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Subject: Cat's Corner

Posted by: Catreona
Date: Nov 11 20

A virtual blog to post updates on my mother's illness and other thoughts

629 replies. On page 12 of 32 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
Catreona star


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The audiobook didn't go much of anywhere. Mom would listen to it for a while and go to sleep. That's not altogether a bad thing to my mind. Surely, an audiobook is preferable to cable news!

Sis found another audiobook, this one a novel from the early Twentieth Century by an author from Boston, Mom's hometown. Again, it kept Mom's interest for a while,though not long enough to finish it. Sis is mildly distressed that the audiobook experiment was not a success. I'm not so sure. Mom knows they're there. She'll get back to one or other when she's ready.

Reply #221. May 30 21, 2:30 PM

MiraJane star


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I'm glad your sister has agreed to do some exercises with your mother. As I recall, your sister had the attitude of "mom won't improve why bother to try any exercises with her?"

Reply #222. May 31 21, 8:29 AM
Catreona star


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To some extent, but also, "You're not a PT. What do you know? I'm not going to bother with anything *you* suggest!" Now that a bona fide expert has seen Mom and recommended a specific course of exercises, she's more amenable...thank goodness!

Reply #223. May 31 21, 12:58 PM

brm50diboll star


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I just played your new quiz "Chemistry for the Non Chemist" and found it excellent! Well done! In all fairness, I may have violated the spirit of the quiz by playing it at all as I possess a BS in Chemistry (1985, summa cum laude) from Texas A&M University in College Station and therefore may not properly qualify as a non Chemist. But I can't pass up the opportunity to play science quizzes sometimes.

Reply #224. Jun 02 21, 11:24 AM
Catreona star


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Thank you, Brian! There didn't seem to be any basic Chemistry quizzes. Actually, it's helpful to know that somebody who is qualified as a chemist thinks it's all right. Now I need to get busy on my next quiz for Adventures in Authoring.

BTW mirabile dictu, not only did the plumber come on Monday, but so far /knock on wood/ his fix is holding! So, that's one less thing for Dad to worry about.

Reply #225. Jun 02 21, 4:11 PM

Catreona star


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Hi guys, sorry I haven't been around for a while. Not feeling well, in any sense of that term. Physical therapy evaluation coming up on Wednesday. Hope I can make it till then. Seems like it's getting harder and more painful to walk by the day.

The only thing I've been able to concentrate on is reading Star Trek novels, which is a pleasant diversion. Strangely, the "Star Trek Books" subcategory of Literature contains only mixed quizzes, no quizzes on individual novels. Another gap for me to fill when I feel well enough to write quizzes. Checking Westerns I also see, to my surprise, there are no quizzes on "Riders of the Purple Sage" or "The Rainbow Trail". How can you have a Westerns section without quizzes on Zane Grey's best known novels? Sometimes the lacuna on Fun Trivia really puzzle me.

Reply #226. Jun 12 21, 4:14 PM

Catreona star


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Going in for my PT evaluation today with a total stranger. And my PT friend Carolyn did *not* say, "Don't worry. She's nice. You'll like her." So, I'm rather apprehensive.

Reply #227. Jun 16 21, 9:00 AM

postcards2go star


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I hope it worked out well for you.

Reply #228. Jun 16 21, 2:14 PM
Catreona star


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Got home about an hour and a half ago. PT evaluation took about an hour and went well, though I'm weaker than I realized. If just the evaluation exhausted me, I dread to think what the actual sessions will do. But it's in a good cause.

Though Sis said Mom was in some distress the whole time we were gone, as soon as I went in to report she was able to focus and ask pertinent questions and express appropriate reactions, if with difficulty. As soon as I turned away to go into the kitchen though, she relapsed. Very distressing.

Reply #229. Jun 16 21, 2:19 PM

Catreona star


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Wonderful news! Engelbert got an MBE in the Queen's birthday honors.

It's been a long time coming. Of course his fans all think it should have been a knighthood. And it's a pity Patricia didn't live to see it. But it's something, and he's soooo pleased.

Reply #230. Jun 16 21, 2:51 PM

MiraJane star


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Cat, evaluations are more exhausting and difficult than actual PT sessions. Evaluations push you to your limit and your are requested to do things you have great difficulty doing. The sessions are gentler and start at a slow pace. Yes, you will feel tired afterwards. But it will feel like a good tired.

Your mom went through the same thing you did. She saved up her energy to ask about your appt. Then, exhausted, she "relapsed", as you put it. It takes a lot for her to do a little. Look on the bright side. She knew beforehand about your appt. she understood what it was for. She saved up her energy to ask relevant questions. Sounds like a good evelopment from your mom.

Reply #231. Jun 17 21, 5:20 PM
Catreona star


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It's been quite a while since I last had PT... too long. Was supposed to start back in March of last year. Neeless to say, that was a wash out. And before that I hadn't been back for my yearly stint for a couple of years at least. It stinks being unable to drive and thus being at the mercy of other people's schedules and priorities.

Scheduling was difficult, so rather than the Tuesdays and Fridays Dad and I agreed on, sessions will be once a week through next week, then twice but if memory serves they are consecutive days, which is far from ideal. It's going well so far, I guess. But, even with the exercises to do at home, it still seems like every day I struggle more and have more pain. *shrug* That's just how it goes, I guess.

Reply #232. Jul 02 21, 8:12 PM

Catreona star


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Small triumphs. Today I got 20 for 20 in The Daily Game and 15 for 15 in The Monster Quiz.

Reply #233. Jul 14 21, 9:10 PM

postcards2go star


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All triumphs are good triumphs. And, it always feels good to get all the questions correct for any game... even the Easy game, in which I'm quite capable of getting a wrong answer.

How is your PT going? Less pain, I hope.

Reply #234. Jul 15 21, 1:49 PM
Catreona star


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No less pain, alas. But something must be going right, because Wednesday after my session I had less difficulty getting in the car than usual.

The current thought is that the main culprit is my scoliosis: Apparently, the more sedentary I become, the more intensely the curvature of the spine tightens certain muscles through the pelvis and hip, leading to pain, for which I compensate with distorted posture and bad gait habits, which leads to further tightness and more pain, etc., etc., and so forth. I need to do a lot of stretching exercises as well as some strengthening ones. It's all rather discouraging, except for the occasional bright spot like Wednesday. As a rule, getting in the car is a struggle. Even a small reduction of that struggle is mighty welcome!

Reply #235. Jul 16 21, 2:00 PM

Catreona star


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A while back I read an article saying that pecans are helpful for lowering both high blood pressure and high cholesterol. So, I got a one pound bag of roasted pecans, and found that I very much enjoy them. I prefer pecan pie, but my waistline doesn't need it. :( So, today it occurred to me to wonder whether there might be deleterious effects to eating roasted pecans compulsively. Here's the link to the article that popped up:

link https://www.lybrate.com/topic/benefits-of-pecans-and-its-side-effects

The short answer is, no ill effects. But it's amazing all the health benefits that are listed. Glad I read that initial article and acted upon it.

Reply #236. Jul 16 21, 2:18 PM

Catreona star


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My mother died about 10:30 tonight, being Saturday, July Seventeenth. I want to thank you, my friends, for all your love and support during her illness.

Reply #237. Jul 17 21, 10:30 PM

LadyNym star


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I am so very sorry to hear this, Cat. Wishing you and the rest of your family comfort and peace during this difficult time.

Reply #238. Jul 18 21, 5:35 AM
Dagny1 star


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Oh, Cat, I'm so sorry to hear that. Condolences to you and the rest of her family.

Reply #239. Jul 18 21, 9:12 AM
postcards2go star


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Cat, I am so sorry. I hope that you and your family can find comfort knowing that she was surrounded by love (even if she wasn't always happy about it). My thoughts are with you and your sister and dad (especially your dad), and all the other family and friends who will miss your mom.

Reply #240. Jul 18 21, 10:36 AM


629 replies. On page 12 of 32 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
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