakfast for your Thanksgiving visit. Did MIL enjoy her birthday celebration?0
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Helene, there was so much happening that I only got one, not very good picture of the cake with the birthday girl. She seemed to enjoy her birthday dinner, but got very tired. She’s had Covid for the past 3 weeks, but finally tested negative yesterday.
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I’m feeling much better today. It feels like the remnants of a mild cold now. I should be back to normal by Sunday. I’ll take a new test just to make sure I’m negative by then. In the meantime, I’m keeping my germs to myself by staying at home.
Here's hoping you are back to normal and test negative!!!!0 -
Turns out I continued to test positive on Sunday. I had to cancel my dental cleaning Monday but I was able to pass the appointment to DH. His appointment was canceled because his hygienist is on long term medical leave following a couple of surgeries. My hygienist told him she try to find space in her schedule for me before we head to FL. I feel like the remnants of a cold. It’s about 12 days now. I didn’t expect it to last this long. I probably could have gotten Paxlovid if I realized I had Covid sooner but too much time has passed. I didn’t realize it was Covid until I tested prior to my mammogram appointment. I was shocked when it was positive. I rescheduled the appointment and I’m just staying home until I’m negative.0
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I forgot to say the cake was gorgeous. I’m sure it was delicious as well.0
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Thank you, Helene. We enjoyed it, but thankfully for my diet, it’s all gone now!
DH’s mom continued to test positive for a full 3 weeks, but finally tested negative last Friday. Apparently it’s not too unusual to test positive long after the symptoms are mostly gone. According to my niece who is an RN, you’re not really contagious at that point. I hope she’s correct since we had MIL here in spite of the positive Covid test from 3 days before.0 -
I tested today and I’m negative. Just in time to meet a friend for lunch tomorrow. DH had a couple of errands yesterday. I rode along but stayed in the car. It was my version of mobile quarantine. I hadn’t left home for 2 weeks so I was getting cabin fever. The change of scenery was great even though I never left the car.0
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I tested today and I’m negative. Just in time to meet a friend for lunch tomorrow. DH had a couple of errands yesterday. I rode along but stayed in the car. It was my version of mobile quarantine. I hadn’t left home for 2 weeks so I was getting cabin fever. The change of scenery was great even though I never left the car.
YEAH!! I bet you were getting cabin fever. Sometimes I find that my mind has sort of gone into "pandemic mode" and I feel like I did when everything was closed and I didn't go anywhere except to feed the colonies. They also say that people who lived through the depression were never the same. I wonder if that will be true of the pandemic.0 -
Thank you, Helene. We enjoyed it, but thankfully for my diet, it’s all gone now!
DH’s mom continued to test positive for a full 3 weeks, but finally tested negative last Friday. Apparently it’s not too unusual to test positive long after the symptoms are mostly gone. According to my niece who is an RN, you’re not really contagious at that point. I hope she’s correct since we had MIL here in spite of the positive Covid test from 3 days before.
YEAH! I'm sure you and your DH are relieved!!0 -
I continue to work hard but the last couple weekends I just had to take a break and work on my own "to do" list. Things were just piling up and piling up! I also had to figure out the new Maryland system for filing non profit returns. It's always something!0
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Got my rescheduled mammogram in yesterday. I canceled the original appointment for Covid. I was surprised when they only asked if I had Covid symptoms that day. Prior to that, questions included have you come in contact with anyone with Covid in the past 14 days. Another sign of Covid protocols becoming more like asking about the flu.0
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Got my rescheduled mammogram in yesterday. I canceled the original appointment for Covid. I was surprised when they only asked if I had Covid symptoms that day. Prior to that, questions included have you come in contact with anyone with Covid in the past 14 days. Another sign of Covid protocols becoming more like asking about the flu.
I think most places are at most paying lip service any more. Buildings that used to have someone checking temps as people came in and checking for masks have totally eliminated that.0 -
That’s true. Two years ago, I had to use the main hospital entrance and stop for an ID and temp check. Only people with an appointment could come in. The office building I go to connected to the hospital by a hallway. Now we’re back to going directly into the office building and access is open as before before Covid restrictions.0
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Pam - I was just reading an article about Buc-ee's convenience stores in the Washington Post. Boy, everything IS supersized in Texas. LOL!
It's raining hard here. In typical Maryland fashion the tv channels were already scrolling flood warnings last evening at least 12 hours before the rain was to start.
I'm trying to psych myself up to make Thanksgiving dinner. I could cheerfully skip this year but DH would be sad.0 -
Maryanne, the Buc-ees stores are crazy! We typically skip them but I have been to a few of them when I travel with my sister. They do have really good snacks, lol. And the bathrooms really are super clean and nice. And you almost never have to wait for a gas pump because they have so many. I think they are fun, but DH would rather be shot than stop at one.
We are driving to my sister’s house tomorrow. This year's dinner is coming together pretty easily. A friend of hers offered to gift her pies that she had in her freezer. Her friend enjoys baking pies and typically makes 2 every time she bakes. She eats one and freezes the other, so she offered a couple of the pies from her freezer for our dinner. I baked an apple pie today because that’s my BIL’s favorite and I like it too. I already had a breakfast casserole in the freezer leftover from our visitors last month that we ended up not using, along with a couple of breakfast pastries. I had mashed potatoes in the freezer, extras from a previous dinner I had made for someone who was recovering from surgery. I made my cranberry sauce last week, so I was really able to space out everything pretty easily. My sister did the same thing — several dishes were made ahead of time, so on Thursday we will mostly be reheating things. Our turkey is smoked, so it will just need to be sliced.
MIL is not doing well. Her dementia seems to be getting worse, and she’s becoming very needy. She’s calling DH almost daily, expecting him to come and sit with her. She gets very frustrated when she can’t remember what she wants to say or can’t find the right word, which can trigger an anxiety attack. And she has apparently started wandering the halls in her underwear. She moans a lot as if in pain, but can’t really say what hurts. DH is patient with her, but I think he is growing frustrated, too. He said tonight that she’s like a big baby, which might be the most critical thing I’ve ever heard him say about her. I sincerely hope I don’t live as long as she has, unless I’m in much better condition.0 -
Pam -
I'm sorry about your MIL! That is my worst nightmare.
Your dinner sounds fantastic!
I've got a turkey along with my usual stove top, jars of gravy, etc. LOL! I don't like cranberry; DH does. But he only likes the jellied stuff in the can so that's in the frig. I tried buying something fancier one year and he was not amused.
Have a great Thanksgiving Day everyone!0 -
Happy Thanksgiving! It’s just the two of us at home so I ordered a dinner kit from Stop & Shop. For Maryanne’s FYI, they’re related to the Giant supermarket chain. It included a turkey breast, potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole and squash. There was no gravy or cranberry sauce but I had those in the house already. It included a pumpkin pie too. So I just have to heat everything. We’ve been spending Thanksgiving with family but couldn’t go this year because DH had a medical appointment yesterday. He had some lab tests done yesterday but the appointment was positive. We have to wait for a follow up with the doctor but we should be able to go to FL before Christmas.
We’re also waiting for the Registry to mail me a replacement driver’s license. I renewed online in September and then forgot about it. I had to show my license at the bank and was told it had expired. I went to the registry and got a temporary license. The real one will be mailed. It was a blessing I had to show it at the bank. Otherwise I would have gone to FL without a valid license.0 -
We had a nice Thanksgiving with my sister and her family but we are back home now. Today we plan to go to MIL’s place and decorate her apartment for some holiday cheer and check in on her. She didn’t call while we were away, but SIL reported that she spoke with some of the staff and they said she wasn’t doing well. The hospice nurse was supposed to check on her, but we weren’t notified if that occurred or not. The main problem seems to be anxiety now. Any change to her routine sets off an anxiety attack, and us being out of town apparently was a big trigger for her. Even though we were only 2 hours away and could easily return if needed.
I hope all of you had a nice Thanksgiving and are enjoying a relaxed weekend. I have no plans to go shopping until next week when people are back at work, lol! I had hoped to severely limit the number of people we were buying gifts for this year to only MIL and our young niece and nephews, but DH’s family threw a fit and he caved. So now our gift list has expanded and I’ll have to have everything ready to ship in time to arrive for Christmas.0 -
Happy Thanksgiving! It’s just the two of us at home so I ordered a dinner kit from Stop & Shop. For Maryanne’s FYI, they’re related to the Giant supermarket chain. It included a turkey breast, potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole and squash. There was no gravy or cranberry sauce but I had those in the house already. It included a pumpkin pie too. So I just have to heat everything. We’ve been spending Thanksgiving with family but couldn’t go this year because DH had a medical appointment yesterday. He had some lab tests done yesterday but the appointment was positive. We have to wait for a follow up with the doctor but we should be able to go to FL before Christmas.
We’re also waiting for the Registry to mail me a replacement driver’s license. I renewed online in September and then forgot about it. I had to show my license at the bank and was told it had expired. I went to the registry and got a temporary license. The real one will be mailed. It was a blessing I had to show it at the bank. Otherwise I would have gone to FL without a valid license.
Maybe some year I can swing something easier for Thanksgiving. That dinner sounds like a good option. As would eating out on Friday some year.
That's too bad you couldn't see family on Thanksgiving!
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