Heather Shrinks in Houston!

[Zer]

You are doing amazing at stimulating R's appetite. I know it's not easy, but you seem to be finding more and more things that he can tolerate. Yay for you!

[Houston Heather]

I think the Neurontin gets 90% of the credit, Zer.

Still pretty groggy but OK. We went to work, sandwich guy stood us up, but we had plenty. Mainly helping Ron with a little snack machine stocking thrown in. I counted the money in the vending machines, just enough to pay me (and I'm cheap!) with a little extra to pay our suppliers.

Ron and I are reaching the conclusion that he's going to need the wheelchair in more situations. On the one hand, I hate to do it - loss if independence and all that, but how much independence does the man have if he walks a few hundred yards total during the day, comes home, barely gets to the bedroom, and collapses, groaning, in bed? He barely made it out of the building, much less into and out of the bank, and into and out of Walmart. It's awful! But it's worse to see him in pain! He doesn't complain but I know it's his feet. Ugh.

Other than that, he's eating OK. He's real big on apples so I make him eat them with milk, peanut butter, or both. The protein and fat will slow down the carbohydrate absorbtion (sp). He eats a couple a day so I bought him 2 bags - red and golden.

I didn't get a whole lot of foodstuff, I'm getting more partial to Foodtown and I have a lot of frozen meat in the freezer. I don't have many fresh veggies, but plenty of frozen. I did get 6 cases of Slimfast low-carb - one for work, and 5 for home.

I was pretty dizzy at work. Not much fun, maybe low blood sugar? I need to bring more snacks which is one reason I got the Slimfast. It'll be a good thing to have around. Today I had to beg a bag of pork rinds off the other vendor, as I stupidly stocked all of mine. AGH.

I'm still having a hard time focusing but I think I'll be OK in a few days, maybe it's the lithium, maybe I'm about to whoosh. I got a GREAT nap in spite of the loud construction noises emanating from various yards around us. They're STILL fixing up after the hurricane. Bummer. I will add that it's got to be good for the economy, though.

3 hours of sleep is bound to help, and no caffeine tonight. I don't know what I'll have for dinner, probably a frozen veggie, thawed out turkey, and some bacon with cheese. Yum.

I have a decent amount of "this week's" budget, and it only does have to last a week. I got a cute titanium ring I found on Ebay - only $13. Yay!

That's it for now. More later if I think of it.

[Zer]

Any chance of finding shoes that fit his feet better? Soles that soften pressure? When my feet hurt, I could barely stand. Getting shoes with THICK soles made such a difference! What about gel inserts, as a way of reducing pressure points and relieving some contact pain. If his nerves cannot tolerate being touched, then foam or gel insoles just MIGHT help. Might. I am remembering a burning pain of my weight on the soles of my feet as they pressed against firm - too firm - insoles or against leather soles that had no cushioning at all. OUCH!

Just tossing ideas out. Remembering how my feet burned with pain, pressure.

Now I walk on rubber soles. My lace-ups are really THICK soles.

What is R wearing on his feet? Does he wear orthotics? Does he use insoles?

[Houston Heather]

He wears very soft, wide running shoes that don't compress his feet, with insoles. He's tried lots of shoes and he's happiest with this set up. Just the weight of his body on his feet is painful.

He really hated today, so tomorrow we came up with a good compromise. We go to work, go to Burger King - he leaves. I eat my burger, run some errands, and go home on the bus. He even gave me a little extra fun money.

[Houston Heather]

BUSY day, but I got a lot done. Got up, had a horrible headache, took some phenergan and asprin, and went to work. I had to deal with residual headache until around noon. I think it was either the dark chocolate, or the sunflower seeds. Probably the sunflower seeds.

The driver commented on my weight loss and asked how I was doing it. I explained the basics of low-carb. The other client, a very heavy man, told me I should try the "Everything in moderation" plan, that it was "better". I said I've lost nearly 60 pounds in less than a year, with no formal exercise, taking 3 meds that make me gain weight, and I'm sticking to what works. I was dying to ask how much HE had lost on his "moderation, all cooked veggies" diet plan, but decided I was better than that. I hate it when someone obviously unhealthy starts judging the way I eat. I never say a peep about the crap they're eating!

I tend to judge people by the company they keep, and his wife has been really nasty to me on more than one occasion. I stayed out of the conversation.

We got to work. Housekeeping, helping Ron, exciting things like taking out a dumpster. Lots of lifting and Ron saying thank you.

Ran outside at the last minute and off to Burger King. I was dropped at Burger King and then Ron went home. I brought my little folding cart and put it to work!

1. Burger King - double stacker, no sauce, no bun.
2. Gas station for more soda - cherry coke zero and diet lime coke.
3. Dollar store - I found some great "kiddie" toothbrushes. I need to replace the ones I have so I'm happy. The kiddie size work better for me.
4. Bookstore. Didn't find anything interesting.
5. Hobby Lobby - I had a gift card. I got some embroidery floss, plain colored bandanas (no pattern, just solid white, turquoise, etc), and iron-on transfers. I plan to iron the transfer onto the bandana, and embroider it. I love to wear a bandana tucked into a belt loop in the summer. How much fun to have a brightly embroidered one! It's a good warm weather project too. I hate working with yarn when it's hot.
6. Back to Burger King - I got hungry. This time I ate a TRIPLE.
7. Bus
8. Transfer to another bus.
9. Went to drugstore. They no longer carry the little bottles of Jean Nate cologne. Bummer. I found some clearance makeup that's cute so I got some.
10. Fireworks stand. If I bought some, I couldn't tell you because it would be illegal for me to take them on the bus. If I bought any.
11. Radio Shack - Ron needed a "thingie".
12. Grocery store - lots of diet soda, some whipped cream, and such.
13. Home.

I did it all on public transit, in about 6 hours. When I got home 2 of my shawls had arrived. They are very pretty and soft. These are a little dressier so I like them for that.

Anyway, I had fun. Ron had the house like a sauna when I was out and he had fun too. As soon as I got home he started pestering me for dinner. Too much work to walk to the kitchen!

[Zer]

Originally Posted by Houston Heather

Ron had the house like a sauna when I was out and he had fun too. As soon as I got home he started pestering me for dinner. Too much work to walk to the kitchen!

So R has an appetite? You probably are full up, with your burgers. Hope you found some stuff to feed R, even if you were not hungry your own self. You really get around, when you are on your own to go where YOU want to go! Hauling all that stuff home in a cart - or what the English call a trolley - must be quite a job. Sleep well now!

[Houston Heather]

It's all about the apples for Ron. I give him an apple with milk, peanut butter, or both, and I encourage him to drink as much milk as he can.

I plan to have a cook day and scramble up a bunch of eggs, and hardboil more. He likes scrambled and boiled eggs too and they are an excellent source of protein.

I got smart yesterday. I "gossiped" to the other vendor's brother/employee. I said "I'm so tired of them asking when Ron will get better, because he probably won't. It's so depressing for Ron and me to say 'No change for the better'. Not to mention, all the questions about going to another doctor... we're doing everything we can!" He commiserated with me.

See, I know that anything I say to Mike goes right back to Bruce! No secrets there - I make sure I only say things I want all of them to hear. Today it was so nice, walking in, saying hello. No interrogations about Ron. Just regular chitchat.

Thank God they got the message! I was DREADING the questions.

I made sure to show them the receipt where we paid $91 for soda we never got on our pallet, and where their employee signed for it. They acted like I was out of line for being upset, but I guarantee if I screwed them out of $91 of milk - which I get for them every week, they'd have pitched a royal hissy fit. I just said "Your guy paid for something we didn't get and we're out $91 because of it."

Ron agrees I've been totally appropriate and he's the first to say something if I'm out of line, so screw it. They can act like they're better than me, etc., but like I said "Now Ron has to get out of bed at 2 AM to help get the delivery". Their guy was receiving it as a favor to us, and Ron paid him too. Many times we actually beat the guy into the building and Ron still paid him... so the guy is going to be out some cash now. That now means, I am getting orders for them, but they aren't getting anything for us.

Not to mention, I'll never trust him again. Anyway, I'm cool. Ron's cool.

They think I over-reacted, but my boss says I'm good. Anyone who found out her husband got screwed out of $91 would be upset.

I'm wearing a new bra. I had bought it because it was a 36, but it never fit when I actually was a 36. My 36 bras are all uncomfortably loose underneath, except for this one. Yay! I got a couple of 34's I like so when I get down another inch I've got them already.

I got 2 pretty shawls last night when I came home. Very nice! They'll be fun for dress-up.

Oh, and when I woke up this morning - a busy day already, huh? When I woke up my scale's battery had died. It cannot be replaced, so time for a new scale.

I would love to find out I weigh less on a new scale but I'll be happy with the same general low 170's. Ron's scale announces your weight in a loud voice. No thanks.

Anyway, I'm going to take a nap before it gets crazy later.

Happy New Year!

[Zer]

Heather, what good use you are making of the grapevine - to let folks know it is painful to have to reiterate details of R's declining health. And I agree with R that it's appropriate to lament the loss of $91 through sloppy work by a guy you paid to count or tally what he signed for. So sorry the delivery charges have not been adjusted, as inventory shows that you DID NOT GET what you paid for. Surely someone somewhere is looking at those extra cases, trying to balance inventory at month's end, at year's end.

Love to see those pretty shawls, if you want to post pix. They sound gorgeous!

Golly, scrambly eggs sounds good to me! I just had a WheyPP mixture, so I'm good on protein for now. Maybe I'll do eggs for lunch today. Can't beat the incredible edible egg! I'm glad R likes eggs. Will he try one of the eggy shakes, like eggnog or something rich and creamy?

[Snowman]

Heather ~ Just wanted to stop by and say hope you and Ron have a HAPPY & HEALTHY NEW YEAR!!

I'd be ticked about the $91. too! Now you know you can't trust them, it was a hard lesson to learn though. I feel for you, I know you and Ron work hard for your money!

We....well DD is out $118.00...all because she was going 30 MPH in a 25 MPH zone!!! Ticks me off!!! We try to watch our money and she throws hers out the window!! She's not working right now, going to school full time and carrying a full load, so she took a few semesters off.

Keep up the good work! You are an inspiration to me!! I am starting back to the gym next week and getting serious about my WOE. My DS is getting married in Aug. and I would like to lose about 25-30 lbs. I remember when you were in the 190's and I was in the 170's and now it's the other way around!!!

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"]HAPPY NEW YEAR!!![/COLOR]

[Houston Heather]

Zer, I loved what you said in that other thread so much I'm stealing it for my signature. That's the best thing anyone's ever said.

More in a sec.

OK, I'm back. I added Ron's favorite phrase to my signature. Yay! I had room for Zer AND Ron. If I had to choose, though, I would have gone with you, Zer. That is exactly what I try to do with my life.

We had a lot of fun last night, setting off fireworks. Ron accidentally set his hair on fire with the lighter but put it out quickly. I was narrating the action for Mom and Dad at the time (over the cell phone) and it made for some lively descriptions! Ron's fine, and he had a blast. It'll make an interesting story to tell at work tomorrow!

I'm catching up on laundry today. Fun fun. I'm not feeling very motivated with regards to cooking anything. We'll see what looks good in the fridge.

Still no scale, maybe tomorrow. I don't really miss it. It'll be interesting to see if I can find a good new one at Walmart.

[Zer]

Heather, your refreshing perspective really helps me. Keep on turning lemons into lemonade!

[Houston Heather]

I found a pretty cool looking scale at Walmart. It tests your body fat and hydration level as you weigh. My aunt gave me a gift card, so I called and thanked her for it. "How did you know I needed a new scale? It's perfect!"

I got an awesome compliment from my cousin while I was on the phone with her. She had made a joke about "catching" my mental illness and I laughed and said I'd share my lithium. My cousin heard me laughing from his end and said "Heather's the only person I know who can laugh about her illness." Thank you.

We told the Ron set his hair on fire story at work and all over today - everyone laughed their tails off. I thought Leroy at work was going to have an accident, he laughed so hard. The other vendors took the day off so I'm glad we went in and filled 'em up.

We got stuck at Walmart longer than we wanted - Ron was in a lot of pain. It was pretty awful. I hate watching him suffer, but he's in bed now with Frosty, his music, and his computer.

Last night I watched a comedian with him, and downloaded a bunch of tunes for him. We have a system: he tunes around the satellite radio channels. He yells out a channel number. I tune to the channel and identify artist, title, and album. If he wants it, I run into the computer room, pull up Amazon, and input my data. If I get a match, I buy it and download it to his stick. He's a happy camper.

He's been downloading everything: Chubby Checker, Abba, Mozart, country, old pop, and other things. He liked my Congolese "Chez Desis Potpourri" for instance. It makes him happy, and it makes me happy to give him the gift of good music. My Christmas gift to him was basically "On Demand" downloads and music ID.

Time for my nap.

[Houston Heather]

My size 6.75 wedding ring, titanium, unable to be resized, was starting to get very loose, and has fallen off in the sink while I've washed my hands at work. Fortunately they have a screen!

I found this in a size 7.



I figured when I get down to goal, I'd have a new wedding ring made. But I love my wedding ring! I finally had the thought, why not buy the cute new ring, in a size 6 and wear it on top of my wedding ring? I've got a whole lotta titanium on my hand now but I like it!

It came today. I love it. I'm having so much fun watching my hand type. It only cost $15 total.

[Zer]

Sounds as if you got yourself a ring guard. Good work! Titanium, you say? I'll have to look that up, as I'm not sure what titanium looks like. Had an auntie with a platinum ring - and I always thought it a bit dull. More like pewter. I'm a rose gold fan myself, with a liking for the golden tone of 24kt gold in a pinch.

[Houston Heather]

In vending I need a very tough metal. Poor gold ring - it got beat to death in a week or two, only fit for sale to a pawnshop! Titanium has held up great for over 6 years, and I'm always banging my ring.

Ron will bang his ring on things to attract the attention of the cats. It still looks great.

Titanium is more of a stainless-steel tone, but darker. I'm still loving my new ring.

I woke up with a migraine today. UGH. I took something, and I'm going to go lie down.

[Zer]

Heather, hope your head feels better soon. Hate headaches!

Wow! "Titanium is present in ash of coal, in plants, and in human body." Fascinating! "It is the ninth-most abundant element in the Earth's crust (0.63% by mass)[5] and the seventh-most abundant metal." All that and a lot more comes up on a google of this amazingly tough metal. I'm glad you decided to slip on a ring guard, so you do not risk losing that wedding ring that is getting too big. I think there are devices that fit inside a ring, to snug it up to a slimming finger, without resizing. But your solution sounds just fine to me! You are right about gold beng soft and taking a lot of damage in ordinary wear. I've had to have a catch built up when it got too sharp for safety as the gold wore down to a sharp edge.

[Houston Heather]

My head is still killing me but I think I'll live now. It was a low-carb juice drink I bought for Ron, but he didn't like the aftertaste. I was cheap and drank some last night.

And woke up with a migraine! UUUUGGH. We also seem to have a cold front moving in, which my aunt swears will set hers off.

Here's a poem Ron and I really like:

Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and agressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself to others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the the world is full of trickery. But let not this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all it's sham drudgery and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

It was written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann

Ron actually heard it on an epsiode of the original Star Trek and loved it so much he memorized it on the spot. I haven't been taking that advice recently, so I made a decision recently that should bring me a lot more peace in my life. It's a small decision, but a good one.

I hope you like the poem, Zer. You probably already know it!

[Snowman]

Heather ~ I'm glad your feeling better, but hope your migraine goes away completely....soon!

I love that poem!!! I'll have to ask my DH if he knows that poem, he's a BIG, HUGE fan of Star Trek! I got him a Star Trek calendar for Christmas!

Take care!

[Houston Heather]

Well, my fat tester scale says 37% fat.

That means I'm carrying about 64 pounds of lard. At my goal weight, I want to be about 25% fat. That means 37.5 pounds of fat. That means I need to lose 26.5 pounds of fat.

So, maybe I'll be more towards the upper 140's. I don't know. The charts seem to indicate over 33% is "bad" so I'll work on that.

It's interesting to play with the numbers. I can always hit the weights more towards goal (measurements and bodyfat) to tweak the numbers, but I'm paranoid about injury while Ron is "down".

I took an Alka-Seltzer. Boy, I feel a lot better, human even.

I'm going to go take a shower and check the mail. Something fun might have arrived!

[Zer]

Love "Desiderata" and have it in a frame - somewhere - as I ran it out when I first heard it - as I have little capacity to memorize even what I love! Ron's amazing, that he can memorize that fast. I need to dig out my framed copy so I have it at hand. Good way to contain one's angst, reading that aloud.

Originally Posted by Houston Heather

... Here's a poem Ron and I really like ... I hope you like the poem, Zer. You probably already know it!

Yep, but it's always great to hear it again and to meet someone who feels it is worth sharing. Thanks for prompting me to dig out my own framed copy...from the place that it got stashed the last time it came to light. I think I see it, behind a chair. I'll drag it out and set it up to display. I've been in need of it lately!

[Houston Heather]

Yeah, it's a goodie.

I fixed him, at his request, for dinner: No sugar added ice cream, peanut butter, fruit salad, and milk. I think he got all his macronutrients in there.

I'm going to have eggs, sausage, salsa, and some veggies for my dinner. Now that I can eat.

[Houston Heather]

No more headache, good talk with Mom and Dad, 2 lithium with dinner to get me back up to my proper levels, and boy am I feeling goofy!

Good thing I dont' need to use any power tools tonight.

[Houston Heather]

I had a good time last night, winding up my embroidery floss and watching a vampires in space movie. Basically, the thread comes in a little skein. You're supposed to wind it onto a little bobbin for easy storage. So, that's what I did. I got about half of it. I just sat there, in front of the TV, spacing out, winding my thread. I had a good time.

I slept almost 11 hours and still woke up with circles under my eyes, I guess it's the migraine. I'm exhausted right now so I'm about to take my nap.

I decided I wanted to go to the Dollar store and foodtown today, so Ron checked the schedules, I grabbed my "Q" card - RFID bus pass, and a little cash. Off I went!

I had a good time. I got some cleaners, and "The smelly things" (air freshener plug in refills) at the dollar store, and Foodtown had a sale on my favorite pork rinds! If you ever find a bag of Mac's Salt and Pepper pork rinds, try them. I love them to death! So good, just a hint of garlic... mmmm.

I also got some frozen mixed berries and heavy whipping cream. I made up some berries and cream - gave some to Ron, and he LOVED it! Berries and cream have been added to his menu. Good, I worry about him getting enough fat. His skin is very dry.

For me, I got bottled soda (caff and decaf, all diet of course) and some splenda sweetened "Sweet" style tea. I love sweet tea with Splenda! It was on sale, too.

Then I got a couple of burgers at a fast food place, and came home.

I'm glad I ordered a sample size of under eye concealer (basically a yellow powder I'll dust on under my eyes before applying foundation powder) on my makeup order!

The mineral stuff does seem to stay put, even when I sweat. Houston's awfully hot so that's a very good thing. If Ron got his sight back, I'd like him to be impressed with me. I'd hate for him to go "That frump is my wife? Awwww."

I want him to bark! Woof! Woof!

[Houston Heather]

I had an awesome nap. Both cats shared the bed with me, and Bubba came up and curled against me as I slept. Awwww. He never does that. My room freshener made him sneeze a little but he still loved me.

[Zer]

Embroidery thread storage? I grew up pulling 12" lengths from loosely braided colorful pigtails. The individual threads can then be pulled from the larger unit, for easy embroidery. First braid as many colors as you like, then tie a loose knot at one or both ends, to hold braid in place. Unknot both ends and you can pull a cluster of threads, from which a single or double might be pulled to sew.

How great that R likes berries and cream. Better than ice cream, I bet, and you can mix any fruits that he likes into a mixture that he will enjoy - and eat enough to fatten him up and maybe make his skin less dry.

[Houston Heather]

I had a busy, fun day.

This morning, Ron got a "future delivery" voicemail message reminding him not to forget his doctor's appointment - on Wednesday! That's usually my day off so it threw a wrench in my plans, but I adapted.

We went to work, and went to Taco Bell. Ron can eat a regular ground beef Chalupa but not the steak variety. He ate one and then went home. I went to the Post Office, waited in line for almost an hour, and picked up a lovely silk shawl that arrived from Thailand. I'm very happy with it.

I had a look at Salvation Army. I noticed, everytime I went outside it was colder, brrr. Between Salvation Army and the bus stop my blood sugar dropped like a rock. I realized I'd only had a Slimfast low carb shake and a couple of sausage patties at work. I stopped at a gas station and bought a slim jim and a diet soda.

I drank it in the cold (brrr) while I finally tied the shawl around my neck as a scarf. I brought my "chilly" coat, not my full-length, "Baby it's cold outside" coat, so I was cold! The wind was blowing, bringing a nasty chill.

And then, it began to rain. AGGGH. Fortunately I had my umbrella. I caught the bus and rode to the craft store/dollar store/burger king stop. I went to the Dollar store. Nothing struck my interest. Then I went to the craft store and bought some more embroidery thread.

I realized I was feeling kind of amped up and "spendy". Spend! Vrrooom! Spend! Vrooom! I was getting manic.

I went to Burger King and got a triple stacker, no bun. I ALWAYS carry lithium with me, so I took a tablet, started feeling great almost instantly.

The bathroom was clogged at the BK and I had to go. I went to a gas station that's a bit away from the bus stop, but they have diet lime coke and cherry zero coke. I love both flavors. As I walked out of the gas station, cherry zero in hand, the bus roared past. Oh, goody! I get to wait half an hour in the cold!

I didn't think of that... I could have gone back to Burger King, waited there for 20 minutes, and then went out to the bus stop. I will next time. Let's blame the Lithium.

No, I waited outside in the cold, rain, and wind for 30 minutes. I shared my umbrella with a nice kid. The bus came.

I got off and went to the bus stop. It is a shared bus stop between a mainline bus and a neighborhood bus that goes through a "Hood". Hey, I've ridden plenty of buses like that. I used to ride the 6A all the time in San Mateo County. It ran through East Palo Alto, which had the highest murder rate, per person, in the entire country.

The other passengers told me "Your bus is here" when the mainline bus arrived, only to be told, I'm catching the neighborhood bus. They kind of looked at me and shrugged.

I gave up my seat to an older lady with a cane. I figured she really needed it a lot more than I did. I was going to be cold either way and I couldn't have relaxed watching her standing. She proceeded to talk me to DEATH, poor thing. It was apparent to me that she was 1. Bipolar 2. Unmedicated and 3. Manic. So sad. I swear, everytime I have doubts about my illness God sends me someone who isn't taking care of theirs, just to show me how awful it is for everyone they encounter. I don't want to be her. Oh, God, it's her.

I feel fine now, don't want to spend my money, and I love blogging but I'm not in Ron's room yakking him to death or burning up minutes on my cell phone. We caught the neighborhood bus and it was pretty packed. The big, hairy, hippie dude rode next to me.

I got off and went to the drugstore. Ron had told me that my bus was running every 10 minutes at this time of day. I had fun, got some mascara and eyeshadow applicators, and went out to the bus stop.

It was colder STILL. I was never so happy to see a bus arrive! Brrr.

It's interesting, on the local buses I will often find a rider standing near the driver, talking away, you never see that on the mainline buses. We have a couple hundred routes.

I got to my stop, ding, ding. Checked the mail. My perfume (yummy! I got sandalwood rose) and mineral eye makeup arrived. I got a free sample! Yay! It looks like a lot of fun. I'll enjoy playing with it tomorrow morning.

I came home, Ron's reading The Shack and is finding it riveting. Bubba-cat has a nasty cold of some sort. He's congested and sneezing a lot. We're taking him to the vet tomorrow. Poor baby!

Tomorrow is work, Walmart (Ron needs more medicine), home, vet. Wednesday we take him to the doctor, downtown, in the afternoon. It ought to be interesting.

More later!

[Houston Heather]

Bubba just killed a whole can of his favorite food. I'm a lot less worried now.

When a cat loses his appetite, that's BAD NEWS.

[Tazcat]

Originally Posted by Houston Heather

Bubba just killed a whole can of his favorite food. I'm a lot less worried now.

When a cat loses his appetite, that's BAD NEWS.

Hey Heather - that's great news

Just popping in to say

[Houston Heather]

Yay! You found me! Good news for Bubba!

Vital signs OK. No fever. Clear discharge from his nose and wet sneezes = kitty cold. Not dangerous, but she gave him a shot of antibiotic to prevent secondary infection. He will be fine, just a little sneezy for a few more days. A humidifier was a good idea, she agreed. Spoiled? Bubba? Well worth the $70.

Our driver was a little - ignorant. She really thought that she could catch a cold virus from a cat! I told her she couldn't. I didn't tell her the only things a human COULD catch from a cat were rabies and bubonic (black) plague! I didn't think that would ease her mind. Future reference, sick cat, he is "getting his shots" at the vet, I won't mention him being sick. We had horrible trips all day except for to/from the vet. I'm very glad for Bubba's sake.

So, how was my day? I got up early, played with my new eyeshadow mineral makeup, I like it, it stayed put all day. Waited on Metrolift... over an hour late, as it turns out. I watched Stargate:Atlantis reruns. Then they rode us around for an hour. Ron had planned on 4 hours at work. We got 1.5. I just about had time to get the milk, he's a little slow but he loves to chat. We had a good time.

I got the other vendors their milk (!!) with no issues and helped Ron put up sandwiches, drinks, and sodas. I just spent the last 10 minutes running around helping Ron here at home. So, we basically got everything done at work.

Then, off to Walmart. First we picked up a lady who only had 1 leg due to diabetes. Ron agreed, after she got off, for us to get a blood sugar meter. I'll practice with it on myself until I'm confident I know how to use, it, then occasionally test his sugars after his favorite meal - just a bowl of fruit salad. Agh. I'm always trying to get him to eat some fat or protein with it. Maybe a few blood sugar readings will convince him.

So, Walmart. Ron had RUN OUT of his Neurontin. If he weren't in a wheelchair I'd've slapped him for it. I got it, and some more Slimfast Low-carb for me, cat treats. I spent some time looking at the eyeshadow brushes and hunting for clear mascara. They don't make it anymore? I couldn't find it. I know Walgreens used to sell it - I guess I could catch the bus up to Walgreens and see if they still carry it. I'll look some more tomorrow.

I was really ramped up this morning but not too bad - just revved, not talking too much, not too spendy. I took a lunchtime lithium and that made me very groggy and thirsty, but it worked. That's the price I pay for sanity. I'm glad it's not worse. I'm glad everyone knows what I've got so they understand, even if the occasional person will make rude remarks about me going off my meds "Are you taking your pills Heather?" Whatever. I always want to say "Are you?"

So, Walmart. I got the basics of what I wanted. I get out to Ron, waiting for me. "I want fruit salad!" I got him some fruit salad, I make him eat it with milk or peanut butter. We didn't have time for groceries (more Metrolift joy) so that was it.

We got home. Bubba was out but came back. I only had an hour. Once I got the carrier fixed up he laid in bed. I laid down next to him for a few minutes. HONK HONK. I stuffed Bubba in his box - what a big boy at 13 pounds, and got him out to the cab. Ron followed. We had the same driver for both trips (the I'm going to catch the cold).

Dr was great, they did the infectious cat protocol so Bubba and I were in a room off by ourselves. I sat him on the table, in his carrier, and sat in front of him in a chair. I talked to him.

Dr visit went good, I got the debit card from Ron and paid up, no ongoing medication thank God, and out to the waiting cab (she left, then came back). Home again!

Naptime! I was WIPED OUT. I slept a couple hours, woke up still tired. I'm always really tired when I go up on my lithium. It's hard to believe Ron was afraid I'd get HOOKED on the lithium, that I was upping my dose to get a better high. If only he knew, how WRONG he was. The more I take, the worse the side effects.

Woke up. Time for Ron's bath. That took a while. Letting him soak in a tub full of soapy water seems to work well, then he does a quick rinse. He dries himself off.

I fixed our dinner, took my pills, and here I am. Now I'm going to have some fun.

Ron let me off - no accounting tonight, yea! I am so stupid it took me about 5 seconds to come up with the word for "pineapple" when Ron held up a piece of cut fruit from his salad!

[Houston Heather]

Low carb cat treats arrived. The NOW! Grain Free Turkey and Duck Formula is a huge hit with both the boys. It has probiotics and no grain, just good veggies. Ron is so thrilled he had me order 10 more bags.

They also like the dried venison treats. They smell horrible, and even Bubba could enjoy them. Ron had me get 2 additional bags of the venison flavor.

Yay! Ron loves the treating ritual, a cat gets into bed, walks up beside him, and sits, purring, waiting for treats. Ron pets the cat for a while and the cat lays down. Then Ron gets the treats and places them right next to his ear. He happily listens to the cats "roaring" and crunching away. When he's all done treating, he says "Bye-bye" and puts the treats away.

And people wonder why I married him.