Monday Morning

[asirimarco]

Good morning to All from getting warm Las Vegas. Today will be our last under 100 day for a while. Heat Advisory for the next three days with temps from 103 to 110. Oh goody. Today the technician will come to measure for our new AC/Furnace. Won't be installed until the 27. Thank goodness the old one is still hanging on.
Had a scare Friday afternoon late - Of course on a Friday - Bills hands and feet and lower legs swelled way up. He also felt light headed and weird. Of course couldn't get a hold of a doctor - one on vacation and the other gone home for weekend they'd call back within 48 hours...So went to urgent care and they wouldn't accept our insurance Blue Cross. So across the street to the hospital.That turned out to be a good move. Got right in. Vitals taken, blood work done, xrays taken. All very efficient and people were very good and explained everything. All blood work was normal, xrays were normal. Except for low blood pressure things were fine. Consensus. He has been on his feet too long for too many days and working with his hands for hours at a time. Also the heat and dehydration!!! Blood work showed NO signs of liver or kidney problems or heart problems. Xrays showed no fluid in lungs or around heart. Low pressure probably because of dehydration and his pressure is always low anyway. So in three and a half hours we were home. Loading him with fluids, and sitting with his feet up. Yesterday he didn't y work in garage at all. But Saturday it seemed like he was coming down with a COLD. Sneezing and sniffing all day. Felt miserable. Yesterday morning he was fine, no sign of cold. No idea what was going on. Works on my one nerve though.
Got a lot of work done on my quilt over the weekend. Doing machine embroidery on it now. Pictures of it on my blog.
Cooked a good dinner last night,. got a magazine with 75 chicken recipes - most of them sound delicious.
And that is about all the excitement going on around here. All our flowers and trees in the back yard are loving the weather and blooming like crazy. Nice to look out there.
Enjoying hearing about what everyone else is doing. And getting done.
Take care with the weather and traveling. Enjoy.

[Queen]

Wow, Carol, so glad it wasn’t serious! I’ve had low blood pressure my whole life, same thing happens if I get dehydrated. And the cold symptoms, probably allergies, you can get new allergic reactions all throughout life... for the first time ever (at 58 years old) I’m allergic to tree pollen. So weird.

[BirdbyBird]

I agree. Our bodies keep changing over time. I also see it in dogs. Our immune system decides not to tolerate something, etc. the inter play between systems in the body and they effect they have on each other is so individual sometimes. I find myself often knocking on wood and counting my blessings. Temporarily here and temporarily able..... Glad that you and Bill were able to rule so many issues out and identify some good interventions that got results!

[MandysMom]

Carol, I'm so glad Bill is ok.
It's been 102 today and now dropped to 101. Lumber for deck was to be here by 8 but instead came at 12:30! My handyman kept busy trimming bushes and trees while waiting. I am so very lucky to have found him! He and a helper just finished moving the lumber and stacking it in rear by size. Boy lumber is pricey these days. At least supplies are here now so he can work early then go home (only lives few blocks away), eat lunch, rest then come back as temp drops to work more.
Took son Chris (my disabled son who lives with me) to his dental check and cleaning then stopped at PO to pick up a package that needed signature. It was supposed to be here today, but instead they tried Friday while we were gone! For once I'm irritated at an early delivery because it meant I had to go to main PO and stand in line while car heated up to sign for a package I would have gotten today by delivery! I could have called for re-delivery but again that meant sitting waiting as they can't tell you time. Learned something new from pharmacist last week after PO left several thousand dollars of Chris RX in our locked big box in cul de sac on a 102 degree day. Pharmacist said, unless the RX has specific temperature guidelines such as fragile stuff like insulin, pills and capsules are mostly pressed together under high temperatures in factory. So most, unless marked specifically woth temperature warning , can stand up to 4 hours or so in heat in mailbox without damage. Getting beyond 4-6 hours damage may begin to occur. She said watch for discoloration or abnormal crumbling and if I see that call and they will replace and she suggested letting PO know, but PO said priority mail as that was is always left in your box!
Supposed to drop to 90's by Wednesday , hope so as I have clothes etc to load. Finally figured easy way to do bed to convert easy to twin for my friend joining me for part of trip. Going to put sofa flat. Fit the memory foam I have to that section and make bed. Then cut two rectangles of foam from another piece the size of the adjacent bench tops and cover each with pillow case so we can each sleep lengthwise instead of across the van. Much more room and all she needs to bring is a top sheet, pillow and blanket so I dont need to bring duplicates.
If you are in the heat, be safe and stay hydrated. If in stormy areas, stay dry and safe. If its cold wrap up. Sure weird to have so many different types of weather in June!
Have a good rest of your day.
Velda

[BarbaraRose]

Who doesn't accept Blue Shield?? That is a huge insurance company. I can't imagine why an Urgent Care would not take that.

I also have low blood pressure. I always warn the nurses about that so they don't panic when it shows 80 over 50. I used to pass out a lot when I was younger, especially if I stood up too quickly.

It was a very busy day so far! The AC guy showed up this morning and replaced one small part (the reason the AC was getting overloaded and shutting down occasionally), and put more Freon in. His prices are very reasonable and he is a really nice guy. Said I should be good to go for another year before I need to get a checkup on it again. He said it is an older unit but is working well as long as it is maintained, and should last for another 4 years or so.

Then I had to get a mail key from the office since I didn't get one so I could get my mail finally. Got my check from work for the sick time I didn't get paid when I left. Almost $400. Nothing to sneeze at for sure!

Went out for a bit and got back in time for the Spectrum guy to fix my Cable TV and internet, so that is all working now. I told him about my furniture I am getting rid of and he said he wants it all and will be back tonight with a truck to pick it up! Great!

Loaded my car up with more boxes for the donation center and headed there to drop it off. Very nice people there who helped me unload it all. The stopped at my storage unit to find my bathroom stuff since my meds were in one of those boxes and I ran out last night. Was very happy to find the right bins! Loaded up the car with other stuff since I was there anyways. Planned to go from there to WM but was so overheated that I just went home instead. Will head to WM shortly now that I have been drinking water and cooled off.

It is 111* today with an excessive heat warning for the next two days with highs around 116 or higher! I discovered there is no point in putting on makeup or doing anything with my hair with this heat.

Will unload my car tonight when the sun goes down and it is a bit cooler. Will be nice to have all the furniture out of here. Need to call the real estate guy here who offered to help me bring my furniture over from the storage unit so I won't be sitting on the floor for too long!

Found another small box of food. Two jars of spaghetti sauce unopened that I thing should be fine. I did toss the alfredo sauce tho.

Just had a security gal stop by to see how I am settling in and if I need any help with anything. Everyone I have met here in the park and even in this area in general have been super friendly and helpful!

The palm trees here all got a haircut today, or rather scalped! They really take a lot of the fronds off! They look so skimpy now.

Have an appointment for Lola on Wednesday to get checked out. She is acting fine but just has the runs. Actually she is always hungry and begging for more food as soon as she cleans up her dish. She could use a couple more pounds but not sure why she is eating so much now. Hope this vet can come up with some answers.

Glad Lyn made it back fine! More of you getting ready to head out somewhere. I have been looking on line for small trailers. Just need to find the right one for the right price. No hurry for now tho. Got plenty to keep me busy all summer here. Need to get back to working soon too.

[Bethers]

Barbie, I just got tired reading your post. It sounds like things are moving forward for you, even with the heat.

It seems several of us have lived our lives with low blood pressure. I was told it made my heat stroke worse and is why I needed more hydration than others. That I never knew, but I've always drunk lots of water and was surprised that day when I got heat stroke. I think age factors in also, as Tina mentioned. I just know I need even more liquid now. The coconut water the emt's recommended has really made a difference .. And is healthier than Gator Ade and similar which I can't drink. I keep some in the rig all the time now.

Velda, it sounds like you're getting ahead on things. And Carol, that was a scare, for sure. I'm glad the tests were good!

[BarbaraRose]

Beth, where do you get your coconut water and what brand? I read once that people with low blood pressure tend to crave salt. I know I do!

The Spectrum guy came back with a truck and a friend to pick up the furniture. They took the big stuff tonight and he will come back tomorrow night for the smaller stuff. Luckily, I brought some folding chairs from the storage unit today, so I don't have to sit on the floor. Turns out the couch was a sofa bed. Now my living room is a big pile of stuff all over! I have my work cut out for me here tomorrow! Will be way too hot to do anything outside so I have no excuses not to get stuff put away in here.

Oh, and while going thru cupboards and drawers the other day, I came across a bottle of Holy water. Not sure what a person does with that, but I am not going to throw it out (might be sacrilegious! ).

[Bethers]

Barbie, it's available at any grocery store or Wal-Mart, etc. At first I disliked the taste but was dehydrated, etc, and it worked! They also make flavored ones, but I stuck with natural. And when hiking, etc, I mix it 1/2 and 1/2 with water, but also bring one small container full strength just in case now. Here's a couple pics of the small container:

[snowball]

went and helped quilt today so not a quilter my stitches are so uneven... and I am very slow... was there until 3 then went to the store... tried to fill my cylinder and was told it is old so need to get it re-certified I assume that the other one will need to be as well... seems do strange as no problems all winter nor a month ago when
I had it filled or one of them filled in Ogden. but did call and ask if they can do it when they fill the big tank ... had to leave a message so don't know may have to go to a business the one delivering is just that delivers so might have to take the tanks to Rexburg to have that done or wait till Suburban is open they are closed for a few days.
not sure if I will go help tomorrow on the quilt or not may but after I get some chores done...

glad you are getting things done Barbie so neat that you mentioned the furniture to someone that could use it.
all of you in the heat stay cool... I will try to warm up when I was driving the sun was beating in through the window and was almost too hot... almost complained then I remembered how cold I've been for weeks
sheila

[JudyJB]

Hot here in Eugene and going to be hotter tomorrow. I have a urology appt tomorrow and was going to drive my rig over because there is parking next door, but I think I am going to spend the money and take Uber so I can leave my rig plugged in with the AC working. I also just am really tired and do not want to have to go through all the unhooking and hooking and tight parking.

Did four loads of laundry and one more needed tomorrow. Then the next morning, I will head south to Grant's Pass for the night, and then on to Crescent City and down the coast to meet my son at Bodega Bay. It will be cooler on the coast, luckily. Got to pick up grocery essentials before I get too far away from superstores. Going to fix some of my grandkids favorites. It will be just son and kids in his trailer. He is a teacher and out of school, but wife is a principal, so has to work until July 1 and then go back August 1. She works longer hours each day, also, but gets paid a lot more than he does.

I spent a ton of money on my generator last fall, and have been having problems with it shorting out and the breaker switch coming loose. So, got that fixed today at Cummins for $134, which is less than I expected. So, hopefully, I will have a generator for Bodega Bay campground.

Getting closer to solving POA issues with my aunt and uncle. It turns out the assisted living place where they are now staying is not locked down, so they are wandering. Building manager wants to move them into a one-room assisted living area, but I know my aunt will put up a screaming fit, and we are not ready to take legal responsibility of approving this move until the POA is activated. The building people DO have letters from doctors certifying their dementia, so next step, apparently is to contact bank. We were told by lawyers we do not have to go to court in Florida, but asked the law firm to put that in writing for us so we have some backing on taking charge. Uncle said they had no money so his 89 year old wife will have to prostitute herself to pay for things they need! We had a big chuckle on that one.

My mother had problems with low blood pressure and dehydration. If you cannot take watered-down sports drinks, we were told by the doctor to drink orange juice or any kind of juice and a quarter-teaspoon of salt in it. I see the coconut water has potassium, but you also need salt.

[Bethers]

Judy, both the doctor and the emt's told me the coconut water was better than the sports drinks but the opposite would be true for athletes or major exercising. And that if I was drinking it not to worry about my sodium. That said, as a child I'd pour salt in my hand and lick it. As an adult I know when I'm craving chips and salty items my body needs the sodium. I remember as a child the factories near my high school had salt stations. They weren't air conditioned back then and that's how they kept their employees from passing out.

[MandysMom]

Barbara, diarrhea and eating a lot plus weight loss are classic signs of hyperthyroid in cats. Fortunately Mandy only had eating a lot and weight loss. I highly recommend the I-131 treatment though local vets prefer you try pills and or food first (which they profit on) but since the pills are upwards of $50 a month as is low iodine food, if one does the numbers, in the long run I-131 is usually cheaper by year 4 as it has a 95-98% cure rate. Do make sure they check Lola's thyroid and don't let them jerk you around with daily pills and special food. I have learned local vets like to tell you the cat must try the pills or food first when in fact everything I read plus the UCD Internal medicine Drs confirmed, I-131 almost never has side effects and is treatment of choice. I sure wish I had pushed this sooner as by the time Mandy got to treatment last Monday, I had already spent nearly $500 on repeat tests, food she refused, and two forms of the RX which she had bad reaction to. Local vet will tell you most cats do well but statistics I'm finding show many cats have bad reaction to RX while basically I-131 has virtually no side effects. A few cats when you lower their thyroid it unmasks kidney or heart issues that were already there but the sooner treatment begins the more likely they are to lead a normal lifespan. Hope that's not Lolas problem but if it is. Do yiur research.
Velda

[JudyJB]

I just read the coconut water bottle more closely and it does have some salt in it. I do understand salt cravings. As a kid we used to love salt on lemons! I worked in a building that was built just before WWII and it has salt stations all over the place. And of course, no one had air conditioning in those days. Our kids are really spoiled, as are we, to tell the truth. I cannot imagine living in an RV without AC!

So, far I have been lucky with my blood pressure, but I know how serious it can be, based on the number of emergency room trips it took with my mother until I got smarter.

[Redetotry]

it is lovely and cool here again today !! But supposed to rain again tomorrow which will not be good at all due to all the flooding in nearby areas. Seems like blood pressure is an issue for many of us, I know I have been dealing with trying to get mine under control but as just the thought of taking it sends mine up it is hard to tell.

I just ordered a really beautiful necklace from Anne, if you didn't see her link in last Friday's morning coffee here it is. Very nice variety! http://www.delafournaise.com/

I hope the temperatures go down for all of you in the extreme heat!! Barbie how far are you from the coast now?

[BarbaraRose]

2 1/2 hours from here to the coast. I think I will need an ocean fix soon!