Cordelia's Mom, Still

I’d Like to Blame the Full Moon, But I Can’t

Posted on May 4, 2018 by cordeliasmom2012

What is it about houses, that they always seem to know when you’ve come into just a wee bit of extra cash? And why do so many household breakages happen so close to a full moon?

I have no idea. But I do know this –

No matter how much money I put into my new house, there will always be at least one more thing that needs to be done. Preferably now. And always costly.

The drains in the kitchen and upstairs bathroom were running slow, and drain cleaner was not working, so we scheduled the plumber to come snake them out on my day off. Two days before the scheduled date, hubby opened the cabinet under the kitchen sink and discovered the long horizontal pipe was cracked and leaking and would need to be replaced. So, that got added to the plumber’s work list.

I thought we had replaced every pipe in the house, but apparently we neglected those kitchen pipes.

Anyway.

The plumber arrived and estimated the work. Yes, he could simply replace that pipe, and yes he could do the snaking, but the trap under the sink was too high, would continually clog up, and eventually would need to be re-routed so as to avoid having the drain snaked out every six months. This is a plumber we’ve worked with for many years, and we trust his judgment.

So I got an estimate for re-routing the pipes. The plumber himself said he would not pay that price if we were planning to update the kitchen at any point in the next few years. He made an offhand comment that for pretty much the same cost, we could have the entire base cabinet, sink, faucet & countertop replaced. We agreed he would just snake the drains and replace the cracked pipe.

Wait – I can get rid of THIS ???

I started initialing the work order for the snaking and pipe replacement. But then it occurred to me – the re-routing work was about one-tenth of what I thought a new kitchen would cost, so that means? Basically a whole new kitchen for a really low cost? I asked the plumber if his company does, in fact, install those cabinets.

Yes, we’re getting a new kitchen. It won’t be fancy (Home Depot basic), and we will have to paint the cabinet ourselves (including sanding and painting the existing upper cabinets), but it will be new, not reeking of cigarette smoke, and even by adding a cheap countertop, stainless steel double sink and new faucet, it will cost far, far less than what I expected to spend to update the kitchen. I’m ok with that.

Sure, the new cabinet will be a a little smaller than the one we have now and will leave a 6-inch gap in the floor tile, so eventually we’ll have to replace that 80-year-old floor. I’m ok with that, too, since it doesn’t need to be done right now – and the shorter cabinet will allow us to open the kitchen door all the way, which is a plus.

BTW, why does my house think I have, or will have, a little extra cash? I just got a very nice raise on my new job! It’s so nice to have an employer who appreciates hard work – definitely not something I’m used to.

Also, BTW, my credit union is running really good rates for home improvement loans. The rest of the replacement windows are on order, there’s enough to pay for the fence installation (if it ever happens), and repointing of the leaky chimney – and there should be enough left for the riding lawn mower hubby wants.

Then we’re done with home improvement requiring contractors. I hope. I need to start paying off the repairs we’ve already done, without adding more. The goal is to have everything paid off in 2 to 3 years, so that the household budget will fit into my Social Security payments should I become unable to work any longer. Planning is good, right? May the fates be with me.

Happy Friday, everyone. May your weekend be warm, dry (um, at least weather-wise), and restful.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com

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Images by Cordelia’s Mom

Posted in Household Items, That's Life | Tagged contractors, home improvement, houses, kitchen, plumbing, renovations | 26 Comments

YOU’RE INSANE! (Guest Post by Paul Curran) (Re-Blog)

Posted on April 27, 2018 by cordeliasmom2012

Recently, there was a news story from Detroit about how a group of truckers saved a man who was trying to commit suicide (read story, here). Had Paul Curran been there, I’m sure he would have led that line of truckers!

Every time I see a big rig, I immediately think of our lost friend, so I decided today would be a good day to re-publish one of his posts. Enjoy!

YOU’RE INSANE!

By Paul Curran

Web Site: http://avto-russia.ru/autos/kenworth/kenworth_t2000.html?wap=0

T-2000 Kenworth with One Piece Windshield

When I had finished the run and was sitting in the truck completing my paperwork, I took the time to fill out a repair request on the big Kenworth T-2000. The windshield was cracked from the lower left driver’s corner, all the way across to the upper right passenger’s corner. Unlike most tractor-trailers, the T-2000 had a very expensive one-piece windshield. Every truck inspection station would pull the truck over for a complete roadside inspection when they saw a crack that size – assuming that the truck was not properly maintained. Also, occasionally a large, heavy object like an owl or a large rock or a piece of metal from the road would impact the windshield. If it was already weakened like this one, there was a good chance it would collapse into the driver’s face and potentially cause a loss of control. For that reason, I wrote up a repair request. In fact, over a period of a few months I wrote up the same truck for the same flaw 5 times. No comment and no repairs.

Web Site: https://plus.google.com/+BethStaubphotoandautoglass/reviews

Cracked All the Way Across

Then came the fateful day when once again I was dispatched on the same truck. Seeing that the windshield still wasn’t fixed, I angrily marched into the terminal manager’s office and demanded to know why. I showed him copies of the five repair requests and said I was tired of writing up this truck. I asked if they intended to replace the windshield. Brian (the manager) was understanding, but he said that he had spoken to the head of maintenance and was told that until spring came the windshield would not be replaced.

Me: Why not?

Brian: Because they say that the salt and sand and gravel used on the roads in the winter pit the glass and that is an expensive windshield.

Me: Not only is that illegal, it is dangerous. What if it gets hit by something heavy like an owl or a rock? It would shatter in the driver’s face and he could lose control.

Brian: Look Paul I just follow orders – I can’t force them to fix anything.

In all fairness this company was usually very good about repairs and this was the first time I had had a repair refused.

Me: That’s bullshit, Brian – you do not have the right to refuse regardless of what they say. You know that at the Nuremburg trials, it was agreed that it was illegal to obey an illegal order. Most legal systems have incorporated that lesson in their legal systems.

Web Site: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/8350706/Raymond-DAddario.html

Nuremburg Trials

Brian was sitting on the edge of a dispatch desk now as he had left his office trying to escape my attack. His voiced raised and the office went silent as the dispatchers and administrators all watched.

Brian (loudly): Are you calling me a Nazi!?

Me: If the shoe fits, wear it – you are dispatching me with a truck that is unsafe and you know it.

I was getting angry now and could feel control slipping.

Me: That windshield has no value, it is broken and illegal. I could take a wrecking bar to it and smash it beyond use. Then you’d have to fix it. And you couldn’t charge me with destroying company property because it is worth nothing and is illegal.

Brian (sensing my anger): Would you really do that?

Me: Why not? It could save someone else a serious accident and even if I lost my job, preventing that accident would make it worthwhile.

Web Site: http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-3324-18-Inch-Wrecking-Bar/dp/B000NPT684 (use of this photo is for story-line purposes only and is not intended as an endorsement of the product shown)

Wrecking Bar

With everyone watching, I left the office and went to my car, where I grabbed a wrecking bar and walked over to the truck. I walked around the truck a few times while I calmed down, and I realized that as much as smashing the windshield would feel great and likely not cause any legal issues, I would lose my job and I would have a hard time getting another job with the reputation as unstable.

As I walked back across the yard to my car, Brian appeared in his car and rolled up to me, winding down his window. He looked at me as if not at all sure what was going to happen as I stood there with the wrecking bar in my hand.

Brian: Did you?

Me: No. It’s not worth it.

Pause.

Me: You know I am sure you think I am crazy Brian, standing here with a wrecking bar in my hand. But just think about this for a minute. What if a driver takes that truck out loaded and while he is driving along, an owl hits the windshield, and with the crack already there, the windshield collapses into his face and he loses control. What if there is a school bus with 50 kids coming the other way and he hits the bus head on and the wreckage ends up in the ditch, where it leaks gas and explodes, killing all the kids, the bus driver and our driver. Imagine then when there is a lawsuit – and there would be – standing in the witness box when the opposing attorney says to you: And were you aware that the windshield was broken before the accident? And then: If you were aware why didn’t you get it repaired? And then: I have here 10 maintenance requests to have that windshield repaired over a period of three months, why was it not repaired? And then: Would you say that you acted with due diligence in executing the responsibilities of your position?

Think about that, Brian, because that is where this can go. Are you comfortable with that? And are you comfortable with 50 charges of criminal negligence causing death? And are you comfortable with the jail time that comes from not doing your job? I can hear their laughter now when you say: My boss said he couldn’t fix that. The response would just be “Guilty as charged.”

Web Site: http://catalog.flatworldknowledge.com/bookhub/reader/1679?e=lau-ch03

Courtroom in Session

Here I paused and then continued:

Me: If that happened, there would be no question who the world thought was insane, Brian, and it would be you for not doing your job. Breaking the windshield looks pretty good right now doesn’t it?

Brian did not respond to this, and I walked into the office still swinging my wrecking bar. I asked dispatch for another truck, and they assigned me a different unit. I told them that I would not drive the T-2000 until the windshield was repaired.

A few days later, the truck disappeared and when it returned, it had a new windshield installed. I said nothing – just heaved a sigh of relief. Later that week, Brian called me into his office. I was sure I was going to get a lecture on theatrics (not my normal state of mind, believe me) now that the truck was repaired. He asked me to close his door and take a seat – maybe he was going to fire me anyway. I did so and sat waiting for him to speak. He stayed behind his desk but leaned forward and looked directly at me:

Brian: I want you to be my Safety Director. I talked to the owner and he agreed to create a new position for you. Starting salary is negotiable. I would be honored if you took the job.

That is how I ended up as the insane Regional Safety Director for a tanker company.

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Paul Curran and I love to hear from our readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com

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Images are linked back to original source (source identified below image).

Posted in That's Life, Guest Posters, Road Trips & Cars, Paul Curran | Tagged trucking, truckers, truck drivers, trucks, safe driving, truck safety | 18 Comments

WHAT IS A COLONOSCOPY REALLY LIKE? – The Procedure and Recovery

Posted on April 23, 2018 by cordeliasmom2012

The big day was here! It was time for my 4^th colonoscopy! Yay!

Well, doesn’t everyone have that reaction? If you do, you probably need more than just a medical consult. Just sayin’.

Because I couldn’t stand the thought of anything with sugar (too much the day before), and because I was still limited to a liquid diet, I started the day off with a bowl of chicken broth. Even though it was the sodium reduced store brand, it was quite tasty and satisfied my need for at least some salt.

I showered, and hubby drove me to the hospital where the colonoscopy was to be performed.

Stopping at the information desk, I was happy to find my name was on the list of scheduled procedures. I expected things to go smoothly.

The lady in Admissions changed my thought process. I swear she was reading War & Peace on that computer monitor and that the occasional clicks on the keyboard were merely done when she needed to change pages. Registration took forever, especially since the hospital had somehow managed to lose all my current information. They listed my address and phone numbers as the ones I had years ago, even though I had been a patient in that hospital since that time. But eventually it was all fixed.

The Admissions lady was at least 10 years older than me (yes, you can be that old, and still be alive and kicking). God bless her elderly soul, when I asked for directions to the GI suite, she got up and escorted me – albeit, slowly.

The GI waiting room was filled. Can someone please explain to me why anyone would need to bring all three of their young children along when Daddy is having a colonoscopy? At least one of those kids was school age, and it was a school day. Granted, they were relatively well behaved, but they were getting tired and cranky. Mom was doing her best.

Fortunately, my wait for entry into the pre-op area was less than 15 minutes.

Per the prep instruction, in addition to the Miralax mixture, I had drunk as many fluids as I possibly could – but I was still somewhat dehydrated, what with everything else that went on the evening before. The first nurse could not find an appropriate vein for the IV. The second nurse found a vein and got blood return, but then the flow failed. She thereupon called for the IV expert. In my experience, every medical facility has at least one person who’s better at IVs than everyone else. Mr. J, as I will call him, strolled over confidently, saying, “No problem. I’ll get her!” Ten minutes later, he was still trying to “get” me and chuckling about what a tough cookie I turned out to be. Finally, he did manage to insert that darn IV into the front of my forearm (ouch!), and we were ready!

My procedure had been scheduled for 1:00 pm, and there were other procedures before me for the same doctor. Without placing any blame (after all, things can happen during a doctor’s morning office hours), the doctor didn’t arrive until 12:45. I have to say the gurney I was on was the most uncomfortable bed I’ve ever had. As if my butt wasn’t already sore enough.

Finally, I was taken into the surgical suite at 2:00 pm. My immediate reaction was to tell the nurse that perhaps they should consider knocking patients out before they get to that room – it was a tiny room with lots of nasty looking equipment and monitors. I could have done without that view.

The doctor came in, at which point I took the opportunity to reiterate the call I had made to his office two days prior (and which he knew absolutely nothing about). I had been experiencing serious bleeding for more than a week and had called his office to make sure it was ok to go ahead with the procedure. Having been told not to worry and that they often do colonoscopies on people who are actively bleeding, I went ahead with the prep and the test itself. After hearing my story, the doctor turned to the nurse and told her to get a pediatric scope for my procedure.

Infants are tiny and young children are small, so I assumed the pediatric equipment being used for my procedure would be a tiny (or “toy” in my mind) version of the adult scope. That made me happy (be still, my aching butt). So, imagine my surprise when the nurse came back with what looked an awful lot like an assault rifle.

They’re going to stick that in my ass? WTF?

Onward and upward, so to speak.

The nurse administered Versed and Fentanyl, and I began to feel a wee bit woozy. For about 5 minutes. I was wide awake during the entire procedure. Which was actually good, because I got to watch the monitor as the scope wound its way through my innards. I got to watch polyps being removed and biopsies taken. There was no pain, just an occasional twinge when something was snipped. Several times the nurse asked if I was doing ok. I was – really, I was finding the whole thing fascinating (of course, that may have been the Versed or Fentanyl). Although, I’m not sure the doctor really appreciated my occasional questions about what I was seeing.

The whole procedure took less than 30 minutes, and I was wheeled back to the recovery room. Everyone was a bit surprised that I was awake, talking, and pretty much ready to go home. Most people are totally zonked for awhile after a colonoscopy. I guess I’m just special. Or maybe I’m just used to colonoscopies – for my first two, I was pretty well zonked out, for the third I was awake for most of the procedure but then zonked out in recovery.

It’s normal to remember absolutely nothing after a colonoscopy. The doctor comes in afterwards to talk to the patient, and most patients have no memory of what was said. Many patients would not be able to find their way to the restroom by themselves, much less make their way home. Which is why it’s required that arrangements be made for a friend or family member to take the patient home. I really think I could have driven myself – God, those drugs were great!

Granted, once home – and once I had a light dinner – I took to my bed and stayed there until the next day. Best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time!

Thanks for joining me in my colonoscopy adventure. Hopefully, if you’ve never had one, you can see that there’s really nothing to be afraid of. Sure, there’s some discomfort during the prep and possibly some during the procedure, but colonoscopies do save lives. Most health insurance policies cover colonoscopies (routine or otherwise), so there’s really no excuse not to have it done.

If your doctor’s been urging you to get a colonoscopy, schedule it right now. You’ll be glad you did.

PS: Once home, I thought I would treat myself to one of those nice deli-baked chocolate chunk cookies I love so much. This batch was extra crispy. It was only after I bit into it that I realized the extra crispiness was caused by finely crushed nuts in the batter. Nowhere on the label did it say the cookies contained nuts, and I had been eating them for more than a week. Now I knew why I had started bleeding the week before my test. Well, at least it wasn’t cancer.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com

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Image by Cordelia’s Mom

Posted in Health, That's Life | Tagged colon cancer, colonoscopy, hospital, medical procedure, rectal bleeding | 20 Comments

WHAT IS A COLONOSCOPY REALLY LIKE? — The Infamous Prep

Posted on April 22, 2018 by cordeliasmom2012

Who wants a day of fun? Just schedule a colonoscopy and follow the prep instructions carefully.

For those who don’t know it, there are several types of colonoscopy preps available. For my first colonoscopy, I underwent one of the hardest preps, which entailed drinking 3 liters (that’s an entire gallon !!) of a solution called GoLytely, over a two-hour period, the morning of the test. It’s hard enough for most people to drink that much in that short a time, but try doing so while experiencing vomiting and explosive diarrhea. It sure cleared out the gut, but I thought I was dying. Fortunately, I don’t think that particular prep is used much any more.

The second colonoscopy was also a “hard prep” which involved drinking two 10-oz bottles of magnesium citrate along with ingesting 4 or 5 Dulcolax pills. You do not want to suffer this prep, trust me. There are better ways to go (pardon the pun). It was every bit as bad as the GoLytely prep. The manufacturer had endeavored to flavor the magnesium citrate (choices were “lime” or “lemon”), and the doctor’s office suggested chilling it thoroughly to make it more palatable. It was still disgusting – like drinking sea water. I managed to get it down despite the gagging, and it worked almost immediately. Boy, did it work! Like with the GoLytely, I thought I was dying.

By the third colonoscopy, the medical community had developed a somewhat gentler prep procedure. My third prep consisted of drinking one 10-oz bottle of magnesium citrate, followed the next morning by mixing a 255-gram bottle of Miralax with 64 oz of Gatorade, which then had to be drunk within a 2-hour period. No Dulcolax with that prep. Gatorade choices were lime or orange – red and purple were not permitted because of the red dye. So, I took my magnesium citrate the night before the test, and although it was disgusting, it was easier to get down than two bottles of the darn stuff. The next morning, I mixed the Miralax with my orange Gatorade and chugged it down – the instructions said one 8-oz glass ever 15 minutes. The first few glasses were easy (orange Gatorade is yummy), despite the fact that the Miralax is granular and didn’t mix in completely. By the time I got to the fifth glass, I was definitely slowing down – well, as least insofar as drinking. The other end was speeding up, and I debated just taking the mixture into the bathroom with me. By the 7^th glass, I totally gave up and poured the balance of the solution down the kitchen drain (it needed cleaning anyway).

Bear in mind that during all colonoscopy preps, you are instructed to drink lots and lots of clear fluids. Not all that easy to do while chugging down a 64-oz Miralax solution, but I did my best.

All those prior preps worked, and I got no complaints from the doctor that my colon wasn’t clean enough come test time. Yay for me.

Earlier this year, a family member had to undergo a colonoscopy. Said family member is on a salt-restricted diet, but had been given a prep sheet which included magnesium citrate. During a routine visit to my own GI, I was speaking with my doctor’s office nurse about the various preps and my relative’s salt-restricted diet came into discussion. The nurse agreed that magnesium citrate should not be ingested by someone on a salt-restricted diet and suggested my relative call his doctor to ask for a different prep. She indicated there are a number of preps available, that each doctor has a preferred prep, but it didn’t really matter which prep was used because they all worked.

My relative was subsequently given a revised prep sheet which included only the Miralax solution, 4 Ducolax tablets and 4 Phazyme tablets – along with the usual clear liquid diet, of course. The difference with this prep was that it allowed no solid food for the entire day prior to the test.

Now, it was time for my fourth colonoscopy (see prior post). My doctor gave me the magnesium citrate/Miralax prep sheet. The more I thought about it, the more I didn’t want to put myself through that. I decided to make up my own prep. After all, so long as that colon was clean, the doctor would have no way of knowing which prep I had actually used.

Basically, I used my relative’s revised prep sheet, except that I opted to have breakfast the day before my test. My test was scheduled for 1:00 pm on Friday, so I figured if I ate breakfast at 7:00 am on Thursday and then started the prep at 3:00 pm as indicated, it should all work out, so to speak.

I also opted to take half a vacation day on Thursday. No way was I going to ingest Dulcolax at work and take a chance of not only having to “go” at work, but then also facing a longish drive home in that condition. Been there, done that. Not fun.

I delayed the start of the prep procedure by an hour so that we would be able to take Puppy Cody out for her normal evening walk. I figured I could sit in the car while hubby walked her, if it came to that. Fortunately, the Dulcolax didn’t hit my system right away. Probably I could have saved that half-day of vacation, but what the heck, at least I got the laundry done.

The new instructions said to mix the Miralax/Gatorade at 4 pm and then let the solution sit. I put it in the fridge. How come no one ever thought of that before? By the time I was ready to drink it, the solution was thoroughly dissolved and had settled into a nice, lightly gelled drink. It tasted amazingly like a Creamsicle! When I started drinking it at just after 6 pm, it went down like a yummy milkshake.

Well, at least the first 3 glasses did. Once the prep started working, I had to take a break from drinking anything at all.

I’m on Balsalazide Disodium for my colitis. I don’t know exactly how that medication works, but somehow it reduces inflammation and allows solids to digest more easily. Perhaps that’s why, once the Miralax solution started working, the entire contents of my digestive tract literally just slid their way through. Easy peasy. Only mild cramps. An hour or two later, I was pretty much done.

But I still had to finish that Miralax. I made it to the very last glass and found I could no longer stand the taste of Creamsicle. I dumped the last glass down the kitchen drain.

Another dose of Dulcolax, followed by the Phazyme, and my prep was done for the evening. I was exhausted and went to bed. Yes, I got up several times during the night to run to the bathroom, but by 2 am I was able to actually sleep.

The next morning, I slept as late as possible, took the remaining 2 Phazyme tablets and headed off to the hospital for my big day. Amazingly, I was not at all hungry – I believe the thicker consistency of the Miralax solution compensated for lack of food.