Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[ginger90]

A belated happy birthday to you @BetyBee !!

[lookeyloo]

I appreciate y'all listening to me.  @Cinnabon, @iwantcookies,  @Scarlett45- as far as granddaughter not believing in God and still being a Christian, I will chalk that up to her being a teenager and not being "fully formed".  @GeeGolly- yes agree.  @BetyBeeHappy Belated Birthday and yes, I'm not going to let her keep me from the quilting group.  Maybe she will be uncomfortable.  I'm going to do my best to enjoy the rest of it.  

We are all different and I have held a lot of my personal intimate thoughts back, being that I am most different from the rest of them.  This is the first time in the 4 years I've been in the group that anything like this has happened.  Usually we talk about recipes, cute grand and great grandchildren, travel, fabric, patterns, etc.  

I called son in law and had a good cry with him about all of this.  He was thrown out of the house when he was 16 to sink or swim. What kind of family does that?  He said he was proud of me for speaking my truth and that Sweet son would have been too.  He would have been the first person I called after that.

[Westiepeach]

@BetyBee, I hope you had a very nice birthday! 

I did read your post as having a “thankless” hot water tank being installed!

[iwantcookies]

7 hours ago, BetyBee said:

@lookeyloo, that sounds like a really tough situation. I hope you are comfortable enough with the rest of the group to continue with the quilting. I honestly think people should feel the consequences of hateful beliefs. I don't know how else they can come around to see the light and show love rather than hateful judgement of others. 

Yesterday it was my birthday. I hung one more year on the line 🎵 - My first birthday without my big sister 😔 But I felt the love of friends and family and my wonderful husband. Plus it was a gorgeous day here in the Midwest. Every day is a gift! Today our water is turned off and the plumbers are installing a new tankless water heater and a new water softener.  

Happy birthday 🎉!

[iwantcookies]

3 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

I appreciate y'all listening to me.  @Cinnabon, @iwantcookies,  @Scarlett45- as far as granddaughter not believing in God and still being a Christian, I will chalk that up to her being a teenager and not being "fully formed".  @GeeGolly- yes agree.  @BetyBeeHappy Belated Birthday and yes, I'm not going to let her keep me from the quilting group.  Maybe she will be uncomfortable.  I'm going to do my best to enjoy the rest of it.  

We are all different and I have held a lot of my personal intimate thoughts back, being that I am most different from the rest of them.  This is the first time in the 4 years I've been in the group that anything like this has happened.  Usually we talk about recipes, cute grand and great grandchildren, travel, fabric, patterns, etc.  

I called son in law and had a good cry with him about all of this.  He was thrown out of the house when he was 16 to sink or swim. What kind of family does that?  He said he was proud of me for speaking my truth and that Sweet son would have been too.  He would have been the first person I called after that.

I am glad to hear that you will stay in the group! Don’t let 1 person ruin it for you! 

[CalicoKitty]

OK.  I need some computer advise.  My 15 inch Mac Book pro, now considered "vintage", acquired a cracked screen in my move.  I have using my smaller laptop, which fine.  But I want to really start organizing photos and other genealogy material, and I need a desk top to do that as well as be a backup for all my other stuff.  I've narrowed it down between a Mac mini and the new 24 inch desk top.  I already have a TV that I can use as a monitor, so all I need to add to the Mini is the keyboard and mouse.  The 24 inch comes complete, but is more expensive.  But not out of reason.  I called Apple, and the lady said she preferred the 24 inch desktop, but reviews I have read seem to like both.  Has anyone here had experience with either one?

[lookeyloo]

21 minutes ago, CalicoKitty said:

OK.  I need some computer advise.  My 15 inch Mac Book pro, now considered "vintage", acquired a cracked screen in my move.  I have using my smaller laptop, which fine.  But I want to really start organizing photos and other genealogy material, and I need a desk top to do that as well as be a backup for all my other stuff.  I've narrowed it down between a Mac mini and the new 24 inch desk top.  I already have a TV that I can use as a monitor, so all I need to add to the Mini is the keyboard and mouse.  The 24 inch comes complete, but is more expensive.  But not out of reason.  I called Apple, and the lady said she preferred the 24 inch desktop, but reviews I have read seem to like both.  Has anyone here had experience with either one?

I have the big desktop. I got it in 2009. It is still going strong. I had more memory installed.  I would replace it with another one. 

[Westiepeach]

My vote is for the 24” desktop.

[CalicoKitty]

5 minutes ago, Westiepeach said:

My vote is for the 24” desktop.

I am sort of leaning that way.  Then I have to pick a color, and some of them are so pretty.  And decide how much memory, etc.  But I need to do it.  The vintage laptop only works with the TV monitor if the lid is closed, which makes using it virtually impossible.-----I hate making these decisions.  Thanks for your vote.

[Minivanessa]

I'd go with the desktop - I assume it's an iMac. The screens on those things are just gorgeous. 

Also, I have owned the most recent Mac mini - the one with the M1 chip. No lie, it's got a lot of computing power for a machine its size. But I eventually sold it and got a new MacBook Pro with the M1 chip (not cheap, lol). The mini didn't always play well with the monitor I own, and there were a couple of other annoying glitches. I don't even remember the details now. The MacBook Pro works just fine with this monitor so I'm happy with the change.

Good luck with your new computer, no matter which one you choose!

Also, belated happy birthday, @BetyBee!

[CalicoKitty]

39 minutes ago, Jeeves said:

I'd go with the desktop - I assume it's an iMac. The screens on those things are just gorgeous. 

Also, I have owned the most recent Mac mini - the one with the M1 chip. No lie, it's got a lot of computing power for a machine its size. But I eventually sold it and got a new MacBook Pro with the M1 chip (not cheap, lol). The mini didn't always play well with the monitor I own, and there were a couple of other annoying glitches. I don't even remember the details now. The MacBook Pro works just fine with this monitor so I'm happy with the change.

Good luck with your new computer, no matter which one you choose!

Also, belated happy birthday, @BetyBee!

Thanks.  This exactly what I was considering.  I was going to use a 24 inch TV that has lost its wifi card, so I think I will just start all new.  Do you find the standard as-sold configuration of memory and storage sufficient, or do I need to upgrade that, too?  They are clear that there is no upgrade later, and this is my first experience with the M1 chip. I loved my large MacBook Pro. It lasted me a long time.  But I have a 13 inch Mac Book Pro which is east to carry, so I think I will go desktop in my office.  This is helping me so much.  Thank you.

[Minivanessa]

49 minutes ago, CalicoKitty said:

Thanks.  This exactly what I was considering.  I was going to use a 24 inch TV that has lost its wifi card, so I think I will just start all new.  Do you find the standard as-sold configuration of memory and storage sufficient, or do I need to upgrade that, too?  They are clear that there is no upgrade later, and this is my first experience with the M1 chip. I loved my large MacBook Pro. It lasted me a long time.  But I have a 13 inch Mac Book Pro which is east to carry, so I think I will go desktop in my office.  This is helping me so much.  Thank you.

I'm glad that I helped. As to the choice of RAM and size of internal drive - I don't feel qualified to do more than offer my opinions but I'm no expert! I did move up from the minimum but I'm not sure it was necessary. If you want to wade through a lot of commentary from serious Mac geeks (and IMO a lot of people who must have money to burn on the latest greatest Apple tech), you might browse the Macrumors forums. I've posted a few questions there over the years and found it helpful. 

I don't know what size internal drive comes on the iMac you're looking at. I wouldn't get one smaller than 512GB and if you can swing it, a 1TB solid state drive would probably future-proof your machine very well. I probably over-egged the pudding on my MacBook Pro with 32GB of RAM. But as you said, these machines aren't upgradeable in future. Sigh. If you browse the online opinions, analyses, etc., there seems to be an idea that the M1 chip doesn't require as much RAM for performance as the Intel chips do. I don't know if that's true. 

Edited May 12, 2022 by Jeeves

[andromeda331]

Happy Belated Birthday @BetyBee!

[CalicoKitty]

3 hours ago, Jeeves said:

I'm glad that I helped. As to the choice of RAM and size of internal drive - I don't feel qualified to do more than offer my opinions but I'm no expert! I did move up from the minimum but I'm not sure it was necessary. If you want to wade through a lot of commentary from serious Mac geeks (and IMO a lot of people who must have money to burn on the latest greatest Apple tech), you might browse the Macrumors forums. I've posted a few questions there over the years and found it helpful. 

I don't know what size internal drive comes on the iMac you're looking at. I wouldn't get one smalleump up r than 512GB and if you can swing it, a 1TB solid state drive would probably future-proof your machine very well. I probably over-egged the pudding on my MacBook Pro with 32GB of RAM. But as you said, these machines aren't upgradeable in future. Sigh. If you browse the online opinions, analyses, etc., there seems to be an idea that the M1 chip doesn't require as much RAM for performance as the Intel chips do. I don't know if that's true. 

Thank you.  I plan to place my order tomorrow.  I may bump up to 1 TB.  I have a lot of pictures and documents to scan and organize.  I really appreciate your help.

[ChiCricket]

Happy belated birthday, @BetyBee!

 

[BetyBee]

Thanks for all the kind birthday wishes, Small Talkers! I'm having my coffee this morning on the screen porch. It's a beautiful morning, but it's going up to 90 at some point, so I'll be heading in soon. Yesterday we had plumbers here all day, installing the on demand (thankless, lol) water heater & a new water softener. Everything seems to be working beautifully. Now that our faucets won't be leaving all kinds of mineral deposits around, we can think about remodeling kitchen and bathrooms - the kind of improvements that can actually be seen, as opposed to behind the scenes plumbing upgrades!

[CalicoKitty]

15 hours ago, Jeeves said:

I'm glad that I helped. As to the choice of RAM and size of internal drive - I don't feel qualified to do more than offer my opinions but I'm no expert! I did move up from the minimum but I'm not sure it was necessary. If you want to wade through a lot of commentary from serious Mac geeks (and IMO a lot of people who must have money to burn on the latest greatest Apple tech), you might browse the Macrumors forums. I've posted a few questions there over the years and found it helpful. 

I don't know what size internal drive comes on the iMac you're looking at. I wouldn't get one smaller than 512GB and if you can swing it, a 1TB solid state drive would probably future-proof your machine very well. I probably over-egged the pudding on my MacBook Pro with 32GB of RAM. But as you said, these machines aren't upgradeable in future. Sigh. If you browse the online opinions, analyses, etc., there seems to be an idea that the M1 chip doesn't require as much RAM for performance as the Intel chips do. I don't know if that's true. 

I did it.  I just placed my order and it will arrive Monday.  I did upgrade to 1TB so I will have plenty of room for documents and photos.  Thanks for your advise.

 

 

[Love2dance]

Glad you had a good birthday, @BetyBee. 🎂🎉🎊

Enjoy your new computer when it arrives, @CalicoKitty. 

[Minivanessa]

@CalicoKitty - I hope your new iMac is the bomb. You do have I think 30 days after purchase to return it if you decide you need a version with more RAM, so there's that. 

I've been on a British Royal Family media binge this week. I read Tina Brown's new book, The Palace Papers, and then tracked down several interviews she did, on YouTube. I'm also consuming some YT videos about some of HM the Queen's duties being performed by other members of her family. The buzz of course is about the upcoming Platinum Jubilee events. And - although I had my plane tix and hotel reservations to spend June 1 - 14 in London? I cancelled the trip a couple of weeks ago.

It was one of those "brain + gut" things, really. Mostly about the uncertainties of the pandemic. I'd researched and discussed a Plan B (or C or D), if I tested positive for COVID during my trip - either with or without symptoms. The US government still requires that you have negative COVID test no more than 24 hours before boarding a flight from a foreign country to the US. So a positive test, even if I'm asymptomatic, would create havoc. The UK has dropped its quarantine/isolation regulations, but still I'd have to be in the UK for at least five days following the negative test result, get a letter from a medical practitioner certifying that I'd be fit to fly, and reschedule my flight home. And then, what if I actually got sick? I enjoy traveling solo but in this case it seems like a newly heightened risk. 

I'd been mulling it over for more than a month, talking to people, etc. And then I realized that I just wasn't looking forward to the trip. At all. Usually before a trip it's constantly popping into my thoughts. I'm thinking about what I'll do and where I'll go. Especially when I'm revisiting London and the UK - usually my happy place. This time? Nope. It wasn't singing to me. My brain was aware of heightened risks of inconvenience/expense at a minimum, not to mention actually falling ill, and my gut just wasn't into it either. 

So I now have a voucher from BA for the full amount of my plane tickets, which can be used for travel through the end of September 2023, and I didn't lose any $$ from my hotel booking. 

[Absolom]

I think that's a great plan.  The numbers published are vastly understated due to home testing both here and in the UK.  A friend of mine in the UK had gone the whole pandemic without catching it and is now recovering after "having the worst viral illness of her life" and is still easily fatigued and coughing two week later.  For me it wouldn't be worth the risk.  

[Scarlett45]

On 5/12/2022 at 8:07 AM, BetyBee said:

Thanks for all the kind birthday wishes, Small Talkers! I'm having my coffee this morning on the screen porch. It's a beautiful morning, but it's going up to 90 at some point, so I'll be heading in soon. Yesterday we had plumbers here all day, installing the on demand (thankless, lol) water heater & a new water softener. Everything seems to be working beautifully. Now that our faucets won't be leaving all kinds of mineral deposits around, we can think about remodeling kitchen and bathrooms - the kind of improvements that can actually be seen, as opposed to behind the scenes plumbing upgrades!

Happy belated birthday and YAY to home improvements. 

[Scarlett45]

So the woman that was scheduled to come for a caregiver training today texted at 9:42 and said she would see me soon (training to start at 11). It’s 11:42 and she isn’t here (I did call and text again). But I’m moving like lightening to get my sister taken care of and then I’m changing and going to a BBQ to see friends I haven’t seen in person since the pandemic started. 
 

I have a woman scheduled tomorrow and next Sunday. 

[BetyBee]

9 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

So the woman that was scheduled to come for a caregiver training today texted at 9:42 and said she would see me soon (training to start at 11). It’s 11:42 and she isn’t here (I did call and text again). But I’m moving like lightening to get my sister taken care of and then I’m changing and going to a BBQ to see friends I haven’t seen in person since the pandemic started. 
 

I have a woman scheduled tomorrow and next Sunday. 

I hope it all works out and that you find someone reliable. Have fun at the BBQ!

[ginger90]

@Scarlett45 I hope the person didn’t experience an emergency situation.

Assuming she didn’t, that’s so crappy. Caregivers like that give people bad feelings toward others. I hope you have an enjoyable day.

[Scarlett45]

34 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

@Scarlett45 I hope the person didn’t experience an emergency situation.

Assuming she didn’t, that’s so crappy. Caregivers like that give people bad feelings toward others. I hope you have an enjoyable day.

I too hope she is okay, but I’m not going to extend too much emotional energy on it. I’d rather have someone flake now than after being hired and agreeing to terms (like last time). My sister is 34 so this isn’t my first rodeo, and that’s why I booked trainings back to back. 
 

I sent my Mom out so I could get through the tasks quickly and then leave and enjoy my evening. It’s a pretty day!

[Westiepeach]

1 minute ago, Rootbeer said:

As he always said, 'This is my town'.  Saw the tribute concert at the Rocksino a few months back, magnificent.  Last time I saw him live was fall 2019 playing with the Midlife Chryslers at Shooters.  'Thank God for the man who put the white lines on the highway'.

Lakeside Cemetery is also the final resting place of Carl Stokes, first African American mayor of a major US city, Congressman Louis Stokes, his brother and Ray Chapman, shortstop for the Cleveland Indians, hit by a pitch and killed in 1920, only major league baseball player to be fatally injured during a game.

I think I was was more upset about the loss of Michael Stanley than I was for some of my in-laws! (shhh)

Husband worked at a SOHIO/BP service station and used to sell him cigarettes back in the day. He used to say, "Hey Mike!" and chat with him. Husband treated him like regular people. The day he died, I was getting my first COVID vax. Husband waited in the car and listened to all of the tributes. Husband was crying when I got back in the car. Husband doesn't cry much.

[Rootbeer]

39 minutes ago, Westiepeach said:

I think I was was more upset about the loss of Michael Stanley than I was for some of my in-laws! (shhh)

Husband worked at a SOHIO/BP service station and used to sell him cigarettes back in the day. He used to say, "Hey Mike!" and chat with him. Husband treated him like regular people. The day he died, I was getting my first COVID vax. Husband waited in the car and listened to all of the tributes. Husband was crying when I got back in the car. Husband doesn't cry much.

Such a talented guy, he deserved to be a bigger star than he was.  Dam**d cigarettes, though!

[Westiepeach]

2 minutes ago, Rootbeer said:

Such a talented guy, he deserved to be a bigger star than he was.  Dam**d cigarettes, though!

I know. I know…

[Cinnabon]

4 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

Brought over from Sweet Fellowship. Original post by Westiepeach

As he always said, 'This is my town'.  Saw the tribute concert at the Rocksino a few months back, magnificent. His good friend and fellow native Ohioan, Joe Walsh, even chimed in with an incoherent video tribute. Last time I saw him live was fall 2019 playing with the Midlife Chryslers at Shooters.  'Thank God for the man who put the white lines on the highway'.

Lakeside Cemetery is also the final resting place of Carl Stokes, first African American mayor of a major US city, Congressman Louis Stokes, his brother and Ray Chapman, shortstop for the Cleveland Indians, hit by a pitch and killed in 1920, only major league baseball player to be fatally injured during a game.

I love Joe Walsh! I don’t think I knew he was from Ohio.

[iwantcookies]

Small rant: 

People flaking is beyond annoying/maddening! If you are not coming let me know in timely manner.

”friends” do it all the time to me. I stopped inviting anyone to do anything.

last example that happened: this friend said she’d love to go see new kids on the block. I asked her a few times are you going. Crickets. Well I bought my ticket and will go by myself and have a good time! 
 

 

[BetyBee]

Have fun at the concert, @iwantcookies! Yes, I've learned to hang back when my friends are making plans. They so often have big ideas, then end up canceling. I don't accept unless I'm sure I want to go even if it's on my own when everyone cancels. I think this pandemic has made people reluctant to follow through with plans. It's easier just to stay home! Which is sad, but I get it. I mean, Covid is still an issue. 

[Scarlett45]

So I had an amazing time at the BBQ yesterday, I got to see friends I haven’t seen in person in two years and meet some toddlers. It was so mentally recharging and amazing and I feel so privileged to have such great people in my life. 
 

Late last night I did get an email from the woman who was scheduled to come to the training. She wrote that she was robbed on train, her purse and phone were taken and she was only able to communicate with me when she got home from her computer- she spent all afternoon at the police station and hospital. She said she wouldn’t be able to attempt to commute here again as she was traumatized. 
 

I told her I was so sorry that happened to her, but I was glad she wasn’t physically hurt and I wished her well. 

[iwantcookies]

2 hours ago, BetyBee said:

Have fun at the concert, @iwantcookies! Yes, I've learned to hang back when my friends are making plans. They so often have big ideas, then end up canceling. I don't accept unless I'm sure I want to go even if it's on my own when everyone cancels. I think this pandemic has made people reluctant to follow through with plans. It's easier just to stay home! Which is sad, but I get it. I mean, Covid is still an issue. 

Similar thing happened in March. An artist was doing 2 shows in March. Show 1 she can’t go. Fine I understand. She swore we were going to the second show. Nope.

She went on a vacation out of the country! 
 

Lesson learned. I will do what I want alone.

[iwantcookies]

12 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

So I had an amazing time at the BBQ yesterday, I got to see friends I haven’t seen in person in two years and meet some toddlers. It was so mentally recharging and amazing and I feel so privileged to have such great people in my life. 
 

Late last night I did get an email from the woman who was scheduled to come to the training. She wrote that she was robbed on train, her purse and phone were taken and she was only able to communicate with me when she got home from her computer- she spent all afternoon at the police station and hospital. She said she wouldn’t be able to attempt to commute here again as she was traumatized. 
 

I told her I was so sorry that happened to her, but I was glad she wasn’t physically hurt and I wished her well. 

I hope she is okay! 

[Scarlett45]

16 minutes ago, iwantcookies said:

I hope she is okay! 

Physically she is- but that’s a lot on anybody. 

[ginger90]

Brought my daughter, who didn’t want to walk at graduation, son-in-law, and grandson to their ship today.

Grandson:

[Cinnabon]

1 hour ago, merylinkid said:

Oh dear, if not for the hemoglobin being back to normal, I would wonder if it is anemia.   We found out I had anemia the hard way -- I passed out while driving.   Thankfully the only thing damaged was my car, nobody hurt, not even me except for a bruised sternum from my seatbelt.   Heart tests came back normal, brain tests normal (I have proof I have one now), after all these tests, my NP did a $150 blood test and they figured out my red cell count was ABYSMAL.   So I take iron every day and eat regularly, hasn't happened again.

I had a similar experience. Woke up one day and suddenly just walking up the stairs caused major heart palpitations. Even showering and bending over to do the laundry was exhausting. I’m usually very pink faced (mild rosacea) but I turned white as a ghost, face and lips too. I thought I had a serious heart problem and saw a cardiologist. He didn’t seem too concerned 😟😟😟 but sent me for blood tests. This was on a Friday and on Monday, his nurse called me at work and told me to go to the ER immediately, because my hemoglobin was extremely low. Severe anemia. So they admitted me and gave me a blood transfusion. Presto - I was fine again, thank goodness. No heart problems at all, just severely anemic. They thought I must have had a small tear somewhere that caused a very slow bleed (I never saw any blood in my feces or elsewhere). So they kept me another day so they could do a colonoscopy AND an endoscopy to look for the tear. The test prep was the worst part! Drinking gallons of disgusting liquid was not fun and I acted like a big baby, lol. Next morning they put me under and did the tests and still found nothing. Sent me to a gastroenterologist who had me swallow a pill that turns into a tiny camera and the doctor can watch the whole journey! Still found nothing. Sent me to another specialist an hour away, and he looked at all my labs and test results and said he didn’t recommend doing any more tests, lol. My hemoglobin returned to normal after the blood transfusion and taking massive amounts of iron for a couple weeks. But - he told me that the problem had probably occurred because I had been taking too much ibuprofen. All NSAIDS (ibuprofen, aspirin, alleve) can cause stomach bleeding. He said he wouldn’t be in business if so many people didn’t experience it. Who knew, lol? Since then (4-5 years ago now) I haven’t taken any NSAIDS. Tylenol is the only OTC pain reliever I’m allowed. I wish more people knew about this. I spent decades afraid of Tylenol because it can cause liver issues, but no one ever told me that ibuprofen could be just as harmful. Anyway, sorry about the long story. 
 

OOPs - just saw that this discussion has been moved to the prayer closet. Is there a way I can move this post over there easily?

Edited May 15, 2022 by Cinnabon

[sixlets]

I haven't really shared much of this yet on social media, but after nearly 13 very long years, I finally have some answers.  I'm now officially diagnosed with EDS (February 2020) and POTS (just a few weeks ago).  I had the echo and did the monitor for two weeks.  I went outpatient at the hospital to have the tilt table test, and I had the final follow up with my cardiologist about 2 1/2 weeks after the table test.  He knocks, asks how I am feeling, ask Mr. Six how he is, and just blurts out "you have POTS".  I kind of figured it was coming, but I was also kind of expecting a lead in regarding all my tests! 

No one is really sure what causes POTS, and there is no cure.  Some doctors believe it stems from a viral or bacterial infection, which is what we think happened in my case.  I had some wicked kidney infections back in 2009, and that pain just never went away and eventually spread to my entire body.  Some doctors believe pregnancy can "activate" it as well, and we know Carlin just had their son.  I watched the video Evan posted a few days ago, and POTS was the first thing that came to mind.  It could even be the cause of her low hemoglobin levels.  I am severely anemic, but I have no symptoms.  I only know from having blood work done.  I've had three iron infusions done, and each one would last me a year, which led me to believe I'm not actively bleeding internally.  It's a scary condition to be tested for, and it can be hell to go through.  Unfortunately, the most common ways to help manage it are not an option for me because of the EDS and chronic pain.  I'm already on the medication the cardiologist would normally prescribe (and at a fairly high dose).  He doesn't want to increase it because it will decrease my blood pressure even more, which puts me a greater risk to lose consciousness.  I'm not the biggest fan of the Bates family, but my heart goes out to Carlin and Evan.  Mr. Six has talked only a few times of how stressful it's been for him to just sit back and be a bystander.  His first instinct is to help and protect me, but there's not much he can do, especially when I'm going through flares.  I just hope and pray she can get a diagnosis quickly.  No one should have to wait months, let alone years, to discover this condition.  It can affect every single body system/organ, and each person is different.  The best thing she can do is give herself the grace she needs when feeling ill and not to blame herself.  Now I just need to take my own advice.

(Sorry for the long post.  I have become so passionate about bringing awareness to POTS, so I take any chance I get to explain it.  If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  I'm a fairly open book on my health on social media in general, and I'm always more than willing to educate folks in case they meet someone or have someone in their family that might be going through something similar).  Oh, and Good News Sunday--I made the most awesome garlic bread for dinner tonight with a homemade 'sauce' that was so fucking good I want to marry it!

[ozziemom]

1 hour ago, sixlets said:

I haven't really shared much of this yet on social media, but after nearly 13 very long years, I finally have some answers.  I'm now officially diagnosed with EDS (February 2020) and POTS (just a few weeks ago).  I had the echo and did the monitor for two weeks.  I went outpatient at the hospital to have the tilt table test, and I had the final follow up with my cardiologist about 2 1/2 weeks after the table test.  He knocks, asks how I am feeling, ask Mr. Six how he is, and just blurts out "you have POTS".  I kind of figured it was coming, but I was also kind of expecting a lead in regarding all my tests! 

No one is really sure what causes POTS, and there is no cure.  Some doctors believe it stems from a viral or bacterial infection, which is what we think happened in my case.  I had some wicked kidney infections back in 2009, and that pain just never went away and eventually spread to my entire body.  Some doctors believe pregnancy can "activate" it as well, and we know Carlin just had their son.  I watched the video Evan posted a few days ago, and POTS was the first thing that came to mind.  It could even be the cause of her low hemoglobin levels.  I am severely anemic, but I have no symptoms.  I only know from having blood work done.  I've had three iron infusions done, and each one would last me a year, which led me to believe I'm not actively bleeding internally.  It's a scary condition to be tested for, and it can be hell to go through.  Unfortunately, the most common ways to help manage it are not an option for me because of the EDS and chronic pain.  I'm already on the medication the cardiologist would normally prescribe (and at a fairly high dose).  He doesn't want to increase it because it will decrease my blood pressure even more, which puts me a greater risk to lose consciousness.  I'm not the biggest fan of the Bates family, but my heart goes out to Carlin and Evan.  Mr. Six has talked only a few times of how stressful it's been for him to just sit back and be a bystander.  His first instinct is to help and protect me, but there's not much he can do, especially when I'm going through flares.  I just hope and pray she can get a diagnosis quickly.  No one should have to wait months, let alone years, to discover this condition.  It can affect every single body system/organ, and each person is different.  The best thing she can do is give herself the grace she needs when feeling ill and not to blame herself.  Now I just need to take my own advice.

(Sorry for the long post.  I have become so passionate about bringing awareness to POTS, so I take any chance I get to explain it.  If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  I'm a fairly open book on my health on social media in general, and I'm always more than willing to educate folks in case they meet someone or have someone in their family that might be going through something similar).  Oh, and Good News Sunday--I made the most awesome garlic bread for dinner tonight with a homemade 'sauce' that was so fucking good I want to marry it!

Thanks for sharing, very informative. Ozziedad recently went through two years of right hand, arm and leg issues where we saw every doctor imaginable. After he had a seizure they finally did a brain scan. Turns out he had a benign tumor on the left side of his brain that was the size of a baseball. Once the tumor was removed all his issues were resolved. But we essentially had two years of pain, anguish and frustration. So I totally understand how stressful it is when you have health problems and you don’t know why or what to do.

Take care @sixlets.

[iwantcookies]

8 hours ago, ginger90 said:

Brought my daughter, who didn’t want to walk at graduation, son-in-law, and grandson to their ship today.

Grandson:

Is he zip lining? I think that’s what it’s called.

[zoomama]

On 5/15/2022 at 2:39 PM, sixlets said:

I haven't really shared much of this yet on social media, but after nearly 13 very long years, I finally have some answers.  I'm now officially diagnosed with EDS (February 2020) and POTS (just a few weeks ago).  I had the echo and did the monitor for two weeks.  I went outpatient at the hospital to have the tilt table test, and I had the final follow up with my cardiologist about 2 1/2 weeks after the table test.  He knocks, asks how I am feeling, ask Mr. Six how he is, and just blurts out "you have POTS".  I kind of figured it was coming, but I was also kind of expecting a lead in regarding all my tests! 

No one is really sure what causes POTS, and there is no cure.  Some doctors believe it stems from a viral or bacterial infection, which is what we think happened in my case.  I had some wicked kidney infections back in 2009, and that pain just never went away and eventually spread to my entire body.  Some doctors believe pregnancy can "activate" it as well, and we know Carlin just had their son.  I watched the video Evan posted a few days ago, and POTS was the first thing that came to mind.  It could even be the cause of her low hemoglobin levels.  I am severely anemic, but I have no symptoms.  I only know from having blood work done.  I've had three iron infusions done, and each one would last me a year, which led me to believe I'm not actively bleeding internally.  It's a scary condition to be tested for, and it can be hell to go through.  Unfortunately, the most common ways to help manage it are not an option for me because of the EDS and chronic pain.  I'm already on the medication the cardiologist would normally prescribe (and at a fairly high dose).  He doesn't want to increase it because it will decrease my blood pressure even more, which puts me a greater risk to lose consciousness.  I'm not the biggest fan of the Bates family, but my heart goes out to Carlin and Evan.  Mr. Six has talked only a few times of how stressful it's been for him to just sit back and be a bystander.  His first instinct is to help and protect me, but there's not much he can do, especially when I'm going through flares.  I just hope and pray she can get a diagnosis quickly.  No one should have to wait months, let alone years, to discover this condition.  It can affect every single body system/organ, and each person is different.  The best thing she can do is give herself the grace she needs when feeling ill and not to blame herself.  Now I just need to take my own advice.

(Sorry for the long post.  I have become so passionate about bringing awareness to POTS, so I take any chance I get to explain it.  If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  I'm a fairly open book on my health on social media in general, and I'm always more than willing to educate folks in case they meet someone or have someone in their family that might be going through something similar).  Oh, and Good News Sunday--I made the most awesome garlic bread for dinner tonight with a homemade 'sauce' that was so fucking good I want to marry it!

can you elaborate on what the long name of POTS and EDS is?  i want to google them and i am uncertain exactly what those letters mean.

[sixlets]

You are more than welcome @ozziemom, and thank you for the kind words.  Going long periods of time with no answers is so frustrating in any health situation.  We have come so far in medicine, but we still have so far to go.

@zoomama-POTS is Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome & EDS is Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.  There are numerous types of EDS, but the most common (and my diagnosis) is the hypermobile version.  It's a connective tissue disorder, so not only am I "double jointed", I am extra bendy.  There is also a vascular type, and unfortunately, that can be life-threatening.  I'm trying to find ways of handling both diagnoses, and for whatever reason, I lean towards humor.  So far, I've told Mr. Six I have POTS but no pans ☺️                      

[ChiCricket]

On 5/15/2022 at 7:15 AM, BetyBee said:

Have fun at the concert, @iwantcookies I think this pandemic has made people reluctant to follow through with plans. It's easier just to stay home! Which is sad, but I get it. I mean, Covid is still an issue. 

 Speaking of covid still being an issue: they are offering a 3rd round of free covid tests. I just ordered. (even though I haven't had to use the first ones they sent.)

I'd rather have them on hand... just in case... 

https://www.covid.gov/tests

[BetyBee]

2 hours ago, ChiCricket said:

 Speaking of covid still being an issue: they are offering a 3rd round of free covid tests. I just ordered. (even though I haven't had to use the first ones they sent.)

I'd rather have them on hand... just in case... 

https://www.covid.gov/tests

Thanks for the info, @ChiCricket! I ordered again. I used a couple of the tests I had previously ordered last week. The first one didn't work (I probably did something wrong) and the 2nd one was negative. 

[Minivanessa]

4 hours ago, ChiCricket said:

 Speaking of covid still being an issue: they are offering a 3rd round of free covid tests. I just ordered. (even though I haven't had to use the first ones they sent.)

I'd rather have them on hand... just in case... 

https://www.covid.gov/tests

Thanks so much for the information. I've ordered them. I've used one box (2 tests) last month just to be sure I was experiencing run-of-the mill seasonal allergy symptoms, not COVID. I like having the tests on hand. I mentioned above that I finally decided not to take my planned trip to London in early June. If I had gone, I'd have taken several test kits with me. The plan was to test myself throughout my stay there, so if I got a positive result I could immediately proceed to (a) get an officially recognized test and (b) get a head start on the waiting period and medical certification of fitness to fly so I could fly home. And of course get treatment if I were having symptoms. 

Well, this is being a not fun morning. Condo life. Woke up to find water on the floor, ensuing calls to the maintenance office. Water has been dripping down from the floor above me, running down the wall between the two bathrooms in my unit. Glad I got my shower before they turned off the bathroom water to our "stack." (This is a four-floor building. The units "stacked" above each other share plumbing. Including shutoff valves. So they can shut off the water to just the bathrooms for our "stack" of units vs the whole building. And the water to my kitchen and laundry room is still on which is nice.)  They'll have to find and fix the source of the leak and then do mitigation here in my condo. There's been drywall damage and the peskier issue is where the water quietly ran under baseboards to get some bedroom carpet wet. Sigh. 

Wowzer, it was just a quiet little leak. No rushing noise, not even dripping sounds. Amazing how much water a quiet little leak can produce. That must have been going on for hours. 

I hope this doesn't sound stupid or corny. But. Despite the hassles of dealing with this water leak, I am so thankful to have a decent place to live. It's not fancy, but that's okay. I was also happy to see the maintenance guy who came over to deal with this. He does a great job; he'd left for greener pastures several months ago and I didn't realize he'd come back to our crew. I really did feel like, "Okay, the Marines have landed." Whew.

@Scarlett45 -it's so good to hear that you got out and socialized and had fun! 

EDITED later to add: The source of the water has been located, and it wasn't such a tiny leak. In the unit above me, the bidet was overflowing. The couple who live there weren't home when our maintenance guy went up there. However, they're renters and he was able to get the door code from the owner with permission to enter. The shutoff valve to the bidet is busted, so our bathroom water will stay off until the valve has been replaced in that unit. And the owner of that unit will be responsible for all the damage mitigation. Apparently there's a LOT of water intrusion, not just my unit. I'm happy it was an obvious cause so they didn't have to start cutting into walls to trace an in-wall pipe leak. And I won't be on the hook to pay for the cleanup and repairs (drywall damage as well as drying out wet floors). 

Edited May 17, 2022 by Jeeves

[BetyBee]

29 minutes ago, Jeeves said:

Thanks so much for the information. I've ordered them. I've used one box (2 tests) last month just to be sure I was experiencing run-of-the mill seasonal allergy symptoms, not COVID. I like having the tests on hand. I mentioned above that I finally decided not to take my planned trip to London in early June. If I had gone, I'd have taken several test kits with me. The plan was to test myself throughout my stay there, so if I got a positive result I could immediately proceed to (a) get an officially recognized test and (b) get a head start on the waiting period and medical certification of fitness to fly so I could fly home. And of course get treatment if I were having symptoms. 

Well, this is being a not fun morning. Condo life. Woke up to find water on the floor, ensuing calls to the maintenance office. Water has been dripping down from the floor above me, running down the wall between the two bathrooms in my unit. Glad I got my shower before they turned off the bathroom water to our "stack." (This is a four-floor building. The units "stacked" above each other share plumbing. Including shutoff valves. So they can shut off the water to just the bathrooms for our "stack" of units vs the whole building. And the water to my kitchen and laundry room is still on which is nice.)  They'll have to find and fix the source of the leak and then do mitigation here in my condo. There's been drywall damage and the peskier issue is where the water quietly ran under baseboards to get some bedroom carpet wet. Sigh. 

Wowzer, it was just a quiet little leak. No rushing noise, not even dripping sounds. Amazing how much water a quiet little leak can produce. That must have been going on for hours. 

I hope this doesn't sound stupid or corny. But. Despite the hassles of dealing with this water leak, I am so thankful to have a decent place to live. It's not fancy, but that's okay. I was also happy to see the maintenance guy who came over to deal with this. He does a great job; he'd left for greener pastures several months ago and I didn't realize he'd come back to our crew. I really did feel like, "Okay, the Marines have landed." Whew.

@Scarlett45 -it's so good to hear that you got out and socialized and had fun! 

EDITED later to add: The source of the water has been located, and it wasn't such a tiny leak. In the unit above me, the bidet was overflowing. The couple who live there weren't home when our maintenance guy went up there. However, they're renters and he was able to get the door code from the owner with permission to enter. The shutoff valve to the bidet is busted, so our bathroom water will stay off until the valve has been replaced in that unit. And the owner of that unit will be responsible for all the damage mitigation. Apparently there's a LOT of water intrusion, not just my unit. I'm happy it was an obvious cause so they didn't have to start cutting into walls to trace an in-wall pipe leak. And I won't be on the hook to pay for the cleanup and repairs (drywall damage as well as drying out wet floors). 

Jeeves, we went through that when our 2nd floor unit icemaker line leaked into the unit below. We were on vacation at the time. It ended up costing us a fortune because we hired a less than honest company. They refused to believe it was the icemaker line and cut open walls in our bathroom and broke our dishwasher, pulling it out. I think they were used to padding bills thinking they were only cheating the insurance company. But we had a high deductible, so it all fell on us. 😠

[Minivanessa]

18 minutes ago, BetyBee said:

Jeeves, we went through that when our 2nd floor unit icemaker line leaked into the unit below. We were on vacation at the time. It ended up costing us a fortune because we hired a less than honest company. They refused to believe it was the icemaker line and cut open walls in our bathroom and broke our dishwasher, pulling it out. I think they were used to padding bills thinking they were only cheating the insurance company. But we had a high deductible, so it all fell on us. 😠

Oh, ouch! That was adding insult to injury, AND extra injury to injury. I'm so sorry that happened to you. 

I've probably preached my water shut-off valve sermon here before, but. Really. I didn't think much about them until I moved into this condo. It was a fixer-upper when I bought it, and I had all the shut-off valves replaced at that time. Fast forward a dozen or more years, and some of those valves failed. So a couple of years ago I had all of them replaced again. I turn off all the water shut-off valves, and turn off the icemaker, when I'm going to be away from home overnight or longer. It gives me peace of mind that I've greatly reduced the chances of mayhem from a leaky toilet or faucet gone bust. 

Even if you're in a single family home, I encourage you to check to see if your shut-off valves still work. The ones under the sinks, the toilet valves - and the valves to the hot and cold water for the washing machine. If a toilet leaks or a hose goes bust, at least you can turn off the water source and stop the mayhem - unless the shut-off valve is broken. And then, the mayhem continues until the water is shut off farther back down the line, which may be the main water pipe coming into the house.

**putting away the soapbox**

[BetyBee]

We just had some plumbing done and the water shut off valve broke off in the plumber's hand! I guess the problem with shut off valves is that they don't get used very often, so when they do, sometimes they break. I never thought of turning off the icemaker or the shut off valves when leaving town. Good idea, Jeeves! We're in a different condo now, with neighbors only partly above us. But we already had an issue here with the dishwasher leaking under our brand new floors. It's always something! I hope you have another bathroom you can use today, Jeeves.

[Minivanessa]

Thanks, @BetyBee. The water's been turned back on, so I assume they got the shutoff valve fixed upstairs. In the meantime I've located several areas of water intrusion in my condo. Looks like it came down inside more than one wall then spread under the baseboards. I have water damage to drywall in both bathrooms, and the baseboards and carpet are wet in part of the master bedroom and one side of the huge master bedroom walk in closet (which shares a wall with the bathroom). As long as I don't end up with mold I'll be okay. I was told that a professional cleanup company is coming out to deal with the mop-up. I believe they apply anti-fungal stuff in addition to whatever other water extraction/drying work they do. 

[MargeGunderson]

I’ll add to @Jeeves excellent tips to always shut off the water to your washer, even if it has “burst-proof” hoses. They can, in fact, burst; ask how I know. 😂 The first words out of the plumber’s mouth were “don’t you turn off the water when your washer isn’t in use?” He put on new hoses and easier to use shut off valves. I added a big sign above the valves to remind us to turn them off. 
 

At a later time, the plumber also installed a turn off valve for the whole house. We use that when we go on vacation.

 

Edited May 17, 2022 by MargeGunderson