Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[Absolom]

11 minutes ago, crazy8s said:

fun fact - she has a bowl of stuffed viruses in her office. like stuffed animals but ebola, small pox, gonnorrhea, syphillus, TB etc

My daughter does, too.  I gave her several as Christmas presents and now she does that for her niece and nephew.

[SunnyBeBe]

32 minutes ago, Bewitched said:

Not sure about that ventilator article.  Background: I'm an ICU nurse in a designated COVID unit.  We have been seeing COVID patients for over a month.  Our thinking on how to treat patients has changed over time.  We are still using ventilators but we are not using the traditional ventilator settings for severe flu or PNA patients.  The lungs of COVID patients do not behave the same way as other severe respiratory illnesses.  There is also an unexpected issue of blood clotting (micro clots) that impair oxygen exchange.   It is true that patients on ventilators tend to need longer care but one reason is that we are not placing tracheostomies as we normally would for infection control reasons.  This makes it more difficult to wean from the vent in some patients.  

Its also a fine line for infection control.  Using high flow oxygen in a patient's nose blows the virus all around and needs negative pressure rooms to protect staff from the virus.  Before this pandemic, only 2 out of our 18 beds had that capability.  Luckily, my hospital system spent $$$ and converted all our ICU rooms.  Not every hospital has the resources we do.  While I'm not sure what the scientific data shows, I feel safer taking care of ventilator patients than ones on high flow oxygen or ones who are coughing in my face.  (which I realize might sound terrible, but its true)

The 80% mortality rate for ventilator patients does not hold true for my hospital.  We have had several patients come off the ventilator, recover, and go home.  Cant't extrapolate beyond my own experience but wanted to share a little positive real world data.

Thanks for sharing!  And thank you for your incredible service!  You are so selfless.  I can't imagine that kind of devotion.  

Can you say if the patients who are put on ventilators are sedated to the point that they are not aware of what is going on?  I've head the device down your throat is very uncomfortable and that is the reason for the sedation.  It sounds like a horror to lay there for days, weeks, without the ability to move, if you are aware of your surroundings. 

I saw a story yesterday that at this NY hospital, when a Covid patient recovers they play this song in celebration!  I don't think I'll ever feel the same when I hear this song again.  Now, I really LOVE the song.

 

Edited April 13, 2020 by SunnyBeBe

[Bewitched]

Just now, SunnyBeBe said:

Can you say if the patients who are put on ventilators are sedated to the point that they are not aware of what is going on?  I've head the device down your throat is very uncomfortable and that is the reason for the sedation.  It sounds like a horror to lay there for days, weeks, without the ability to move, if you are aware of your surroundings. 

We do our best to sedate appropriately.  I will say that these patients as a whole have been more difficult to sedate than normal.  There is a risk of a national shortage of sedatives so we are being creative with what we are using.  Ever heard of the street drug "special K"? Now a pretty common sedative in our ICU called ketamine.  The drug that killed Michael Jackson?  Propofol - actually one of my favorite sedatives because it is quick on and quick off.  Fentanyl - killer of many but a terrific pain reliever in the ICU setting.   

With any ventilator patient, it is important to have them wake up occasionally to ensure that they have not had a stroke or other neurologic change.   Also, we have to keep patients more awake when we are weaning the ventilator so patients are doing all the breathing and we know they are ready to take the breathing tube out.  

[GeeGolly]

16 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Thanks for sharing!  And thank you for your incredible service!  You are so selfless.  I can't imagine that kind of devotion.  

Can you say if the patients who are put on ventilators are sedated to the point that they are not aware of what is going on?  I've head the device down your throat is very uncomfortable and that is the reason for the sedation.  It sounds like a horror to lay there for days, weeks, without the ability to move, if you are aware of your surroundings. 

I saw a story yesterday that at this NY hospital, when a Covid patient recovers they play this song in celebration!  I don't think I'll ever feel the same when I hear this song again.  Now, I really LOVE the song.

 

A hospital in MA plays the Rocky theme music when a covid patient is discharged.

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

It's so funny.  I posted yesterday how I amused my family wearing a ridiculous, Easter Egg looking, yellow shorts with a pink top . Today, I'm getting all these ads on my site advertising  yellow sandals!  lol  Is that crazy or what. 

I read an article yesterday. Link below. It's actually a AP article. It's about how some doctors are trying to avoid ventilators for Covid-19 patients, due to the high death rate!  I was shocked. It says that 80% of those with the virus who go on a ventilator don't survive! (Is this NYC only?)  It goes on to say that the survival rate for going on a ventilator is not great, no matter what the reason is for going on it!  I'm trying to put this into some context, because, it's really disturbing.  I was thinking ventilators saved lives.  😟

 

https://www.wral.com/some-doctors-moving-away-from-ventilators-for-virus-patients/19047755/

Ventilators do save lives in that, with many disease processes, the death rate without them is virtually 100%.  So the 20% who live after being placed on one is a big improvement.  However, it appears that people with COVID can tolerate lower oxygen levels than people with other maladies and that, those who can avoid the ventilator altogether by not using it as often as we would with other diseases are more likely to survive.  Remember, this is a NEW virus, one we've only seen in humans for less than 6 months; we've got a lot to learn.

[SunnyBeBe]

If anyone watches The Bronx Zoo show on Animal Planet, they showcased the tigers who they diagnosed with covid-19 this past Saturday night.  All except one big cat got it! They have no idea why one didn't.  All are recovering well though.  HOW the tigers contracted it is a mystery though.  It's not like they get a lot of direct human contact.  

Edited April 13, 2020 by SunnyBeBe

[doodlebug]

On ‎4‎/‎11‎/‎2020 at 3:47 PM, Nysha said:

I'm not "sue happy" but I really think that your family has a decent claim for a wrongful death lawsuit. Not allowing their workers to wear masks in an airport is mind-boggling. 

One thing this pandemic has exposed is how little regard a lot of major corporations have for their employees. 

I don't know about that.  The only masks that protect the wearer from COVID are N95's which are in short supply and airport workers would be low on the list to get them and I doubt the airline could find and buy them privately.  The regular paper or cloth masks do not protect the wearer from contracting a virus, they do protect him/her from spreading it via droplets.  Gloves need to be changed every time the wearer touches something that someone else has touched because the virus can settle on them just like it settles on the hands.  People also touch their faces more when wearing masks which might actually increase the risk.  I feel sad that Flaco felt his employer wasn't responsive to his request for masks and gloves, but I think it is unlikely they would've made a difference.  I do hope the airport had masks available for travelers and employees who were symptomatic to prevent them from spreading viral particles and I hope they provided plenty of hand sanitizer.

My employer, in an effort to conserve N95's is only allowing them to be used in COVID units and when procedures where aerosol droplets are likely to be found like during intubations.  On labor and delivery, unless the patient actually has COVID, nothing but paper masks.  This is obviously somewhat controversial and more than a few of the caregivers are not happy about it.  Other labor and delivery units around town are providing N95 for deliveries in all cases.

[Temperance]

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I think my mother is irrational.  She said that not having her family visit on Easter was worse than having the virus.  I don't think she meant it, but, she pouted all day because she didn't have a ham (family tradition). lol

If she missed her ham yesterday, it may get worse. One of the largest pork processing places in the country shut down until further notice, because an employee tested positive for the virus. 

[Zella]

Just now, Temperance said:

If she missed her ham yesterday, it may get worse. One of the largest pork processing places in the country shut down until further notice, because an employee tested positive for the virus. 

If it's the one I read about, they had several employees with it. 😞

[Temperance]

2 minutes ago, Zella said:

If it's the one I read about, they had several employees with it. 😞

Smithfields in South Dakota.

[Zella]

1 minute ago, Temperance said:

Smithfields in South Dakota.

Yeah that's who I was reading about. Just checked and it is worse than I remembered--they have nearly 300 workers with it. 😞

[SunnyBeBe]

I'm sorry about the employees, but, I won't miss the ham.  I've never cared for it.  I hate for folks to lose their job though. 

[Zella]

1 minute ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I'm sorry about the employees, but, I won't miss the ham.  I've never cared for it.  I hate for folks to lose their job though. 

I don't eat ham as a general rule myself, but I know what you mean. Poultry plants are our major employer where I live, and everyone is terrified of the prospect of a COVID-19 outbreak going around our local plants. 

[Temperance]

5 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I'm sorry about the employees, but, I won't miss the ham.  I've never cared for it.  I hate for folks to lose their job though. 

It's hopefully temporary. People will want pork, ham, etc. especially after a shortage. The jobs will be there when it's safe to re-open. I hope the employees who tested positive are okay and that it didn't spread too much. 

Edited April 13, 2020 by Temperance

[SunnyBeBe]

My mom admits that she doesn't need the ham.  She has dietary restrictions that her doctors have told her for years, that she ignores. I've never seen anything quite like it.  When my brother and I told her that we prefer vegetables, lean meat, whole grains, etc., she seemed to get it. She is the one who asked what we like.  We try to eat healthy, but, she's highly focused on red meat, starch, grease and sugar! She'll fry corn bread, potatoes, meats, etc.  I don't get it.  A few years ago, she said she was going to cut out red meat. She didn't like it, it wasn't healthy and was too pricey.  But, immediately, she doubled up on the red meat!  She seems to cook more than ever.  lol  I don't get it.  But, I've learned, don't ask questions and don't argue.  It serves no purpose. I buy my own chicken, turkey and fish.   She even eats foods that make her sick, knowing they will make her sick.  IDK. I wouldn't even buy food that make me sick. It's frustrating. 

Edited April 13, 2020 by SunnyBeBe

[ChiCricket]

I thought this was funny.

(This is no-one I know, but I could see a couple of my nieces doing this)

[SunnyBeBe]

2 minutes ago, ChiCricket said:

I thought this was funny.

(This is no-one I know, but I could see a couple of my nieces doing this)

OMG! Too funny! I love it!  How appropriate too. 

[crazy8s]

26 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I don't know about that.  The only masks that protect the wearer from COVID are N95's which are in short supply and airport workers would be low on the list to get them and I doubt the airline could find and buy them privately.  The regular paper or cloth masks do not protect the wearer from contracting a virus, they do protect him/her from spreading it via droplets.  Gloves need to be changed every time the wearer touches something that someone else has touched because the virus can settle on them just like it settles on the hands.  People also touch their faces more when wearing masks which might actually increase the risk.  I feel sad that Flaco felt his employer wasn't responsive to his request for masks and gloves, but I think it is unlikely they would've made a difference.  I do hope the airport had masks available for travelers and employees who were symptomatic to prevent them from spreading viral particles and I hope they provided plenty of hand sanitizer.

My employer, in an effort to conserve N95's is only allowing them to be used in COVID units and when procedures where aerosol droplets are likely to be found like during intubations.  On labor and delivery, unless the patient actually has COVID, nothing but paper masks.  This is obviously somewhat controversial and more than a few of the caregivers are not happy about it.  Other labor and delivery units around town are providing N95 for deliveries in all cases.

mrcrazy8 in banking/facilities has been threated with lawsuits for not providing N95 masks for people working for drive up only locations. he asks each person who threatens "do you know where we can purchase the masks" and "if we can purchase them are we taking them from health care workers"  funny how they all just shut the f up after that. 

 

[Scarlett45]

26 minutes ago, ChiCricket said:

I thought this was funny.

(This is no-one I know, but I could see a couple of my nieces doing this)

I love it. 

[DangerousMinds]

5 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I have the opposite reaction.  My undergraduate degree is in history, and I have worked in healthcare.  I read The Hot Zone (ebola) and researched the AIDS epidemic back in high school.  I have been waiting for something like this to happen.  It has always been a matter of time before a disease pops up.  History shows us this.  Most of us living in first world countries grew complacent and arrogant over the years.  That is why we are thrown for a loop right now.  We have no context for this.  

A lot of us have lived through the AIDS epidemic. (And it continues). Yeah, not really surprised at all this.

[SunnyBeBe]

20 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

A lot of us have lived through the AIDS epidemic. (And it continues). Yeah, not really surprised at all this.

I saw Madeline Albright talk about this on Sunday Morning news. She has a book out, called Hell and Other Destinations. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/madeleine-albright-on-combating-pandemics-of-disease-and-fear/

[kokapetl]

1 hour ago, Bewitched said:

We do our best to sedate appropriately.  I will say that these patients as a whole have been more difficult to sedate than normal.  There is a risk of a national shortage of sedatives so we are being creative with what we are using.  Ever heard of the street drug "special K"? Now a pretty common sedative in our ICU called ketamine.  The drug that killed Michael Jackson?  Propofol - actually one of my favorite sedatives because it is quick on and quick off.  Fentanyl - killer of many but a terrific pain reliever in the ICU setting.   

With any ventilator patient, it is important to have them wake up occasionally to ensure that they have not had a stroke or other neurologic change.   Also, we have to keep patients more awake when we are weaning the ventilator so patients are doing all the breathing and we know they are ready to take the breathing tube out.  

@doodlebug A patient on a ventilator is sedated to the level that that he or she is not able to attempt to breathe, correct? So heavily sedated. The cerebellum, responsible for breathing, the most basic part of the brain, is sedated?

 

 

 

[BetyBee]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I'm sorry about the employees, but, I won't miss the ham.  I've never cared for it.  I hate for folks to lose their job though. 

I have been a lifelong ham hater! Though my mother swears I liked it as a small child, but she had a lot of kids and has always confused stories about us! I feel terrible about the people at the plant testing positive. I hope they all pull through.

[doodlebug]

43 minutes ago, kokapetl said:

@doodlebug A patient on a ventilator is sedated to the level that that he or she is not able to attempt to breathe, correct? So heavily sedated. The cerebellum, responsible for breathing, the most basic part of the brain, is sedated?

No, not necessarily.  Before intubation, the patient is usually given a paralytic agent which does stop them from breathing, mainly so they are completely relaxed and don’t fight against the procedure which can cause injury.  The paralytic doesn’t cause unconsciousness or provide pain relief; so other meds are given along with it like fentanyl, versed and propofol to make them unconscious, prevent remembering and alleviate pain.  
Most paralytics wear off in minutes and the patient will start trying to breathe unless placed on a drip.  Often, a very  sick patient is paralyzed because their attempts to breathe don’t coordinate with the cycle of the ventilator which is counterproductive.  Being on a ventilator is really uncomfortable and somewhat unsettling which is why patients are usually sedated.

Edited April 13, 2020 by doodlebug

[Bewitched]

41 minutes ago, kokapetl said:

@doodlebug A patient on a ventilator is sedated to the level that that he or she is not able to attempt to breathe, correct? So heavily sedated. The cerebellum, responsible for breathing, the most basic part of the brain, is sedated?

 

Not @doodlebug, but the answer is "it depends".  The worse the lungs, the more we want the machine to do all the work and we will sedate heavily to prevent the body from triggering a breath.  We even use medications to paralyze the patient to ensure that they can't fight the ventilator.  These are the patients that we use LOTS of sedatives because no one should be aware that they are paralyzed.  But other patients, and for all patients as we wean them, we want them to do some of the work of breathing.  That is how we strengthen their lungs to the point that it is safe to take the tube out.  The ventilators we use have different modes that allow the patient certain levels of freedom to breathe.

There has been a lot of research about all of this.  The current consensus is that the least amount of sedation leads to the best outcomes so outside of the current pandemic, we use less sedatives than we did 10 years ago.

[SunnyBeBe]

This reminds me of Michelle Money's daughter who has just been removed from a ventilator. It was  due to skate board injury and TBI.  We've been discussing over on The Bachelor thread for anyone interested. She's improving!  It's odd, I just watched the documentary film coma.  Very interesting. 

[Minivanessa]

Another meat plant has closed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in its workforce. JBS Foods' beef processing plant in Greeley, Colorado has had at least 50 employees with the virus and two employees have died from COVID-19 complications. They will now be closed through April 24, with a couple of days winding down to deal with the product onsite. It seems from the various news stories I've read and heard, that as the situation developed, JBS was less than proactive and cooperative and concerned with their employees' (or the community's) health and welfare. Supposedly the closure will allow the place to be deep cleaned and there has been conflicting information as to whether the company will test its workforce for the virus. 

[GeeGolly]

My goodness, it's not rocket science to realize that too many folks packed into a confined area are going to infect many others. Nevermind the fact that how sanitary were they before covid, if this happens during it?

[Minivanessa]

2 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

 Nevermind the fact that how sanitary were they before covid, if this happens during it?

A thought that has indeed crossed my mind too . . . 

[ChiCricket]

The last line of this video is...perfection.

(I broke down and watched Tiger King today with my husband..in Spanish(!) with English subtitles) I'm determined to spiff up my Spanish skills again while this whole thing goes on. The nightly family chat (which includes my husband's family in Puerto Rico) is really making my brain hurt, because I'm so rusty. 

"Explaining the Pandemic to my Past Self...
or What would happen if I tried to explain what's happening now,
 to the January 2020 version of myself?"

 😷 😂

Edited April 14, 2020 by ChiCricket

[crazy8s]

3 hours ago, kokapetl said:

@doodlebug A patient on a ventilator is sedated to the level that that he or she is not able to attempt to breathe, correct? So heavily sedated. The cerebellum, responsible for breathing, the most basic part of the brain, is sedated

as a weak lung person who has been on a vent unexpectedly after surgery. I woke up briefly to hear a nurse say "you are on a vent, do not try to breathe over it, it is breathing for you"  and "do not try to talk we have given you meds to relax your instinct to breathe"

I woke up the next time 5 days later

 

[jcbrown]

12 hours ago, BetyBee said:

I've snoozed tons of friends for 30 days on FB. And often for another 30 when that 30 days is up! It just makes my life more peaceful.

I have a FB friend who is a rabid vegan. Like, proselytizing all the damn time.  I was vegetarian for decades! I source my cheese and meat and eggs carefully! Stop yelling at me! Needless to say, I mute her all the time.

7 hours ago, crazy8s said:

fun fact - she has a bowl of stuffed viruses in her office. like stuffed animals but ebola, small pox, gonnorrhea, syphillus, TB etc

I got an assortment of those stuffed organisms and kept several on my desk, plus gave them to my staff during my career in biotech pharmaceuticals.

[Scarlett45]

@BetyBee @jcbrown I deleted the Facebook app from my phone when I started WFH. I still have Instagram on my phone but all the “noise” of fb was too much. Anyone close enough to really wonder where I was has my cell to text me. 

[jcbrown]

1 minute ago, Scarlett45 said:

@BetyBee @jcbrown I deleted the Facebook app from my phone when I started WFH. I still have Instagram on my phone but all the “noise” of fb was too much. Anyone close enough to really wonder where I was has my cell to text me. 

Oh totally, I do not have the FB messenger app on my phone, especially. It is a bit shifty.

[awaken]

14 hours ago, BetyBee said:

I've snoozed tons of friends for 30 days on FB. And often for another 30 when that 30 days is up! It just makes my life more peaceful.

Ah, yes!  This is my preferred strategy for annoying, pushing, or anger inducing FB “friends”!  So peaceful not to have to see their rants!  I haven’t seen my parents’ posts for years!  😁

[Zella]

5 hours ago, ChiCricket said:

The last line of this video is...perfection.

(I broke down and watched Tiger King today with my husband..in Spanish(!) with English subtitles) I'm determined to spiff up my Spanish skills again while this whole thing goes on. The nightly family chat (which includes my husband's family in Puerto Rico) is really making my brain hurt, because I'm so rusty. 

"Explaining the Pandemic to my Past Self...
or What would happen if I tried to explain what's happening now,
 to the January 2020 version of myself?"

 😷 😂

How well does hillbilly translate into Spanish?! 😂

At the library where I work, I have a coworker from Guatamala who speaks excellent English, but I sometimes have to translate drunken hillbilly mumbling for her. My favorite was when one guy muttered at us as he walked out, and she told me very politely she had no idea what he said but didn't want to be rude, and I had to explain to her--because the only language I speak besides English is fluent hillbilly--"he just said, 'Usually, I'm the one in jail, not her. I hope she gets out soon! I'm not used to being worried about her." A real Romeo, that one. 😂 Judging by the look on her face, I think she could have done without knowing. 

[ChiCricket]

2 hours ago, Zella said:

How well does hillbilly translate into Spanish?

   I was so squicked out by piercings near the guy's eye I could barely listen to him.😂

I have a serious aversion to any kind of face piercings, but anything near the eyes are the worst for me.🤢

I'm glad they're not translating the swear words into Spanish faithfully...I don't mind cursing at all, but my husband HATES it.  So if someone says SHIT!..and they translate it to the equivalent of DARN IT! it works better for us. 

PS  we've only watched the first episode, and all the people so far are bat shit crazy 😱

 

 

[Marshmallow Mollie]

11 hours ago, jcbrown said:

I have a FB friend who is a rabid vegan. Like, proselytizing all the damn time.  I was vegetarian for decades! I source my cheese and meat and eggs carefully! Stop yelling at me! Needless to say, I mute her all the time.

I got an assortment of those stuffed organisms and kept several on my desk, plus gave them to my staff during my career in biotech pharmaceuticals.

I always knew I liked you! I am vegetarian (largely vegan) and pursuing a second career in biotech. I take microbiology this summer!

[BetyBee]

My Mom fell and fractured her hip last night. She went by ambulance to the hospital. (She lives in her own home with my brother.) No visitors are allowed due to Covid. We'll know more today after she is assessed for treatment. She's alert and clear headed. We just had a great chat yesterday, so I'm kind of in disbelief here. This stupid pandemic complicates everything!  😞

[Scarlett45]

13 minutes ago, BetyBee said:

My Mom fell and fractured her hip last night. She went by ambulance to the hospital. (She lives in her own home with my brother.) No visitors are allowed due to Covid. We'll know more today after she is assessed for treatment. She's alert and clear headed. We just had a great chat yesterday, so I'm kind of in disbelief here. This stupid pandemic complicates everything!  😞

Oh no your poor Mom! So sorry. 
 

 

[doodlebug]

6 hours ago, ChiCricket said:

   I was so squicked out by piercings near the guy's eye I could barely listen to him.😂

I have a serious aversion to any kind of face piercings, but anything near the eyes are the worst for me.🤢

I'm glad they're not translating the swear words into Spanish faithfully...I don't mind cursing at all, but my husband HATES it.  So if someone says SHIT!..and they translate it to the equivalent of DARN IT! it works better for us. 

PS  we've only watched the first episode, and all the people so far are bat shit crazy 😱

 

 

Don't worry, your first impression is correct, they are all BSC.  The rest of the series will simply prove that fact.

[Minivanessa]

13 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

Don't worry, your first impression is correct, they are all BSC.  The rest of the series will simply prove that fact.

Oklahomans + BSC = a little too close to home for me. (Since I've mentioned that I have cousins in OK, let me be clear that the cousins aren't the BSC family members - far from it. Though my BSC OK family members are now doing their crazy in heaven/hell? It's still too close for comfort.) I really may never watch this. Sigh.

ETA: My BSC's weren't even colorful or interesting. Just f*cked up enough to make life miserable all around them. 

Edited April 14, 2020 by Jeeves

[Ijustwantsomechips]

6 hours ago, ChiCricket said:

   I was so squicked out by piercings near the guy's eye I could barely listen to him.😂

I have a serious aversion to any kind of face piercings, but anything near the eyes are the worst for me.🤢

I'm glad they're not translating the swear words into Spanish faithfully...I don't mind cursing at all, but my husband HATES it.  So if someone says SHIT!..and they translate it to the equivalent of DARN IT! it works better for us. 

PS  we've only watched the first episode, and all the people so far are bat shit crazy 😱

 

 

And you’re one episode in? You have no idea the amount of crazy that is to come.  Be prepared to be simultaneously sucked in, squicked out and highly entertained.  It was awesome!

[Zella]

48 minutes ago, Ijustwantsomechips said:

And you’re one episode in? You have no idea the amount of crazy that is to come.  

For real. Every time I thought it had reached peak crazy, the show basically said, "Here, hold my beer meth."

[Scarlett45]

In my mouse saga- I likely need to have some holes in my furnace room repaired when social distancing is over, but the exterminator has been refilling the poison. The thing is mice breed so quickly😣. I eventually asked for snap traps as well in my Mom’s unit since she has no pets and I didn’t think my sister would fiddle with them (and if her finger got snapped she would live and learn not to touch it again). After these suckers licked the pb off of TWO traps that I rebaited, finally one got snapped. My sister’s caregiver texted me and I went downstairs to take it to the alley. 
 

I am glad pest control is still an essential business. The exterminator said I did a good job sealing up the basement so once we kill them I don’t think they will be able to get back in. 
 

My goodness. I don’t want the mice to suffer but you can’t live in my house. 

[SunnyBeBe]

28 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

In my mouse saga- I likely need to have some holes in my furnace room repaired when social distancing is over, but the exterminator has been refilling the poison. The thing is mice breed so quickly😣. I eventually asked for snap traps as well in my Mom’s unit since she has no pets and I didn’t think my sister would fiddle with them (and if her finger got snapped she would live and learn not to touch it again). After these suckers licked the pb off of TWO traps that I rebaited, finally one got snapped. My sister’s caregiver texted me and I went downstairs to take it to the alley. 
 

I am glad pest control is still an essential business. The exterminator said I did a good job sealing up the basement so once we kill them I don’t think they will be able to get back in. 
 

My goodness. I don’t want the mice to suffer but you can’t live in my house. 

I'm not sure about your state, but, in NC, home repair is considered essential.  My family knows several people who do that and they are all continuing to work.  I'm not sure how comfortable, you would be with them coming in for estimate and to do work, but, it might be an option. Those mice would be a pest to me.  Pardon the pun. 

2 hours ago, BetyBee said:

My Mom fell and fractured her hip last night. She went by ambulance to the hospital. (She lives in her own home with my brother.) No visitors are allowed due to Covid. We'll know more today after she is assessed for treatment. She's alert and clear headed. We just had a great chat yesterday, so I'm kind of in disbelief here. This stupid pandemic complicates everything!  😞

That's terrible news. So sorry to hear it.  Let us know when you get more details. Has she had balance issues before?  

Edited April 14, 2020 by SunnyBeBe

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I'm not sure about your state, but, in NC, home repair is considered essential.  My family knows several people who do that and they are all continuing to work.  I'm not sure how comfortable, you would be with them coming in for estimate and to do work, but, it might be an option. Those mice would be a pest to me.  Pardon the pun. 

I’m in Chicago. I think you misunderstood my post, the exterminator is still coming out on schedule, and yes home repairs are considered essential, but all of the typical handyman services are postponed until further notice. (Like the Tackl app).
 

Of  course if we had a legitimate emergency (like busted pipes or no heat) I would pay the emergency service fee, but I am not going to pay the off hour/night time/emergency fee to have someone come around with a ladder and look into my furnace room to maybe/maybe not find a hole. 
 

Im 90% sure they got in through the basement and now that’s closed off the root of the problem should be solved. 
 

Now mice just die please. It’s been so gross- I haven’t had much of a problem up here (I think they can smell the cats), but I feel so accomplished the snap trap got one. The poison the exterminator uses does an excellent job desiccating(spelling??) them because we haven’t smelled anything. 

[CherryMalotte]

Scarlett45 you have my sympathy with the Mickey problem.  I have one now I just want dead and gone.  It's time for the traps I think, our Yuki kitty is a hunter for sure but she's still young enough that she wants to play with what she gets and hasn't honed her kill skill game yet.  I'm missing Ringo the wonder hunter so bad right now, he was a mouse killing machine.  We rent and these houses are probably full of places for creatures to slip in, they are old and while I love my landlord his upkeep has some lacking.  I have a problem with a couple of the neighbors as well, only two cut their grass on a regular schedule and the other two idiots go for weeks without a grass cut, plus I know about their previous problems keeping a clean place.  I think they are the source of our various Mickey outbreaks recently.

I'm so sorry about your mom  BetyBee, please keep us updated.  Is this the brother that doesn't work and lives at home?  Can he function without your mom around?      

[Love2dance]

So sorry, @BetyBee, I hope your mom will be ok and they will be able to treat her and keep her comfortable. Sending best wishes to you, your brother and mom.

 

[GeeGolly]

My empathy to you all dealing with extra struggles during this time. On some days my cabin fever and anxiety have me so uncomfortable that the tiniest thing can exacerbate it. Kudos to you all!