November 2010 Grocery Challenge

Picklepud

hi all

small spend tonight 8.56 had to get DD cookery for tomorrow chocolate, margarine and double cream.. profiterroles yum.. got good few whoopsies, cooked meat x 4, potatoes, sausage rolls, coriander, parsnips, (cakes ) finest beefburgers, thai curry fresh ingrediants.. not a bad haul - sure there was more but that is all I can remember.

Do main shopping tomorrow so fingers crossed for a good one

katholicos

Hippeechiq wrote: »

Hope you don't mind me asking Katholicos, just wondering how your Dad is hun?

Of course i dont mind you asking, my dear

He's having a tough time but can't see an end to it really, think this is how it is going to be from now on. Yesterday the Oxygen engineer brought a concentrator out to their home and this will pull the oxygen from the air and supply it to Dad via a tube, but the engineer didn't fit the machine correctly so it will be properly installed at some point. It will be good for Dad as he won't have to use the oxygen bottles anymore which are inconvenient and have to be renewed regularly. He has another infection now but they occur very frequently these days/weeks. The consultant told mum and dad that people can survive on 24 hour oxygen for quite a number of years...it is a very depressing prospect for Dad though. We are just al hoping for his quality of life to be improved.

I so appreciate your concern

How are you feeling now, sweetie? Hope you are feeling a little better

(((big hugs)))

Frugal, if you read this, I do hope your Dad is doing alright.

____________________________________

Okay, just raided the boot of DD's car...haven of french fries and other junk food galore....I buy it for her from the clearance websites and she eats it on her commute and between lectures. She has a figure to kill for so she obviously hasn't inhereted my rather dumpling-like shape. Thank heavens!

munch....munch....munch...

sharronej

katholicos wrote: »

O

The consultant told mum and dad that people can survive on 24 hour oxygen for quite a number of years...it is a very depressing prospect for Dad though. We are just al hoping for his quality of life to be improved.

___________________________________

My mum had COPD which is a lung disease and she had the oxygen concentrator for years, it did help considerably and the consultant explained that the main benefit was that it sent the Oxygen around the other organs helping them to function. We also had a little oxygen tank which was the size of a large flask, it had it's own cover and I think it lasted a couple of hours so we could get out and about. She was funny though - used to take the oxygen tube off to go and have a cig at the back door, then came in coughing and spluttering, used her inhalers and put the oxygen back on :rotfl: That's determination!

Had to buy cat food this morning, really needed to go to Mr T but had walked to school with baby in pram and it looked like rain...very cold rain drops indeed so just called in a corner shop.

rosieben

katholicos wrote: »

... Yesterday the Oxygen engineer brought a concentrator out to their home and this will pull the oxygen from the air and supply it to Dad via a tube, but the engineer didn't fit the machine correctly so it will be properly installed at some point. It will be good for Dad as he won't have to use the oxygen bottles anymore which are inconvenient and have to be renewed regularly. He has another infection now but they occur very frequently these days/weeks. The consultant told mum and dad that people can survive on 24 hour oxygen for quite a number of years...it is a very depressing prospect for Dad though. We are just al hoping for his quality of life to be improved. ...

sorry to hear that katholicos, my aunt had an oxygen concentrator for many years. They are brilliant after the hassle we had briefly when she was using the heavy oxygen bottles. She also had some small portable bottles, white ones which gave 4 hours supply I think, so she could still get out a little; her surgery provided a mains powered nebuliser and she bought herself a rechargeabe/portable one to use in the car; it meant I was able to take her out shopping or just for a drive or for lunch some days

katholicos

sharronej wrote: »

My mum had COPD which is a lung disease and she had the oxygen concentrator for years, it did help considerably and the consultant explained that the main benefit was that it sent the Oxygen around the other organs helping them to function. We also had a little oxygen tank which was the size of a large flask, it had it's own cover and I think it lasted a couple of hours so we could get out and about. She was funny though - used to take the oxygen tube off to go and have a cig at the back door, then came in coughing and spluttering, used her inhalers and put the oxygen back on :rotfl: That's determination!

Had to buy cat food this morning, really needed to go to Mr T but had walked to school with baby in pram and it looked like rain...very cold rain drops indeed so just called in a corner shop.

That's an important point about oxygen reaching other organs, Dad (he has 40% of his lung functioning, COPD, emphysema and asbestosis) has a weak heart now due to the heart over compensating for the failing lungs so the more oxygen that can be dispersed around /to his organs, the better.

Your mentioning your mum nipping out for a crafty smoke bought back memories of my DD's gran, she died a couple of years ago but she used to have her puffer, then have a smoke, then have her puffer!

I used to smoke but gave up when i was diagnosed asthmatic following acute pneuomonia 10 years ago. I know a lot of smokers with lung problems who either refuse to give up, or who have the philosophy that since their time is running out they may as well enjoy their smokes while they can!

rosieben wrote: »

sorry to hear that katholicos, my aunt had an oxygen concentrator for many years. They are brilliant after the hassle we had briefly when she was using the heavy oxygen bottles. She also had some small portable bottles, white ones which gave 4 hours supply I think, so she could still get out a little; her surgery provided a mains powered nebuliser and she bought herself a rechargeabe/portable one to use in the car; it meant I was able to take her out shopping or just for a drive or for lunch some days

Thanks Rosieben. Dad has one of those portable oxygen bottles, but at the moment Dad's only outings have been to A and E. He literaly has not stepped out of the house for months apart from going to hospital. He had bladder problems bought one by a catheter not being properly cared for while Dad was last in hospital, and now that problem is much better he has this other chest infection...on top of that, he feels very self conscious as he regularly brings up copious amounts of rubbish that the specialist has told him MUST be spat out...so bless him, he doesn;t want to be doing that infront of people, even though he is discreet when doing so etc.

Hopefully though, he will get to a point where we can get him out a bit. He can take his portable oxygen with him. He has nebs every 4 hours and the nebuliser was issued by the doctors surgery so he realy is getting a lot of the stuff he needs, but it has taken many long months to get to this stage and he has no improved quality of life yet. Not that is discernable at present time, but hopefully things will get better for him. I think the portable nebuliser is a very good idea, we did see some in a chemist a while back and they look really good.

Thanks so much to you both Sharron and Rosieben (((hugs)))

cw18

katholicos wrote: »

I know a lot of smokers with lung problems who either refuse to give up, or who have the philosophy that since their time is running out they may as well enjoy their smokes while they can!

You can add my late MIL and late DH to the list of people that fall into the latter category of that comment.

My late MIL had chronic asthma (she had the plug in oxygen machine and a mains operated nebuliser - and my SIL and I lost count of the times someone would go into her bedroom and have to switch off the oxygen machine because she'd sparked up :eek:), but refused point blank to even cut back

My late DH had cancer which (as part of the secondary tumours) riddled his lungs - in fact the coughing up of blood was the first indication that anything was amiss. He kept telling me he was giving up (and kept telling the doctors that he had done), but when he was at home rather than in hospital (towards the end that was only only about 4 days in every 3 weeks) he'd have a smoke whenever his legs would get him to the front door - have to admit he never asked me to relax the 'no smoking in the house' rule, so I guess it could have been worse

Hippeechiq

Oh Cheryl BIG hugs to you hun :grouphug:

I'm really sorry to hear you're all having such a tough time of it Katholicos :grouphug:

I've been asthmatic all my life - accutely as a child, back in the days before there were such things as inhalers, and you used to have to dissolve a tablet under your tongue, which took 30 minutes to dissolve and another 30 to work, and it's very frightening not to be able to get your breath. It must be so wearing and draining for you all - especially your Dad.

On a positive note, it does sound like it's all coming together on getting him all the right and necessary treatment front and hopefully, once this infection has gone, and he's getting enough oxygen, which will put less pressure on his heart, he'll improve on the whole to how he is now, and he'll regain some quality of life.

I truly hope that the day where you are able to get him out for a while on short trips, comes soon, as I'm sure it would lift all of your spirits no end

And I'm feeling much better hun thanks - just occasionally have days where I'm running on empty, and blurt it all out on here. I'm sure you know the feeling well.

As my Dad has always said to me during tough periods in my life "Keep A Bright Light" hun

wssla00

Oh wow- how many people have crummy breathing/ asthma? Me too- pretty brittle! Have had a sub cut for ages but wasn't working so that's gone and getting the neb for the house and hoping the tabs will start working soon (well.... here's hoping!) or else I'll be back in hospital soon.... still at least I get free food which isn't counted in my GC when I'm in lol

A NSD for me today. Hugs to those who need them!!

rosieben

katholicos, Auntie's dr said she must always have a course of antibiotics ready to take if she felt an infection/cold etc starting up; it saved waiting the day or two to see the dr and get the prescription; I'll try and find the company we bought the mobile nebuliser from in case its of use to you, I ordered it on the internet for her

The only problem we had with the concentrator was in a power cut; luckily I moved next door to her so I was able run in and sort out the oxygen bottle. I have to say that the last suppliers (Air Products?), were absolutely brilliant

eta - I think I bought it from Maplins, but they only have one on the website

Menolly_2

cw18 wrote: »

Yep, I freeze sandwich meats too - and again I split into 'meal sized' portions first. Means I can vary what I have on my sandwiches throughout the week

I do this too - it means I can take advantage of any bogofs/special offers when I see them. I also freeze any freezable stuff that I find on the "Reduced" shelf at Tesco/Sainsbury etc if I think it will be useful.

Didn't find anything there yesterday that I wanted, and I had done my list on My Supermarket so was trying to stick to it. Had to buy coffee for the first time in weeks (lasts us ages as we only have a cup in the evening after dinner), also washing up liquid, because I bought the Daisy stuff last time and it really didn't last as well as Fairy - so paid the 0.22p more and will see if it really DOES last longer, LOL!

Am ridiculously chuffed each time the bill comes in under £80.00 and have to restrain the urge to do a Happy Dance at the tills :j

Still no job though - no-one wants me and I have sent off my CV and covering letter so many times . There was a perfect job last week - Facilities/P.A. 12 month maternity cover, but I don't even know whether they looked at my CV. Will phone the agency I had to send it through and tell them that the JobCentre has categorically told me to remove the dates from my CV (Reed Employment told me to put them back on, and I did) as there is an awful lot of age discrimination out there. You'd have thought I'd have a chance at a Maternity Cover job, being over 50 and not able to have babies anyway *sigh*. Trouble is, there are a lot of people out there looking for work............I'm just one of many. It would be nice just to get a crack at an interview, though