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Bridger: The only experience I had was with an AL. Never did put my mother in it because she had suffered the stroke. Luckily was able to get the refund of $12K.
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worriedinCali: I am so sorry to read that your mother is experiencing problems. I will pray that it gets better. So exhausting for you. Big virtual hugs.💜
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Anyone have any experience with continuing care facilities. My husband and I have looked at three places. Very nice facilities. Costs are high...especially the upfront costs.
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I had my second Covid shot yesterday.. was expecting the worst.. but maybe I got lucky With the first shot I was totally drained for a day and a half. This time I got really bad muscle and arm pain Tylenol has helped. But I am not as tired,, was able to run some errands before I wore out. Hopefully thats the worst of it!
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If you are due for a mammogram, see this article before you make a decision about getting the COVID vaccine.

https://www.fox13now.com/news/coronavirus/local-coronavirus-news/new-mammogram-guidelines-for-women-recently-vaccinated-for-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR33yP0HnzQjcjb9e5r5iqIvDCjQI4X61-bkHLT38LIVzEPc_h39DrS-4jo
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Worriedincali, really sorry to hear about your mum's complications. Hoping she will be ok and gets the care she needs. I think your mum's cat has picked up on the stress and general change in her household at the moment, and that is affecting her eating habits. This is quite common as cats are very attuned to any change in routine. Not sure what to offer in terms of advice, but perhaps if you are aware that this might be the problem, at least you will understand her behaviour.
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Messed up weather app on my phone says it is 48 degrees. Tablet says -4.
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Oh no worriedincali, I’m so sorry your mom is having complications. Prayers to you and your mom. Yes, insist she be seen on Tuesday.
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On another note.....we have a “caregivers cats behaving badly” thread but what about the cats belonging to the person the caregiver takes care of? My mother’s cat is really something! She’s the cutest little thing, she’s very small, looks about 7 months old but she’s 3 years old. But what a giant PITA she can be! She constantly asks for food and cat treats and then refuses to eat it! The treats she ate yesterday, temptations brand, she is refusing today. Won’t eat that flavor or any other flavor. She did eat these other stick treats this afternoon but when she came in just now looking for treats she refused them! And it’s the same with food although she has refused canned food for 2 days now! My dad and I each offered her 2 different flavors and she turned her nose to it! The day I got her, she was eating the beef temptations treats. The following day she refused them but ate the chicken flavor. As of today...she is refusing it all. So I don’t know what she really wants at this point! She’s starting to drive my dad crazy too LOL! Because it’s obvious she wants food but she refuses everything he gives her so it’s not just me.
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I think my mother is having complications :(
the paramedics left about 30 minutes ago. She has drains on each breast, suction bulb drains. One drain would not stay deflated after I emptied it. I noticed the blood coming out was thick. I cleared out a big stringy clot and it still wouldn’t stay deflated. Also noticed her belly is distended (but then again she hasn’t had a bowel movement since Tuesday morning). Her right side is extremely bruised (and it was when she was discharged!). It’s the left side that has the drain that won’t stay deflated. Anyway. She is also complaining she feels kind of numb in her body and tonight she has had intermittent burning pains. Bad burning pains which I think is nerve pain. We called the paramedics to see if they could help us figure out what is going on with the drain and they couldn’t, they know nothing about it. The on-call dr talked to the paramedics and said everything seems ok. She told me the breast may be done draining & the drain is coming out. Moms dr did not tell us that could happen. And of course she can’t get in to the dr until Tuesday because Monday is a holiday!! The paramedics did not recommend going to the ER because the ER will just tell her to follow up with the surgeon. And she really doesn’t want to go to the hospital because that’s where COVID is. We both felt better after the paramedics checked her out. She is asleep right now but before I put her to bed, she was acting kind of down. She doesn’t feel a hospital trip is necessary but I think she wasn’t expecting to feel this bad and be so bruised and swollen after surgery.

And my poor dad:(
After the medics left he had to use his rescue inhaler! We told him to hook himself up to one of moms portable tanks but he refused. We stressed him out good calling the paramedics in I guess. I told him they were just coming to help us with the drain but he was still very worried/stressed.

Anyway hopefully nothing else happens between now and Tuesday. Tuesday morning I will the surgery center and insist she be seen. Need to make sure there really isn’t anything wrong.
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Garden, whatever is going on, I hope it is nothing too serious. Thank you for the support. I don’t know what blood thinner my mom was on-shes off it now. The dr did not tell her what it was, I should have looked at the discharge paperwork earlier, it may be on there. My dad is the one currently on blood thinners, he is on warfarin. That is why he cannot get the COVID vaccine. His blood pressure is not currently under control, it’s still high plus he just finished chemo 2 weeks ago so his dr says no to the vaccine at this time.
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elaine: Oh, thank you for your post. I am a very patient person. The mail has been trying, at best.
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Hahaha, my daughter put on three sweaters, two jackets, two pairs of pants and socks and hat, gloves and faux fur lined boots to walk her dog!!!

She’s finding out what the Colorado winters are like!
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worried - I am happy for you that your mum is doing pretty well for all she has been through. Trust there are no more complications.

Thinking of you, glad. Hope all goes well. I think there has been less flu this year as people are staying apart and in more. There are some advantages.

The temps are rising a bit here. Today minus 20C (minus 4F) but the winds still make it bad. Hey, but much better than minus 30 or 40. :)
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Glad,

Thinking of you in Colorado!
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Worried, I apologize for not keeping up on your mother's progress.   I've had some major problems myself.    But I am happy, glad, and ….well, ecstatic that things seem to be working out well, and hope that they continue to do so, and that your family is able to get the rest and peace to which you're entitled!

As to blood thinners, you mentioned Coumadin is not what she's taking.  Was it Heparin?  It's a faster acting blood thinner.   And for surgeries and prep, my father took Lovenox, which can be administered by someone who's not a medical pro.  

The other alternatives are the group of meds that aren't specifically blood thinners; Alva can probably explain the specific differences better than I.  (I can't remember the names of them anyway!)

Just wanted to offer some good wishes, and what little I know about the various anticoagulation meds.
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Advantage of Covid? Didn't even get to sit in waiting room before I was called back for blood draw! Hopefully the dreaded test goes as well.

I guess the serious cold here is good for something. Keeping lots of people in.
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Polar,

Yep! Some mail definitely gets lost!
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Glad,

Chilly!

It’s been cloudy, rainy and foggy here for the past couple of days.
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Yoo, Hoo. NHWM. -1 feels like -10 here this morning. No snow, just cold. Colder through the weekend.

Nothing compared to how it gets up Golden's way or in Northern US.

A good day to go for blood work and a test I have been putting off for at least a year.
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This was about a year before COVID. My kids and I went on a school field trip to tour a large USPS mail processing plant. It was very interesting. Our group was shown around the plant. We saw lots of sorting machines, different types to sort different sizes of mail and packages, long row of mail trucks, each parked at the entrance of a rolled up door, each door has numbers on top indicating the zip codes. These trucks either dropped off mail or were waiting to receive boxes of sorted mail ready to be delivered.

We walked around to look at the various sorting machines. At one of the those machines, my older daughter saw a pile of letters on the ground that seemed forgotten. She raised her hand and asked why they were there. The tour guide said they get picked up by the end of the day, and assured us not to worry about it.

When the tour was over, my daughters and I decided to test how fast mail gets to us if dropped off at the processing plant versus a regular mailbox elsewhere. So we went to the post office next to the plant, bought 2 greeting cards and addressed them to ourselves with our home address.

Guess how many got back to us? NONE.

We thought about the pile of forgotten letters on the ground and wondered if they really got picked up or thrown away. Perhaps that was what happened to our greeting cards. We will never know.
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Llamalover, in response to your comment about the USPS, I am an employee there and have been there for 22 years and this is the WORST it has ever been!!! On time delivery is at 70 percent and it use to be 98 percent.

They have dismantled machines nationwide and have fewer employees due to Covid, or planned surgeries, or planned retirement. Staffing is a problem EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.

I wish I could tell you it is going to get better, but I really don’t know. I don’t even mail my own bills anymore, I pay them online.

I guess all I can say is be patient. We’re all in it together.
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Thank you all. Yes Alva, I got the bra recommendation and other wonder advice. She has stool softeners on hand. She is in her bedroom resting. All is well for now :)

my dad is not on Coumadin. My mom told me the name the other day when we discussed the vaccine and I didn’t recognize it. And now I can’t remember it! I will ask her again later. I don’t know if it’s a Nevada thing but the website where you register for the vaccine here, it says if you are on blood thinners you should not get the vaccine. So my dad said he will not get it. As far as my mom not getting her 2nd jab, it is because she just had surgery and feels her body and immune system is too weak. She is going to be at home for awhile so I think it’s ok to skip the 2nd jab. My dad should probably discuss the vaccine with his drs. I don’t believe he did that.
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Cali, so glad to hear the good news!
My husband is on a blood thinner (Coumadin) and has had his first shot. 2nd one is next week.
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Cali, It’s so good your mom doesn’t have to have another surgery.
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worriedinCali, I am so happy your mother does not need another surgery, she must be relieved as well as yourself. That is wonderful she is being discharged home today. That is too bad you had to wait so long, the nurse should have informed you earlier. Hope you bring your mother home soon and you all get some well needed rest.
Is your dad on coumadin? My mom is on blood thinners but was cleared by her doctor for the vaccine. I hope she does ok with the second dose. Why is your mom not getting the second vaccine? I know most people have side effects after the second dose. We were at my mothers urologist office today and her doctor told me she was so sick after the second dose and her assistant was as well. I really don 't want my mother to get sick with the vaccine. She has enough problems and lately she is feeling good. Well I am closing for now and wishing a speedy recovery for your dear mom. Thanks for the update. Big hug to your mother and you.
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I sure can attest to the trouble a backed up bowel can give you. My mother ended up in the hospital for 5 days due to fecal impaction. Ugh....

I'm thankful for the nurses who helped my mother clear out her bowel. Yuck, yuck, yuck....
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The U.S.P.S. has had all kinds of problems with mail being majorly delayed due to the holidays in conjunction with the Novel Coronavirus. One local post office let mail sit unattended for weeks. Even though they had overtime shifts for their employees, it still was significantly backlogged. My DH and I are still receiving Christmas cards!
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worriedinCali: I am glad to read that the secondary surgery is not necessary. Thank goodness for that. So sorry that you're having such a long wait for discharge. Get some rest when you can.💜
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Cali, I may have told you in a private message, but please be real certain Mom takes a stool softener when she takes pain meds. I will tell you right now that the cemented in bowel was a good deal more troublesome for me than the mastectomy itself. Colace or the pharmaceutical equivalent as generic usually works well. Keeping you in thoughts and sent you links for the binder and sport bra. Let me know if you don't find it.
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