Fighting October and Barium Swallow TMI UPDATE

October 1991 was costly for me. I was taking 15 Semester hours at UAB and driving 100+ miles four days each week; one week it was six days. I became very ill, dropped one class and failed another, took antibiotics for 25 days of October. One week I was taking two antibiotics. I believe my new glasses were part of the problem.

The optometrist became angry because I would not get my lenses made there. She wanted me to leave my present glasses for four days. Before the exam, she assured me she could have the glasses made while I waited or just drop them off and come back a few hours later. After the exam, she said, "Give me your glasses." I asked how long she would need them. "For three or four days." I could not afford not to read for four days. So, she took the prescription pad and gave me a second prescription and told me to use that one, not the first one she gave me. It took me a month to figure out that I had filled a prescription that was not what I needed. The stress made me susceptible to illness.

I struggled to read, to breathe, to swallow, not to cough. My allergies bothered me more than they ever had. My ears hurt. I could not hear lectures. My throat was so sore I could not talk in class. I struggled to drive and not have a wreck. Sleep did not come. I was feverish for about 27 days. My eyes felt hot and watery. My sinuses were so congested  that my teeth hurt.

The next October, I had more of the same, just not quite so bad. Every October since, I have started getting sick. This year is not a bit different! I intend to just self-medicate and stave it off best I can. Only one other October since the one recounted have I needed antibiotics. But, regularly for over 20 years, October has been a rotten month because I struggle with allergies and fighting off illness.

Falling leaves, mold, and the window spreading them about are the culprits. It does  not help that October is also the month where the world closes in on itself, becoming dark sooner, and the chill causes my allergies to bother me. Patsy Cline and Thelma were out of their pen up to 8 pm this summer. Now, at 4:30 p.m., they are ready to settle down for the night. So, that is almost a four-hour difference in the prevailing hen mood.

As the world folds up early, I feel the need for company. Yet, there is not much to do in this town. Not only is it difficult to go since my back and knee need surgery, I just don't want to be bothered most days or nights. October is not my favorite month.

I don't hate October. It is such a hard month for me to get through.

Back to my feeling unwell and what I am doing for it.
So far:
pseudoephedrine
Guaifenesin
Chicken broth in a cup
Hall's Mentholyptus cough drops
hot cloth on my face (don't do steam)
Next:
Ruffles (crispy ridged potato chips)
one aspirin each day
Vicks salve on soles of my feet

If you are eating breakfast or have a weak stomach, STOP here.

Barium Swallow
Right now, I need something for my worsening sinus/ear/throat/chest condition, but I am fasting for a test at the hospital The endoscopy a few weeks ago showed no narrowing of my esophagus. Yet, I continue to have food not enter my stomach. Well, that is my perception. When I try to drink after something seems "stuck," I have whatever I am drinking come out my nose, go into my sinuses, and as I try to breathe, the liquid goes down the wrong way. It is horrendous because I feel as though I am drowning. Well, I cannot breathe. I tried to tell my friend on the phone what was happening, but I could not speak.

My perception--food "gets stuck" and will not leave my stomach. When it comes back up, there is no stomach bile. I don't throw up. I just bend over the commode and open my mouth and pretend I am throwing up and do. There is no finger down the throat, nothing.

The first time this happened, I was eating the remainders of a casserole that had chicken, rice, and mushroom soup. There was no chicken in the leftovers I was eating, just soup and rice.

The last time it happened, I was eating cheese and bread. I was not drinking as I knew I should. I had nothing at all even though I knew I should, and that is a recipe for disaster for me. When water just kept gurgling back up and out as I drank, I gave up. I do choke on the water returning!  I went to the bathroom and once again bent over the commode. Up came what appeared to be a long hot dog shape, at least five inches long and one-inch or more in diameter. It was just a mishmash of well-chewed bread and cheese. Five minutes later when I flushed the commode, the shape was still very firm.

My solution--drink copious amounts of water as I eat. In the past, if I didn't drink lots of water every two or three bites, I got hiccups. Well, that condition has changed. I don't get the hiccups, I get no food going into my stomach and horrid pain.

I finally was able to make the Nurse Practitioner understand that I had no problem getting the food past my throat, that it was just seemingly not entering my stomach. She just assumed it was my throat. It would help if medical professionals would listen to the last half of the sentence before making a diagnosis or scheduling tests.

And, I still have pain that doctors say is gall bladder, yet, once again, none of the tests show anything wrong...sigh.

Since I could not sleep last night, when I get home, I am letting the hens out and going to bed.

My best friend said I am a hypochondriac, that I stay up all night reading the Internet and googling symptoms. We do not talk at all. She threw away a 30 year friendship with that remark. I will not call her or talk to her if she calls. She won't.

It is 6:30 am and I have to be at the hospital at 7:30 am, so I need to get ready to go. I hope this barium is not nasty or minty. Is it ever chocolate?

Update: dismotility is the diagnosis. The doctor who administered the exam explained my esophagus is not as strong DUE TO AGE! Talk to my doctor about it. Kristine Barr, I will be in touch.

blankety blank! This is the second thing that is going wrong that is due to age. #1 thing--cataracts.

Your turn
Is October a downer month for you? Have you ever had this happen to you when food did not leave your esophagus?

Recipe: Uses Candy Corn

about 1/3 cup of candy corn, all I had left

the finished product
Since this looked like a plate of poop,
I decided to remove it from the leading position.
 

 Last year, Sue gave me a recipe to use with candy corn. I only had a bit of candy corn left, so I used it. This year, I bought Brach's Autumn Mix. Then, when I had almost finished the bag, I remembered the recipe. As you can see, it has some chocolate candy corn in the mix. The bags of only chocolate candy corn is called Indian Corn.

candy corn pumpkin

It has pumpkins in the mix besides the chocolate.  I did consider cutting the pumpkins in fourths so they would melt at the same rate as the corn. I forgot, and there was only one pumpkin which melted just fine. Since this is supposed to be like Butterfingers, I thought the chocolate candy corn would be okay.

 

There was only about 1/3 cup of candy corn. I did not want to dirty a cup and have to press the peanut butter to get an accurate measure, so I just spooned in what looked like 1/3 cup peanut butter.



microwaved for 60 seconds

I decided working in the deep, 2-cup measuring cup was not going to be good. The short, 6-inch wide Corning ware oven dish was the next choice. It worked. I microwaved the mixture for 30 seconds, stirred, and microwaved for another 30 seconds.

 

I did not wait for it to cool and started dipping the mixture when it was too hot to handle. Waxed paper on the counter makes this easy. Top right--original shape. Just underneath that, a molded-by-hand bar. I decided to make the drops. After all the pieces were on the waxed paper, I decided to mold them by hand--bars and drops. That worked. They, also were ragged looking until I molded them. The little bar on the right I a drop that I molded into a tiny bar. In the bottom right corner is a Coke cap to give perspective to the whole picture.

 

Thinking the mixture might cool too quickly, I started when it was way too hot to handle. But, I had waited three minutes! Waxed paper seemed to be the thing to use because I did not want these to stick. Take my word for it, these are way too oily from the peanut butter to stick!

 

Okay, taste test time....I think one minute was too long for this few. Last year, I do remember the candy being flaky. This year, for some reason the bars and drops seem tough. It has only been about fifteen minutes, so I will see if they get flaky like last year.

 

You are going to love this recipe. Not only is it simple, it is delicious!


Homemade Butterfingers from Sue at The Little Acre that Could

"Mix equal parts of peanut butter and candy corn.
 
Microwave on high for about 1 minute,
stirring until they are melted together.

Let it cool just a minute or so – enough so you can handle it.

Then form into bars or bite size pieces.

You can dip it into chocolate but you don’t have to.

The longer it sets and cools, the more it becomes flaky like Butterfinger candy bars."

One caveat: I think that I microwaved this bit of candy too long. Maybe if you use a cup of each, microwaving for a full minute will work. So, sitting longer did not help. Last year, sitting did help. Oh, I did not dip these in chocolate.

Thank You, Sue

Your turn
Have you ever made this substitute for Butterfingers? Will you?

Little Greenhouse from Recycled Materials

How cute!

The little greenhouse is very well-made of recycled windows. Yes, the cost is $300. It is about shoulder high, maybe taller. I suppose the height is dependent on the height of the windows.

The roof seems to be made of metal house roofing. It must have a door somewhere. I was in a hurry to finish before a dog bit me. No, I did not see one or hear one, but you never can tell. This was on the same trip where I found the cheap gas.

Now, I want one of these. Of course, I won't be purchasing one. Not only can I not afford it, it just goes against my grain to pay that much for it even though it is worth it. My best hope is to find free materials and to find someone who will make one for me.

The guy had another one started that was very different from this one, so his design depends entirely on old materials at hand.

Inside the greenhouse are two ferns. There is a narrow shelf midway on which the top fern rests. I can see this made with several removable shelves and a hook at the top, ready for any plant or plants.

Hmmm...wait...I am thinking! Could I grow a tomato plant in there? Grape tomatoes?


Your turn
Raise your hand if you are impressed, think the greenhouse is cute, or just want one for yourself? Can you build it or put it on a honey do list? Do you like these type things for your home or maybe apartment patio or balcony? Hey, it would certainly disguise food growing from HOA eyes! If you acquire anything inspired by the photo, I will post it on my blog. Anyone game?

Update: A Fundraiser for a Fellow Blogger

my cheerful kitchen picture with flowers
I got from the dumpster

A fellow blogger's husband died suddenly of an aneurysm, leaving her and children with bills. Slugmama has started a fundraiser to help the family.

UPDATE:
Sluggy has met the goal and is not accepting any donations at this time. But, I am leaving my picture up with this post that is no longer useful...lol.

So, how do you like my bright yellow counters? I hear this type counter is making a comeback. If you think the counter is bright, you are right. This was on purpose--to wake me in the morning. It works.

Funny Yard Sale Ad

I found the ad below on Huntsville Trader.  Redstone Arsenal is located in Huntsville, AL.

******************

I'm home without pay,
non-essential they say,
furloughed by a Congress of babies.

So with nothing to do,
I cleaned out books, toys, and shoes,
this crap can be your crap, maybe.

Come by if you can,
bring a car, truck or van,
Unlike Congress, my deals won't be shady.

Friday, 4 Oct, 8-???,     Free from-scratch home baked goody with purchase!

**************************

 

Now, this is a yard sale I would like, but it is over 50 miles away, and I have no other reason to go there. Plus, it came into my inbox on Friday night. The author put her address in the the email, but I left it out.

 

Your turn

Do you ever put creative ads in the paper or online?

Gas Prices

in north Alabama
price per gallon

 

The price of gasoline is going down here. But, it is still not cheap. And, it has ethanol. The place where I ordinarily buy gas, sells it right now for $3.14/gal.

 

There are only two places to buy gasoline without ethanol. Both those places are too far away (20 miles away) to be feasible for regular purchase.

 

This gas I bought for $3.07 is not ethanol-free. Of course, this is an independent gas station and just happens to be about 19 miles from the house. I was on a secret shopper mission today, the only reason I was out and about.
 

To convert liters to gallons
one gallon = 3.87 liters or 1 gal ~ 3.8 liter
Just multiply price per liter x 3.8. (example 1.32 x 3.8)
Or, I will do it.
 

Your turn

Where do you live and what is the price of gasoline per gallon or liter? Is the price going up or down?

Cheap Tip: Remodeling With Sheetrock

Once, a ceiling in the living room was ruined at one corner by a commode tank freezing upstairs. It took me many years to be able to afford to repair it. When I decided to paint the living room, it was time to fix the ceiling.

I really could not afford it all. But, I started out, doing it as I could afford it. With a few tips from guys who had done home repairs, the job went faster since I could now follow through on plans.

The job required enough supplies: all new sheet rock for the ceiling, paint for walls, paint for ceiling, sheet rock mud, nails, tape. That's a lot of money for me.

You, too, can save on Sheetrock/drywall like I did!

This guy told me to get the Sheetrock meant for mobile homes. He explained away my objections:
I did not want 1/4 inch Sheetrock since leaning on it can cause a hole. A bump with a chair will cause a major problem.

His answer:
The ceiling sheet rock will be 10 feet from the floor. No one will lean on it.

My other objection: the Sheetrock has a wallpaper pattern on it.
He told me to turn it the other way and paint the back of the Sheetrock.

I checked with professionals and DIYers. Everyone said there was no problem using it on the ceiling or turning it and painting the back.

The Sheetrock cost me $2 for each piece. As I was buying it, the guy gave me sheets that had flaws. My remodeler used those instead of cutting a whole good piece when he needed only a strip. So, I left with about 30 pieces of sheet rock and gave what I did not use to a friend who had helped me on a project before this. My ceiling was only about 19x18 feet. He was finishing an attic over his garage and was happy with what I had to offer. he even knew how to make it work when it was damaged.

The balance of a birthday gift bought expensive paint and the rest of the supplies. Oh, I may have spent $10 more, but it was a super cheap and wise move to buy the mobile home Sheetrock. I don't count the whole cost of the Sheetrock mud, because I used it for other rooms along with the nails.

I probably would not have used the mobile home Sheetrock on walls. However, using it on the ceiling was not a problem for me. Maybe the room would have been better insulated with thicker Sheetrock. Since the room was cold all the time, anyway,  and rarely heated, it hardly made a difference.

The room was spectacular when finished!

Your  turn
Have you ever used 1/4 inch mobile home Sheetrock for your home that is not a mobile home? Would you use it for a ceiling?