What's upsetting you today?

[kerosene]

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus

I'll see your 18 percent and raise you 20 percent.

From here.

I don't know if that's a local increase or a national increase for Xcel's customers.

CRAP! Arg.


I am sorry about your woes, Clod.

[Clodfobble]

It's okay, I'm better today. I did end up telling Mr. Clod about the crap from yesterday, but only after hemming and hawing about how it was only going to upset him, so he was basically obligated not to get upset. I'm no good at keeping stuff to myself anyway.

[kerosene]

The hemming and hawing is useful sometimes. Glad to hear you got it off your chest.

[Sundae]

First Uncle Jim, now my sister.
Anyone else in my family want to go into hospital?

Excerpt from Mum's email that I picked up this morning (names replaced of course):

L is in hospital. We took her in just after 7pm to Ward 7 - Plastics and Hand Ward. She is having an operation either tonight or in the morning. She injured her hand last night trying to separate frozen chops. The knife went in her hand. Yes I know we have all done something stupid like this and got away with it. She wasn't so lucky.

G wanted her to go to SMH [local hospital] last night but she didn't think it was bad enough. Just a tiny wound. This morning her hand has swollen up. At school she showed it to a First Aider and was advised seeing a nurse or going to A & E [Accident & Emergency].

L waited until after lunch as they had the Schools Inspectors in and she didn't want to let the class down. She popped down to the old Elmhurst Surgery to see a nurse. Found it closed on a Wed afternoon so came to us to arrange for us to pick up [the children] and arrange their teas while she went to A & E.

At SMH she had a long wait. They called a plastic surgeon down from the ward and he wanted to admit her then and there. She and G had 4 houses to view tonight so she said she couldn't stay then. He told her to come back to ward 7 (in the new hospital) after 7pm and bring overnight clothes. She still thought she would be coming home when we took her to the ward.

G phoned a while ago to say she has been admitted. We were waiting for a call to collect her tonight. The hand is infected. She is on antibiotics and they need to open up the hand. G is very upset that she will get more infections in there. He said L sounded very upset at not coming home and they didn't have a bed on the ward, so God knows where she will end up.

second email:

L had her op in the early hours. She texted G just after 04.00 to say she was back on the ward. Has a drip up for the antibiotics and hand heavily bandaged in a sling to keep it upright so it drains.

She has texted me twice and I phoned her. She sounds tired and of course worried about the kids and G coping.

They cleaned out the infection and she has nicked two tendons. L has been told she will be in hospital again tonight. They may have to take her down again to wash the hand out if the wound still looks infected.

[Sundae]

Update.
The balloons she refers to are the balloon bouquet I sent. They don't allow flowers on that ward.

L looked well this afternoon and the balloons looked great, blowing all over the place. Thousands of brownie points there. Her hand was stinging but not painful. Nothing more said about going back to theatre. See what they say Friday (I'm typing this Thursday evening), but they told her she would be there till Saturday anyway. They want to keep an eye on her. I suppose if the bed were needed for something more serious they would let her go, but it's better she stays or she will be using the hand running around after the children. G looked awful when he came home from work. Shell-shocked. He brought home pizza for their tea. They had sausage and chips from the chip shop last night. A said "If mum stays in until Saturday can we have KFC Friday night". They are loving having take-aways. They usually only get them on holiday. Bugger that mum is in hospital after having an operation. Kids!

She seems to be out of danger. But in this country any hospital stay is always concerning because they usually want you out asap. They must have been quite concerned.

[Sundae]

Not that I post here to get a response, but am a little disappointed that two of my family have health problems that I have been quite concerned about, and three days later no-one has even given me a "oh, that happened to my cousin Tom and he's a CEO of a multi-national with 16 children now..." anecdote.

S'okay. I'm getting by just worrying. It's an internet forum not a support group after all, I remember.

[HungLikeJesus]

Oh, that happened to my cousin Tom and he's a CEO of a multi-national with 16 children now.

[Clodfobble]

Sorry, Sundae--I was supporting you in my head, I promise. Sometimes I forget to actually type out reactions to posts. I do hope everyone starts feeling better very soon.

[kerosene]

Well...I did once slice open my hand with a box cutter. Oh, and a chainsaw. Those weren't as bad as they sound, though.

I am very sorry, Sundae. I don't really have any specific experiences to relate to yours, but I sure hope your family members recover quickly.

[footfootfoot]

I am just about ready to start shooting up heroin. My MIL has only been here about 10 hours and already she has tried to burn down the house. In one of her OCD beverage management moments she tried to turn the stove on.

Most people pour a cup of coffee from the coffee pot and drink it, maybe they add milk or half and half or a little sugar. She pours the coffee and then heats up milk and soy milk together then makes a 50/50 mix. OK fine. Then she takes two or three sips and adds some stevia. The she asks where the sugar is. I point to the ICONIC, if you have ever been in a diner in your entire life, sugar dispenser. She touches the dispenser and I say "Yes". She then moves her hand to a jar of garlic powder and asks "THIS?" No, the first thing you touched. She picks up the garlic powder. "Is this it?" "No, it's in the other jar, THE SUGAR DISPENSER, the one you just had your hand on." "Where's the other sugar? I thought you had brown sugar." "We're out, we need to get more."
Pours some sugar into her hand and walks back to the table and puts a small amount into her coffee and dumps the rest half on her plate and half on the table then dusts off her hands over the floor. Sure feed the ants, why not share the wealth?

By now the coffee has gotten cold so she goes up to the stove and again tries to light it to heat up water this time to thin down the coffee. She turns the burner on FULL past "Light" so propane starts to fill the kitchen. She turns it off agin. Then all the way on again, leaving the gas running she asks "Why won't this light?" I get up and walk over to the stove, turn off the gas and say "This stove doesn't have a pilot light, do you see the word 'light'? You turn the knob to 'light' and that lights the burner. Then you adjust the flame."

The inch asks what a pilot light is and I explain pilot lights vs piezo ignitors to him and he gets it. "The spark makes the gas go 'VOOOM'."

She is in automataton mode most of the time. Youliterally have to follow her around the kitchen. She wanted to make toast the other night and seeing the toaster was full, instead of waiting, like a normal person would do, she jsut shoved her bread down on top of the bread that was already in the toaster. The she wanted to heat up the last five tablespoons of soup in the pot so she (managed to) light the stove and put the burner on max and walked away. When she isn't busy trying to burn the house down or blow us all to smithereens she's rambling about The second world war and how thay have to steal potatoes and coal, etc etc.

She did arrive with a pile of gifts for the inch, as usual age innappropriate. Something for a person two years older than him with about 976 small chokable parts for his one year old sister to enjoy too. Nice going. And now dad (the buzzkill) has to explain why we aren't going to open all the bags of chokables so they can be spread all over the house. Thanks OMA.

Finally, this same woman who has had numerous car accidents caused by her dreamstate driving, wants to, are you ready?

Take the children somewhere in her car.

What the fucking fuck? We aren't even happy with her taking them around the block. Thank god she's too stupid to figure out how to install a car seat or she'd try to sneak them, I'm sure. The inch is almost reday for a booster seat, then we have to come up with plan B. She thinks we are unreasonable in not allowing her to drive them places. We think she is just dangerously inept and innattentive.

ok I'm done for now

[DanaC]

Soz SG, started typing something as a response, then J arrived at my house and I closed the page intending to go back to it later.....then didn't:P

How's your mum? Is she coping okay? This must be a horrib;y worrying time for her.

3foot, dear God she sounds like a handful!

[Clodfobble]

Foot, has she been examined by a doctor for Alzheimers? It sounds like she's not just a nuisance, she's incapable of living safely on her own. At least you seem to have Mrs. Foot onboard with the idea that her mother shall not take the children out alone, better to have her own daughter confronting her on these things.

[footfootfoot]

Clod,
She doesn't need doctors because Jesus will take care of everything. Seriously. She once told me straight faced, when I mentioned I was looking for a career mentor, that Jesus would eb my mentor. I calmly explained that I was thinking more of someone who had photographic experience, she told me he could help me with that too-- it's in the bible...

More breaking news as events unfold-- I'm having a sanity break.

[DanaC]

How long has she been this way, foot?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

It sounds like she's not just a nuisance, she's incapable of living safely on her own.

I agree, she should live with her daughter.