It's Friday!
Hi Mary and my OFF family:
Yeah, I hate traffic too, Mary ... I always try to drive around construction if I can help it. And I hate being late for anything. As far as the dog goes, have you looked at shelters for a small dog? Sometimes you don't have to pay as much.
First night back at work went well ... I don't have as much to do on Thursdays as I work the wire slot, which is fun and relaxing. I get to read lots of different stories. The rest of the week, I edit sports pages and that means a lot of stuff comes in late.
Well, Richard heard from Social Security and Medicaid ... they denied him. Part of it is some of his records didn't get in. He knew that because he called on Wednesday. He spent a good deal of time trying to get these records faxed over to SSA and the state ... they are dragging their feet doing their jobs. I think once those records get over there, his appeal stands a better chance. At least I hope so. He was so low last night, he was ready to hit the road. I told him he can't walk to the end of the block. I wrote a letter supporting his claim because I was there when he had the incident when he started convulsing. I am trying hard to keep his spirits up, but it's difficult when the world keeps knocking him down like this. He's had a rough time in the past year and a half.
Anyway, we all have problems of our own. I have to take him to his eye appointment and I don't know how I'm going to pay the rest of my rent as well as his eye appointment. Sigh. All I'm doing is paying bills.
Got off the phone with my weight management coach. My goal is to lose one pound a week, stop eating in bed and start using MyFitnessPal. Let's see if I can follow through.
Have a good day everyone.
Eileen...I am glad last night was an easier night considering it was your first night back. I hope tonight isn't too crazy!
I am sorry Richard was denied. I know they seem to deny almost everyone at first. Rules have gotten stricter that is for sure. Then there is the staff that say they need more information or they didn't receive the information. So they deny the claim. I just want to smack them!!! I hope they don't make him do it all over. If they do ...I hope he has copies of everything.
I am sure Richard is more then a little depressed. What a let down. I hope he will be okay!! You are right by trying to keep his spirits up. It has been a really hard time for him since he lost that newspaper job.
I hope you can get your rent paid and Richard can get his eye appointment done. I am sorry things are so difficult for both of you right now. Sending prayers for sure.
Love to you and hugs too....connie d
He got his eyes checked and the doc gave him a pair of contacts that will hold him for a month. He had a significant change in his vision due to the brain damage suffered with the seizures. He said he can see much better. I think most of the problems with the denial stem from doctors not getting their records in (my friend Mary Kay emphasized to me to get my records all set before I started; she got hers approved right away on the first try). Yes, he has copies of everything. Plus, his back has been bothering him. He went to the ER ... unfortunately, he went back to the hospital where he had the seizures in the first place with the nasty doctor. This time, a male nurse tried to inject him with contrast dye ... he is deathly allergic to it. Fortunately, Richard caught him before it. He said, "What are you putting in that IV?" The nurse said contrast dye. Richard said, "I'm deathly allergic to that. I'll die 30 seconds after I have that." The nurse said, "Well, I don't know that. You have to tell me that." If Richard hadn't said something, he'd be dead. The nurse has to ask if he's allergic to anything (like latex). My nurses always do when I'm having an epidural. Where do they hire these people? So Richard had quite a morning.
Rent is still in question. I need to call my landlord and make some arrangements. He lets me pay half at the beginning and half in the middle, but I don't have the other half. Sigh!
Eileen....Woot Woot...I am so glad he got contacts for a month. Hopefully someone will get their head out of their butt and get this disability passed by then!!!
OMG...he could be dead...you are right.... where are they getting these NURSES!!! They always ask about allergies. They very well could have killed him!! Su*****ompetent people!!
I hope you can get the rent figured out. If I could I would help but I am only living on disability myself.
Love and hugs....connie d
Thanks for the offer, Connie; I know you don't have it, either. I have not spent on anything frivolous either. I paid bills, bought gas and got my grandnephew a birthday gift. And got my vicodin. That was it. Then I paid for Richard's eye exam and contacts. Fortunately, that was less than he expected. Actually, out of that, I got a fairly new Surface computer (he sold it to me for $60 ... It's worth a whole lot more than that). I've been wanting one, but knew it was out of my price range. But $60 ... damn, that's worth it. I'll have to play with it soon. My sister-in-law has one ... it's like a tablet and a computer. Way cool.
I'd never laugh ... not everyone is that much into tech stuff.
Here's a link from Best Buy: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/microsoft-surface-pro-3-12-intel-core-i5-256gb-silver/6244026.p?id=1219198830494&skuId=6244026
But in short: Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet: The new Surface Pro 3 is in a category of its own. With a stunning 12" display in a sleek magnesium frame, Surface Pro 3 has all the power and performance of a laptop in an incredibly lightweight, versatile form. It may just be the ultimate device.
So it's kind of a hybrid: A laptop that can turn into a tablet and back into a laptop. It's really cool. They advertise them on TV all the time. I'm surprised Richard doesn't like his; he likes to have the newest tech stuff.
Hello Sister Friends,
I have been struggling with allergies to the point of thinking I was going to have go back on steroids...and I go to my allergist for more test so starting Monday, I go off all antihistamines, which is going to kill me. Day before yesterday, I got exposed to peanuts. As best we can figure, the folks across from our offices had popcorn for the students and they put out nuts, so probably a bunch of kids were eating peanuts and touching doors and I must have touched a door or gotten too close to someone who was eating peanuts...long story short, I walked into my office and started feeling a little itchy and one of my PhD students came in and said, Doc, your face looks like it is on fire and then I knew and within seconds, my throat swelled up and closed shut...thankfully, when I grabbed my epipen, the student took it and shoved it into my leg and someone called 911 and in four minutes, they shot me full of epi again and then firemen, really hot firemen, were there and they were hooking me up to the oxygen and getting an IV and the redness was fading and I could breathe and we were on our way out of the building, and apparently, the peanuts were in the air and the heart monitored and oxygen thing went off and they intubated me, right there in the doorway of our building...my dean....my other dean...the other dean...the other faculty...were all there and soon we had a train of cars trailing us to the hospital...I was in the hospital for six hours, finally got sent home, and as a result of my severe reaction, our college is going peanut free. Now, I appreciate what they are doing; I really do. But, peanut free....that's a little harsh and I know so many people who love to eat peanut things. I am grown and I know to watch for peanuts and can do that without making the building peanut free. I don't want others to be deprived because I have an allergy. The provost talked to me yesterday and I said, please don't do this....I don't want people to hate me; he said, oh sweetie, they love you and it was all of their ideas to do this for you...but I said, the students and he said, we have eight students that we know of who have peanut allergies....so, I guess I will just have to deal with the haters...did I tell you how hot the firemen were?
BTW, I have not always had this violent of an allergy to peanuts...I used to eat those peanut balls that we made with the protein powered...they were so good. I would break out in a rash but I always blamed it on the soap or pollen...but then it slowly went from hives, to hives plus swollen mouth....to shutting closed my trachea.
Vic, I know you are killing yourself getting your mom and you and Butch moved on top of dealing with Butch's illness...girl, if I lived close, I'd come unpack those boxes...I can pack and unpack a house in record time. In fact, when we moved from the big house to this little place, I had everything packed before my doctor and her husband go there and they said, what are we here to do and I said, lift....lift the boxes.
Eileen, I know how hard it is for you to support yourself and now you are stretching your money to include taking care of Richard. I also know he has no other options and you are a good friend to support him.
Judy, I haven't been on the board for a few days so I need to check up what's going on, but I hope your biopsy is negative and I hope you get over the soreness.
For those struggling with the post op diet, man oh man, enjoy these days of lean pickings...I so remember the day of the clear liquids. When you do get to eat soft food, stick to protein...avoid glider foods like potatoes that don't fill the pouch up and empty quickly into your intestine. Later on, when you get regular food, gliders include crackers, chips, other types of food that go in and out of the pouch so that you soon start eating more and more and it can halt your weight loss and some even gain. Eat the meat, the green vegetables, and the yellow vegetables last....no white anything. LOL
Jeannie...hello again!!
I imagine you will really be suffering going off your antihistamines. I have had to do that and remember how awful it was. You have allergies worse then I do. That is going to be rough!! All I can do is pray for you as I always do.
OH MY GOSH.....peanuts....you could have died!! That was awful!! I am glad you had your EPI PEN and the HOT fireman got there so quickly!! That reminds me ....I think my EPI PENs need to be replaced this season....I better check the date! I am so happy you are okay now!! Six hours in the hospital...yes....making the building "peanut free" is necessary!!! YOU are worth it...obviously!!! 
Great advice about eating correctly. No white anything for me, protein first, then green veggies. I can have two snack and they are fruit...berries!! It seems to be helping!
Love and more hugs to you....connie d
