Rant for the Day (keep it clean)

[Amish Heart]

Hope you can check her blood sugar. I know my husband can't drink apple juice at all unless his sugar is super low and nose diving. It really cranks it up. Even the no sugar added juice.

 

[Weedygarden]

About 15 years ago my wife went to a dentist she had never been to before. He told her she needed 2 root canals and crowns on both.
The bill would be at least $6000 and maybe more depending on what else he found. She said no.
A couple years later she went to a different dentist for a cleaning and checkup.
She asked about the root canals and crowns.
He said her teeth were in great shape and she didn't have any problems.
There are shady crooked people in every business.

He must have been wanting to add a new swimming pool or purchase a second home and needed to earn some money for it.

 

[Neb]

He must have been wanting to add a new swimming pool or purchase a second home and needed to earn some money for it.

There is a hint of insight there.

There mood of my periodontist when he had to admit to admit all of my teeth were due to be pulled and he wouldn't see me again. After 20 years mind you of regular service.

Preserving teeth is their thing. The less than honorable will keep as many teeth as they can.

Ben

 

[ABR]

Why can't dogs live as long as people? My old lady dog had another downturn today and I resigned myself to put her down at the end of the week. I went out with friends for a few hours. When I got home I found she had passed away while I was out. I'm kicking myself because I had a feeling as I was leaving and I ignored it. I should have been home with her instead of out having fun.

Rest in peace my faithful friend. She is with my love and my horse in heaven.
Koda 11/14/2009-12/9/2023

 

[Magus]

I went to buy some canned gravy at the dollar store, and in two years it had jumped from 88 cents a can to 2.80 a can, Joe and his cadre of environmental ******* need to live out here with the rest of us for a few months and see if he still wants us to eat bugs! I have a big cup of bass bait with his name on it!

 

[Pearl]

Why can't dogs live as long as people? My old lady dog had another downturn today and I resigned myself to put her down at the end of the week. I went out with friends for a few hours. When I got home I found she had passed away while I was out. I'm kicking myself because I had a feeling as I was leaving and I ignored it. I should have been home with her instead of out having fun.

Rest in peace my faithful friend. She is with my love and my horse in heaven.
Koda 11/14/2009-12/9/2023

I'm very sorry for your loss! Many of us here have been through the loss of a pet recently! You have many hearts here sending hugs and comfort!

 

[Magpie]

Why can't dogs live as long as people? My old lady dog had another downturn today and I resigned myself to put her down at the end of the week. I went out with friends for a few hours. When I got home I found she had passed away while I was out. I'm kicking myself because I had a feeling as I was leaving and I ignored it. I should have been home with her instead of out having fun.

Rest in peace my faithful friend. She is with my love and my horse in heaven.
Koda 11/14/2009-12/9/2023

I'm so sorry for your loss ABR, but isn't it lovely she passed with dignity in a home she loved, and was loved.

 

[backlash]

Why can't dogs live as long as people? My old lady dog had another downturn today and I resigned myself to put her down at the end of the week. I went out with friends for a few hours. When I got home I found she had passed away while I was out. I'm kicking myself because I had a feeling as I was leaving and I ignored it. I should have been home with her instead of out having fun.

Rest in peace my faithful friend. She is with my love and my horse in heaven.
Koda 11/14/2009-12/9/2023

I am very sorry to hear you lost a good friend.
We have an old dog and every morning I'm glad when he starts moving around.
He'll be 16 on Dec. 16.
He will be our last dog.

 

[zannej]

ABR, I'm so sorry. I've been there many many times and it still sucks every time.

Mom is having trouble answering questions and is barely getting out of bed. She's able to get to and from the bathroom but her level of lucid-ness varies. I'm hoping its just from being tired, but I'm going to go get a new meter in a bit to check her sugars. Problem is, I don't know how much insulin she will need to take and the doctors are closed (if her sugar is high). My brother has been calling me stupid and refusing to help me with the blood sugar stuff and keeps telling me "You need to do it yourself bc I will be at work and not home to do it for you" and I said "All I asked was for you to show me how to do it" and he told me to just read the effing instructions. My brain is not processing stuff bc of stress & I tried reading them but it was word salad to me. He doesn't seem to care that Mom could die if he doesn't help me with this. And it really pisses me off because he expects me to do just about everything for him-- clean up after him, get food for him, get oil changes in the car he drives for him, etc. I know he's not feeling well, but he's so selfish it frustrates me.

Couldn't sleep well last night. Kept worrying about Mom. I'm about to head to the store but I'm worried about leaving her.

 

[havasu]

ABR, I'm so sorry. I've been there many many times and it still sucks every time.

Mom is having trouble answering questions and is barely getting out of bed. She's able to get to and from the bathroom but her level of lucid-ness varies. I'm hoping its just from being tired, but I'm going to go get a new meter in a bit to check her sugars. Problem is, I don't know how much insulin she will need to take and the doctors are closed (if her sugar is high). My brother has been calling me stupid and refusing to help me with the blood sugar stuff and keeps telling me "You need to do it yourself bc I will be at work and not home to do it for you" and I said "All I asked was for you to show me how to do it" and he told me to just read the ****** instructions. My brain is not processing stuff bc of stress & I tried reading them but it was word salad to me. He doesn't seem to care that Mom could die if he doesn't help me with this. And it really pisses me off because he expects me to do just about everything for him-- clean up after him, get food for him, get oil changes in the car he drives for him, etc. I know he's not feeling well, but he's so selfish it frustrates me.

Couldn't sleep well last night. Kept worrying about Mom. I'm about to head to the store but I'm worried about leaving her.

How about calling your local fire department/paramedics and they will tell you if her blood sugars are off.

 

[Amish Heart]

Calling the EMT's is a good idea. If you won't do that, and can't take her in, there is a youtube on the reader. It can show you instead of having to read the instructions on how to take her sugar. Don't let her sugars get too high. It's really dangerous and can kill her.
Prayers for you, Zannej.

 

[zannej]

Mom was sweating and my brother initially gave me trouble about it, but he finally went in and got her sugar checked and got her to take insulin bc the meter said "Hi". She sent me to the store to get some zero sugar electrolyte drinks and he checked again. He checked her a 3rd time and it still said Hi so he got her to take insulin again. That was over a period of a few hours. I just checked it again and it still says Hi but it had only been about 20min after the last insulin dose. She's lucid again though and wanted to lie down. The instructions say to check again in about 3 hours.

I'm about to take a nap and then will check her again. If it doesn't come down I'll try to get her to go to urgent care. Might have to enlist my friend to help me. I think my brother will be at work. Hoping it will go down enough. I know it must have gone down some because she's improved. she was able to walk back to her room on her own without problems.

 

[backlash]

When it says Hi that means it is too high for the meter to calculate.
My brother had that, it meant it was over 600. We took him to ER.
If you mess around and don't get it fixed she could go into diabetic shock.
My friends sister ignored her sugar level and they found her dead.
Do what my wife did to me when I was having a weird heart beat.
Get up and go or I call 911.

 

[havasu]

The firemen are just bbq'ing and watching football. Call 911 and make them get off their arses. Dang hosedraggers!

 

[zannej]

She was lucid and able to walk around. Checked it a few minutes ago and it was down to 489. Got her to take more insulin. She's insulin resistant so that can be a problem. Not giving her anything with sugar but got her zero sugar electrolyte drinks. I'm going to be checking again in a few minutes. She's tired but was able to pull out the insulin herself. I know that is still too high. If it doesn't improve I'll get my friend to come over and help me get her to the ER. My brother already left for work. That would be faster than waiting on an ambulance in my area.

 

[backlash]

The firemen are just bbq'ing and watching football. Call 911 and make them get off their arses. Dang hosedraggers!

Nobody would guess you were a LEO.

Like @havasu said. Call 911.
Let the ditch doctors decide what needs to be done.

 

[zannej]

Her sugar came down to 205. She's still lucid and refusing to go to the hospital. I'm going to check her again in awhile. She's mostly just tired. If it goes back up, I'll get my brother to help me take her in. If she wants to eat anything she has to take insulin first. My brother has agreed to help me with monitoring her sugar and keeping her on the insulin.

Going to call the doctor first thing in the morning and see if they can squeeze her in if her sugar doesn't spike. I've been looking up what CPT code is needed for her insurance to cover Dexcom G7. I saw an article that they are pairing with an insulin pump, but I don't think she's at that point just yet.

She will get no more apple sauce, apple juice, etc until we get her sugars way under control. The office has a diabetes specialist. She was supposed to have an appointment to go but was sick that day and canceled the appointment.

 

[Amish Heart]

They should be going over a diabetic diet with her, and since you make her meals, you should listen in at the appt, too. I think my husband has only been at 400 just once, and it's considered incredibly high at that. Juices, fruit drinks, soda pop, flavored waters will all spike her sugars. We keep those handy in case husband's sugars get too low. I will tell you that the finger prick monitoring is more accurate than the dexcom. Husband actually uses both. He tries to stay at 120 at the most.

 

[zannej]

Her sugar has been that high in the past and she wasn't even in an altered state or feeling bad. It's weird. I sit in on all of her appointments. Just checked, sugar down to 139. She's been drinking water and zero sugar electrolytes. She's feeling much better. I just got her tucked in, changed her cpap mask thingy out, & got her comfortable.

I know Dexcom says to keep a finger prick thing available just in case so we have that Freestyle Precision Neo thing now. Hoping we can get Dexcom soon. Urology appointment is the 12th and regular doctor visit is supposed to be 14th but hoping he can see her sooner or get her a consult with the diabetes expert.

 

[Amish Heart]

High blood sugar will also create havoc on your internal organs and kill you. Ask lots and lots of questions when you take her in to see the diabetic doc, and you'll be able to help your mom just fine. Have noticed with the Dexcom that the alarm will go off at night if his arm is in a weird position while sleeping. Would show a too low alarm, then I'm up giving him juice/candy, and it's sometimes a false reading, so the regular blood check is needed. Also, some meds like predisolone will spike blood sugars a few hrs after taking. And I'm sure there's others. But getting the diet down is important. For instance, husband can't eat a fast food meal without big problems for the rest of the day. He's so particular about his diet, though, it makes me mental sometimes.

 

[zannej]

That's good to know, Amish. Sorry you've had issues with the Dexcom. Mom was told she could wear hers on her abdomen. The doctor said he might see if she needs to pair it with an insulin pump. I just saw a recent article about some company that makes insulin pumps pairing with Dexcom. He put in an RX for the Dexcom and she has an appointment on the 20th with a specialist to go over things and try to get the stuff she needs.

Her sugar went up to 420 today after the doctor visit but last check was 64. I'm going to check on her soon to see if it has come up after giving her some apple juice. Will have to find something with more sugar if it hasn't gone up. Will be checking on her in a few minutes. She was foggy when her sugar got down to 72 and her face was flushed. She takes Novelin 70/30 which apparently lasts 12 to 24 hours and she's supposed to take it 2x daily. She normally takes the first dose with food but she's been out of it and not taking her other meds or eating regularly. She had a scrambled egg and some sugar free pudding today and that was all she could manage.

Doc said her sugar will be out of whack for weeks and to just keep checking. Really want the Dexcom asap though. At least she has a sense of humor about it and tells me to prick only her middle fingers. LOL. He also said she needs to stop taking any of the oral diabetes meds as they won't work as well and may make her nauseous. She threw up on the way home, but was able to eat the scrambled egg (and I mean a single jumbo egg) afterward. She's been good about letting me check her sugar though.

 

[Magpie]

Sizes.
You'd think in this day and age there would be more of them and they'd be consistent.
Bought my husband a decent pair of motorcycle gloves for Christmas- got him the medium male pair, because for a big guy he actually has small hands. They arrived today. Even I can't get into them.

 

[zannej]

So, for some reason none of the doctors at the hospital bothered to tell me what the urologist told me today. Not only did Mom have dka, she also had acute renal failure.
She's still having a rough time. It hurts to swallow (but she didn't tell the doctor that for some reason). He told her to keep drinking water and that she needs to drink a lot of it. Her sugar is all over the place but hasn't gone as high as the other day. Was around 220 after she ate. Her sugar was only 170 something before she ate so, as her doctor instructed, she took half a dose instead of a full dose. Sugar was 109 later.

My back absolutely hates me and I was so exhausted that I fell asleep with my wireless mouse on and my keyboard still on my lap. But Mom seems to be feeling a little better so that's OK.

She actually weighs less than I do now-- by a couple of pounds. Which is good because I've been having to pretty much pick her up out of seated positions the past couple of days. She also struggles to put her socks & shoes on. I was having trouble bending so I got on a knee to put her socks & shoes on her before we left for her urology appointment and she said "Where's the ring?" LOL.

Also, her gold cross necklace disappeared. I thought it got put in her purse wrapped in a tissue but I can't find it anywhere. Hope it didn't get stolen in ICU.

Oh, and I found out that AT&T screwed us over and essentially stole my old phone that I traded in. They had a deal where you could trade in ANY working phone for $700. So, I traded in my phone and she got a new phone for it. Turns out they ignored the trade-in and have been charging her full price for the new phone. It was only supposed to be $79 (the tax on the phone) but they have already charged $155+ and said she still owes $666+. Of course they won't respond to my messages and our landline is still out and their stupid repair thing is down. It's been months since she got the new phone so they will claim it had to be disputed in 2 months but I will fully put them on blast publicly for essentially stealing from an elderly disabled widow. I know they won't get a refund but I want them to credit our account for the $ they erroneously charged.

Not to mention I got stuck behind morons on the road again. I don't know why people can't go speed limit. 5 miles under is not so bad, but these people were going 15 to 20mph under in no passing areas. Some would speed up and slow down. So they would get near speed limit and then drop down again for no apparent reason. One of the vehicles ahead of me kept crossing over the double yellow and driving in the middle of the road. This is why I mutter "I hate people" over and over while driving.

 

[Pearl]

So, for some reason none of the doctors at the hospital bothered to tell me what the urologist told me today. Not only did Mom have dka, she also had acute renal failure.
She's still having a rough time. It hurts to swallow (but she didn't tell the doctor that for some reason). He told her to keep drinking water and that she needs to drink a lot of it. Her sugar is all over the place but hasn't gone as high as the other day. Was around 220 after she ate. Her sugar was only 170 something before she ate so, as her doctor instructed, she took half a dose instead of a full dose. Sugar was 109 later.

My back absolutely hates me and I was so exhausted that I fell asleep with my wireless mouse on and my keyboard still on my lap. But Mom seems to be feeling a little better so that's OK.

She actually weighs less than I do now-- by a couple of pounds. Which is good because I've been having to pretty much pick her up out of seated positions the past couple of days. She also struggles to put her socks & shoes on. I was having trouble bending so I got on a knee to put her socks & shoes on her before we left for her urology appointment and she said "Where's the ring?" LOL.

Also, her gold cross necklace disappeared. I thought it got put in her purse wrapped in a tissue but I can't find it anywhere. Hope it didn't get stolen in ICU.

Oh, and I found out that AT&T screwed us over and essentially stole my old phone that I traded in. They had a deal where you could trade in ANY working phone for $700. So, I traded in my phone and she got a new phone for it. Turns out they ignored the trade-in and have been charging her full price for the new phone. It was only supposed to be $79 (the tax on the phone) but they have already charged $155+ and said she still owes $666+. Of course they won't respond to my messages and our landline is still out and their stupid repair thing is down. It's been months since she got the new phone so they will claim it had to be disputed in 2 months but I will fully put them on blast publicly for essentially stealing from an elderly disabled widow. I know they won't get a refund but I want them to credit our account for the $ they erroneously charged.

Not to mention I got stuck behind morons on the road again. I don't know why people can't go speed limit. 5 miles under is not so bad, but these people were going 15 to 20mph under in no passing areas. Some would speed up and slow down. So they would get near speed limit and then drop down again for no apparent reason. One of the vehicles ahead of me kept crossing over the double yellow and driving in the middle of the road. This is why I mutter "I hate people" over and over while driving.

Glad your mom is feeling a little better! Hopefully she can get her sugar straightened out!! I know two older people here who got screwed over by AT&T the same way!! Its a racket of their's!!

 

[joel]

Mini-rant for today...
Spam calls:
The dedicated Hindus at one company have figured out how to break thru my defense...
Let it ring more than 5 times and it will stop, (almost all phones go to voicemail after 4 so the robot-dialer moves on to the next number).
They have been pestering me for months wanting to know if I 'have received my Healthy Food card'.
Today it rang over 10 times and interrupted my nap.
That is a FELONY!
So, I called them back.
...And then I called them back AGAIN!
Asked the guy what it was like being me and told him not to call me back again. I think he took me off the list.
We will see.
...I would have absolutely no problem making 10 calls in 4 minutes.
It's damhard to make spam calls when your phone is constantly ringing

Dw witness to them until they hang up, I lead them down a rabbit hole, until they hang up then block them.

 

[Supervisor42]

Dw witness to them until they hang up lead them down a rabbit hole, until they hang up then bock them.

The ones I was dealing with, spoof a different number each time they call, so you can't 'block' them .

 

[havasu]

The ones I was dealing with, spoof a different number each time they call, so you can't 'block' them .

Exactly, this last week, I have been hit by spammers 10-12 times a day. I block the number, and they pop up using an unblocked number. It is similar to "Whack A Mole!"

 

[Haertig]

What's worse than a car with an unreliable autopilot?

A car that turns off it's unreliable autopilot while it's in use!

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/13/tech/tesla-recall-autopilot/index.html

After the recall, Teslas with Autosteer turned on will more routinely check on the driver’s attention level – and may disengage the feature – when the software determines the driver isn’t paying attention...

Sounds like a prime time to turn off the autopilot ... when the software thinks the driver is not paying attention. Y'all stay safe out there - avoid driving anywhere within a Tesla's field of vision.

 

[havasu]

My Lexus has "auto-drive" features built into it. I let it drive me 250 miles just to say I did, but now I will do my own driving.

 

[Peanut]

@havasu Funny firemen... During fall one year in Wv…. I put a po’ boy undercoating on my pickup. It slows damage from salted roads. Take used motor oil and thin it with kerosene or diesel fuel. Thin enough when poured into a garden sprayer it can be sprayed. Do the underside of your vehicle.

Problem, no matter how careful some of the liquid drips onto the exhaust system. Even wiped there’s enough on the pipes to smoke badly the fist time your drive.

As it happened, I knew that 1.6 miles away from my house was a volunteer fire department. I also knew retired guys hung out there in the afternoons… Let’s see, 1.6miles is just about far enough for the undercoating to get hot enough to smoke. I thought, what a better place to be than the fire dept?

Hey, a little excitement on a sunny afternoon!!! The guys had a good laugh (this was wv), Except for one guy… there’s always one! There was noticeable smoke. I got out of the truck with my own fire extinguisher so no help was needed. No flames either… just a little smoke, timed it right.

(you can start your car in the driveway to clean the exhaust... but bring a book, takes a few minutes to get hot enough! )