Getting busier and busier

[wiseheart]

On days like these one realizes just how many hours a single day actually has. *g*


I've finalized the design of the zipper pocket page for the back cover of Little Emma's birthday book. I think it's very pretty. Will post a picture once it's finished, assuming that the iPad mini cooperates. One can never know in these days.
In any case, the page is a sheet of patterned hard felt (ladybugs in various shades and colours), upon which a zipper pocket of the same material and pattern is applied. Or will be applied. Hopefully tomorrow; if not, the day after. Or the day after... you catch my drift, don't you? I've seamed the pocket itself with a very pale pink material specifically designed to, well, seam things, and decided - in a moment of utter insanity - that I'll add two actual felt ladybugs that can be removed and put into the pocket. Which meant... yes, more Velcro sewing, even though I swore a holy oath never to do that again. Ah, well, it looks great.


Other than that, I did the weekly laundry. Originally Saturday is laundry day in our house, but we were both so drained yesterday from the hospital visit and stuff that we postponed the thing. At least it's done.


She had a very bad night, poor thing. Not the leg - the heartburn woke her every 30 or 40 minutes. She managed to fell asleep again almost every time, but this isn't what I'd call a restful night. Also, the heartburn irritates her throat, so she's coughing a lot when she's in bed. She doesn't do it when she's up, and the heartburn goes away then, too, but she can't be up all day. She has to do at least one rest for an hour or two to keep her legs from swelling.

It isn't easy. I bought this special brand of mineral water called Salvus. It's been used for heartburn and stomach problems since 1938. It does help... a little. The root of the problem is, I think, that she barely ate anything for the whole week she was in hospital - she simply couldn't, everything was too hard for her, or half-cooked, or cold. On her last day in she ate some spinach but says it wasn't good, and my friend Evie says that spinach can do nasty things if not done properly, so there might be two different roots for her problems.

So far, the only things that don't give her an upset stomach are cooked apples, coffee with milk (yes, really, believe it or not) and toast. Today she ate a tiny bit of Topfenknödel - so far without harm, we pray that it stays that way, and she asked for mashed potatoes and Grandma's sponge cake for tomorrow. So that's what I'll make. Grandma's sponge cake consists sorely of eggs, sugar and flour and is super light. I hope she'll be able to stomach it.

It is ridiculous that she has more to struggle with the stomach problems than with the aftermath of the surgery. SHE WALKED 20 STEPS TODAY WITH THE HELP OF THE WALKING FRAME TODAY! Yay!

So, busy days behind us and busy days before us, but at least I hope they will lead to something good. With God's help.

Comments

[meathiel]

Can you get some otc meds for the heartburn like Rennie?

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I'll have to ask that stupid family doctor if she can take it, since she doesn't have a gall bladder.

[bk_forever]

Heartburn is a menace, I hope it settles so your mum doesn't have to keep suffering. Isn't there a medicine she could take for it?

Well doine on the walking though, that's excellent!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

We must be very careful about her taking medicine. She had major surgery a decade or so ago, when her gall bladder was removed, and we have to check with the doctor every time she needs as much as painkillers.

I think part of the problem might be that they gave her all kinds of pills and IV at the hospital and something might still not be flushed from her system. *sigh*

[bk_forever]

That sucks. I had my gall bladder removed 20 years back and I'm on medication to reduce stomach acid and prevent stomach ulcers, but I still get heartburn.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear that. Poor you!

[bk_forever]

I'm sort of used to it. I manage. That's life.

[akane42me.livejournal.com]

I'm glad the hospital visit went well, and that Mum's incision is healing well. That was a lot of stitches. But very sorry to hear she's still having such awful trouble with the heartburn and upset stomach. Hopefully she will be able to tolerate a more varied diet, bit by bit.

Wonderful that she has increased her walking! She is gaining strength and mobility, which is just fantastic.

Good luck with the zipper pocket page! Years and years ago I tried putting a new zipper in my young son's winter jacket and was defeated.
i'm looking forward to seeing the photo!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

It is easier when you start with the zipper and sew the pocket around it. *g*
The pocket itself is done but I didn't have the time to fix it onto the page base. Tomorrow. There's always tomorrow...

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

Heartburn sucks horribly. I have it too, so I feel for her. That's crazy that she can drink coffee.

Yay walking!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Well, it's 25 per cent coffee and 75 per cent milk, but it's odd indeed.

And the walking makes us very happy, yes!

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

lol Sounds good.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Sending you and your Mum lots of good wishes.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Thank you, my friend. *hugs*

[elwenlj.livejournal.com]

Wow! Twenty steps is great. I have no gallbladder, so heartburn is a problem for me too. I take a pill called Nexium. You just take one and it works for twenty-four hours. It may be worth enquiring at the pharmacy although, of course, it will have to be checked against any other meds Mum takes.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's the problem. And the fact that our family doctor is beyond useless.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

That the coffee with milk doesn't upset her stomach reminded me that my mother used to actually make coffee that was 90% whole fat milk if she didn't feel like eating. It wouldn't have been my taste and it always amused me that, otherwise, she drank her coffee black, but it was high in calories and fairly nutritious and seemed to stay down!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

We usually drink coffee with lots of milk for breakfast — and the coffee we brew isn't really strong, either. Then we have another cup of the same coffee with just a drop of milk after lunch. Thank God she seems to enjoy both versions and neither does cause any problems.

[noadvertising.livejournal.com]

There surely have to be meds that will your mum´s heartburn better instaed of worse? And can´t you give her additional pillows to raise her upper body during night? Having no gallbladder does indeed increase heartburn, mine has been removed about 30 years ago...

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

The funny thing is that she had no problems whatsoever with heartburn before. But again, she never slept on her back — she's a slide sleeper as a rule and turns over at least a dozen time each night. I think the core problem is that she can't do that anymore — at least not yet. We hope she'll be able to sleep in her usual position eventually.

Of course, since we have no idea what meds they gave her in the hospital, both as pills and as IV, we can't know what those might have caused...

[disthrainsdotte.livejournal.com]

I do my laundry every second saturday except when that saturday happends to be Easter Eve or Christmas Eve in which case it is done two days later. Washing only for myself means the load is not that larger.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Our load is manageable, too, unless it's time to change the bedlinens. I just hate doing laundry.

[disthrainsdotte.livejournal.com]

It isn´t my most loved chore either but it needs to be done.

[mirasaui.livejournal.com]

Happy to see your Mum is making good progress, except for the heartburn. I have silent Reflux and it is always worse when horizontal. There are blocks you can buy that raise the head of the bed 7", which is supposed to help. They won't work with my bed because it has sides that slot into the headboard and raising just the headboard would make it fall apart. Hope you guys can find a solution.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

So do I, honestly. I'm thinking of giving one of those triangular pillows a try... if she'll be willing to use them. She can be maddeningly stubborn sometimes.