Old Style Ways and Poor Health part 2.

Shropshirelass

Hi Polly, Rosie is now Queen of DS 's flat, of course, it's funny to hear how quickly he has fallen into all the subtle traps, she sleeps on his bed, has trained him in her favourite food/which of his meals she requires, when she needs brushing or tickling. She drinks water from a bowl in the bath, though she also has a complicated system of timed water and food supply for when he is away. Neighbour pops in to check on her, but Rosie doesn't go outside. Vet has been keeping tabs, and is very happy with her. I am really pleased DS has company, he often works 10 o r 12 hour days at home.

pollyanna_26

Shropshirelass said:

Hi Polly, Rosie is now Queen of DS 's flat, of course, it's funny to hear how quickly he has fallen into all the subtle traps, she sleeps on his bed, has trained him in her favourite food/which of his meals she requires, when she needs brushing or tickling. She drinks water from a bowl in the bath, though she also has a complicated system of timed water and food supply for when he is away. Neighbour pops in to check on her, but Rosie doesn't go outside. Vet has been keeping tabs, and is very happy with her. I am really pleased DS has company, he often works 10 o r 12 hour days at home.

Oh so glad Rosie has found a loving forever home. I sometimes think there is a secret cat manual know only to a few with advice on how to go from lonely and unloved to ruling the new home.

Little Black and White kleptomaniac cat has read that. Her brother is still his usual what day is it self. Happy to plod along and only concerned with when mealtime is and what's on the menu in the care home next door.

I don't know if you've ever seen the Gif of the street cat gang sharpening their claws on nail files. They often offer to release Larry from No !0. Little black cat is like them but I doubt she'd go more than a few feet to rescue anyone.

Sometimes she'll have a little stroke and fuss then the teeth and claws appear and you need to back off. It must trigger some distant memory of the neglect in the past.

Rosie must be very good company for your son. I have missed a cat more since Covid but many of the rescues are outdoor cats , dds two have a cat flap and two very big gardens and don't venture off the property. Our last cat was killed by a hit and run outside a neighbours house years ago and was the last cat to live here.

I've been meaning to get back here for some time. I wonder how everyone is managing with the now very long virus.

DDs last proper in the surgery appt with Superdoc was Feb 14th 2020. The one two weeks later was already cancelled with a Stay indoors phone call from Our G|P. Nurses were going in to do Bloods , Asthma and other checks.

Practice manager has kept in touch. Rheumo appt was cancelled twice at the Hospital due to a big spike and many patients.

She had her consultant apt just over a week ago and all seems ok except they want to find better meds for the Psoriatic Arthritis as it's raging out of control.

I would say we managed pretty ok for most of last year. Things went a bit downhill about November. The decisions weren't following the science, the numbers were going up and there were three varients active here and in many other areas.

In my opinion the worst decision was the hug your family Festive seaon. I stayed home by choice as did other family and friends . By the time we reached January figures were soaring in many regions.

Although everyday things were different from the norm last year as we adapted to hands,face space and chose the best times to go out and when to stay in I've found the last few months harder.

I know some here live in tourist areas. Last year was bad here but this year is worse . Allowing outdoor drinking ,  meals started it , then the football  , tourism reopening , school holidays just begun.

I haven't been out since 23rd June. Today I planned to go shoppping , sort meds and go to dds. She said tomorrow would be better. I avoid weekend taxi drivers and crowds. Been doing that long before the pandemic.

Info locally today was town was a no go area. Described as like Black Friday and the worst ever Festive shopping day ever.

Youngest had a massive meltdown on 23rd June. First in a long time. It is the first time I've felt like walking away.

It was dark when I got home, sat in the armchair . Woke next morning still in my coat and ankle boots with the shopping bags still in the hall.

I sat on my hands. No email or message so sent her a message about her Rheumo appt . it had been rearranged again 9am.No reply.

I said it's up to you and added her NHS and Hospital No. Reply next morning I thought I answered your emails. She's very near the hospital so BF still working from home offered to go with her. Which was fine.

She's been very quiet. I did let here know she had really upset me but no comment.

So the Stay home call on the landline this week.  I'm hoping she's seeing some sense. I'm not the one moving goal  posts and not supporting the ECV this time. They did start ordering locally last yearand managed ok.

Everything was going pretty well but sometimes you need to have your own say. I'm very patient  but there are times to stand up for youself.

pollyx

KxMx

pollyanna_26 said:

KxMx said:

I had some good news today.

Due to the delay with OT the Social Housing provider has been very gracious and given me Band C on the strength of current medical evidence.

Once I've had my assessment they will look at upgrading me to Band B.

So now I can start the bidding process and start on the list making of everything I will need... 

I hope things have progressed for you now. It's a while since I've posted here so fingers crossed you are getting somewhere .

pollyx

Yes and no really, I've bid on two suitable flats and came in at number 12 first time, number 8 second time.

That is much higher than I expected to place so soon, which is very good. Obviously even at Band C the medical points (adapted code, needs level access shower) count for a lot. The longer I'm on the system as well the more points I will accumulate that side of things. 

No word yet about the assessment. Now I can bid and not doing badly at all, it's not so important. Would still like it since it gives me a chance of moving up to Band B. 

I haven't started the lists either been putting it off, but I really need to. I have been doing loads of decluttering though both personal items and house stuff we don't need.
Mum wants to move as well after I go so the more I do now the less I'll have to do later.

I also need to decide when to change my benefits from ESA to UC.
I'd like the UC in place prior to the move so instead moving stress + the stress of a change in benefits + applying for housing payment I only have to do two of those!  I won't be worse off financially indeed I think +£22 a week or something like that. 

MingVase

Caught up but not a lot ot say, just relaxing and knitting and gardening and watching the world make a total mess of everything

pollyanna_26

MingVase said:

Caught up but not a lot ot say, just relaxing and knitting and gardening and watching the world make a total mess of everything

I can't believe how hot it is and supposed to get hotter. I've got the big fan aimed at the laptop again. It's playing up again- gone to italic

For anyone who loves the sun enjoy. I need to do some gardening was going to get shopping etc before Freedom Day but it seems it's worse than ever in town. Might just go to the little Coop instead I'm craving ice cream but expect many others are too. First day of the school holidays so picnics, barbies etc. It's not normally busy but think it will be today.

Gardening might have to be in the evening.

pollyx

MrsCD

I like the sunshine but can't be doing with the heat. It totally drains me and I just want to sleep!
Remember to slip, slop, slap if you are out in the sunshine over the next few days especially.

Shropshirelass

I've been craving ice cream too, but our deep freeze is on the blink for over a week now. Fridge part is OK, luckily. It means we have had to buy meat every few days, instead of getting in an order every few weeks, and also buy fresh veg, less frozen. Fridge/freezer is 5 years old now, and advice is it is hardly worth the expense of repair. Repair firm engineer promised to come back yesterday with spare part to try, but did not arrive.... I can see we will end up having to buy new.

I've been having nasty problems for a few months now, possible diagnosis is colitis. Have managed to persuade GP to prescribe Asacol, as suggested by the Consultant I saw who did colonoscopy. (Why are GP s so unhelpful?) So I hope that will help. Have been living mainly on eggs, cream crackers, bananas and pears for a few weeks, as they seem to like me best, as they stay with me the longest! I think there may be a connection to arthritis, but I'm really reluctant to mention this to GP.

I'm loving the warm weather, I usually feel the cold, it's great to wear sandals and a tee-shirt dress.

mothernerd

I've been outside (stayed inside yesterday and did lots of sleeping - think I needed it). Nearly finished the side fence, 6 x 1 m container bags along the fence (stapled to the bottom of the panel, bag is roughly the depth of the concrete support panel), 2 x 8' raised beds in front. This morning I've lined the second raised bed with weedproof fabric (to stop soil leaking through the slats when it's dry, started to fill it with soil and done lots of 'tidying up'.

DS2 and his beloved are coming at 3 pm (they've been in N. Ireland for a week, visiting her mother) so stopped shortly after 2 pm, had a shower, washed my hair and scrubbed the base of the shower whilst I was sitting there (I bought a rubber bristle broom which is supposedly for pet hair but it's greatly simplified the task of cleaning the shower. Wearing a brand new dress (had it for months as I bought a couple in the same style as ones I've had for 3 years, but in different colours.

Mum had a bit of a blow up mid week (too boring to go into) and I just sat there and let it all come out. I have refuted a couple of things since, calmly and quietly. We have some sort of bug, mum is worse than me (had a cough for several weeks, feeling sick and overstuffed after eating and very little energy). She's been eating mostly tinned soups, rice pudding and tinned fruit. I've been asking if she wants some, whenever I'm cooking (I've also had lots of things like a couple of apples and a pieces of cheese) and tried to include items to tempt her to eat on the shopping list. 

She claimed that she had been living on bread and jam and believes I am buying all sorts of exotic foodstuffs which I'm hiding in my room. So when this week's order came I listed all the things I'd bought - 3 loaves (I've intended to make up some tuna butties and freeze them for when I'm too tired to cook, but someone keeps eating all the bread so I bought extra), apples, bananas and grapes (I've also bought strawberries and watermelon in recent weeks as she likes those), her favourite cheese because she only had grated left, choc mint yoghurts. She was eating dips with carrots, celery and other sticks so I've kept buying those.

She also complained about me using sheets (was actually a coverlet). She thought I'd been in her room and taken a gold bedspread when I'd actually pulled it out of one of the 4 storage drawers in my room (mostly filled with bedding that mum doesn't use) one night when the temperature dropped. When it became apparent that I was going to be at mum's bungalow for longer than the initial 12 week lockdown, I asked DS3 to send some of my sheets. I've since reverted to using as many of the ones in the drawers as I can, rather than them keeping the drawer warm.

My MH isn't great atm so I'm taking steps to remedy that. There's a lot about the situation that I can't change but I need to include more 'me' things and keep them up. Starting with going for a daily walk (outside the gates) and not being locked in at 6 pm (ihave explained that I can work in the garden in the evenings when It's cooler. I think mum is afraid of me 'escaping' even as she denies that she needs me.

Nearly finished the current stage of the garden so next week I'll go to 'overwhelmed' mode. This is something I got from pinterest and it's basically we all need food, we all need clean clothes (one positive about lockdown is that I've mostly worn 'past their best' clothes, covered in paint, dirt and full of holes - I sewed a large seam across the middle of one when the holes got so large my buttock was threatening to fall out) and we all need to pay bills (mine are on direct debit so I interpret that as anything urgent - appointments to book or go to, tax returns, mundane things like putting the bins out). The woman said to start with what food you are going to eat Today. When you know what needs doing today, you can think about the next week and then the rest of the month.

As has been said before, many housework tasks can be left undone when you're having a bad day (some almost infinitely). So Food, Clothes, Bills, Today, This Week, Rest of the Month is very simple (because when things are 'bad' all the things that 'help' desert us) and helps me focus on what I have to do. I have several prioritising lists/ ideas as well - putting everything that is bothering you/ needs doing down on paper, then it's not whirling about in your head and then picking one task and ignoring the rest until that one is done.

pollyanna_26

MrsCD said:

I like the sunshine but can't be doing with the heat. It totally drains me and I just want to sleep!
Remember to slip, slop, slap if you are out in the sunshine over the next few days especially.

I like sun and gentle warmth. Real heat , humidity and sleepless nights aren't for me. We normally have a bit of gentle breeze blowing in but it's not happening today.

It's looking like Monday will have to be shopping day. Probably a bad idea on Freedom Day. I will have my suncream. face mask etc. I've dug out a rarely worn sun hat. I've had a thing about wearing one since mum used to be tying on the sunbonnets mind you I was doing the same thing with my youngsters.

DD2 was a rebel she'd be hiding the sun hat while the cat was busy ridding himself of his collar. He was a bit like Six Dinners Sid, he was friendly with the birds except for Seagulls who he fought. At one point he had 3 big bells on his collar, In he'd come no collar. Sometimes hanging washing out I'd spot one of more hanging from branches.

For any of us venturing out on Monday remember the Paddington Hard Stare aka The Don't mess with me face.

Forgot the sunglasses but they're already in my bag.

pollyx

pollyanna_26

KxMx You would be wise to sort out moving to UC asap. DWP are overwhelmed. They've taken on extra staff . I read this morning they're opening temporary office to try to work through the back log.

My dd is on enhanced PIP . Are you able to claim that? Her ESA SG was granted on paper last time . It used to much easier when everything was medical evidence and no long forms or face to face assessments. Her PIP is overdue but they're leaving it until all the backlogs are sorted.

It's a good idea to pack what you can as you wait. It will take a lot of stress and effort out of the situation. As long as you label boxes etc it should be easy yo find something you may need.

Did you used to post on Mooloo's threads ? I recognise your user name but not sure where from.

pollyx