When it rains...and idiocy abounds

 Hello everyone!  I write this post from the hospital...again.  No, not for me.  Our son Rubic was in a car accident and broke his leg.  He had surgery yesterday to fix the breaks.  He now has a rod and pins in his leg.  So, yea, 2022 hasn't changed things much.  The hits keep coming or in other words when it rains it pours.  

Rubic went to work Monday and was due home at 7:30.  At 8 I was getting concerned.  By 9 I was kinda irked.  By 9:30 I was calling 911.  They had a deputy call me back; who said to call the emergency rooms and jails to see if he was there.  He was very helpful in giving me the numbers of all the surrounding jails.  I thanked him.  I started with the ER cause I didn't think my child was arrested.  The ER was a good bet as that was where he was.  Had been there for 7.5 hours.  He had asked them to call us, but they didn't.  I know they were busy, but I am listed in his chart.

  When we got to the ER, we had our obligatory mask on.  We had to stop, though, in the middle of the ER in order to have our picture taken for our visitor pass.  "Please remove your mask so I can get your picture"; I'm asked.  I oblige.  Then proceed to stand there for 5 minutes, mask-less, while she adjusts her camera to take my picture.  So for 5 minutes I was LAID BARE, exposed to the RONA that was lurking in the ER!  One could also say I was spewing my germs all over the poor unsuspecting patients in the ER.  All for just a picture.  A picture, I might add, of my bare face.  Had I committed some infraction while there, their security camera footage would have shown my masked face.  Why do I need a picture of an unmasked face?  Once that was done I had to re-don my mask to go see Rubic.  

We get back to his room in the ER and are told he has tested positive for Covid.  I explain to them that he had Covid in December and what the test probably picked up was the residue from that.  No matter.  He was a Covid patient!  He was now a HOSPITALIZED COVID PATIENT who was really only there due to a car accident and broken leg.  We stayed with him about 4 hours while we waited for a room.  I would put my mask on when someone came in, but other than that...

I came back the next morning and stayed with him for at least another 4 hours before he went into surgery.  Again, same thing with the mask.  After surgery, when he went to his permanent room, I was there with him or another 4 hours til visiting hours were over.  Same mask policy.  At no time was I told I needed to change what I was doing.  I wore a mask in hallways, and public spaces, but in the room with my son, who was also mask-less, I didn't.  I was allowed to come and go as I pleased.  

I was told I would need to call before coming up today to make sure the doctor wrote orders for me to be able to visit....cause...he has covid ya know.  It's policy.  I'm like...uh..but I've been with him this whole time.  Didn't matter.  Ooooookay.  So I call today to see if I can now come visit.  I'm told that IF the doctor writes the order, the policy is that I will have to stay in the room with him and can't leave until he is discharge AND I have to wear Full PPE; a gown, n95 mask, gloves, and face shield THE WHOLE TIME I"M THERE!  I try to explain that I've been with him this whole time, why this?  It's hospital policy.  If it's hospital policy, why wasn't his enforced in the ER or on the floor yesterday?  I'm told, I don't know.  It's just policy.  They did talk to the doctor ,who wrote an exemption that says I can come visit and go, but I still have to wear the PPE the whole time I'm there.  

So, I came to visit and like a good girl I don my PPE.  For the record, an N95 mask is hard enough to breath in; add a face shield in front and it's near impossible.  Plus the face shield fogs up and you can't see!  Not too long after I got there, his nurse comes in.  She is gowned, and masked, but no shield.  Off goes my face shield.  I will take my guidance from the staff.  After all, when she leaves there, she's going into another patients room.  I'm not, so if it's okay for her.....

 To my credit, I managed to keep the other PPE on about 4.5 hours.  Even when one of his doctors come in to see him.  This happens to be the doctor that wrote the order for me to visit that included all the PPE to be worn.  Might I state that he came in with no gown, gloves, or face shield.  Even so, I kept mine on until later when I was attempting to help them get Rubic up for a procedure.  The gown kept falling off, and getting in the way.  My hubby laughed as I ripped the gown off.  I was done.  I'll wear the mask.  That's it.  Again, good enough for the doctor is good enough for me.

All of this, even though I had been with him from the get go, he no longer had covid( just residue), and for a virus that has a 99% survival rate.  All of this even though their policy is inconsistently followed. 

*** I want to note here, that the care my son has received thru far has been exemplary.  Aside from the not calling me in the beginning, his nurses from ER to Floor have been great and his surgeon, wonderful.  

This hospital isn't alone; I'm sure.  From what I hear, New York hospitals are allowing covid positive nurses to work as long as they are asymptomatic.  They have to do this because they've lost so many of their staff  due to mandates.  So if they're allowing covid positive nurses to work; why all the fuss over PPE?  Cause seriously, there are other medical workers( and that includes doctors thank you very much) that just haven't been tested for Covid who are probably positive and are caring for patients.   They don't have to tested because they've been vaccinated.  Yet we know now that you can still spread this virus even when vaccinated.  You can still get it too, but that's another vent.

I don't vent about this because I want special treatment.  I don't vent about this because I want things harder for healthcare workers.  I share a kinship with them.  I used to be one and my husband is still.  I know how hard they work.  I know how doctors can sometimes be...er uh, jerks; not all, but some.  I don't vent about this because I don't care about others.  That is the furthest thing from the truth.

I vent about this because all of this Theater is useless.  It's that; Theater.  N95 masks that haven't been fitted and are on someone unaccustomed to wearing them is a liability not an asset.  The same goes for gowns, and shields.  In addition all of that stuff has to be correctly worn at all times, correctly removed, correctly discarded, and only worn for a short period of time.  In addition, consistency is key.  That means all people, at all times, have to wear all of it in order to have even the smallest chance of success.  One person breaks for even a second, that virus has an opening.  Plus, even if all the cases stop, and we remove all the PPE, Restrictions, Mandates, and Closings; that virus is still out there, and we start all over.  

Remember "15 days to slow the spread"?  It was never referred to as "15 days to stop the spread".  The original intent was to keep the spread of the virus down to keep from overwhelming the hospitals so they had time to prepare.  I was on board with that.  But, as with anything even remotely logical, let the politicians and the bureaucrats get ahold of it and it morphs into a giant ball of idiocy.

I also vent about this for all of the families who had to make a choice weather to be at the hospital from the get go in full PPE, to advocate for their loved one, or be home taking care of their family.  I vent for the ones who chose to come and wear the get up because they wanted to be there for a family member who suffered from Dementia, Alzheimer, or mental illness.  I vent for those dementia, Alzheimer, or mental illness patients that found themselves in a strange place with no one they new and their one connection to a loved one was severed by a mask, gloves, gown and face shield.  I vent for those who chose to come and donned the gear only to still get covid, and still spread it.  I vent for those who weren't allowed to come regardless and were unable to say goodbye to a family before they passed.  Had I been in that situation, and even in this one, I would have gladly packed a cooler with whatever I needed to sustain me for the time and stayed confined to my sons room for the duration.  That's more of a doable solution than the PPE.  

Sorry such a long vent.  I hope your coffee isn't cold.  Maybe you finished it while reading this.  Hopefully.  I just had to get this out, and this blog is more of a journal I'm willing to share.  Thank you for reading.  Have a blessed day.

Navigating "Bare Shelves"

 Good morning!  I should say "Good very early morning".  It's 3:45 am, as in A.M I insane!  Uh yea.  Well.  I just couldn't sleep.  I slept like a rock until about 1 a.m.  I woke up and my mind started racing thinking of everything from the chickens, the garden, baking, to a song I haven't heard in YEARS!  Now what triggered that!?  Seriously.  My brain is always trying to entertain me.  Problem is, it thinks I need entertaining in the middle of the night.  

I gave up trying to go back to sleep at about 2:30.  Instead, I came into the kitchen and made a batch of Granola and currently have dough rising for some bread.  I also made coffee.  Ummmm good coffee.  Don't worry, coffee doesn't keep me up.  It probably figures "why bother" the brain is handling that issue.  

While puttering around in the kitchen, and listening to a podcast, I began to think of pantry things, grocery store things, etc.  I've kinda had my own version of a pantry challenge this month.  It isn't a "No buy" challenge, but rather a "Buy only what's on a good sale" challenge.  It's served us well in that I have a little over $100 left in my grocery budget and 2 weeks left before I get my next allotment.  I'm saved this week in that there is absolutely nothing on a good sale this week.  

Last week, I did pick up a few things on sale, and gathered a few pics of what I saw. 

STOP!

We interrupt this post to tell you that we have moved forward a few days since the previous was written.  That's what happens sometimes.  Plans change, things have to be adjusted.

Okay, carry on.

As you can see in the above pictures, even my neck of the woods isn't immune from the current supply line issues plaguing the world.  Because of that I made some changes yesterday and decided, since there was nothing on sale and I still had plenty left in my budget, I opted to add to the pantry anything I was running low on IF the price was still unchanged and it was still in stock.  Yesterday was that trip, and I have to say the shelves were low, low, low at Aldi.  Some things I managed to add were baking cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, canned tomatoes ( garden didn't produce all we needed), sweetened condensed milk( still cheap at Aldi and the only canned milk available), and Worcestershire sauce.  Things missing from their inventory?  Half their meat counter was empty.  No containers of yogurt except some of the non fat individual containers.  Their salsa had gone up a bit in price and there was one flat of mild salsa available.  Nothing else.  The bread isle was about 25% stocked.  Cracker isle about half stocked.  Coffee section had been reduced to one shelf set and one shelf of that set had coffee on it(still not full).  There were a lot of bare areas, and raised prices.  You could see where they had spread items out to fill shelf space to cover bare areas.  Still left out of there with $20 in grocery money left.  So that was good.  

While I did pick up a few things at the store, my focus has been on using up items in the pantry and/or repurposing leftovers into new meals.  I've also been making sure to make more of what we need to have here.  

I've also had to get creative with how I purchase groceries.  I bought another 50lb bag of carrots from a local produce store recently.  

Because I bought such a large amount I got them for .50 a lb.  That's a great price even before inflation.  I've canned all but about 15lbs.  The 15 lbs will be used for roasting.  Alas I did discover that canned carrots don't make the best roasted carrots.  

Since milk here is around $3.15 a gallon, I checked at the local produce store to see if the price for the non-homogenized milk had risen.  It hasn't...yet.  It still remains $4.99 gallon.  With that small a difference, I'm opting for the non-homogenized.  It's better for us, and tastes way better too.  I did some figuring and found if, in addition to drinking, I use that milk for making yogurt instead of buying yogurt, I'll come out better than buying the less expensive milk and yogurt.  Granted I could make yogurt too with the less expensive milk, but I prefer the non homogenized if I can get it.  Plus, with both the carrots and milk I'm supporting two local businesses.  Now if things get really crazy or the price of the non homogenized milk goes up(and it probably will), I'll have to switch back, but for now; this works.  

Watching for sales has helped immensely.  The one caveat is that I need to be at the store the day the sale starts.  If I'm not, chances are I won't get what I'm going after.  Sometimes I still don't.   One thing I've noticed is the independent stores in my area tend to have a better supply of sale items than their corporate competitors.  That may be because their over all prices are higher and so the cheaper stores; Aldi, Walmart, and Kroger get picked over first.  Not sure if that's a reason, but maybe.  It does make me feel better to be able to shop the independent stores for some things to support them if I can.  They are local and tend to buy local.  Unfortunately, I can't afford to do all of my grocery shopping there. 

Gas is still a factor, and so many times I find myself opting to buy something that may be a few cents more simply because I would spend more in gas to get the cheaper item.  Yesterday's trip to Aldi only came about because I was already in the area.  Within a 10 mile (one way) drive there is a Walmart, Kroger, Ingles (independent store), and Quality foods (independent store).  To get to an Aldi or Sams, I would need to drive almost twice that one way.  

I ramble on about all of this to say; I'm handling inflation and Bare Shelves by:

1)  Thinking outside the box when it comes to how I buy groceries.  Buying in bulk can help, but look at the price per ounce, lb., unit before you do.  Bulk isn't necessarily the best price.  Don't assume it is.  That being said, if it works out to be the case; jump on it if you can.

2)  Make more at home from scratch!  

3)  Watch for sales!

4)  Support local businesses when you can

5)  Factor in more than just price when shopping; i.e. time, gas, etc.

6)  This one I didn't list, but it's through out my post and that is stick to whole food items rather than highly processed items.  Stay away from boxed cereals, boxed dinners, ready made snacks, etc.  You can buy much more whole food with the same dollars used to buy the boxed/ processed.  Opt instead for your own recipes (or ones on the internet), Granola, cookies, cereal bars, Popcorn!  

7)  Trade in your sodas, bottled water, and other bottled drinks for home brewed ice tea (made with real sugar! and you control the amount), homemade lemonade, or just plain water.  Trade in your fruit juices for whole fruits or infused water that you make with tap water and sliced fruit (sliced oranges are our favorite)

8) Opt to get as much as you can from whatever your buy.  I saved the peelings from the carrots I bought to use in making chicken or beef broth.  I found beef ribs marked down at an independent grocery store in my area.  Their marked down price was the same as the price for beef soup bones.  I opted for the ribs because I can cook them, removed the meat and use the bones for beef broth to can or freeze.  Buy whole bone in chickens and use every last bit you can from it.  You can get meat, broth, fat, and even chicken livers for your hubby to use when fishing( sometimes).  Same goes for beef.  Get the bone in, which is usually tastier and cheaper anyway, and save the bones in the freezer until you have enough to make a batch of broth

Hopefully you've found something in here worth while.  My over all point is to think over what you can do in your situation to stretch that penny.  Pinch it til it screams for mercy.  Tis fact still holds true.  If you earn a penny; it's taxed.  Only a saved penny is truly earned.  

So how are you pinching pennies?  Comment below and let us all know!

  

OH YES HE DID!

 Good morning all!  While off to a shaky start, 2022 is looking up.  From yesterday morning, over night, and even now, Einstein has had NO supplemental oxygen and has been maintaining a normal O2 level on his own.  He still has a way to go to get his strength back, but he's out of the woods.  

As I've mentioned, our doctor is and was phenomenal through this whole ordeal.  In our opinion, it was his quality of care that kept our son out of the hospital, and I would be even so bold as to say; alive.  I can't thank him enough.  

I've forwarded, with his permission, the list of over the counter supplements to friends and family currently dealing with their own covid cases, and, I'm sorry to say, without adequate medical care.  My sister commented that he was treating half of Georgia!  I texted him this and he responded that was perfectly fine.  For that reason, I'm going to post that list here for anyone to use.  These are supplements bought over the counter. 

 Do with it what you will.  

VITAMIN C 3000 MGS DAILY -(We divided it up into three 1000 mgs doses per day)

VITAMIN D 3 WITH K 2-  5000 IU A DAY. We bought ours at Amazon IT'S ONE PILL

ZINC 100-200 MG DAILY - divided into 2 doses a day

QUERCETIN- 250 MG DAILY-  this helps the Zinc work better.  Again, we got ours at Amazon it;s one pill

ASPIRIN- 325 MG DAILY-  This is one adult strength tablet

PEPSID- 40 MG TWICE A DAY-  He did write a prescription for this only because the prescription strength was cheaper than buying that much over the counter.  It isn't for stomach issues.  It's immune support

MAGNESIUM- 500 MG A DAY- one pill

MELATONIN- 6 MG AT NIGHT- This isn't for sleep.  It's immune support.

B COMPLEX- DAILY- one pill

***SLEEP ON THE SIDE OR BELLY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

*** ADD 1 TSP OF PEROXIDE TO A 1.5 OZ BOTTLE OF SALINE NASEL SPRAY.  USE THE SPRAY IN EACH NOSTRIL THREE TIMES A DAY

***GARGLE WITH A 1-1 RATIO OF WATER AND PEROXIDE THREE TIMES A DAY

*** GO TO THE ER IF THE O2 FALLS BELOW 94 OR RESPIRATORY RATE IS GREATER THAN 20

*** DON'T HAVE AN INCENTIVE SPIROMETER?  That's the little thing the hospital gets you to blow into to make the ball rise to the top.  You don't need one.  Buy a bag of balloons.  Blow them up and let the air out.  Repeat.  Works like a charm and you're entertained as well(smile)

We ordered an Oxygen monitor for about $15 at Walmart.  Worth it. 

These are the things our doctor told us to do in addition to prescriptions he wrote.  Hope this helps

Off to a Shaky Start

Just had our Christmas today.  So I guess you can say we will have two in the year 2022.  It's been a challenge this season with everything going on in our lives.  This year, 2022, is a continuation it seems.  

Einstein had an upper respiratory infection about a month ago.  He was tested for Covid and was negative.  He was given two Z packs to take; the first one was for days 1-5.  On day 10 he was to start the second one.  He did, and took his last pill on Dec 22nd.  

He started to feel bad on Dec 24th.  He told me on Dec 26th that he was running a fever and coughing again.  I called my doctor, who got us in the next day.  Einstein tested positive for Covid.  My Doctor threw the book at it.  Seriously, a litany of prescriptions and over the counter things for him to do to fight it.  Einstein began to feel better.  New years day, one week after he first began to feel better, he began again to run a fever.  His congestion came back.  Once again I called my doctor( now his doctor).  New Years day, and on a Saturday, the doctor asks if we can have him into the office by 4:30.  This Doctor opened his office on a holiday/weekend for our son.  I can't tell you how much that means to us.  Doctor checks him out and says basically, the Covid is gone for the most part.  He said it's done what it was going to do.  Problem is, Einstein's immune system is already weakened due to his bout with an upper respiratory infection.  Though it fought Covid, it ended up over reacting and is now in over drive.  In the doctors words "We have to cool him down".   Some meds were changed, and this new battle started.   This morning was the hardest.  

When he struggles to breath in the morning, there are times I'm terrified.  There's another part of me that sees God's hand in this helping us thru.  Our Doctor has been Phenomenal.  Yesterday I texted his office with an update on how Einstein was struggling.  I thought the nurse would tell the doctor when the office opened on Monday.  Within a few minutes our doctor was texting me things to do to help our son thru this.  This morning I texted the doctor again about what was going on, and he called to help us out.  This man is the best doctor I have ever had or even heard about.  Having him as our doctor is worth  it's weight in Gold.  He's a God send.  We needed O2 for our son, and were able to get it.  We needed a nebulizer in a place where non are available.  My sister had one.  These are things I look at when I fear.  While it's hard to keep fear at bay, it helps me to hold on, knowing that these things were put in place ahead of time by God.  

Tonight, as I lay on the sofa within ear shot of our son's room ( that's been my bed for the last few days), and prayed for our son as well as other members of our family dealing with their own Covid illness ( but primarily our son); I asked God "How did you do it?"  "How were you able to watch your son go thru what he did?"  It was in no way a slight to God's parenting techniques.  Rather it was an amazing realization of the love it took for US, and more personally, me for God to send his son, and for Jesus to go.  My mind can't comprehend it.  I can tell you this; it wasn't an easy thing for God to send his Son; to watch him rejected and killed by the very ones he came to save.   It was love for us that drove him.

As much as I love our son, God loves him more.  We can never out love God.  Never!  

That's what I'll hold to.