make do and mend for tougher times

Popperwell

Hi Homerdog,
And welcome...nice to see you!

MrsCD

I have just read the last 4 pages, so if I'm a bit late in replying, please excuse me

Fuddle - when you start your cleaning company, you could market yourself as Old Style Cleaning, and clean windows with vinegar & newspaper, which would save on your costs! Bicarb & vinegar for drains etc.

Gailey - I refuse to be sucked into FB. I think it's one of the worst things ever invented IMO Hope hammy's OK. We've only had guinea pigs and a rabbit, so not really much help, sorry.

Popperwell

Well that was an eventful day PAH,
Turned out better than expected I suppose in the end but I would be tired after that carry on...

meme30

kittie wrote: »

now the blackberries are out, blackberry vodka
http://www.badgerbushcraft.com/wild-food/how-to-make-blackberry-vodka-recipe.htm

I made some last season and it was loverly. Nice for christmas presents

That sounds great. I have started some Lime Vodka today, I will treat it like Lemonchello....add water with the sugar. It turns 1 litre into 2 litres and is not so 'neat' if that makes any sense!
I will be adding Blackberry picking to my Sloe picking on my hols.:rotfl:

ginnyknit

Gailey re -hamster, have you changed the type of bedding you use, it could be that irritating its skin or a vitamin deficiency. 1 of my rescue guinea pigs has the sam problem and Im thinking vitamins so am feeding them lots of fresh clover, dandelions and various seeds, its not in any discomfort just a bit bald

welcome Homerdog, great to meet you

SpikyHedgehog

kidcat wrote: »

Hi hippyman

HJ - thank you

Gailey - I would ask on hamster forums about the ham, when we had hams they were a source of good information.

Have been to doctors this morning, and was dismissed with another prescription for painkillers. I pointed out that I wanted further investigation and treatment options but she was a nurse and not really willing to even consider it. She pointed out that back issues were usually just managed rather than fixed. I took the prescription and tried to make a doctor appointment but the earliest is end of Sept.

I then got a call to say she had reconsidered and having read my notes decided to send me to have a chest xray (err its my back) and have my bloods done as she thinks I am anaemic. Yes I probably am and yes I have had pneumonia three times however I have had a bad back for six years please deal with that - but no I have to do these first then see a doctor to see if he will authorise more tests.:wall:

The only plus being that she has given me better painkillers and they wont make me ill (I ended up being very sick yesterday - OH was not happy to walk into me clutching a bucket) and she did say it was clear I was in considerable pain and that if the new meds dont stop the pain she will have a doctor look into morphine :eek::eek:

Managed to get to Ald! on way back and its stunning to see price rises from just a few days ago. OH has promised to clear out cupboard space in store cupboard for me on MOnday and then we will go do a big stock up.

Kidcat, when my asthma is playing up, I get horrible backache and with the recurrent pneumonia, I can see that an x-ray to check what's up with your lungs could well be a good idea.

kidcat wrote: »

Gailey have a look here for the ham

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/

they are usually very good.

Vets charge indefinate amounts, although I believe if you have one in your local p@ts @ home store they do fixed price stuff so maybe worth a call.

Smiley - thank you, am past being angry now, have taken the new painkillers and they do appear to make it bearable without the nausea and wooziness.
Am going to go for the tests and insist on seeing a proper doctor when the results are back, odds are that the bloods will come back with anaemia so a doctor will call me to go in and I am going to press for MRI and whatever else I can.
Mum and dad have said that if need be they will pay for me to be seen privately and get treatment options even if they have to take a loan out - which I am not prepared to do, however I can claim some costs for tests back through OH health scheme at work so will be looking into whether it would cover that sort of thing.

Dad is also saying I should apply now for DLA, arguing that it would cover me having to pay for help around the house when OH is working, but am not so keen on the idea as it feels like I would be saying this is going to be forever.

Lisa that sounds a really cool idea and something I may steal for one day after Christmas.

I saw the chimney things in Mr T last week for £15 and was tempted but walked away but if we did something like that I would definitely buy one.

Ooh, I was going to say Hamster Central too but couldn't earlier as I was on my phone!

kidcat wrote: »

Gailey I cant see how the ham would have picked up fleas if its not been near anything to catch them, cats and dogs obviously go out and mix so can catch them easily but hams usually dont mix. It may be something simple like an allergy to a change in bedding but I am no expert, we had two that I loved dearly but when they died I would replace them as they were alot of work and one turned out to be houdini with his escaping and the resulting panic tears and recriminations were all too much to bear.

Am not sure if you have a PDSA anywhere near, whilst you probably do not qualify for free treatment the may be willing to allow you to pay for treatment - which is bound to be cheaper than a normal vets. Our branch does this but some do not, I think its luck of the draw.

I've just been struggling with a flea infestation on the cat which has meant I've had to spray the whole house and I've seen no flea on either hamster (thank goodness because I can cope with putting Frontline on the cat, but flea treatment for hamsters would be tricky!)

kidcat

Welcome homerdog


PAH - I thought it was only me that had them sort of days I have found more and more that Arg@s is not the shop it was, I rarely use it any more preferring to go elsewhere.

Spiky - you are right and when my pneumonia was bad it did irritate my back, but my back is damaged from my last pregnancy so whilst its definitely an irritant its not the cause IYSWIM.

My mum had a really bad headache yesterday that has moved into her neck (her words)but I cannot persuade her to visit the doctor, my dad has tried but she wont go so tomorrow I may well have to drag kids to hers and get tough, ironic as DD says that she has been moaning at me to get seen this week!!!

When we had hams I never had a flea issue with them even when the cats had them, and our rabbit never seems to get them either, am treating house and cats at moment but rabbit is still clear so I assume they dont cross species.

DS had yet another adventure earlier - he managed to get his legs stuck through the beams of his bed, was so stuck I had to climb his ladder and dismantle the side of his bed. Relatively difficult if fit and mobile, horrendous if you are already in pain and struggling to walk. Worse if you have a panicked 8 year old crying. He kept asking why do these things keep happening to me? I must admit I was thinking something similar

New pain meds are useless and have had no effect whatsoever. Beginning to wonder if I wouldnt be better ditching all the meds and trying all these alcohol recipes instead - I figure it would at least be more fun

Katie I have tried fudge a few years ago and never got it right, there was a wonderful recipe for Baileys fudge I was trying, it was such a shame, OH used it as a sauce on ice cream. So hats off for succeeding

prepareathome

Kidcat the problem is that as they have not investigated your back they don't know what is causing your pain, so a painkiller that might help with nerve pain won't with muscle. I am on Oxycontin and Oxynorm and yes it help the fibro/MS/ME pain but never touches my back pain - I rarely feel the pain in my back but referred to deep in my left hip. The pain as I only found out earlier this year is because my disks at bottom of back are fused together, born like that and never knew as yet no painkiller I have been given even touches that pain. Doctors answer to that was an exercise sheet, which while will help the muscles but admitted pain is from the bones rubbing together as there is some movement between them, so no much use really. Neither do they touch Migraines, again different things hurting but I cannot take any other pain meds with these so its an either or for me, so you need to get tough with your doctor, I know easy for me to say, but if not you are going to go through the whole pharmacopia before you find something that helps.

Low dose morphine didn't help me and higher dose flattened me, so I didn't feel the pain as I was asleep the whole time, hence doctor tried these and at least can function with them. What I am trying to show you is there is no one size fits all in pain meds except high dose morphine which is not much use for most people. If they find out exactly what is wrong with your back they might be able to come up with the right pain med for it.

Hoping you get a doctor to listen to you soon.

Hugs and Lovexxxx

prepareathome

Homerdog nice to meet you.

Gailey you are a great mum, dealing with 3 little ones is tiring, house will get done, enjoying your children is more important. Hope hamster is ok, cannot help as although we had quite a few hamsters over the years they all were healthy and died of old age completely white aged around 3, we were very lucky.

Right better try and sleep as son wants me to babysit in morning so will be here at 9.30am to pick me up.

Hugs and Love to allxxx

mcculloch29

I've never had a bald hamster either, but I did have a balding guinea pig and it turned out to be an ovarian cyst playing havoc with her hormones. An operation sorted her, not sure if that is practical for a hammy though if it proves to be the problem. I didn't think Ginny Guinea would come through her op, as piggies aren't tough, but she did. She eventually died of old age at 6 and a half, bless her.