Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[Mini Horses]

GOOD JOB !!! I've done that with a tractor tire. DS taught me.....what's easier is, you can lift through tractor with its FEL so no jack needed! . I even taught myself how to use that FEL to pull the tractor out of mud or holes!! Yeah, you have to work at some things but, women can DO. I love Google!!

 

[flowerbug]

The one I've seen is a medium sized red-eared slider. I've got no problem with him. A few turtles can be ok for a pond according to Google, lol.

ooh those get big! also considered invasive for areas where not already established. pretty though! i'd have a hard time hunting such a creature.

OH MY GOSH! I am so excited and proud of ME! Remember the flat tire on my lawnmower? The tire had come unbeaded (is that the right term) or it had broken the bead....well anyway....I'd tried to put air in it and of course it wouldn't hold so...

I got on Google and looked up all the ways to re-seat a tire. Most of them suggested something that kinda looked like a lot of fun, but maybe a little dangerous. They consisted of spraying a flammable product inside the tire and throwing a match at it. For whatever reason I guess the heat would expand the tire and re-seat it. Nope - too scary for me. I figured I'd probably burn my face off if I even tried that! So, I delegated that particular procedure to "last resort."

I saw another idea to take a ratchet strap and wrap it around the middle of the tire and ratchet it down really tight. That forces the edges of the tire out. Kind of like a "muffin top" for those of us who might put on some clothing that might be too tight around the waist. You can cinch down that waist, but the overflow has to go somewhere, lol. Anyway, I tightened down on that ratchet strap and started to try to put air in the tire. POP! It popped right back on the bead and you coulda heard me yipping and hollering a couple miles away. I was so HAPPY that it worked!!! Still excited, lol. Hardest part was getting the ratchet strap off because the air in the tire made that strap a whole lot tighter. Entire process was less than half an hour and that included looking for the right tools, finding a strap and then getting the strap off!

Tire is back on the mower and I guess mowing will commence soon enough!

congrats! you are a genius as far as i'm concerned.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

you can lift through tractor with its FEL so no jack needed! . I even taught myself how to use that FEL to pull the tractor out of mud or holes!! Yeah, you have to work at some things but, women can DO. I love Google!!

YES! It sure is nice when the tractor can get itself out of a mess!

I turn to internet before I turn to anything else. Called my son and "pretended" I needed help...he was really relieved when I told him I didn't need him after all! He's my back up - but I always try to do things myself before I call him. He does keep the tractor healthy though. It behooves him to do so because he needs to borrow it at times and someday, if it lives that long, it will be his.

It's really nice to have all that HP when you need it. At some point in the not-so-distant future, I need to replace a gate post. Plan to have Ol' Blue pull up the old post. It's big and heavy and I don't want to dig it out. If things go according to plan I'll try to get Blue to push in the new post. Have to wait for just the right soil conditions. Not too wet, but not dried out concrete hard gumbo either.

Got a little of the mowing done. Mostly got the ditch. It's steep and scary and I hate doing it - but it's done now. Front yard too. Still need to do lots more, but it's a start. Too hot out there right now to do more. Needed to get out of the sun for a few minutes and rehydrate.
Triple digits and heat index values up to 112. That's insane!

congrats! you are a genius as far as i'm concerned.

Thanks! Not a genius - but darn stubborn! That stubbornness serves me well at times, lol.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Had DH's brain CT scan this morning. Surprisingly - he has a brain! However, his brain has a problem. They uploaded the report of the scan onto his "My Chart" site. The doc who read the CT diagnosed Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, just like his neurosurgeon suspected that it might be. We will meet with his neurosurgeon next Monday.

If Doctor Google is right the next diagnostic step is a lumbar puncture to remove a significant amount of cerebral spinal fluid. That should decrease the built-up pressure in the brain to see if that helps resolve, at least temporarily, his symptoms. In some folks it resolves symptoms almost immediately, but the relief is temporary. The accepted treatment for this disease, is a shunt into a brain ventricle to drain the excess fluid. It's a pretty straightforward and well-established procedure that's been done forever. But, it's still brain surgery.

The heat wave continues - it's hot, hot, hot! I do not love it.

I caught a mudcat in the fish trap today so I'll go out in a bit and clean it and put it in the freezer.

 

[Mini Horses]

CT scan....good & well, another issue. But maybe a thing that can/will help. Of course, there's the issue with anesthesia -- that's the not so good. perhaps the spinal tap will at least give some idea if this NPH stint is worth the risk. the tap is certainly worthy of trying, to clarify the relief a fluid reduction would give.

Ya know, it's at least a defining reason; unlike many of the appointments & tests results.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

There is that pesky anesthesia risk - but without intervention the choice is a steady cognitive decline and losing use of legs. He's ready to assume the risk...

 

[baymule]

I just got caught up. Sorry that Ive been away so long. I had problems to deal with, but after reading about your husband, they are nothing. You and your dear husband are such wonderful people, I'm so sad that he is in such pain and misery. I have a friend with hydrocephaly. He has a shunt in his brain. He's not 100%, searches for words, but he's able to do most things that he wants to do. So with the shunt, there is hope. Big hugs to you and him both.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I just got caught up. Sorry that Ive been away so long. I had problems to deal with, but after reading about your husband, they are nothing. You and your dear husband are such wonderful people, I'm so sad that he is in such pain and misery. I have a friend with hydrocephaly. He has a shunt in his brain. He's not 100%, searches for words, but he's able to do most things that he wants to do. So with the shunt, there is hope. Big hugs to you and him both.

Sorry you're dealing with problems! Hope they are on the road to being resolved.

His cognitive problems are fairly minimal at this point. Mostly his memory and a bit of brain fog. Sometimes I'll find him just standing, kinda looking around with a confused look on his face. I call it being "lost in space." It makes him laugh. It's like when you get up and walk to another room and say - what the heck am I looking for. But, it's something we can deal with.

He has more good days than terrible days cognitively. The biggest issue we have is mobility. The three main symptoms of this problem are mobility, cognition, and urinary incontinence. I told the doc I could deal with the brain fog but that I really need his legs to work well enough to get him to the bathroom, lol.

We will deal with this the same as we do all other issues. We go one day at a time being thankful for any and all good news and good days.

 

[flowerbug]

...
We will deal with this the same as we do all other issues. We go one day at a time being thankful for any and all good news and good days.

yes and we also try to remember to be forgivefull towards those who bring home yet more projects and creating even more issues to put on the list of things i'll likely not get around to for a year or longer, etc., etc. amen...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Up at 5am this morning. PT may or may not show up today. We are set up for two visits per week right now. We were told we'd have a session today, but didn't receive a call/text for a time. Left hanging....ugh.

We have a chance of showers and lower temps today. I'll take it! We've been in triple digits for nearly a week. Over it! I'll let the dew dry a bit, then go out and start mowing early. Hard to believe that we actually need a little rain.

I've been putting some fish traps in the pond in an effort to remove some of the catfish that I didn't invite to the party. Haven't caught very many so maybe there aren't as many as I thought there might be. Caught a baby yesterday though so procreation is happening. What was I thinking when I threw it back? Stupid baby catfish was NOT grateful - it stabbed me in the finger with it's baby fin which was sharp as a needle. Ouch! That's ok - I'll get my revenge when I eat him in about a year, lol.