OT September Chit Chat

[agate]

Maybe you can develop some strategies for getting through the long day, like making sure you stay very rested the day before and trying to get plenty of sleep the night before? You might find there are ways you can pace yourself on the job--slack times when you can slow down and rest a bit, for instance.

[SuzE-Q]

Yes, definitely breaks to stay well rested and stress-free. Get away to take some deep, relaxing breaths. Healthy food to keep my energy up.

Maybe ice water to keep cool too, frozen before I leave that will slowly melt as the day goes on, but still be very cold.

Having MS sucks!

Thanks for the feedback, I knew you guys would understand and have good ideas and honest assessment of the situation!

[Howie]

(singing) "It's grass mowing time at Howie's little house".

I was awake at 5am. But that seems to be the way it always is when I have a task to do, or a Doctor's appointment. I don't sleep very long for thinking about what needs to be done.

Mowing isn't that hard to do, and used to take me barely half an hour. But these days, it takes much longer because I have to stop and rest a minute, then start mowing again. I was down to two breaks last time, and thinking of trying NO breaks this time.

I'm having a large mug of strong coffee to help me get started. I know I made it strong because my head is shaking some. But don't suggest decaffe because that's a bad word in this household.

Later mowing gator!

[SuzE-Q]

(singing) "It's grass mowing time at Howie's little house".

I was awake at 5am. But that seems to be the way it always is when I have a task to do, or a Doctor's appointment. I don't sleep very long for thinking about what needs to be done.

Mowing isn't that hard to do, and used to take me barely half an hour. But these days, it takes much longer because I have to stop and rest a minute, then start mowing again. I was down to two breaks last time, and thinking of trying NO breaks this time.

I'm having a large mug of strong coffee to help me get started. I know I made it strong because my head is shaking some. But don't suggest decaffe because that's a bad word in this household.

Later mowing gator!

Howie,

What happens to you if you don't take rest breaks in between mowing?

[Howie]

SuzE-Q, to tell the truth, I'm afraid to find out. I don't want to pass out, or have my legs give out. But I follow that all important "What does your body tell you" so when mine says "STOP", I listen.

[agate]

If I had a job like mowing to do, and I haven't done any mowing in 35 years, I'd take a rest break of at least half an hour and treat myself to a cool beverage while a fan or AC directs cool air at me.

Here's a very sad story, and I don't know if it's even a good idea to post it. But in the interests of helping people to understand the importance of being prepared for emergencies, even letting your local fire department know you have physical limitations, here it is. A woman with MS recently died in the California fires, and apparently she could have been rescued if people had had a better notion of her need for help:

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(from the Santa Rosa, CA, Press Democrat, September 14, 2015)

(Does her name ring a bell? Might she have been on this board at some time though with a different user name?)

[Howie]

My cool drink and moving in front of the fan and AC is like my reward for finishing the job.

I read about the woman who died in the fire. That would be such a horrible way to die. That was very sad.

[Cat Dancer]

A sad story to be sure. But unless I've read it wrong, it appears she had someone (a neighbor) offer to take her with them when they evacuated...and she refused. Not me! I would have been out the door and eternally grateful. I wouldn't have waited for anyone else, unless I KNEW someone was indeed on the way to get me! I try to plan for every sort of emergency here....for example, if the sky gets dark and a storm threatens, I immediately head to my basement, and to my "safe corner" (where there is nothing that could fall on me, away from windows, in a corner of the basement with concrete walls on both sides). I don't wait for the tornado warnings, I don't wait to be told to take shelter..I just do it. I'd rather be wrong and have the storm blow over, than be caught upstairs, where there are plenty of windows, and no way to get to the basement because the power is out and my elevator won't run.

But indeed, call the police and the fire department, or the department of aging in my area, and declare yourself as disabled, and in need of assistance in an emergency. But don't plan on them "saving" you! Remember you're one of many, and there may not be enough time or people to rescue everyone! Do your own planning.

[agate]

Cat Dancer wrote:

But unless I've read it wrong, it appears she had someone (a neighbor) offer to take her with them when they evacuated...and she refused. Not me! I would have been out the door and eternally grateful. I wouldn't have waited for anyone else, unless I KNEW someone was indeed on the way to get me! I try to plan for every sort of emergency here...

Very important point. You should take pie when pie's passing, as the saying goes.

Another important point from Cat Dancer:

call the police and the fire department, or the department of aging in my area, and declare yourself as disabled, and in need of assistance in an emergency. But don't plan on them "saving" you! Remember you're one of many, and there may not be enough time or people to rescue everyone!

It was her caretaker who offered to get her and she declined, and apparently later made calls on her behalf, which may have been ignored. The article states:

The caretaker sought to reassure her, promising to phone authorities — a call she said she made twice to the Sheriff’s Office on Saturday and once to Cal Fire, alerting them of a disabled woman who needed rescue.

[SalpalSally]

Wow, how scary and tragic..

[agate]

Sally, I hope this doesn't discourage you from your intention of staying in your home. A person doesn't have to be constantly running for shelter or cowering in a basement--just taking some sensible precautions.

I'm probably repeating myself here but I'm reminded of the neighbor who lived across the hall from me for 17 years. He was alone and had severe MS.

He had no ability to speak whatsoever. He could utter a few sounds with great difficulty. One side of his body was useless, and the other side was shaky. He was confined to a wheelchair--had both a power chair and a manual chair. He could stand for maybe a few seconds, hanging on to something.

He had a gadget with a keyboard that he carried around so he could type out messages (with great difficulty due to hand problems), and it simulated speech to read out the messages, which also appeared on a screen. This was a laborious process for him but he did manage.

He had a caregiver coming in 5 days a week, 9 to 5, and that was all the help he had. He rode around on the paratransit system, and I often saw him zipping along in his power chair around the neighborhood. Often going to a happy hour somewhere, truth to tell.

He had a recliner in his living room, with one arm removed so he could get in and out of it more easily (I'm guessing here but noticed that one arm of the recliner was absent). He had a lift for his bed.

I'm not sure how he managed on weekends but I'm pretty sure on weekdays the helper helped to get him in and out of bed, did things like shaving, fixing his meals.

I knew her--he had the same worker for 15 years, and then she went back to Thailand. After that he had to make do with a series of helpers but still he managed.

His entire income was Social Security and veteran's benefits. I can't recall a time in all those years when he was in the hospital though he often fell and the paramedics would come and pick him up.

I'm not sure how he contacted the emergency people (Fire Dept.) but he probably had a personal emergency response system.

A few times he pulled the emergency cord that each apartment had, and some neighbor like me came to his aid but of course none of us could lift him unassisted.

[Howie]

That's some good info. What came to mind was Sally needs that "I've fallen and I can't get up" medical alert device, if she moves from 24/7 aid.

[agate]

I posted a link to an article about those devices in the Sally thread.

This bit of news doesn't really deserve its own thread, and so I'll put it here. It seems Facebook is going to have a "dislike" button:

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I like the "thanks" button here but hope we don't get a "dislike" button. Thoughts?

[Howie]

That's a terrible idea. There's too many people there that think the world revolves around them. If you don't like it, don't say anything. Here is different. I hit the Thanks" button to show that I read it. If you disagree with what was said, post and say how you disagree.

I know sometimes I don't hit the "Thanks" button because I forget. HEY, I have MS! But when I reread it, which I always do later on, I will hit the "Thanks" button showing I read it.

That's been on my mind for awhile. If I didn't hit the "Thanks" button on a post you made, I just forgot, which I do quit often these days. If I disagree, I will definitely say something.

I just wish more felt free to post! We don't bite.....well maybe Linda does!

[Cat Dancer]

I think the dislike button is a great idea! There are often threads posted,where someone is sharing something sad, and "like" isn't really a suitable response: I like that you are having a hard time! No, I'm acknowledging your post, but feel badly for you. Or I dislike the fact that we have become so suspicious of each other that a 14 year old brown kid with a funny name is arrested, interrogated, dragged off to a police station, and suspended from school for building a clock, so I'm acknowledging your post but the content is really sad. Or any number of other occasions where I want to acknowledge reading a post, but have other emotions than like about it.