The OS Doorstep - a helpful and supportive thread in these tough times

Possession

Thanks Softstuff I will take a look.
Mar just reading that made me wince! Hope it settles down quickly.

mardatha

Feeling a lot better, eating porridge.. (with salt not syrup lol)

nursemaggie

Oh Mar 12 year old dentists are a sign of old age. Take it easy for a few days and put your feet up. I once told a Dr she did not look old enough to have finished her training. She ended up one of the best Drs I have ever had.

I had mumps in my thirties. I had both kids off school one with mumps and the other with German measles. Had been the other way round the week before. They weren't ill at all but I had a temperature of 104 and I got into trouble for not having dinner ready when EH came in from work.

Kidcat Hugs, hugs and more hugs and I hope it goes away.

Get well soon for all the poorlies.

One more present to wrap and I'm done. I managed to get all the knitting done but boy did I struggle with a pompom for DGDs hat. Don't think I have made one for about 40 years.

Still waiting for yet another plumber to fix the leak in the bay window roof this will be the fourth. At least it is not dripping at the moment.

The Christie Hospital again this week to see my oncologist and for a CT scan. Appointments only ten minutes apart but neither department is willing to change it's appointment. Of course they are almost at opposite ends of the hospital.

SpikyHedgehog

I had various tabs open on my phone last night ready to repsond to various posts and then I went upstairs and the internet on my phone reset causing me to lose them all... That will teach me to use new-fangled technology gizmos So I hope I've remembered everything I wanted to say, and hugs to all who need them!

Possession, I agree with everything fuddle says .

I've not done caring for older people, but used to look after my nephew for my sister - Denephew1 is 8 months older than DS1, so it worked well for the boys being close in age. But not well in that sis rather expected me to put the needs of her son ahead of the needs of my son. Or me... I washed Denephew1's nappies, I took him to doctors' appts, I didn't see my friends because his behaviour was too difficult for me to take him with me and I always had him. If I'd been childminding a random child, I'd have told his mother I couldn't do it anymore.

But it was my sister, so even giving her 3 months notice that when I went on maternity leave with DS2, I wouldn't be able to have him anymore as looking after the 3 children would be too much, caused huge amounts of stress in that she complained to all who'd listen about how unreasonable I was, and because they all knew me as well, I got told that. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Helping out with family and friends as an occasional thing - that works, I think. But something that you have to commit to doing whatever your own family situation? Only when you're able to say to the employing people 'can't do it anymore, sorry, bye'.

chickens11, oh Sheila, how scary! But you were in the right place for it to happen and quickly get the care you needed.

((((kidcat))))

stiltwalker, I put bicarb and lavender oil in the bath for the boys when they had chicken pox and we had no excessive itching. I was very pleased with that for DS1 as he's my eczema boy who's skin used to be awful and I was dreading infected spots for him. Looking back, DS2's lack of itchiness was probably his sensory issues as he doesn't feel anything he can't see unless it is a bad pain. Hoping Miss Stiltwalker gets to the Frozen party on time!

ivyleaf, glad your op went fine and hoping your hips are feeling better now.

mardatha, I suppose these 12 year old dentists probably have good eyesight for sorting our teeth and smaller hands are all the better for getting in our mouths! Hope your mouth feels better soon and you're able to eat more than porridge, good as it is.

nuttyp, hope the antibiotics and steroids have you feeling better soon, that pooch's eye is better soon and that DD gets the apprenticeship!

monnagran, my baby sister had chicken pox when she was 15 and she was so ill that mum thought it was meningitis till she saw the rash and recognised it from us older ones having it. Baby sis kindly shared it with Denephew1 and his dad - Denephew1 was fine and his dad was off work for 2 months as he was so ill.

DS2 had a huge meltdown earlier triggered by my refusing to give him money to go and get bubble gum. Thank goodness for my friend who talked him down so he agreed to come home.

camelot1001

Morning, I woke up early so thought I would catch up, so many of you are having a rough time, thoughts and hugs are with you.

Mardatha - I hope your mouth is healing, such a sore thing, I feel for you.
Possession - My gut feeling would be a no, too tying and I fear that more and more will be put on you. Also, although they will be paying you it's not as much as they would have to pay for professional care which could be their underlying idea. Nice that they feel they can ask you though.
Oh dear stiltwalker, your poor DD, just when you thought she was getting better. Hopefully she will be ok for the party and the big day itself.
chickens, ivyleaf and softstuff, hope you are all feeling better, recovery takes a while so take extra care of yourselves.

The builder and crew arrived yesterday to lift the floorboards in my room and replace them, the floor is now level, the oak flooring will be arriving today and should be laid on Saturday morning. It looks like we may have enough operating bedrooms for between Christmas and New Year, DS2 will be here for a couple of days then and I am sleeping in his room! I need to get my act together this week and paint the walls now.

Had a good catch up with my best friends yesterday, had a late lunch/early tea and it was lovely. Meeting another friend for a coffee late this afternoon - such a busy week when I want to be painting!!

Look after yourselves at this busy time of year.

SpikyHedgehog

You say oak flooring, Camelot 1001, and I see age darkened wide slabs of oak flooring, as found in the museum in my town - it's an Elizabethan mansion that was left to the town for a park & museum.

It's funny how we picture things using our experiences :-).

DS2 wet the bed again last night, & his waterproof sheet isn't anymore... This us particularly annoying as when we saw the paediatrician, he'd stooped wetting the bed, so I told the paed that. & since then, we've had intermittent bed wetting again. Hey ho, at least the washing machine works.

ivyleaf

(((HUGS))) Spiky, it sounds as though he's very hard work though of course he can't help it x

Possession Thinking about it I think others are right, it's hard to say No to friends but would be even harder to stop looking after the dear man when you needed to without feeling guilty about it.

Talking of young specialists, a friend of mine asked for a second opinion when she needed an operation and her consultant didn't feel able to do it safely; he referred her to another one who was more experienced at treating that particular problem with surgery; my friend said she was about fourteen but she agreed to have a go and helped my friend a lot.

And I remember another friend saying dispiritedly that her boss's new boss was "twelve....I suppose he might just about be thirteen."

Get well soon Mar , chickens and nuttyp xxx

softstuff So glad you're feeling better I'm fine now, they were just "having a look" and there isn't even much bleeding.

maggie how annoying about your appointments, and of course they were bound to be at opposite ends of the hospital. I think in that situation I'd start by going to whichever one was nearer the hospital entrance and ask how many people were in front of you as it were, then ask them to ring the other dept and see how many were in front of you there, and do things in that order IYSWIM, making sure the dept you're going to second knows that you have arrived at the hospital and are waiting to see someone else. So awkward though.

Amused to see that our little Christmas tree has a new adornment today - a crocheted Tardis with a sprig of crocheted holly on its roof, made for OH by DD1 :rotfl:

nursemaggie

Ivyleaf I already spent £11 in phone calls trying to sort it out. Neither will budge an inch. It is not so easy as that any way as I have to be there 1 hour before my oncology appointment to have blood tests. If they get behind I will not be able to leave the clinical trials department until my blood test results are with my Dr.

Did you know the NHS has their own system of sanctions? Technically either department can discharge me for being late. What it is most likely to mean is that I am still waiting for transport home after 9pm. The CT scan was ordered by my oncologist and he will be expecting the result to be there.

At the hospital where I went before we moved here when anyone looked at your notes on computer they would get all your booked appointments come up so CT dept would have known I had an appointment only 10 minutes before and would not have made the appointment. I am required to be in each department around an or or possibly longer.

I can't believe one of the so called best hospitals in Europe can have such an antiquated system it does not know where it's patents are supposed to be at any time.

Expecting a builder this morning so far have had two phone calls one not giving me any time to answer the other spoke to me in I think an Indian language but was not sure as it was rather noisy.

camelot1001

SpikyHedgehog wrote: »

You say oak flooring, Camelot 1001, and I see age darkened wide slabs of oak flooring, as found in the museum in my town - it's an Elizabethan mansion that was left to the town for a park & museum.

If only! It is just ordinary oak flooring but it is now in the house so that's a huge start! When we moved here last year I wanted carpets in all the bedrooms for warmth, etc. I have only had one bedroom carpeted and wish I hadn't done it! I hadn't realised that you can't move furniture easily to clean, etc. DD had a wooden floor in her room and it looks lovely and is quite warm. I think the other house we were in was just too old, cold and draughty. I think downstairs will have wood too when I get around to doing it.

Right, off to work, 3 more days till the holidays! Take care. XX

greenbee

I'm planning on having hard floors throughout too, Camelot. Carpet just seems to trap dirt! As long as floors are properly laid and sealed (and skirtings properly fitted) then there is no reason why wood should be cold. And you can always put down rugs (which can be cleaned/replaced more easily than carpet) for softness.

At the moment I have floorboards upstairs (damaged and draughty - previous residents had huge holes made in them for burglar alarm and satellite TV wiring; I've had the plumbing and electrics redone) with lots of rugs over the worst bits. In the last house I found it was cheaper to replace all the floorboards than it was to have decent carpet put down. I'm hoping I'll find the same here, although it is messy.

Downstairs I have concrete. Very cold. Currently covered with rugs, carpet offcuts and vinyl offcuts. The vinyl is least successful as some bits of the concrete are 'sweating' under it. But it's temporary till I get hard floors (stone/wood/tile/bamboo... not sure which or in which rooms) down. WHich I need to save up for, along with bathrooms and a kitchen!