03/31/07
I am doing a little better but for lack of sleep. I don't see how I can come home tired and keep on going sometimes but it does happen. Today wasn't one of those days. My mom seems to be getting a little weaker while Dad is gaining strength.
Our outbound service contractor is trying to save money on meals. He doesn't have a lot of money. My cash is not where I'd want it to be and I want to gain a "profit" on what I take home per month vs. what I spend in checking.
Thus I am looking to see what the cheapest meals are that are 1) edible 2) not "junk" food. The contractor eats Ramen noodles and sometimes spaghetti in a can. Somehow I feel like I am eating slop when I eat those. So I am searching for a good meal and a cheap one.
McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King (breakfast only) have items for a dollar or so. The potato and the salad from Wendy's are best for your body. Be careful of fast food joints as a rule. You spend 3 times as much to get an inferior meal- or one no better than if you eat a 3 oz portion of meat, a carbo, veggie, and fruit. Just be sure what you eat doesn't constipate you or shoot your blood sugar through the roof only to leave you hungrier.
I advise cereals, even dry ones, for snacks or breakfast. Make your own coffee and don't drink that fancy creosote at Starbuck's (Creosote was used to treat fenceposts before it was found to be cancerous). You may want to have a dessert but be sure it has fruit or fiber in it. If you must have a meaty breakfast make some biscuits and sausage and freeze a two-week supply.
Fruit is good if you can eat what you buy this week by the next week. Soup, combined with a veggie or bread, has been a staple of good eating for years. Today there are fancier soups tasting better than the older smaller cans our parents knew. For lunch consider a whole-wheat bread with sliced meat on it. If you want a warm meal look at frozen dinners or just make your own burgers. Heck you can even grill outside and freeze some beef patties or drumsticks. Bake your own goodies and freeze them- but be smart. Not always will you want to eat in.
At the grocery store look carefully on the main "side" counters at the store because the idea of featured items (that aren't discounted) is to make the store money and make you poorer. I have heard of wonderful deals even at Walgreen's. Just don't single source but dont' drive around town wasting gas to save a dime.
Oh and get store brands and experiment with them as some are better than others and some use low-grade components (but not all). If you aren't a soft drink snob you can save a mint on store brands. However Kool-Aid has the powdered drink down to an art. Make your own tea and bring it. If you get fruit juice get it frozen; don't pay extra if freshness isn't your priority. Wholesale clubs and "odd lots" stores don't always promise savings so don't make them the single source for everything. I'll let you in on a trick; get a sale paper for the week and if you see a good deal on something circle it and take it with you. My mom used to do that.
Menu:
Breakfast: Frozen sausage biscuit or frosted wheat squares. Don't rule out oatmeal but don't get it in bulk. Fruit is optional. Your own coffee.
Lunch: Soup and cornbread with a fruit or a side salad. Or substitute a sandwich and potato chips you bought in bulk. Your own tea.
Snack: Peanuts, peanut butter/crackers you made from scratch or bought in packs, or a fruit. Avoid Twinkies or candy bars unless you bought a box of them beforehand. If you don't eat candy that often don't buy in bulk.
Dinner: See lunch or make chicken/dressing with creme chicken soup gravy. A vegetable or fruit cup is more than welcome. Chips and two hot dogs (not too often; the buns aren't whole wheat and weiners have salt and grease). If you must eat out consider the dollar items I mentioned.
Very cheap meals: Soups, oatmeal, ramen, fruit cups, sliced ham sandwiches on whole wheat, and diet drink powder mixes. Rule; avoid constipation, high sugar content, and heavy salt or grease.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Dad's CHF
03/15/07
Dad is requiring more and more care. Three weeks ago 02/22 Thursday My sister called me and said Dad had not only been short of breath but his speech seemed slurred. and I called my dad. Then I called the doctor. He wondered if it were CHF. I told him of the slurred speech and that I'd double check with Mom and my sister.
I told Dad when I called him that I wanted to talk to Mom. She confirmed his slurred speech which I didn't pick up on over the phone. I talked to my sister and she said the heart doctor said it wasn't CHF. I called back the doctor and he advised me to get him to the ER. He later advised I call an ambulance so that he could get to treatment faster.
I called the seven-digit number since it was not a life-threatening emergency and that the 911 Center in Bibb County was a joke (I emailed Joe Allen of the County Commission about the 911 Center but to no avail). The dispatcher was on the phone while my sister rang my cell phone. I had EMS on the phone while the cell phone was in another ear. I told her I had to call back.
Mom called me back and I told her EMS was on the way. The doctor called me and I told him EMS was on the way to pick up Dad. They even sent a fire engine as first responders as per protocol.
I went to the Medical Center emergency room and waited until they got Dad settled into a treatment room/bed in the EC. After an hour or so the nurse told me CHF and pneumonia was suspected.
I went to grab a snack and I was in McDonald's when my sister called. She told me to high-tail it home and sit tight until she and my other sister arrived.
The next day I got scared. One of my sisters told me that the BNP (a peptide count associated with CHF) was 5000+ from what she heard of a nurse talking about Dad. She looked it up and said it was associated with low life expectancy. My oldest sister told me that he might last a year or two but then reversed herself. She's the sister who tends to be argumentative and not wrong all the time.
I felt upset not so much that my dreams of living in a better place away from Macon were evaporating. It hurt to see such a seemingly indestructible man as my dad go downhill. I disliked that I was still living at home years after finishing four let alone six years of college. I had personal issues such as depression, anxiety, and not really being allowed to grow up. Yet I blamed my self for my predicament.
Don't get the idea that I would have rather looked out for myself than my parents. I swore to dedicate myself to helping them when in need. I just hated they haven't seen me succeed out of the cocoon.
They drained 750cc (3/4 liter) from Dad's thorax and his BNP went down to 2500 or so. It was at 1999 on 03/07. He still has trouble sleeping especially with being constipated. He is slowly gaining weight- slowly as he cannot have salt and very much sugar. His sugar was around 140 at the doctor's office on 03/07.
Meanwhile I have resorted to a new antidepressant- or I should say I did resort to it. I found it made me drowsy. Yesterday was Wednesday and since I had to make trips to the bathroom and to help my parents- not to mention while drugged- I slept and woke and slept and woke most of the day.
My big goal is to figure out how to make myself as much of what my parents want as I can but to balance personal goals. Mostly it is of action not planning.
Dad is requiring more and more care. Three weeks ago 02/22 Thursday My sister called me and said Dad had not only been short of breath but his speech seemed slurred. and I called my dad. Then I called the doctor. He wondered if it were CHF. I told him of the slurred speech and that I'd double check with Mom and my sister.
I told Dad when I called him that I wanted to talk to Mom. She confirmed his slurred speech which I didn't pick up on over the phone. I talked to my sister and she said the heart doctor said it wasn't CHF. I called back the doctor and he advised me to get him to the ER. He later advised I call an ambulance so that he could get to treatment faster.
I called the seven-digit number since it was not a life-threatening emergency and that the 911 Center in Bibb County was a joke (I emailed Joe Allen of the County Commission about the 911 Center but to no avail). The dispatcher was on the phone while my sister rang my cell phone. I had EMS on the phone while the cell phone was in another ear. I told her I had to call back.
Mom called me back and I told her EMS was on the way. The doctor called me and I told him EMS was on the way to pick up Dad. They even sent a fire engine as first responders as per protocol.
I went to the Medical Center emergency room and waited until they got Dad settled into a treatment room/bed in the EC. After an hour or so the nurse told me CHF and pneumonia was suspected.
I went to grab a snack and I was in McDonald's when my sister called. She told me to high-tail it home and sit tight until she and my other sister arrived.
The next day I got scared. One of my sisters told me that the BNP (a peptide count associated with CHF) was 5000+ from what she heard of a nurse talking about Dad. She looked it up and said it was associated with low life expectancy. My oldest sister told me that he might last a year or two but then reversed herself. She's the sister who tends to be argumentative and not wrong all the time.
I felt upset not so much that my dreams of living in a better place away from Macon were evaporating. It hurt to see such a seemingly indestructible man as my dad go downhill. I disliked that I was still living at home years after finishing four let alone six years of college. I had personal issues such as depression, anxiety, and not really being allowed to grow up. Yet I blamed my self for my predicament.
Don't get the idea that I would have rather looked out for myself than my parents. I swore to dedicate myself to helping them when in need. I just hated they haven't seen me succeed out of the cocoon.
They drained 750cc (3/4 liter) from Dad's thorax and his BNP went down to 2500 or so. It was at 1999 on 03/07. He still has trouble sleeping especially with being constipated. He is slowly gaining weight- slowly as he cannot have salt and very much sugar. His sugar was around 140 at the doctor's office on 03/07.
Meanwhile I have resorted to a new antidepressant- or I should say I did resort to it. I found it made me drowsy. Yesterday was Wednesday and since I had to make trips to the bathroom and to help my parents- not to mention while drugged- I slept and woke and slept and woke most of the day.
My big goal is to figure out how to make myself as much of what my parents want as I can but to balance personal goals. Mostly it is of action not planning.
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