Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

Hi, Everyone! It's nice to read all the first-hand experiences while quitting smoking. There's a lot of support here for anyone who is willing to make the effort.

Oh, my! I've just read your post, Cyn, about Col's restlessness and asking you to call for an ambulance. It's a scary time for both of you, but you both made the right decision to have him go back to the hospital. I know from experience that it can be unnerving when your husband asks you to call an ambulance, as we've been through it once.

I'm glad Col's at the hospital and his surgeon is coming to see him. While this is not the course of events you were hoping for, it's hopefully only a minor setback and Col will be back on the road to recovery in a very short time! Sending prayers for Col, you, and family, and all of the medical personnel involved!

OOPS, perhaps not the best TOPP.

One small positive thought in the morning can change the entire outcome of your day. ~ Unknown

Cyn, I'm sending many small positive thoughts for you and Col!

Thinking of all of our Sudoku friends and sending small positive thoughts, healing energy, , {{{{{HUGS}}}}} and prayers for all!

Julie, your TOPP + 1 certainly 'rings true' in my life...

Cyn, keeping you and Col in thoughts and prayers.

Thinking of you Cyn

I keep coming back to see if there’s news from Cyn. I was about to send her a message and realised that it’s after midnight...

Hopefully she's at the hospital with him and they're both resting comfortably. She needs her rest because of the stress. She has to be strong for both of them.

I'm so sorry I didn't get back here last night I was so tired that I fell asleep in front of the TV after a quick dinner and didn't think any more of it until this morning.
They kept him in overnight but nothing showed up in the tests they did. The Doctor thinks it may have been simply postoperative pain. They did another CT scan yesterday and we didn't hear the results yet. I'm hoping that no news is good news for that. He is feeling much better this morning and is waiting for the Doctor to come and hopefully let him come home.
My sister who has over 40 years of nursing experience as well as being a bowel cancer survivor herself says that the trauma on the bowel after such a large operation sends it into such shock that it doesn't work as it should in those early days. She also told me to encourage him to walk around more, particularly after a meal to get the bowel working as it should. Sounds right to me. Fingers crossed that all will be well from here on.

That sounds good, CynB. I'm so glad that he went to the hospital and got it checked out instead of thinking it was unimportant and staying home. You can never be too careful, especially post-surgically. Now at least you know what it isn't.
Is Col on a soft diet? Or a liquid diet?

Heidi - soft diet.

Just got the call from him. He's coming home. I haven't even showered yet! Off I go.

Comment overheard today - bears repeating.

''Life is short, Eat more ice-cream.''

It's late, but I wanted to stop by and say Hello! Sending healing energy, prayers, positive thoughts, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and

Cyn, I remember walking around and around the hospital then up and down the driveway trying to relieve the post op bowel pain. I would have easily got 10,000 steps in!

Funny story, now I know col’s okay...

Since we got the chihuahuas Jasper has developed middle child syndrome, even though he’s probably the oldest. His method of getting attention is to growl loudly, and constantly. I’ve found the word enough is the most effective way to get him to stop. Last night Alie was assembling bunk beds in the kids room, they are arriving for a visit on Monday, anyway she complained that my saying enough was just as irritating as Jasper growling. So I stopped. Within minutes she was saying it instead! I thought that was karma from basically telling me I was annoying her!

That IS funny, Suzy! Thanks for the chuckle.

Greetings to Everyone!

Cyn, the advice from your sister should be very helpful for Col! I hope he will accept advice and encouragement and get up and moving often!

When hubby had his surgery almost 3 years ago, he was at first told that he could eat anything. He ordered the Caesar salad from the menu because it sounded good to him. I was skeptical, but he had been told he could eat anything. It caused lots of problems for him, and set back his recovery, I think. They didn't want him to get up and walk unless someone on staff could accompany him (because he's a big man and had some balance issues after surgery), and because of that requirement, he didn't even get a chance to walk every day. He ended up being in the hospital for almost 3 weeks and had no energy (and wasted muscles) when they finally let him go home. He might have benefitted from some rehab or in-home PT.

Wonderful news that Col could return home. Will they order a visiting nurse a couple times a week, or are you on your own to help keep him on track, Cyn?

Suzy, that's funny about Alie feeling she had 'Enough,' then realizing she needed to keep telling Jasper 'Enough,' after she asked you to stop! Better yet, is that your grandies will be coming for a visit! How long will they be there? Will Dana stay too, or will this be a 'sleep-over' with Gran and Auntie Alie? I hope you enjoy the weekend!

Sending some small positive thoughts, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, healing energy, and prayers for Everyone!

Dana and the kids are staying from Monday night to Friday. We big time splurged, especially Alie. She bought two bunk beds and bedding. I bought 4 mattresses. Oh, and 3 booster seats since the three oldest are all over 4 now. Kaylee’s car seat is a part of her pram. Of course we need another car if we all want to go somewhere. I can only fit three in my car, along with an adult in the front seat. We’re hoping my niece will come and help

How exciting that Dana and the kids are coming for a week, Suzy. It will be tiring but so worth it. I'll bet the kids will be happy to see you and Alie as well.

Col seems to be doing very well this time. He's moving and walking very well and is much more cheerful.
There was only a few cigs in the packet he left when he went to hospital. They are gone now and I was surprised when we went to the supermarket yesterday that he didn't buy more. I was so ready to have a go at him. He has an appointment with his GP tomorrow to find the best solution. I am worried that he thinks the Doctor will have a miracle cure and that it will then be easy to do. I keep trying to tell him he'll never be successful unless he WANTS to do it!!

Suzy, how exciting that Dana and her kiddos will be able to visit for a week. When you mentioned that Alie was putting bunk beds together, I kind of suspected an extended stay. I hope you all have a wonderful time and make many beautiful memories. Crossing fingers that your niece will be willing to help with transportation when everyone is there! I hope you all enjoy a wonderful week together!

Cyn, thanks so much for the update on Col! It sounds very reassuring! I hope the appointment with his GP goes well and together they can decide how Col will deal with a smoking cessation program. I'm guessing that he wants to do it, but not sure how strongly he wants to do it. Hopefully encouragement from you and the rest of the family will help him in this endeavor! Sending lots of warm and positive healing thoughts for Col and you!

In spite of all the rain we had this spring and early summer, the grass is beginning to look dry and a bit brown. Trees and bushes have grown a lot and needed trimming. Hopefully we'll get occasional rain now the the summer is heating up!

Heidi, I hope you're taking it easy since your epidural, and hope things aren't as wet and squishy as they were after all the rain!

I miss seeing posts from MizT. I hope she has finally found some pain relief and is doing well!

Thinking of all the Sudokuaholics and sending lots of {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, healing energy, positive thoughts, prayers, and !

We're having a massive heat wave. Temps in the 90's, but with humidity so high that that my glasses fog up instantly upon going outside, and I'm wringing wet with sweat within 1 minute. It's the humidity that tortures you. It's so hard to get anything done outside. But I have to make sure that the horses, alpacas and cattle have plenty of cold, clean water at all times. They all have access to shade thanks to plenty of trees. I've been planting trees since the day I moved here, and they're producing a lot of good shade now. And I keep planting more every year along the fence lines.
We haven't had rain since the last deluge, and it's gotten too dry. Now I'm begging Tropical Storm (formerly Hurricane) Barry to head over here. He was supposed to arrive yesterday, but his forward movement stalled. Now they're saying tomorrow. I don't want to hook up several hoses to water the daylilies. I want Mother Nature to do it. It's too hot to drag around 300 feet of hose, then roll it all back up again so the lawn can be mowed.

Heidi, I do understand about the humidity. Although I've lived with it all my life, it never worried me until more recent years. Ugh! I don't know how I ever lived without air-conditioning.
Although, at the moment, we're having an arctic (or really antarctic) blast down under. Even in subtropical Brisbane we were 5C overnight, it was -4C about 100 kms to the west of us. It's snowing down south.
Earthquakes everywhere. Floods. Droughts.
Climate change? What Climate change?

Ask the people of New Orleans right now. They're having flooding like nobody has ever seen. Before Hurricane Barry hit, the water levels were already 25 inches higher than normal from excess rain. The ice caps are melting as well, and water levels everywhere are rising. I cannot understand how anybody is so blind as to deny climate change due to humans abusing the planet.

Heidi, I hope Barry will work his way towards you and leave some precipitation. We're also having some of that heat and humidity, but we don' need to worry about keeping water available to livestock. Hoping the weather improves for you soon!

Cyn, I know it's winter there now, but is the temperature much colder than usual? Do you usually get some snow near you, or do you need to travel to get to it? I hadn't thought about Col walking more to speed his recovery in winter weather. But it's probably better than during excessive summer heat!

Heidi, some of the deniers don't know the difference between climate and weather. Some prefer to stick their head in the sand rather than acknowledge that scientists know what they're talking about. Climate change seems only too apparent to many of us.

It's getting late, and the computer is acting up. I really don't want to deal with it tonight, so I'm off to bed. Sending healing energy, positive thoughts, prayers, , and {{{{{HUGS}}}}} for All!

Julie, no we don't get snow anywhere near here. Very rarely we get it inland near the border with NSW, but I've only known of that a few times in my long lifetime. We do get snow every year in the Southern alps, around the border of NSW and Victoria and Tasmania gets it at Cradle Mountain. Apart from that, nowhere else.

Barry is playing games. It's been pouring north of me, south of me, east of me and west of me. I can see the rain. But I only got about a dozen drops of water directly over my farm. And the breeze has stopped.

Heidi, we are all powerless while we have governments and media organisations who are climate change deniers, who persuade the masses that it's not happening. I despair for this world. I know at my age I won't have to deal with it for much longer but I have children and grandchildren who will have to cope with this.
I shudder at the thought.
I think Rupert Murdoch is the most despicable man ever to live.

House full!

Rupert Murdoch was actually an awesome employer in the 70's before he went to the US in 1974, sadly too much corruption now.

I was told a story about my mother this week. One of the people Alie met knew her. For a very sad reason. Years ago when mum was nursing this lady was a patient at the hospital mum was working at. A nurse came in, looked at her paperwork, said, yep, you’ve had a miscarriage and walked out. Mum went in, found her crying, held her hand, and helped her through it.

Your mum sounds like a caring nurse Suzy - what a cow to say that to the poor woman. Hope you are enjoying yourself with your full house.
Good news from dermatology clinic today - only 2 squamous to be removed when I come off the blood thinners in three weeks, (From having the stents), One of them is on the top of my head - bit of a bummer as I will have a bald spot - maybe a mullet!!
How I wish we had your weather Heidi - cold in Melbourne - we live not far from Mt Dandenong so it is always a bit colder.

Heidi, I'm sorry the rain keeps missing you. Hopefully you'll get some rain in the next day or two!

Cyn, I understand how you feel. I don't know what it will take to shake up the deniers and get them to change their ways. It's so amazing to me that they just don't care!

Cyn, how is Col doing? I hope his recuperation and healing are progressing well!

Suzy, enjoy having everyone there!

Midge, I didn't know that Rupert Murdoch once had some redeeming qualities. I wonder what caused him to become the ___ that he is now.

Suzy, what a touching story about your Mum! I'm not surprised that she would be compassionate. You obviously share some of her best qualities!

Weather predictions for the rest of the week include actual temperatures going above 100* F. Thank goodness we have air conditioning! Unfortunately, not everywhere we need to be this week is air conditioned.

Keeping all of our fellow Sudokuaholics in my thoughts this week and sending prayers, positive thoughts, , {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and lots of healing energy!

They don't care because they're mind-bogglingly selfish peple who care nothing about anything that doesn't help them, personally, right now. If they aren't affected, it isn't important. The planet is being destroyed... quickly... but since they aren't financially benefited by helping the planet, they don't care. Stupid people. And the people who follow them and can't think for themselves are just as bad.

Gee, Heidi, tell us what you really think...

Believe it or not... I was holding back!

Totally agree with you, Heidi. It's a shame that by the time they realise they were wrong, we will all be doomed.
Midge, yes there was a time here in Australia when the Murdoch family was held in high esteem.

Colin is recovering well after his glitch last week. He is looking healthier, and is as active as he can be. He is not allowed to lift or strain, or reach/stretch. He sees the Oncologist on Friday, when he will get the info on what will happen once he starts Chemo on 1st August.
We've been trying to use the time wisely and happily, by going out in our lovely clear, crisp, sunny winter weather to just walk slowly or sit and admire the scenery.
We think we'll go across to Stradbroke Island next week to watch the whales from the platform. We saw a pod of dolphins yesterday.
I'm leaving him alone tomorrow while I go across to one of our smaller closer islands with my Art group to meet up with their Art group to see what they're working on. I believe some are doing mosaics which I have done before. Have a table I've been working on for years.
Must get back to it.

Cyn - I worked for Rupert Murdoch's 'golden haired boy' in his early days and it was a great newspaper group then. Murdoch was very fair. His ghb now actually lives not far from you. When I came to live in Brisbane, my boss went to Sydney then on to New York and that is when the feud between Murdoch and Packer started. Murdoch wanted me to work in Sydney and offered to fly me to Brisbane each weekend - hubby was not pleased so I left the company. Also when the logies were on, we knew about 10 days before who had won and we had to keep it confidential. All a setup.