Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[Barb23]

Wow - that's amazing. I wonder if very young kids are getting these offers now because babies get Social Security numbers. Is it required for all babies to get one or is there still an option to wait until later? In my day you generally didn't get one until you were in your teens and needed it for a part-time job.

I brought this over from the Boob & MEchelle thread. As far as I know, babies have to get a Soc Security # around the time of their birth for income tax purposes. If parents want to claim them, they need a number. This prevents divorced parents from each claiming child. Per my sister who works in an accounting office. I remember getting mine in middle school. It was part of letter writing in English class. We could write a letter requesting a card f we didn't already have one.

[emma675]

Lookeyloo, I hope the cops find those jackasses who hit you and they get hit with a massive ticket. I hate people who cause accidents and then run. Own up, cowards!

 

I still have my concert program from a New Kids on the Block concert in the late 80's. I know you're all jealous.

[bigskygirl]

I am going in Wednesday morning for a XR Esophagus Video since I have a hard time swallowing. Thursday morning I will see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist because the earaches, throat pain, and jaw pain are not going away. I see the endocrinologist for a possible thyroid ultrasound next month (might get in earlier if another patient cancels his or her appointment.) Right now, I am having symptoms of hyperthyroidism so I am guessing a blood test is coming. I want to crawl into bed and pull the comforter over my head and wait for the new year to start.

[emma675]

ENTs are the best! Mine discovered all of the damage that my thyroid did and he was also the surgeon that removed it. Definitely ask him about a thyroid ultrasound--they can order them.

[Love2dance]

I am going in Wednesday morning for a XR Esophagus Video since I have a hard time swallowing. Thursday morning I will see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist because the earaches, throat pain, and jaw pain are not going away. I see the endocrinologist for a possible thyroid ultrasound next month (might get in earlier if another patient cancels his or her appointment.) Right now, I am having symptoms of hyperthyroidism so I am guessing a blood test is coming. I want to crawl into bed and pull the comforter over my head and wait for the new year to start.

Good luck, BIGSKYGIRL. Hopefully these specialist will be able to diagnose and help you. (A blood test did diagnose my daughter's hyperthyroidism last week, and she will be starting meds today. She also had the ultrasound.) Hang in there. Hugs!

[bigskygirl]

 Right now I feel like the cute cat in the one cartoon where the cute puppy comes in the room and goes woof!!! and the cat hits the ceiling. Everything feels like it is racing and will not slow down. It is a good thing I am on a blood pressure med because my heart feels like I am running in a marathon while I am sitting in front of my computer typing. I hope I can get some sleep because I am sure the sleep apnea is acting up because of the blasted hyperthyroid symptoms are kicking into overdrive. GRRR!!!

[lookeyloo]

Thanks for the kind words y'all. I am 2/3 of the way. Had to stop because of driving with one headlight in the dark. And now the tire indicator light is on. I stopped and a man was at the air hose and I asked him to help (no full service stations in this neck of the woods) and he put air in the tire on the side that was hit and checked the rest of them. I drove almost 200 more miles on it and it stayed inflated. Hope it continues til I get the car in for repairs. Have to arrange it all. In a new state. Who wants to come be my "personal assistant" for a week or two because I am tired!!!!

Right now I feel like the cute cat in the one cartoon where the cute puppy comes in the room and goes woof!!! and the cat hits the ceiling. Everything feels like it is racing and will not slow down. It is a good thing I am on a blood pressure med because my heart feels like I am running in a marathon while I am sitting in front of my computer and typing. I hope I can get some sleep because I am sure the sleep apnea is acting up because of the blasted hyperthyroid symptoms are kicking into overdrive. GRRR!!!

That does not sound fun. I had a dose of hyperthyroid and hypo at the same time a long time ago. Couldn't get out of bed but my heart raced and I was dropping a pound a day. They got me fixed and it all came back. But that speeded up inside was not good.

[RedPonyDriver]

I'm supposed to have a thyroid panel done...but with everything else going on...once we get settled again I'll make the appointments with the docs. 

 

Car wrecks and moving...BLECH!!!!! I had an accident the day we moved into one house...IT SUCKED! Hope everything gets fixed soon. 

 

unfortunately, once we move into our apartment I'll be losing internet access...can't afford it right now. I'll try to check in and up when I can. 

 

Cats are driving me buggy...it's like having a couple of 2 year olds in the house. They're into EVERYTHING, fighting, hissing, growling, running, trying to get into where we stash the TP, scattering litter EVERYWHERE! They're brother and sister so I don't know what is up with them other than they're also going buggy in this tiny apartment. 

[GeeGolly]

Yikes lookey, what a crappy start to an exciting time. Wishing your last 1/3 goes smoothly!

 

Never have had thyroid issues, but I do live with anxiety. The racing heart & thoughts and lack of sleep I can identify with though, and it sucks! I do have many a strategy for helping to manage though, however I'm not sure they would help with thyroid symptoms.

 

Wishing some peace and sleep for all on this Sunday night.

Edited December 7, 2015 by GeeGolly

[lookeyloo]

Love the tiny house show. I don't like clutter but couldn't imagine that small a place unless the weather was perfect and we could spend a lot of time on couches outside.

I have struggled with anxiety for several years. Miserable. If it is hot enough, a very lomg sweaty walk helps some. I think I'm one of those people that release endorphins when I work up a humongous sweat. I keep thinking of trying hot yoga except I don't like yoga. i do have a prescription for Xanax and it works but don't want that zoned out Michelle situation. Googled natural remedies for anxiety and came up with passionflower drops which I got at whole foods but is also on line. And it does work. For me I don't have any bad effects. Just don't mix with a sleeping pill because it does smooth things out

GeeGolly - would you share some of your anxiety remedies?

[GeeGolly]

Sure lookey. For anxiety I use thought reframing, distraction, deep breathing and self-soothing techniques. I also have Klonopin, which I take a 1/4 of if things are really bad, to take the edge off.

 

So, during a super anxious time you might find me sewing or painting, which both distract and sooth me. While I'm doing those things I might say to myself, "This is my body acting up again, I'm fine, this too shall pass."  Walks are helpful for me too. Any exercise will get the serotonin communicators firing a little better.

[lookeyloo]

Sure lookey. For anxiety I use thought reframing, distraction, deep breathing and self-soothing techniques. I also have Klonopin, which I take a 1/4 of if things are really bad, to take the edge off.

 

So, during a super anxious time you might find me sewing or painting, which both distract and sooth me. While I'm doing those things I might say to myself, "This is my body acting up again, I'm fine, this too shall pass."  Walks are helpful for me too. Any exercise will get the serotonin communicators firing a little better.

Thanks. I've used those too. Except for the Klonopin. When you say sewing or painting, I am a quilter (and collector of derelict vintage sewing machines) and have recently discovered adult coloring books. Also helpful.

[GeeGolly]

Thanks. I've used those too. Except for the Klonopin. When you say sewing or painting, I am a quilter (and collector of derelict vintage sewing machines) and have recently discovered adult coloring books. Also helpful.

Coloring - me too. Back before adult coloring was popular, I asked a young clerk at Barnes & Noble if they carried adult coloring books. She took the adult part wrong.

 

Ah, sewing machinces - I had 3, an old 3000 lb Singer (my favorite) a push peddle Singer (still worked) and a more modern Brother - all were lost during the storm. I just have one now, a Janome. I sew anything & everything - quilt, upcycle clothing, backpacks, etc.

[JenCarroll]

Dating myself here but Bob Seger played at one of my high school dances.

Well okay, now I'm jealous. That's awesome.

[Liz Tudor]

Coloring - me too. Back before adult coloring was popular, I asked a young clerk at Barnes & Noble if they carried adult coloring books. She took the adult part wrong.

Well, thank you for my belly laugh today! That's quite a visual!!! I bought some "adult" (meaning grown-up, hee, hee) coloring sheets (12 designs) this summer that are varieties of ethnic (Asian, Indian, etc.) patterns, almost like a kaleidoscope. I have looked at other coloring books at bookstores, craft stores, etc. Is it me, or are the designs very intricate and small? I loved coloring as a child, and thought I'd explore it again now, but so far, I haven't found a book with designs I like. Even one that was animal-themed was super-detailed with tiny, small elements. Just curious as to what others have found.

[Joe Jitsu913]

I'm supposed to have a thyroid panel done...but with everything else going on...once we get settled again I'll make the appointments with the docs.

Car wrecks and moving...BLECH!!!!! I had an accident the day we moved into one house...IT SUCKED! Hope everything gets fixed soon.

unfortunately, once we move into our apartment I'll be losing internet access...can't afford it right now. I'll try to check in and up when I can.

Cats are driving me buggy...it's like having a couple of 2 year olds in the house. They're into EVERYTHING, fighting, hissing, growling, running, trying to get into where we stash the TP, scattering litter EVERYWHERE! They're brother and sister so I don't know what is up with them other than they're also going buggy in this tiny apartment.

I can relate regarding the cat situation. My two boy kitties are the exact same way. Getting woken at up at 4am by two fighting kitties is pure hell. I find that using Feliway and cat nip seems to have a calming effect on my kitties. You can buy Feliway online or at PETCO. I spray it on their Kitty bed and it seems to work to keep the cats from murdering each other.

For others who have anxiety,

As someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, I do a few things to keep calm (meds help too). I like to take a late night shower every Saturday night. I put on my Spa radio Pandora channel and breathe in some essential oils (lavender and clary sage). It really does seem to relax me.

I will also go on YouTube and find some guided meditations and do that when I'm really stressed. It seems to center me.

[zoomama]

 and have recently discovered adult coloring books. Also helpful.

i was just tonight alking to hubby about us getting those to use on the stressful days. i love coloring....

[BOOgen3]

Akin to the adult coloring books are the advanced dot-to-dot books. I got a few of them at Michael's before a trip last year. I loved those as a child. Instead of 1-25, the numbers go to the thousands. The pictures are absolutely elaborate. One can completely zone out while repetively counting.

[SomePity1066]

Wow ! Take a few days off (I have the plague...) and I come back to a cornucopia, a treasure-trove, a PLETHORA of things to make me laugh, make me sad, make me happy, and make me want to post like a madwoman !!!

 

Adult Coloring ?  I never STOPPED coloring, and I'm looking at the ass-end of forty here ! Always did it secretly, and now it's a "thing". YAY !!! More options, more colors, more intricate patterns, Amazon will deliver those metallic pencil-crayons I'd always coveted - no questions asked - and sudden social acceptability. See, y'all - I was never crazy - I was just waiting for the world to catch up with me  ;)

 

Concerts ?!  Jeezy - who haven't I seen ? Back in the day, when I wore an onion on my belt, as was the fashion, concerts were actually affordable - never more than 20 bucks a ticket, so I've been to, ummm...like 200 shows ? Not kidding here, and such a great mix ! The Who, Aerosmith, the Stones, Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner, Duran Duran, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Nine Inch Nails, Guns 'N Roses, Billy Idol, Todd Rundgren, Iron Maiden, Madonna, the Scorpions, Poison (yeah, I know...), Ratt, Talking Heads, The Cult, The Cure, Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, Cyndi Lauper, the Eagles, Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, The Police, Molly Hatchet, INXS, The Kinks...

 

Aaaaaannnnd now I'm just being annoying. Sorry, sorry, sorry. But it was such a HUGE part of my adolescence, and I miss it so much - I'm sad for all the kids nowadays who have to scrimp and scrape (or their PARENTS do, which is worse !) to see even one show a year. I lived, truly, in a Golden Age, which, sadly, is no more. 

 

We used to wait in line outside overnight for tickets that you could only get at the National Record Mart, because buying them from a scalper meant you'd be murdered. At least according to my dad. But now you just sit at home for two hours with a bottle of YooHoo and a bag of Funyuns and hit the refresh button until your hand cramps up and the all tickets are sold to StubHub in 6.4 seconds. 

 

Not good times, people. NOT GOOD TIMES. Taylor Swift, you have enough cutie, NYC, shorts-and-crop-top-combos to last a million women a million years ! Tear down this wall !!!

 

Anxiety ? I am the Mayor of the City of Anxiety. How do you do ? Please have a hot towel and feel free to hide behind this tree with me...

 

Lately I've been watching dancing videos on YouTube, and that seems to calm me. I "discovered" Uptown Funk recently, told everyone I know about it, for which I was regarded as insane, naturally, because it's over a year old, but...whatever ! Most awesome song since Rubberband Man by The Spinners !!! That led to a further discovery of the following video, which is both beautiful and mesmerizing. I hope my link works here and you can watch it, because it's so touching, classic, masterful, and, I swear, I've seen almost every single movie featured here. Please enjoy, y'all...  :) 

 

 

 

[RedPonyDriver]

Tiny Houses: Our new apartment is right at 800 square feet. Our old house was 3200 square feet...so 1/4 the space. We're HOPING to be able to move into a bigger, 2 bedroom apartment (1100 sq ft) in a year or so IF I get this job. The place we're in now is about 450 square feet...and NO WAY would I live here for long. We've been here a month and I'm losing what's left of my mind. 

 

Rowdy kitties: I don't have any nip here...Once we move and I can put their cat tree back up and rub it down with plenty of nip, hopefully they'll mellow out a bit. If not, it's time for some kitty valium!

 

Anxiety: I take Lexapro. it works. I've not really had a single panic/anxiety attack since the doc upped the dosage to 20mg. Still can't sleep for shit but that's nothing new. I take Tylenol PM and it helps...provided I'm exhausted and my brain STFU. 

 

Anyway, I'll probably be offline after the end of the week...can't afford Internet yet at the new place. I'll try to get on and let y'all know about the job. 

[GeeGolly]

Wow ! Take a few days off (I have the plague...) and I come back to a cornucopia, a treasure-trove, a PLETHORA of things to make me laugh, make me sad, make me happy, and make me want to post like a madwoman !!!

 

Adult Coloring ?  I never STOPPED coloring, and I'm looking at the ass-end of forty here ! Always did it secretly, and now it's a "thing". YAY !!! More options, more colors, more intricate patterns, Amazon will deliver those metallic pencil-crayons I'd always coveted - no questions asked - and sudden social acceptability. See, y'all - I was never crazy - I was just waiting for the world to catch up with me  ;)

 

Concerts ?!  Jeezy - who haven't I seen ? Back in the day, when I wore an onion on my belt, as was the fashion, concerts were actually affordable - never more than 20 bucks a ticket, so I've been to, ummm...like 200 shows ? Not kidding here, and such a great mix ! The Who, Aerosmith, the Stones, Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner, Duran Duran, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Nine Inch Nails, Guns 'N Roses, Billy Idol, Todd Rundgren, Iron Maiden, Madonna, the Scorpions, Poison (yeah, I know...), Ratt, Talking Heads, The Cult, The Cure, Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, Cyndi Lauper, the Eagles, Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, The Police, Molly Hatchet, INXS, The Kinks...

 

Aaaaaannnnd now I'm just being annoying. Sorry, sorry, sorry. But it was such a HUGE part of my adolescence, and I miss it so much - I'm sad for all the kids nowadays who have to scrimp and scrape (or their PARENTS do, which is worse !) to see even one show a year. I lived, truly, in a Golden Age, which, sadly, is no more. 

 

We used to wait in line outside overnight for tickets that you could only get at the National Record Mart, because buying them from a scalper meant you'd be murdered. At least according to my dad. But now you just sit at home for two hours with a bottle of YooHoo and a bag of Funyuns and hit the refresh button until your hand cramps up and the all tickets are sold to StubHub in 6.4 seconds. 

 

Not good times, people. NOT GOOD TIMES. Taylor Swift, you have enough cutie, NYC, shorts-and-crop-top-combos to last a million women a million years ! Tear down this wall !!!

 

Anxiety ? I am the Mayor of the City of Anxiety. How do you do ? Please have a hot towel and feel free to hide behind this tree with me...

 

Lately I've been watching dancing videos on YouTube, and that seems to calm me. I "discovered" Uptown Funk recently, told everyone I know about it, for which I was regarded as insane, naturally, because it's over a year old, but...whatever ! Most awesome song since Rubberband Man by The Spinners !!! That led to a further discovery of the following video, which is both beautiful and mesmerizing. I hope my link works here and you can watch it, because it's so touching, classic, masterful, and, I swear, I've seen almost every single movie featured here. Please enjoy, y'all...  :) 

 

Great post. Still smiling.

[lookeyloo]

RedPonyDriver - sounds "interesting"? Good luck with it all and will look forward to updates as you can manage it.

I do take lavender bubble baths for anxiety and it helps - I don't like any kind of jacuzzi - just fill up the tub with very warm bubbly water. Sometimes I like eucalyptus.

I also forgot that for the past two summers I put up one of those intex patio pools. It was 8 feet around and about 20 inches deep. Came with filter and pump. We are in a warm

Climate so the water stayed very warm. I got a float and spent many hours just floating and reading books that didn't teach me anything or depress me. The water was very relaxing. It did help. I even had a plastic wineglass for when I was in there late in the afternoon.

[MunichNark]

I suffer from anxiety disorder. It's been a very constant guest with me this year.

 

Please do not resort to medication, unless absolutely necessary! It doesn't solve anything, except take the edge off acute anxiety, it won't do anything long term and the come off can be horrendous.

 

Therapy is the only thing to sort this properly.  But bloody hell, it's so hard at times.

 

Distraction is the thing for acute panic attacks since your brain can only think of one thing. Ringing someone, looking at photos, I find that cute/funny kitty or dog videos on You Tube calm me. I've discovered drawing for myself, also cooking calms me.

 

Allowing yourself to be and feel anxious is also good apparently, although fecking awful. To know that you will be just fine requires a bit of training, but it would take the edge off the pressure. (I hope)

 

I do Reiki, and sport apparently is good for anxiety.

 

I've heard of colouring books for adults, must have a google on it. Might be a fun thing. Metallic pencils sound good, I'm heading off later to an arts shop anyhow, must look around if they have any.

[JenCarroll]

Wow ! Take a few days off (I have the plague...) and I come back to a cornucopia, a treasure-trove, a PLETHORA of things to make me laugh, make me sad, make me happy, and make me want to post like a madwoman !!!

Aaaaaannnnd now I'm just being annoying. Sorry, sorry, sorry. But it was such a HUGE part of my adolescence, and I miss it so much - I'm sad for all the kids nowadays who have to scrimp and scrape (or their PARENTS do, which is worse !) to see even one show a year. I lived, truly, in a Golden Age, which, sadly, is no more.

We used to wait in line outside overnight for tickets that you could only get at the National Record Mart, because buying them from a scalper meant you'd be murdered. At least according to my dad. But now you just sit at home for two hours with a bottle of YooHoo and a bag of Funyuns and hit the refresh button until your hand cramps up and the all tickets are sold to StubHub in 6.4 seconds.

Not good times, people. NOT GOOD TIMES. Taylor Swift, you have enough cutie, NYC, shorts-and-crop-top-combos to last a million women a million years ! Tear down this wall !!!

Ticket prices are insane. And now my husband and I are actually considering getting an American Express card, which we have no other use for and which is stupidly expensive itself, just so we can get better access to ticketmaster tickets. But that's one of those "when the girls graduate and we're no longer dropping six figures annually on tuition" things.

Fortunately, in NY ticket lines are still a thing. My girls do this often in the summers -- camp outside a Broadway theater all day for the standee and cancellation seats. Last summer alone DD1 saw Hedwig and the Angry Inch with Neil Patrick Harris about five times, and had a kind of awesome two-part encounter with the man himself which I should totally write a post about sometime. Ok guys, who loves Neil Patrick? Anyone? Everyone? No one?

They've actually made some real and long-term friendships with people they met in the lines.

The other thing (that I know of) that you can still camp for is Geek Conventions, like tickets for Comicon. They go on sale at local comics shops early and people do camp. One summer my daughter was driving to work and she saw a random line of people waiting, decided to see what was up. Now, she clearly recognizes that these are her people -- gamers, manga buffs, sci fi fans, etc. She's a proud Geek. (Both my girls are.) So she pulls over and gets out to ask what they're waiting for -- you know, in case maybe she'd want to skip work and get in the line herself. ;-) She hops out of her adorable little red car and goes, "Hey, Nerds!" And they were somewhat hostile to her. So she gets home later in the day and she's telling me this story, and she's like, " Mom, my people rejected me!" So I look at her -- she's been working as a dive coach and lifeguard all summer. She's very tanned, blond, and fit, driving a fairly new car and wearing a LIFEGUARD shirt. And I'm like, "DD, they didn't recognize you. You look exactly like one of the Cool Kids." She stops a moment to consider, then comes out with, "Hm. Clearly one of these personas is my secret identity. Now if only I could figure out which one."

Stopping now before the post reaches novella length.

Edited December 7, 2015 by JenCarroll

[Lukeysboat]

The Cincinnati Zoo now has a baby manatee named Bam Bam.  I had to share with the Duggar forum peeps. He's very cute and still has a better name than ... well, you know ... ; )

 

I've been to some terrific concerts but am not good at remembering ticket prices. I do recall taking a jar of coins to the bank in the mid-eighties to get $15 for Hall and Oates tickets. Great show.

[bigskygirl]

I have a doctor appointment with my endocrinologist this morning due to a cancelation. I slept okay, but I am still a nervous wreck. I was getting ready to call my physician assistant and/or the endocrinologist office for a blood test order when the phone rang. I did take the one blood pressure med the one doctor gave me for anxiety, but it only help a little and gave me a headache. My four year cat Sassy has been a major pain the last few mornings. We did have a few minor earthquakes in the Helena area yesterday, so I wonder if she senses something, and it makes her jumpy.

[Joe Jitsu913]

I suffer from anxiety disorder. It's been a very constant guest with me this year.

Please do not resort to medication, unless absolutely necessary! It doesn't solve anything, except take the edge off acute anxiety, it won't do anything long term and the come off can be horrendous.

Therapy is the only thing to sort this properly. But bloody hell, it's so hard at times.

Distraction is the thing for acute panic attacks since your brain can only think of one thing. Ringing someone, looking at photos, I find that cute/funny kitty or dog videos on You Tube calm me. I've discovered drawing for myself, also cooking calms me.

Allowing yourself to be and feel anxious is also good apparently, although fecking awful. To know that you will be just fine requires a bit of training, but it would take the edge off the pressure. (I hope)

I do Reiki, and sport apparently is good for anxiety.

I've heard of colouring books for adults, must have a google on it. Might be a fun thing. Metallic pencils sound good, I'm heading off later to an arts shop anyhow, must look around if they have any.

Medication for me was a life saver. I was going mad. I was having obsessive thoughts, daily panic attacks and mood swings. Wellbutrin and Zoloft have stopped most of my anxiety and obsessive thoughts. I still have my bad days, but they are manageable now.

[Love2dance]

Tiny Houses: Our new apartment is right at 800 square feet. Our old house was 3200 square feet...so 1/4 the space. We're HOPING to be able to move into a bigger, 2 bedroom apartment (1100 sq ft) in a year or so IF I get this job. The place we're in now is about 450 square feet...and NO WAY would I live here for long. We've been here a month and I'm losing what's left of my mind. 

 Anyway, I'll probably be offline after the end of the week...can't afford Internet yet at the new place. I'll try to get on and let y'all know about the job.

REDPONYDRIVER, wishing you good news about the job and hoping you can move to the larger place sooner than soon. We will miss your posts, so try to update us when you can. Hugs.

[Wellfleet]

Akin to the adult coloring books are the advanced dot-to-dot books. I got a few of them at Michael's before a trip last year. I loved those as a child. Instead of 1-25, the numbers go to the thousands. The pictures are absolutely elaborate. One can completely zone out while repetively counting.

 

Oh, I'm going to have to check these out! I loved connect-the-dots books when I was little. I can completely zone out while coloring, doing cross-stitch or embroidery, etc. And there's a lot to be said about zoning-out time. When it's over, the whole vibe is recuperative - as though I've plugged myself in to be re-charged for however long. Like sleeping while you're awake...

[bigskygirl]

Good news is my thyroid is small (no signs of swelling or being enlarged.) My blood pressure was 94/64 (the lowest it has been in a long time.) My endocrinologist was a sweetheart about the ultrasound. He was happy to do it and thought it was a good idea I will be having a swallowing test and seeing the ear, nose and throat specialist. He is a major improvement over the quack in Great Falls. I had a blood test because of my hyperthyroid symptoms and will see him in six months for a followup.

 

I also admit my memory was bad this morning. Driving to the doctor office, I could not remember the speed limit in certain areas, and I walked away from the doctor office receptionist area without making the six month appointment and turning in the one piece of paper the doctor gave me. Embarrassing... I blame my small thyroid and sleep apnea for this. *lol* Now I wait to see if they have to adjust my med dosage again.
 

[Wellfleet]

The Cincinnati Zoo now has a baby manatee named Bam Bam.  I had to share with the Duggar forum peeps. He's very cute and still has a better name than ... well, you know ... ; )

 

I've been to some terrific concerts but am not good at remembering ticket prices. I do recall taking a jar of coins to the bank in the mid-eighties to get $15 for Hall and Oates tickets. Great show.

 

A baby manatee, you say?  Hmmmmm, does anyone know if Josh has ever been in Cincinnati? I bet he has spent some FRC time there. Just setting the locals straight, of course... LOL.

[Barb23]

Good news is my thyroid is small (no signs of swelling or being enlarged.) My blood pressure was 94/64 (the lowest it has been in a long time.) My endocrinologist was a sweetheart about the ultrasound. He was happy to do it and thought it was a good idea I will be having a swallowing test and seeing the ear, nose and throat specialist. He is a major improvement over the quack in Great Falls. I had a blood test because of my hyperthyroid symptoms and will see him in six months for a followup.

 

I also admit my memory was bad this morning. Driving to the doctor office, I could not remember the speed limit in certain areas, and I walked away from the doctor office receptionist area without making the six month appointment and turning in the one piece of paper the doctor gave me. Embarrassing... I blame my small thyroid and sleep apnea for this. *lol* Now I wait to see if they have to adjust my med dosage again.

Glad things went well. Don't beat yourself about leaving Drs without stopping to make appt & leaving the paper. From working in a Drs. office, I can tell you this happens a lot.

[bigskygirl]

Crap!!! My blood test came back normal so I will need to contact the physician assistant. At least my med dosage will not need to be change again.

[lookeyloo]

What do they mean by normal? There is a lot of disagreement over thyroid "normal" ranges. If you feel up to it, Google Mary Shomon who is a thyroid advocate on about.com. You can click around her topics and see the controversy surrounding the numbers. My TSH is totally suppressed which two doctors have told me is normal for me. One doctor told me it had to be a certain number regardless how crappy I felt. In the olden days Doctors went by how a patient felt and not by a number. Good luck. When you feel bad it is hard to be motivated to do all of this.

[Readalot]

Good news is my thyroid is small (no signs of swelling or being enlarged.) My blood pressure was 94/64 (the lowest it has been in a long time.) My endocrinologist was a sweetheart about the ultrasound. He was happy to do it and thought it was a good idea I will be having a swallowing test and seeing the ear, nose and throat specialist. He is a major improvement over the quack in Great Falls. I had a blood test because of my hyperthyroid symptoms and will see him in six months for a followup.

I also admit my memory was bad this morning. Driving to the doctor office, I could not remember the speed limit in certain areas, and I walked away from the doctor office receptionist area without making the six month appointment and turning in the one piece of paper the doctor gave me. Embarrassing... I blame my small thyroid and sleep apnea for this. *lol* Now I wait to see if they have to adjust my med dosage again.

my ENT ordered a barium swallow test with the cameras. Is this what you are doing? He also wants me to get a hearing test too. This was months ago. I'm afraid of side effects of the barium. I didn't do so well with the MRI contrast (my gastro is just getting back to normal months later) so I keep putting it off. The hospital where it is to be scheduled has given up on me making the appt. Please let us know how the test goes and feels. I don't know anyone who has had that test and I'm curious. I hope you get answers soon. I know how it is to be in limbo with ailments.

[kalamac]

The Taylor Swift concert was really good, although all the squealing teenagers made me feel old.

We all had these white bracelets on our seats when we came in, and I pulled the battery tab out and nothing happened, I was tapping it, and shaking it, looking for a button somewhere - because I figured if it has a battery, something has to happen - my friend did the same and got nothing, same with the people we could see and hear around us - turned out they had RFID chips in them, and were set to flash different colours along with the music.

[zoomama]

re: barium swallow test....had many. i can answer questions if you have them. just remember to drink tons of water after it. usually the barium passes before you even leave the building; at least for me.

Edited December 8, 2015 by zoomama

[Readalot]

re: barium swallow test....had many. i can answer questions if you have them. just remember to drink tons of water after it. usually the barium passes before you even leave the building; at least for me.

thank you. Do they numb your nose /throat? Do you gag a lot? Or just initially? When you have to drink the barium and swallow is it hard with the camera down your throat? Can you talk with it down your throat? Did you have the urge to pull it out? What does the barium taste like? I'm afraid of having one of my choking episodes during the test, panicking and then pulling it out. I was having too much anxiety/obsession about it so I stopped thinking about. Until the next I choke and scare the heck out of my family. I appreciate any information you can share. Maybe it will give me confidence to make my appt .

[RedPonyDriver]

If I remember the barium swallow test (my husband had one) they give you the barium and just watch it go thru your system with a flouroscope...nothing invasive.

 

Hubs had all sorts of crazy tests...barium swallow, lower GI series, gastric emptying, got scoped from one end to the other. I went with him for most of them. 

 

By the way, he ended up having a total pancreatectomy. He had his pancreas, gall bladder, part of his stomach and part of his small intestine removed. He goes yearly for a swallow and lower GI...to make sure there are no blockages or strictures from the scar tissue. 

[pinkie]

RedPonyDriver - I hope you're able to get back online soon! Merry Christmas! 

 

[SometimesBites]

I'm a huge fan of the tiny house movement and would do it in a heartbeat if I could have my little place on a piece of land. As it is, my home is only about 1100 square feet (post WWII bungalow) and as an empty-nester it's plenty for my husband and me. It is snug if we want to have overnight guests, but that's pretty rare.

Ah, concerts. James Taylor, Tuck and Patti, Elton John, Santana, Jackson Browne, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Moody Blues, David Lindley, Cat Stevens. xoxox

Hey, if we have any posters in the Portland, OR area, stay safe in the flooding! Friends and family up there posted some crazy pictures today...

Big cyber hugs to everyone dealing with health troubles, car troubles, etc. Sometimes it seems like the world is standing in line, just hoping to pull some kind of a fast one.

I love adult coloring! I have a bunch of books, mostly with mandalas, tessellations, and classic quilt blocks. It's very quieting, I find. I especially love coloring while I listen to an audiobook.

Edited December 8, 2015 by SometimesBites

[MunichNark]

Dont you also like free university? :)

I can get on board with that!

 

 

The "only one system" just made me laugh. We have several thousand different systems, or you might say we have no system at all. Not only do laws and practices vary by state (the U.S. Constitution leaves matters of education in the hands of the state governments), they vary from town to town. The thing is, in most states the funding for schools is local; in my state it's town by town and the money comes from property taxes. This means you have enormous, and frequently appalling, variation in what can be offered, just from one town to the next.

But ideally, in a good system, kids of differing abilities are accommodated in some classes by separating the different groups, and in others they're kept together. They might be divided for math and English, and left together for everything else. Or they might be kept in the same classroom but given different assignments. Children with various disabilities may be accommodated in separate classes, in regular classes with an aide present to assist, or some combination of the two. There are also regional vocational-technical high schools available in most areas, as an alternative to regular high school. Kids there learn a trade. The choice to do that is pretty much up to the family; although a school system may strongly advise a student's parents to consider vo-tech, they can't actually force them to go. Public schools have to take everyone. At the high school level there are generally honors courses and Advanced Placement for the more academically inclined.

Then of course, as someone posted above, there are charter schools, magnet schools (usually a regional public school that you have to test into), parochial schools, and private schools both religious and secular. And home schooling. So yeah, it's not so much a "system;" it's more a "thing that kind of happened."

I have two kids in University now. They both went to public school through eighth grade, where there was a "gifted and talented" program for math and reading, and an optional enrichment course on research skills. (You had to be invited to join this enrichment class, but if invited you didn't have to join because it was an extra class in addition to all the courses everyone else was doing.) Then for high school, one went to a magnet school and one went to a private boarding school. Different choices for different kids. But that's easy for me to say; we're in sound financial circumstances and both kids are high achievers, so we could do pretty much whatever we wanted to. It's a much different story for a lot of other families.

ETA I'd say we like our bureaucracy too, we just do it really, really badly. :-)

ETA again, Sorry mods, I just realized how far this topic has drifted. Delete or move if necessary. Sorry!

I'm taking it over here, presumably that's ok?

 

Not sure if you were referring to me with regards to the free Uni? If so, then I'd hate to break it to you, but Uni's not free here at all. Granted, it's a lot less expensive than it is for you I believe, but it's not free.

 

Re "one system", I think you misunderstood me, understandably. In Germany, there are 3 types of schools, and regardless of extra schools, like vocational, etc, kids will first go to one of the 3 before they move on to other stuff. They are basically divided into ability, and there is no intermingling. That's what I meant with one system, I believe you only have High School for "proper" schooling. I'm not aware of anything else. You'll do your lot within that - we don't.

[lookeyloo]

Crap!!! My blood test came back normal so I will need to contact the physician assistant. At least my med dosage will not need to be change again.

http://link.about.com/click/5683264.27113/aHR0cDovL3RoeXJvaWQuYWJvdXQuY29tL29kL2dldHRlc3RlZGFuZGRpYWdub3NlZC9zcy9XaGF0LURvLVlvdXItVGh5cm9pZC1CbG9vZC1UZXN0LVJlc3VsdHMtTWVhbi5odG0_dXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9MjAxNTEyMDgmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWV4cF9ubCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bGlzdF90aHlyb2lk/543584ccfa13a10d4b8b45cbC96e0b3d7

I hope this works. It came in an email

[GeeGolly]

I'm taking it over here, presumably that's ok?

 

Not sure if you were referring to me with regards to the free Uni? If so, then I'd hate to break it to you, but Uni's not free here at all. Granted, it's a lot less expensive than it is for you I believe, but it's not free.

 

Re "one system", I think you misunderstood me, understandably. In Germany, there are 3 types of schools, and regardless of extra schools, like vocational, etc, kids will first go to one of the 3 before they move on to other stuff. They are basically divided into ability, and there is no intermingling. That's what I meant with one system, I believe you only have High School for "proper" schooling. I'm not aware of anything else. You'll do your lot within that - we don't.

We have Elementary, Middle and High schools. Usually grades K - 5. 6 - 8, and 9 - 12. Students of all abilities are integrated for the most part.

[zoomama]

thank you. Do they numb your nose /throat? Do you gag a lot? Or just initially? When you have to drink the barium and swallow is it hard with the camera down your throat? Can you talk with it down your throat? Did you have the urge to pull it out? What does the barium taste like? I'm afraid of having one of my choking episodes during the test, panicking and then pulling it out. I was having too much anxiety/obsession about it so I stopped thinking about. Until the next I choke and scare the heck out of my family. I appreciate any information you can share. Maybe it will give me confidence to make my appt .

ok -- no, i was never numbed. they just handed me a cup and said drink. then i got x-rayed every few minutes to follow the barium through my system. i did not swallow a camera although my bff did - said it was like a big gelcap in comparison. she just drank it down. she said it was like a big vitamen or pill.

 

barium is usually flavored but i cannot remember what right now -  it is not totally gross but has an unplseant flavor aftertaste.  you drink so much in a cup then take a pic . then you drink more and take another pic. they keep shooting pics (xrays) until it has reached the destination they want to see. usually by the time its all done, i am racing to the rest room and it ...TMI....pours out from your bowels. PLEASE remember to drink lots of fluids for the rest of the day though. if not, it makes future bm's a bit difficult for a few days.

 

its really pretty easy. that said, i have never heard of having a tube down your through UNLESS you are having an endocscopy. then, yes, they numb your throat and put a tube down your throat. they can sedate you and also add a medicine so you dont remember it at all after its over. in that one, there is a tiny camera on the end of the tube. it takes pics all the way through and can also take biopsys but you wont feel it when it does. it usually only reaches your stomach and slightly past ., not your intestines. there is no barium in this type of test. if you are lucky you can even watch the screen and see your 'innards' as they do. but really you probably wont remember any of the procedure at all.

 

i hope this helps and ask away if you need any other info that i might have. you can even pm me so we dont bore everyone here. glad i can help.

Edited December 8, 2015 by zoomama

[kathe5133]

I had an upper GI. They spray something on your throat and there is no gag reflex (I joked that perhaps this substance could be marketed for other uses......). They give you a drug, Vercid (sp) I think it's called and it relaxes you and does make you forget, but really not a bad procedure. The lower GI (I had both done the same day, upper first then lower) was a little uncomfortable, but more like cramping from a bad period. Nothing horrific. The prep for the lower is the worst. Nothing by mouth for 48 hours except clear liquids. My mantra? "Vodka is a clear liquid..."

[zoomama]

I had an upper GI. They spray something on your throat and there is no gag reflex (I joked that perhaps this substance could be marketed for other uses......). They give you a drug, Vercid (sp) I think it's called and it relaxes you and does make you forget, but really not a bad procedure. The lower GI (I had both done the same day, upper first then lower) was a little uncomfortable, but more like cramping from a bad period. Nothing horrific. The prep for the lower is the worst. Nothing by mouth for 48 hours except clear liquids. My mantra? "Vodka is a clear liquid..."

yep, exactly!  that spray.....

[DangerousMinds]

It was the endoscopy prep that killed me. Not the actual procedure. I don't remember any of it and was in no pain before or after.

[lookeyloo]

I didn't have any prep for my endoscopy. But I did have the prep for the colonoscopy done the same time. They used propofol. I can see why Michael Jackson liked it. I don't know what else they used but I wasn't awake and didn't remember anything. I asked them for some to take home but they were not amused.

[DangerousMinds]

Yes, I had both a lower and upper GI, so I guess the prep was for the lower. It was awful. I don't know what meds they used on me, but I went out and remember nothing.