Small Talk: I Like Them All, I Just Can't Choose!

[kittygirl]

Lowes at one time had the cool towelettes.

 

Our land line does not ring in, just goes to answer machine. Mostly robocalls.  On cell phones, we use an app, Mr. Number, free and works to block spam, robocalls, unwanted callers, spam texts. Have used it for couple years. Available for android and iphone.  Plus..no ads. It really works. You can set it up to what works for you. It just blocks them without even ringing in. I highly, highly (LR) recommend it.

[Julie hunter]

On June 15, 2017 at 2:41 PM, ennui said:

Some people like it, some people loathe it. Just fyi. 

It's one of my favorites.

Love Actually.

Edited June 16, 2017 by Julie hunter

[Julie hunter]

On June 15, 2017 at 3:11 PM, ennui said:

Yes. Even the radio in the car irritates me, and lately I drive without it. I listen to the engine's hum, and it's like being in the womb. Very calming, actually. 

You're right.  It's nice driving in "quiet".

[TexasTiffany]

19 hours ago, lovemesomejoolery said:

I'm a fan of Hobby Lobby, too, if only for the breadth of stuff they carry.  You can find ANYHING in there.  The one drawback in my store is that there are very few cashiers. 

Me, too! There's a nice big one not far from me. I don't always purchase something but I like to look at stuff. I am always inspired by the crafts but it has to have a purpose when I'm finished. I mean, I can make cards and ornaments but not many people want a card anymore and I don't need another ornament. Several years ago I bought a couple of DIY lamp shades (I knew they'd fit my lamps). I bought fabric, trim and some doodads and customized my lamp shades. I was so pleased with the results that I made 2 for a charitable event for the local VFW. Someone bid $120 for them. I was thrilled for the charity and it was also a feel good moment for me that someone else liked what I made. 

 

9 hours ago, hummingbird said:

I too have dialed down my Facebook,

I blocked certain words, and hid all friends posts, too political and now just use it for keeping in touch with my dorter and mahjong stuff 

I play several games on FB. Bingo Blitz doesn't require any skill nor energy, but it's fun. 

[lovemesomejoolery]

31 minutes ago, TexasTiffany said:

@Cricket, my prayers and thoughts are with you. I hope things will be okay.

@lovemesomejoolery, Happy Birthday to you and your hubby!

Oh, it's not my birthday - it is @SentimentalLady and her husband's birthday!!

[Julie hunter]

6 hours ago, Lord Donia said:

In "what's making me happy today" news is the TNT show Claws. Only the pilot has aired so far, but I really liked it. It's set in a nail salon in South Florida and I had the idea it was gonna be a Barbershop kind of comedy but with women. It's actually more an Elmore Leonard seedy noir crime drama with some hijinks.

In an interview in Variety, the female showrunner talked about the very specific, bright esthetic of the area: "When you go to Florida, it's not all black clothing. People are wearing colors and they are unapologetic about wearing colors."

That pinged my heart. Yay for cheerful fabrics! I've always been a wearer of colorful, flower-ful garments, even in places where it was not necessarily the norm. My husband used to (mostly kiddingly) refer to them as my clown clothes.

If any of the tops look like a solid color, chances are there's a design on the front!

Now that's an organized closet!  Mine - not so much...

[lovemesomejoolery]

1 hour ago, CarpeDiem54 said:

@lovemesomejoolery - Thanks for that tip about Gly Oxide.  I bit myself the other day, and it's driving me nuts!

When I had cats, I used to get litter from Amazon on subscribe and save.  It was great not having to schlep around 40 lb. boxes of litter.  Then the brand I used stopped offering it that way.

Have you tried Chewy.com?

I swear by Gly Oxide.  In fact, it was my primary care physician that told me about it. I had a freak out moment when some sore appeared and thought I had oral cancer.  My doctor saw me that day, looked at it, and said it looked like something he would get if he ate Doritos and they jabbed him in his cheek while chewing.....and I looked at him and laughed, because I had eaten Doritos and found this thing at the gumline a day later.  He told me to get Gly Oxide and I used it 4 times a day and within two days it was gone.  It was soothing from the first dose.  This was 15 years ago......when I recently looked for it, it was non-existent.  It came in a bottle about the size of eye drops.  The one at Amazon was much larger and you had to buy it in a two pack, which was fine - one for me and for the husband.  I think it was around $15.  Worth every penny, in my opinion.

I'll check out Chewy again.......pricing didn't hold up against Target for my Scoop Away unscented the last time I checked.  The unscented is the key....harder to find.  Mr. Lovesme doesn't like squeezing up or kissing our two cats and smelling pine.....which really just means it reminds him that they use a litter box to poop and he's kissing litter box dust! 

[Julie hunter]

6 hours ago, zoemom said:

I know this is a bit random, but hey, that's what this forum is for right?

For those of you that still have landlines do you get tons (I've had eight of these this morning already!) phone calls that appear to be coming from various places across the country?  Today, and its only 10 a.m. here, I've had calls from Austin TX, San Modesto CA, Newark NJ, Selma AL, Reno NV and Shreveport LA.  I answered the Shreveport call because I have relatives there, it was some guy trying to sell me an extended car warranty.  My car is 8 years old.  I hung up on him. 

I've been paying extra to have an unlisted phone #, but I'm going to tell the phone company that they can go ahead and list me.  The only reason I had it unlisted initially was because of stalking issues I had with my Ex, who was still able to find out where I lived (thank you Mr. Google).  The "Do Not Call List" is a joke.   Anybody have any suggestions?   I can't go wireless because my fire/home alarm are tied into the landline and I'm not in the positon right now to shell $$ out to go completely wireless.

The hot temperatures(its 83 already and it's only June!) and a nasty case of poison ivy are making me especially stabby today, so apologies in advance for my crabapple disposition!

Yeah - we get a lot of those calls too.  We have caller ID that shows up on the TV.  We just don't answer the calls.  You get used to doing it...

[StaceyNotStacie]

I still have a landline and I get those junk calls. I'm starting to notice more calls beginning with the same three numbers that my phone number starts with. I'm also getting more junk calls on my cell phone, also beginning with the same first three numbers. 

[TexasTiffany]

6 hours ago, zoemom said:

I know this is a bit random, but hey, that's what this forum is for right?

For those of you that still have landlines do you get tons (I've had eight of these this morning already!) phone calls that appear to be coming from various places across the country?  Today, and its only 10 a.m. here, I've had calls from Austin TX, San Modesto CA, Newark NJ, Selma AL, Reno NV and Shreveport LA.  I answered the Shreveport call because I have relatives there, it was some guy trying to sell me an extended car warranty.  My car is 8 years old.  I hung up on him. 

I've been paying extra to have an unlisted phone #, but I'm going to tell the phone company that they can go ahead and list me.  The only reason I had it unlisted initially was because of stalking issues I had with my Ex, who was still able to find out where I lived (thank you Mr. Google).  The "Do Not Call List" is a joke.   Anybody have any suggestions?   I can't go wireless because my fire/home alarm are tied into the landline and I'm not in the positon right now to shell $$ out to go completely wireless.

The hot temperatures(its 83 already and it's only June!) and a nasty case of poison ivy are making me especially stabby today, so apologies in advance for my crabapple disposition!

That IS a lot of unsolicited phone calls. I wish I had an answer for it. I used to get more of those but I stopped answering them. 

Years ago when I had Southwestern Bell, I paid $6 a year to be unlisted. After a couple of years my bill went up. Back then I didn't always look at the itemized part. They started charging me $6 a MONTH to be unlisted. I called customer service. I was told they'd been doing that for a few months. It made me mad. They didn't notify me, just padded my monthly bill to get more money by sneaking it in. Telemarketers still called so I stopped paying to be unlisted. 

You still have that kind of trouble with your ex? What an a-hole!

[rcc]

There is a do not call phone number. It takes a couple of months to kick in but it does work.  888-382-1222

donotcall.gov

[Cricket]

 am celebrating my 35th anniversary of being cancer free.  

That is great news! I think I said the rosary 6 rotations while I waited. I picked up the CD in the afternoon and took it to St. Mary's to bless it with Holy Water and prayed. It is in my bible now in Matthew 9:20 because I do not want Joe to put it in the computer to look at it. He did that when he had a MRI last fall. We will bring it to his newest surgeon down at Albany Med on Monday. He was radioactive for 5 hours after this test.  Anyone here get a PET Scan before?

[TexasTiffany]

1 hour ago, lovemesomejoolery said:

Oh, it's not my birthday - it is @SentimentalLady and her husband's birthday!!

OOps. So sorry.

Happy Birthday, @SentimentalLady and hubby!

[Jaded]

1 hour ago, TexasTiffany said:

I play several games on FB. Bingo Blitz doesn't require any skill nor energy, but it's fun. 

I used to be a FB game nut then I got really sick and that broke me of my addiction mostly. I still play Bingo Blitz and Bingo Bash. At one time I loved Farmville and Cafe World. The most I ever spent the entire time I played them was $5 on both. I think I've spent $3 on Bingo Blitz years ago. I just can't quit playing bingo. I loved Pogo.com at one time but it slowly went downhill after EA bought it. 
 

[Cricket]

Zoemom - We have a landline still; through Vonage. Had it for years now, love that company. Occasionally a number will come over Joe and I have no idea about. I will say. "Do you know who is calling from Nebraska?" he shakes his head and we ignore it. Not too often though. If it is important, they leave a message. None of these occasional oddball numbers never leave messages.

[Cricket]

1 hour ago, Cricket said:

 am celebrating my 35th anniversary of being cancer free.  

That is great news! I think I said the rosary 6 rotations while I waited. I picked up the CD in the afternoon and took it to St. Mary's to bless it with Holy Water and prayed. It is in my bible now in Matthew 9:20 because I do not want Joe to put it in the computer to look at it. He did that when he had a MRI last fall. We will bring it to his newest surgeon down at Albany Med on Monday. He was radioactive for 5 hours after this test.  Anyone here get a PET Scan before?

Meant to add this is SEAHAG celebrating! Yay!

1 hour ago, Cricket said:

 am celebrating my 35th anniversary of being cancer free.  

That is great news! I think I said the rosary 6 rotations while I waited. I picked up the CD in the afternoon and took it to St. Mary's to bless it with Holy Water and prayed. It is in my bible now in Matthew 9:20 because I do not want Joe to put it in the computer to look at it. He did that when he had a MRI last fall. We will bring it to his newest surgeon down at Albany Med on Monday. He was radioactive for 5 hours after this test.  Anyone here get a PET Scan before?

SEAHAG is the victorious one here! (not me!) I messed up

[zxy556575]

5 hours ago, CarpeDiem54 said:

Anyhoo, Amazon is soon to open a new fulfillment center here any day now. Prime Now already has a large variety of products, but with the fulfillment center I bet I'll be able to get just about anything without even waiting the two days. 

Gah on me for living in a podunk area were none of the newer Amazon features are available. I'm so jelly!

Amazon built a warehouse last year about 90 minutes from me but still ships primarily from the NY area. I'm sure Bezos has spent millions on his logistics systems, but come on.

For anyone who isn't aware, Amazon will donate a small percentage of their profits from each order to charity; just sign up for the program and log in at smile.amazon.com. You specify the charity. It's not a lot individually but adds up big time in the aggregate:

Edited June 17, 2017 by Lord Donia

[SentimentalLady]

9 hours ago, Lord Donia said:

In "what's making me happy today" news is the TNT show Claws. Only the pilot has aired so far, but I really liked it. It's set in a nail salon in South Florida and I had the idea it was gonna be a Barbershop kind of comedy but with women. It's actually more an Elmore Leonard seedy noir crime drama with some hijinks.

In an interview in Variety, the female showrunner talked about the very specific, bright esthetic of the area: "When you go to Florida, it's not all black clothing. People are wearing colors and they are unapologetic about wearing colors."

That pinged my heart. Yay for cheerful fabrics! I've always been a wearer of colorful, flower-ful garments, even in places where it was not necessarily the norm. My husband used to (mostly kiddingly) refer to them as my clown clothes.

If any of the tops look like a solid color, chances are there's a design on the front!

I too really enjoy some color although I  am not so much with prints.  Especially now that I am not working.  

I enjoyed Claws also.  I was looking forward to it because it was heavily promoted when I watch Law and Order in the morning.  It was more graphic than I expected.  But I like how they are giving some depth to the female characters.

[SentimentalLady]

7 hours ago, lovemesomejoolery said:

We still have a landline along with caller ID.  If I don't recognize the number, I don't answer.  To be honest, my landline phone is a call screening device at this point!  99% of the time, the caller hangs up.  If they leave a message, it's like the calls @Lady J mentioned - the one from the supposed "IRS" saying we owed money has been showing up frequently.  I've thought about giving up the landline, but it's tied to a package deal with Verizon Fios for internet and cable tv, and when we tried to get rid of it, it was not that much money we'd get back versus the hassle of letting everyone know our new phone#. 

But.......to answer your question, yes!  When I look at the list of calls that have come in, a slew of them are from all over the country.  Telemarketers are no longer using 800 numbers.  They are probably using their cell phones!!

I got rid of the landline when my husband got a wireless heart monitor.  But we get a lot of calls on the cell.  Today I heard from Kentucky and Wisconsin ?  I notice that some callers have the same first 3 numbers as our phone numbers.  As if we are more likely to answer a familiar number.  I just don't answer.  I was blocking them but my list is full.  I have a friend who calls with a blocked number.  She has to leave a message.

[SentimentalLady]

3 hours ago, PearlClutcher said:

Oh me too.  I do love a good comedy, but people like us ....

Even a bad horror movie is better than most movies made after 1980.  I also love film noir.  I am glad TCM started running them on Sunday mornings. 

[kittygirl]

Mr. Number App... if you get spam calls on your cell try it. Free, no ads, works. Really works.

[SentimentalLady]

2 hours ago, TexasTiffany said:

OOps. So sorry.

Happy Birthday, @SentimentalLady and hubby!

Thank you so much?  Let's make it Happy Friday now.  Hope it is going ok at your job.

[zxy556575]

29 minutes ago, SentimentalLady said:

I enjoyed Claws also. I was looking forward to it because it was heavily promoted when I watch Law and Order in the morning. It was more graphic than I expected. But I like how they are giving some depth to the female characters.

Absolutely, thanks! I should have specified that it's very graphic with sex and foul language. Definitely not a calming or cute 60 minutes.

Edited June 17, 2017 by Lord Donia

[SentimentalLady]

1 hour ago, Cricket said:

Meant to add this is SEAHAG celebrating! Yay!

SEAHAG is the victorious one here! (not me!) I messed up

We got you @Cricket.  Hopefully you will get good news.

[SentimentalLady]

About Chewy.com  - I use Tidy Cat litter. The 10# bag is $2.59 at the grocery stores. It was $5.99 at Chewy!  The good deal was only for the 40# bag, $8.99.  I have to get it up 2 flight of stairs.  I have a storage bin that I emptied half of it in.  I'd rather the hubs only carry 20# at a time.  They did have good prices for Purina UTI and Fancy Feast cans.  

I was wondering how people manage with those big bags.

[CarpeDiem54]

1 hour ago, Lord Donia said:

Gah on me for living in a podunk area were none of the newer Amazon features are available. I'm so jelly!

Amazon built a warehouse last year about 90 minutes from me but still ships primarily from the NY area. I'm sure Bezos has spent millions on his logistics systems, but come on.

For anyone who isn't aware, Amazon will donate a small percentage of their profits from each order to charity; just sign up for the program and log in at smile.amazon.com. You specify the charity. It's not a lot individually but adds up big time in the aggregate:

Although I'm in a fairly large metropolitan area (population 2 million) until recently we've always been treated like "the hicks from the sticks".  Now, all of a sudden, we're the "happening" city.  I'm not so sure that's a good thing, though.  We've had a huge influx of millennials snapping up all of the jobs.  The rents and home prices are now outrages.

Oh, well.  At least I have Prime Now.  ?

I've been contributing to AmazonSmile since it started.  It's a great program.

[Fishy]

3 hours ago, Julie hunter said:

Yeah - we get a lot of those calls too.  We have caller ID that shows up on the TV.  We just don't answer the calls.  You get used to doing it...

I still have a landline and yes, you get used to it, quick look at Caller ID and I let them go to the answering machine - never any msg.

9 hours ago, WaitForMe said:

This, and I also Google the phone number.  It lets me know if others have received calls from the number and their experiences.   But you, of course, need caller ID that shows at least the number calling. 

I do this too.  Agree Do not Call list is a joke.  There seems to always be a way around it.

[imisspuddy]

3 hours ago, Cricket said:

 am celebrating my 35th anniversary of being cancer free.  

That is great news! I think I said the rosary 6 rotations while I waited. I picked up the CD in the afternoon and took it to St. Mary's to bless it with Holy Water and prayed. It is in my bible now in Matthew 9:20 because I do not want Joe to put it in the computer to look at it. He did that when he had a MRI last fall. We will bring it to his newest surgeon down at Albany Med on Monday. He was radioactive for 5 hours after this test.  Anyone here get a PET Scan before?

I love that you placed the CD in your bible.  I do things like that.  I believe that things have positive/negative energy, and for me, you can't get much better than the bible!  And if it keeps your Joe from looking at it, all the better.  I love that passage from Matthew.  You stay focused on that.  

I have not had a PET scan.  I have friends who have.  No one said anything bad about it, if that helps.  One person told me that she shook uncontrollably through all of hers.  I understand this.  My last biopsies, I did the same thing.  You already know how normal that is, because when you're dealing with cancer, nothing is normal.

I'll be thinking of you both on Monday and sending good thoughts your way.  

I also listen(ed) to inspirational CDs, affirmations, etc, because you really don't get much sleep on weekends like this...and it helped keep me more positive than not.

Sending hugs - 

[zxy556575]

I just checked the .gov Do Not Call site and confirmed that my number has been registered since 2006. Pfft.

In happy, ful-filling news -- chili and cornbread for dinner! Ice cold milk, naturally (sue me, I still like it).

[Fishy]

I found this interesting when it comes to Amazon:

Amazon’s long been a go-to for people to online price compare while shopping at brick-and-mortars. Now, a new patent granted to the company could prevent people from doing just that inside Amazon’s own stores.

the whole story

[zoemom]

6 hours ago, lovemesomejoolery said:

have purchased my cat's food there - Hill Science Diet is much cheaper than Petco or PetSmart and I don't have to schlep it in my house (wish that cat litter was less expensive at Amazon - my brand is not.  In fact, it's almost twice what I pay at Target).  Drugstore items have been less expensive, too.  I have even bought those DiBella biscotti they sell at QVC on Amazon!  I was having trouble finding a product called Gly Oxide (really good product if you bite the inside of your mouth - it's a  liquid gel of hydrogen peroxide that clears up the issue asap) in any of my local stores - Amazon had it!  Ordered it on a Sunday morning and had it that evening.

LMSJ, as Carpe mentioned, give Chewy.com a second look.  I've been a customer with them since they "opened" and have been pleased, both with their products and their customer service.  Really nice, friendly people.  They give you 20% off your first order.  (see QVC, that's how you get customers!)  I'm on a schedule and have six 40 lb. boxes of Tidy Cat delivered every 8 weeks, no shipping or handling.  While it does cost a couple more dollars than Target/PetSmart, they sell 40 lb. boxes; the largest size the "stores with doors" carry in my area are the 35 lb. buckets.  I have a real struggle with getting litter home, the folks at PetSmart are more than willing to load the litter into my car for me, but that does me no good when I get home and have to carry it up 12 steps to my door.    I recently purchased a 52" cat tree from them as well -(yes, the felines live better than me) it was under $50; a similar one at PetSmart was $113.  (Although I recently read that PetSmart had purchased Chewy, so fingers crossed that the prices/customer service doesn't suffer.   I hate it when large corporations buy out start-ups)  I also recommend Chewy to many of our clients at the vet's office I work for.  Chewy's pricing is so much better than what our practice charges.  We have many clients that are living on limited incomes and struggle with paying for food the vet recommends.  I can't with good conscience sell them pet food when I know that they can purchase for almost half the price from them. 

SuprSuprElevated My UPS person hates me too, but I figure its payback for all of those Q packages that he just lobs up the stairs to my front door!!!  Payback's a bitch dude!

 

5 hours ago, Coffeecup said:

Isn't it pathetic that you can't even answer the phone any more because of these relentless spammers and fraudsters? Our voice communications system has been ruined by these creeps.

^^^ This so much! ^^^^

Thanks to everyone for all of the suggestions and tips on how to handle the dreaded Robocalls!   I was so excited about Nomorerobo, but when I went to the Nomorerobo site they had my phone company listed, but they aren't participating in it yet, figures.  I did call them (as the Nomorerobo suggested) and asked that they consider providing this service for their consumers, I'm not holding my breath, as the company still has the word "Bell" associated with it and they're pretty slow with technology updates.  I did get them to change me back to being "listed", so that will knock $8 off my bill at least. 

It's ironic that I get so annoyed with those calls; I worked (for one day only) for a national market research company.  The position was posted as a consumer marketing researcher, but when I got there I found out that the job was in a call center, and calls were placed for us (robocalls); my job was to talk to people that answered and get their opinion of various products and how often they purchased items.  The calls were fed to us via a computer dialer, I had to read "directly" from their script, without deviation.  It was miserable, those that answered only would hear two or three words and either hang up, get very angry and curse at me, and the one person I talked to was really off the wall and kept me on the phone almost 20 minutes.  (another no no).  This place paid quite well, but I couldn't go back, I know how much I hate getting these type of calls and just couldn't work all day doing this to anyone else! 

I do have caller ID, and as a rule don't answer the phone unless the number looks familiar, but when I am here in the morning the phone rings so much, some days it gets on my last nerve.  I probably will just turn the ringer off and checking the VM box, if someone really wants to talk to me then they'll have to leave me a message. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

4 hours ago, Stacey1014 said:

I'm starting to notice more calls beginning with the same three numbers that my phone number starts with.

We are too.  Must think we'll answer if we feel like kindred spirits, lol.  Nah.

[SuprSuprElevated]

3 hours ago, Lord Donia said:

Gah on me for living in a podunk area were none of the newer Amazon features are available. I'm so jelly!

Amazon built a warehouse last year about 90 minutes from me but still ships primarily from the NY area. I'm sure Bezos has spent millions on his logistics systems, but come on.

For anyone who isn't aware, Amazon will donate a small percentage of their profits from each order to charity; just sign up for the program and log in at smile.amazon.com. You specify the charity. It's not a lot individually but adds up big time in the aggregate:

I donate to a local cat rescue org.  I have the add-on up on my address bar.

[SuprSuprElevated]

2 hours ago, SentimentalLady said:

About Chewy.com  - I use Tidy Cat litter. The 10# bag is $2.59 at the grocery stores. It was $5.99 at Chewy!  The good deal was only for the 40# bag, $8.99.  I have to get it up 2 flight of stairs.  I have a storage bin that I emptied half of it in.  I'd rather the hubs only carry 20# at a time.  They did have good prices for Purina UTI and Fancy Feast cans.  

I was wondering how people manage with those big bags.

Oh, okay.  For me we have a ranch, so no steps in the door.  I use Cat's Pride Fresh 'n Light, and for the 15# jug, it was $7.50 on Chewy, and I bought enough for us and for my mom, to qualify for free shipping.  Had it in 2 days.  May have been on sale, can't remember.

[editorgrrl]

14 hours ago, SentimentalLady said:

Is anyone familiar with Cool Off towelettes? I found out about them from a menopause discussion. I loved to use one after walking in the summer. I used to get them at Drugstore.com but now I can't find them anywhere. I would love to find them or something similar.

The main ingredients were witch hazel, alcohol, glycerin, and aloe. You could try Dickinson's witch hazel wipes: http://www.dickinsonsusa.com/skin-care-products/original-witch-hazel/refreshingly-clean-towelettes/

I get them at Walgreens/Duane Reade to clean my face after yoga on the beach.

[Coffeecup]

5 hours ago, Cricket said:

 am celebrating my 35th anniversary of being cancer free.  

That is great news! I think I said the rosary 6 rotations while I waited. I picked up the CD in the afternoon and took it to St. Mary's to bless it with Holy Water and prayed. It is in my bible now in Matthew 9:20 because I do not want Joe to put it in the computer to look at it. He did that when he had a MRI last fall. We will bring it to his newest surgeon down at Albany Med on Monday. He was radioactive for 5 hours after this test.  Anyone here get a PET Scan before?

HI Cricket, I just had my first PET scan four days ago, and I'm still sick. I hate to be such a downer, but that experience was so awful it was one of the worst days of my life. Background: I have COPD (emphysema) and a mystery lung infection, some nodules, that my doctor is trying to diagnose. (So far, no cancer has shown up on my other tests this year.)

Before reading the rest of my post, bear in mind that most people do not have serious problems with PET scans, according to the articles and patient discussion forums I read after my bad experience ... but here is what happened to me --

I usually research diagnostic procedures on Google and YouTube before going in for my appointments, because I am so terrified of medical testing. I feel less threatened if I know exactly what will be done to me. My doctor's staff and the diagnostic imaging center staff never tell me anything about the tests except to fast for a few hours ahead of time, so the "patient education" part is left entirely up to me.

This time I made a big mistake and didn't do enough research on PET scans. Due to a history of drug and CT infusion allergies, I got preoccupied with researching side effects of the barium swallow; you have to drink a big container of barium solution two hours before the scan. The one they gave me was called Readi-CAT 2 by Bracco Diagnostics, "barium sulfate oral suspension," 450 ml (15.2 ounces, a pretty large amount of fluid to drink all at once). It tasted like crap, but didn't any side effects except mild nausea, and it made me pee a lot.

I failed to research the actual PET procedure, and just had this information thrown in my face by the technician when I arrived for my appointment: Before the scan, they inject you with a radioactive solution, and then you have to sit alone in a little dark room for 1 1/2 hours!  They tell you to sit back in a reclining chair and not move, or rather, keep as still as you can, while the stuff circulates through your body. You aren't even allowed to use your eyes for anything, do as little eye movement as possible -- no reading, watching TV or looking at a cellphone or any other screen. When they told me about that, I started crying. I mean I was really sobbing. I felt like I was being put into solitary confinement in prison, and put in a straight jacket too. They told me I could go in and out to use the bathroom (it was next door to my room, and I had to pee frequently because of all that barium solution) but otherwise keep still. The light in the room was down to the level of a low wattage night light. They had a space heater running. It was not a good environment for me.

I learned later, the next day when I read about the procedure, that they won't even allow anyone to come sit with you and talk to you during the 1 1/2 hour period, because the radiation is dangerous. There was a sign on my room door "Warning: radioactive material in use" and a sign posted over the toilet "PET scan patients, please sit down to urinate, to avoid splashing radioactive urine on the seat, and please flush twice."  Thanks a hell of a lot; I'm sitting in that room getting cooked by radiation that is so dangerous no one can get near me, and somebody else's poor butt could get contaminated if I even drip pee on the toilet seat!

I absolutely could not keep still. I felt trapped. I never thought I was claustrophobic, but I sure was on that day. I cried for a while longer, and then tried to sit still, but I only lasted five minutes sitting in the reclining chair. Then I popped up and started pacing. I paced back and forth for the entire 1 1/2 hours, plus three trips to the bathroom. I will never forget it: five paces across the room, seven paces down. Trapped like an animal in a cage, pacing, pacing, pacing.  I also hit the reclining chair with my fists several times, using it like a punching bag. I was feeling hot, in addition to feeling so agitated, which I suspect might be an allergic reaction to the radioactive material. (Penicillin makes me feel just like that: hot, agitated, angry.) There was no call button in the room, and the technician never came to check on me. Every time I went out to use the bathroom, the whole place looked deserted, nobody around.

My later research indicates that I probably spoiled the test results by being active instead of still. (My results are not available yet. I was told to call and ask in 3 to 4 business days.) The articles said that the scan could show false positive results, or look too blurry to interpret, if the patient had been moving. In fact, the articles said the patient should refrain from any physical exertion for the entire day before the scan -- no jogging, exercising, or even sex. The articles also said there are dietary restrictions, limit intake of carbs and sugar the day before, since the radioactive stuff interacts with your glucose levels. Well, nobody told me any of that.

As for the actual scan, it was not bad compared to the agony of being trapped in that little room. You lie on a narrow table with a pillow under your knees, and you can have pillows to elevate your head if you wish. They put a big double flap of some white cloth or plastic over my abdominal area. I don't know whether this was to protect my female organs, or to strap me down. I didn't feel any sensation of being tied down.

My clinic said they do not make patients remove bras, jewelry or watches, since the amount of metal in those things is so small it doesn't interfere with the image. (Most articles about PET scans say to remove all metal from your body). I wore my own clothes and shoes, not a hospital gown. They just said to remove your belt because of the buckle. I didn't have any metal in my pants pockets, but I suppose men would have coins and keys in their pockets, and would have to remove those.  

My only serious physical problem with the scan was that I had to lay there with arms over my head for 30 minutes, while the table moved me slowly back and forth into the scanning machine (a big doughnut thing open on both ends, like a regular CT machine. You can see them on YouTube). I have arthritis in my shoulders. After about 15 minutes I started getting pain in my shoulders, and by the time the 30 minutes had passed, the pain was so excruciating I was ready to start crying again. Then it was all over with and they let me escape!  I was never so glad to get out of a place!

I am not sure (will ask doctor) what radioactive chemical was injected into me. According to Wikipedia and other sources, the radioactive tracer chemical most commonly used is "Fludeoxyglucose (18F) (INN), or fludeoxyglucose F 18 (USAN and USP), also commonly called fluorodeoxyglucose and abbreviated FDG, 18F-FDG or FDG." Articles said they may also inject you with other drugs at the same time. I have to find out if they gave me anything else that could have caused the bad reaction. Anyway, FDG is considered to be "safe" (haha, it's radioactive! Yeah, that's real safe!) and disappear from the body within a few hours. I kept feeling agitated for six hours after the injection, and thereafter felt weak and sick. I felt droopy, beat up and sick for the next three days, am only beginning to feel more normal today. My blood pressure went up 25 points shortly after the scan (no telling how high it got while I was pacing around), and it's still high today. I am still getting nauseated every time I eat a meal.

Anybody remember the 1950s horror movies about atomic monsters? People or small animals would get contaminated by radiation and grow to a gigantic size, or go crazy and destroy the nearest city. I feel like what happened to me was "Attack of the 50-Foot Woman." My agitation was so bad I think I could have torn down a building with my bare hands.

Here are a couple of articles about the chemicals and the PET scan; many more are available. As I said, I wish I had read all this stuff ahead of time. I found a survey of PET scan patients that said over 50% of them had not been given any information at all about the scan before they had it, so patient education is a real problem.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fludeoxyglucose_(18F) Article about FDG drug.

https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/cancerwise/2015/04/getting-a-pet-scan-what-to-expect.html short article

https://www.insideradiology.com.au/pet-scan/ long article

Cricket, best wishes to you and Joe. I hope his diagnosis and treatment result in success. I will keep you both in my prayers.

 

Edited June 17, 2017 by Coffeecup

[SentimentalLady]

40 minutes ago, editorgrrl said:

The main ingredients were witch hazel, alcohol, glycerin, and aloe. You could try Dickinson's witch hazel wipes: http://www.dickinsonsusa.com/skin-care-products/original-witch-hazel/refreshingly-clean-towelettes/

I get them at Walgreens/Duane Reade to clean my face after yoga on the beach.

Thank you so much.  I use Dickinson's witch hazel but didn't realize they made wipes.  I will try them.   I thought the Cool Off were herbal.  I hate when you find something you love and then its gone.

[SentimentalLady]

2 hours ago, zoemom said:

LMSJ, as Carpe mentioned, give Chewy.com a second look.  I've been a customer with them since they "opened" and have been pleased, both with their products and their customer service.  Really nice, friendly people.  They give you 20% off your first order.  (see QVC, that's how you get customers!)  I'm on a schedule and have six 40 lb. boxes of Tidy Cat delivered every 8 weeks, no shipping or handling.  While it does cost a couple more dollars than Target/PetSmart, they sell 40 lb. boxes; the largest size the "stores with doors" carry in my area are the 35 lb. buckets.  I have a real struggle with getting litter home, the folks at PetSmart are more than willing to load the litter into my car for me, but that does me no good when I get home and have to carry it up 12 steps to my door.    

How do you manage the 40 lb. Bags of cat litter.  Thanks.

@Coffeecup.  I am not familiar with PET scans. Thank you for the detailed information.  I'm sorry it was such a nightmare for you.

[DownTheShore]

On 6/15/2017 at 4:52 PM, Stacey1014 said:

I've been to Hobby Lobby once. We have one on the other side of town that has been open for a few years. It has one of the smallest parking lots for a shopping center.  I wasn't impressed. I prefer AC Moore. It's closer to my house and they offer a military discount on all purchases. 

Tomorrow is the last day of school. I'll miss the peace and quiet, but I'm glad to have them home. The older boy is starting high school in the fall, which is hard to believe. I miss the little kids, but I'm enjoying this stage where they're more self sufficient and grown up. I'm just not ready for him to start driving. 

The kidlets finished school today, so next week we will be having Camp CouchPotato™ with Aunt DTS. Which means I have to get up at the crack of dawn and sit in rush hour traffic for an hour to get to their house. ? Only for love, only for love.

Sparkle Niece was (tongue-in-cheek) telling her grandmother about our Camp CouchPotato™ activities: "Sometimes we take a trip upstairs, and once in a while we get to go down to the basement to play". LOL

I think their community pool will be open next week. That means facing....THE BATHING SUIT!!! ???

[DownTheShore]

@Coffeecup - Thanks for posting that PET scan experience. Sorry that it was such an ordeal for you, and that they didn't provide more info up front to you.

[lovemesomejoolery]

10 hours ago, SentimentalLady said:

I got rid of the landline when my husband got a wireless heart monitor.  But we get a lot of calls on the cell.  Today I heard from Kentucky and Wisconsin ?  I notice that some callers have the same first 3 numbers as our phone numbers.  As if we are more likely to answer a familiar number.  I just don't answer.  I was blocking them but my list is full.  I have a friend who calls with a blocked number.  She has to leave a message.

I actually have had a few calls on my cell phone from numbers THAT WERE MY OWN CELL NUMBER!!

The first time it happened, I thought I was losing my mind!

[lovemesomejoolery]

14 hours ago, PearlClutcher said:

I deleted my FB and Twitter although I can still see bits if I wanted to which I don't.   Way too much drama over the most mundane things and then the news.  Good grief one just has to prevent overload.  I have old circuitry so I'm now trying to limit unnecessary chaos.  My guilty pleasures are Pinterest and this place.  I don't play anything when I'm driving now and I got a new book of poetry which I've always enjoyed.  I adore Mahjongg too.  Mr. Clutcher and I sometimes don't turn on the TV and play Rummikub.   I like board games too.  Back to "old school" entertainment! The best time I can remember is when we lost our power for 5 days during an ice storm.   We read by kerosene lanterns, cooked on the wood stove, I wrote letters, read and slept.  It was actually like recharging your batteries. 

This sounds awesome, to be able to just unplug.  You've inspired me taking it back old school with entertainment!  Mr. Lovesme and I were talking about stuff we used to do a lot, instead of watching TV.  We played backgammon or gin rummy all the time.  We think we might pull out the backgammon board tonight!

3 hours ago, DownTheShore said:

The kidlets finished school today, so next week we will be having Camp CouchPotato™ with Aunt DTS. Which means I have to get up at the crack of dawn and sit in rush hour traffic for an hour to get to their house. ? Only for love, only for love.

Sparkle Niece was (tongue-in-cheek) telling her grandmother about our Camp CouchPotato™ activities: "Sometimes we take a trip upstairs, and once in a while we get to go down to the basement to play". LOL

I think their community pool will be open next week. That means facing....THE BATHING SUIT!!! ???

Awwww...have fun next week!  I always loved hearing your stories about the fun you had with them.

And get your rest this weekend!!

Edited June 17, 2017 by lovemesomejoolery

[Fishy]

Coffeecup, I hope I never need a PET scan.  Your description touched me.  Hope you are okay.

[lovemesomejoolery]

6 hours ago, Coffeecup said:

HI Cricket, I just had my first PET scan four days ago, and I'm still sick. I hate to be such a downer, but that experience was so awful it was one of the worst days of my life. Background: I have COPD (emphysema) and a mystery lung infection, some nodules, that my doctor is trying to diagnose. (So far, no cancer has shown up on my other tests this year.)

Before reading the rest of my post, bear in mind that most people do not have serious problems with PET scans, according to the articles and patient discussion forums I read after my bad experience ... but here is what happened to me --

I usually research diagnostic procedures on Google and YouTube before going in for my appointments, because I am so terrified of medical testing. I feel less threatened if I know exactly what will be done to me. My doctor's staff and the diagnostic imaging center staff never tell me anything about the tests except to fast for a few hours ahead of time, so the "patient education" part is left entirely up to me.

This time I made a big mistake and didn't do enough research on PET scans. Due to a history of drug and CT infusion allergies, I got preoccupied with researching side effects of the barium swallow; you have to drink a big container of barium solution two hours before the scan. The one they gave me was called Readi-CAT 2 by Bracco Diagnostics, "barium sulfate oral suspension," 450 ml (15.2 ounces, a pretty large amount of fluid to drink all at once). It tasted like crap, but didn't any side effects except mild nausea, and it made me pee a lot.

I failed to research the actual PET procedure, and just had this information thrown in my face by the technician when I arrived for my appointment: Before the scan, they inject you with a radioactive solution, and then you have to sit alone in a little dark room for 1 1/2 hours!  They tell you to sit back in a reclining chair and not move, or rather, keep as still as you can, while the stuff circulates through your body. You aren't even allowed to use your eyes for anything, do as little eye movement as possible -- no reading, watching TV or looking at a cellphone or any other screen. When they told me about that, I started crying. I mean I was really sobbing. I felt like I was being put into solitary confinement in prison, and put in a straight jacket too. They told me I could go in and out to use the bathroom (it was next door to my room, and I had to pee frequently because of all that barium solution) but otherwise keep still. The light in the room was down to the level of a low wattage night light. They had a space heater running. It was not a good environment for me.

I learned later, the next day when I read about the procedure, that they won't even allow anyone to come sit with you and talk to you during the 1 1/2 hour period, because the radiation is dangerous. There was a sign on my room door "Warning: radioactive material in use" and a sign posted over the toilet "PET scan patients, please sit down to urinate, to avoid splashing radioactive urine on the seat, and please flush twice."  Thanks a hell of a lot; I'm sitting in that room getting cooked by radiation that is so dangerous no one can get near me, and somebody else's poor butt could get contaminated if I even drip pee on the toilet seat!

I absolutely could not keep still. I felt trapped. I never thought I was claustrophobic, but I sure was on that day. I cried for a while longer, and then tried to sit still, but I only lasted five minutes sitting in the reclining chair. Then I popped up and started pacing. I paced back and forth for the entire 1 1/2 hours, plus three trips to the bathroom. I will never forget it: five paces across the room, seven paces down. Trapped like an animal in a cage, pacing, pacing, pacing.  I also hit the reclining chair with my fists several times, using it like a punching bag. I was feeling hot, in addition to feeling so agitated, which I suspect might be an allergic reaction to the radioactive material. (Penicillin makes me feel just like that: hot, agitated, angry.) There was no call button in the room, and the technician never came to check on me. Every time I went out to use the bathroom, the whole place looked deserted, nobody around.

My later research indicates that I probably spoiled the test results by being active instead of still. (My results are not available yet. I was told to call and ask in 3 to 4 business days.) The articles said that the scan could show false positive results, or look too blurry to interpret, if the patient had been moving. In fact, the articles said the patient should refrain from any physical exertion for the entire day before the scan -- no jogging, exercising, or even sex. The articles also said there are dietary restrictions, limit intake of carbs and sugar the day before, since the radioactive stuff interacts with your glucose levels. Well, nobody told me any of that.

As for the actual scan, it was not bad compared to the agony of being trapped in that little room. You lie on a narrow table with a pillow under your knees, and you can have pillows to elevate your head if you wish. They put a big double flap of some white cloth or plastic over my abdominal area. I don't know whether this was to protect my female organs, or to strap me down. I didn't feel any sensation of being tied down.

My clinic said they do not make patients remove bras, jewelry or watches, since the amount of metal in those things is so small it doesn't interfere with the image. (Most articles about PET scans say to remove all metal from your body). I wore my own clothes and shoes, not a hospital gown. They just said to remove your belt because of the buckle. I didn't have any metal in my pants pockets, but I suppose men would have coins and keys in their pockets, and would have to remove those.  

My only serious physical problem with the scan was that I had to lay there with arms over my head for 30 minutes, while the table moved me slowly back and forth into the scanning machine (a big doughnut thing open on both ends, like a regular CT machine. You can see them on YouTube). I have arthritis in my shoulders. After about 15 minutes I started getting pain in my shoulders, and by the time the 30 minutes had passed, the pain was so excruciating I was ready to start crying again. Then it was all over with and they let me escape!  I was never so glad to get out of a place!

I am not sure (will ask doctor) what radioactive chemical was injected into me. According to Wikipedia and other sources, the radioactive tracer chemical most commonly used is "Fludeoxyglucose (18F) (INN), or fludeoxyglucose F 18 (USAN and USP), also commonly called fluorodeoxyglucose and abbreviated FDG, 18F-FDG or FDG." Articles said they may also inject you with other drugs at the same time. I have to find out if they gave me anything else that could have caused the bad reaction. Anyway, FDG is considered to be "safe" (haha, it's radioactive! Yeah, that's real safe!) and disappear from the body within a few hours. I kept feeling agitated for six hours after the injection, and thereafter felt weak and sick. I felt droopy, beat up and sick for the next three days, am only beginning to feel more normal today. My blood pressure went up 25 points shortly after the scan (no telling how high it got while I was pacing around), and it's still high today. I am still getting nauseated every time I eat a meal.

Anybody remember the 1950s horror movies about atomic monsters? People or small animals would get contaminated by radiation and grow to a gigantic size, or go crazy and destroy the nearest city. I feel like what happened to me was "Attack of the 50-Foot Woman." My agitation was so bad I think I could have torn down a building with my bare hands.

Here are a couple of articles about the chemicals and the PET scan; many more are available. As I said, I wish I had read all this stuff ahead of time. I found a survey of PET scan patients that said over 50% of them had not been given any information at all about the scan before they had it, so patient education is a real problem.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fludeoxyglucose_(18F) Article about FDG drug.

https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/cancerwise/2015/04/getting-a-pet-scan-what-to-expect.html short article

https://www.insideradiology.com.au/pet-scan/ long article

Cricket, best wishes to you and Joe. I hope his diagnosis and treatment result in success. I will keep you both in my prayers.

 

Coffeecup, I am so sorry that this was such a horrible experience for you.  I hope you are o.k..

All I can say is shame on your doctor and the staff at the radiology place for not recognizing your unease and not explaining things to you.  Shame on them.

[lovemesomejoolery]

7 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Oh, okay.  For me we have a ranch, so no steps in the door.  I use Cat's Pride Fresh 'n Light, and for the 15# jug, it was $7.50 on Chewy, and I bought enough for us and for my mom, to qualify for free shipping.  Had it in 2 days.  May have been on sale, can't remember.

I envy your ranch - I'm in a 3 level townhome and have to carry my litter to the third floor!

I checked Chewy and they have my litter on sale for $10.29 for a 25# box.  It's normally $19.99 on Chewy - Target is $10.99. 

I think I'm going to get 4 boxes, just so I have it.  Scoop Away unscented can be hard to find!  Then, my only challenge will be where to store it! 

[Fishy]

7 minutes ago, lovemesomejoolery said:

I envy your ranch - I'm in a 3 level townhome and have to carry my litter to the third floor!

I checked Chewy and they have my litter on sale for $10.29 for a 25# box.  It's normally $19.99 on Chewy - Target is $10.99. 

I think I'm going to get 4 boxes, just so I have it.  Scoop Away unscented can be hard to find!  Then, my only challenge will be where to store it! 

And Chewy had my litter for : $24.37 Cat's Pride Premium Fresh & Light Fragrance Free Multi-Cat Scoopable Cat Litter 28 lbs

and my pet store has same size product for $12.98.  I'm not getting a deal with Chewy.  ETA - that is a sale price, but even regular price 16.98 is no comparison to Chewy.  Go figure.

Edited June 17, 2017 by Fishy

[lovemesomejoolery]

Just now, Fishy said:

And Chewy had my litter for : $24.37 Cat's Pride Premium Fresh & Light Fragrance Free Multi-Cat Scoopable Cat Litter 28 lbs

and my pet store has same size product for $12.98.  I'm not getting a deal with Chewy.

Yeah, this was my experience when I first checked it out many months ago.  I don't mind paying a tiny bit more for the service of having it to my door, but double is tough to swallow.  I just placed an order though for 4 boxes since it's on sale and a bit less expensive, so I won't have to think about for the next three months, at least.

[Cricket]

10 hours ago, SentimentalLady said:

We got you @Cricket.  Hopefully you will get good news.

Than you, SL. I never slept so hard in my life last night. I think this is the most emotionally exhausted I have ever been

[zxy556575]

That's horrible, @Coffeecup. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience

Many years ago I had a 6-hour glucose tolerance test for low blood sugar that required me to remain in the clinic the whole time. I got frantically hungry in the middle of it and ate some crackers from a vending machine. When my doctor was reviewing the results, he mentioned that my glucose was very low at one point but then self corrected. Sure. If by self-corrected, you mean Wheat Thins. I never admitted to him that I had spoiled the result. You're definitely not alone.

3 hours ago, lovemesomejoolery said:

All I can say is shame on your doctor and the staff at the radiology place for not recognizing your unease and not explaining things to you. Shame on them.

Apologies in advance to what I'm sure are many wonderful people who work in these fields, but my experience has been that medical techs (x-ray, CT scans, phlebotomists, cardiac stress tests, pulmonary function, etc.) are pretty cold -- their goal is to get people in and out. No chat, no explanations, no reassurances. I have what I suppose is a mild phobia about eating things I find disgusting, which unfortunately includes barium. The last time I was scheduled for a barium swallow test, I was anxious and upset and carefully explained to the Radiologist and assistant that I was probably going to gag and to please not shout at me. Which I did, and they did. Sorry for ruining YOUR day, guys!

[editorgrrl]

On 6/16/2017 at 9:44 AM, SentimentalLady said:

Is anyone familiar with Cool Off towelettes? I found out about them from a menopause discussion. I loved to use one after walking in the summer. I can't find them anywhere. 

 

9 hours ago, editorgrrl said:

The main ingredients were witch hazel, alcohol, glycerin, and aloe. You could try Dickinson's witch hazel wipes: http://www.dickinsonsusa.com/skin-care-products/original-witch-hazel/refreshingly-clean-towelettes/

I get them at Walgreens/Duane Reade to clean my face after yoga on the beach.

 

9 hours ago, SentimentalLady said:

I will try them. I thought the Cool Off were herbal. I hate when you find something you love and then it's gone.

I probably shouldn't tell you this, because then the placebo effect won't work. Cool Off "icy cold herbal infused towelettes" are no longer for sale, and their website is gone.

Here are the ingredients: https://web.archive.org/web/20100621091420/http://www.thequickchill.com:80/ingredients.asp (I love the Wayback Machine.)

I suspect the company (It’s 2 Cool, Ltd.) was shut down for false advertising, and the product was just witch hazel wipes that smelled good from the added ingredients. (I love Dickinson's wipes, but hate the smell. YMMV.)