"Tony" Thought Journal 3.0

[Krystal Shay]

This past Friday night I got maybe an hour of sleep. My dog Tia was crying to go out at hour and a half intervals all night. I let her out and I followed her and she attempted to have a bowel movement numerous times without results.

We had a schedule appointment with the Vet the next day, Saturday, He instructed us to take her off the bland diet she was on and put her back on to her regular food.

When we got her home she was panting heavy, I believe from the vet visit making her nervous. She did not want to eat. My wife and I decided to let her settle down and try feeding her later.

Tia finally ate some dog food, she seem normal the rest of the night. This morning she wasn't interested in dog food, but did take a dog treat. I let her out she did have a bowel movement but it was diarrhea. Needless to say the wife and I are very nervous about her condition, she seems to be acting okay.

We are not sure what to do.

The internet says her stomach Maybe sensitive and to feed her foods that are easy to digest.

Is another change of diet going to make her worse?

I did purchase a bag of low fat dog food that I wanted to gradually mix into her regular food. She has pancreatitis which may be the reason for the diarrhea I don't know.

I think we're going to have to call the vet again to get some advice.

Poor Tia! They developed problems as they get older too, and it is hard to watch them be sick. I know you have most likely tried a lot of foods, but Purina makes a Lamb and Rice and Lamb and Oatmeal food in canned and dry food. It is for sensitive stomachs. I don't know if you feed her canned or dry but maybe the canned will be easier on her stomach. It is hard when they can't tell you where it hurts.

 

[Ken Anderson]

I would definitely consult a veterinarian.

 

[Krystal Shay]

How is Tia doing, Tony?

 

[Tony Page]

How is Tia doing, Tony?

She appears to be back to her old self, however I change her diet a little bit to add more low fat and easy to digest foods. I'm mixing the new foods with her old dry food, she's been eating both with no problem.

I'm also giving her low fat treats, and I stopped giving her table scraps. I used to love sharing my food with her. I kept a list of foods that were not healthy for her and would not give her those.

We have a vet appointment for this Saturday as a follow-up and to give her med shots. She got her rabies shot the last time we were at the vet.

On another note:
This morning I saw one of the feral cats that have been living on my property, I took a photo unfortunately the cat's face was behind some branches of a shrub but it's a pretty color I thought.

 

[Tony Page]

@Beth Gallagher
"Ditto" your description of your mood describe my disposition lately.

I've been in an ornery mood. My wife is so tired of my complaining and my mood when I told her I want to "run away," she said just don't take the good suitcase.Haha Thinking about it, been a long time since I "run" anywhere.

My thoughts keep going to "why am I still here, I'm useless." I guess I got to find something to ignite my inner spark besides a three-page to do list.

The next time you play hooky from SOC you're going to need a permission slip from me.

I hope you start coming back from your mood swing. Maybe we both need a challenge.

 

[Beth Gallagher]

@Beth Gallagher
"Ditto" your description of your mood describe my disposition lately.

I've been in an ornery mood. My wife is so tired of my complaining and my mood when I told her I want to "run away," she said just don't take the good suitcase.Haha Thinking about it, been a long time since I "run" anywhere.

My thoughts keep going to "why am I still here, I'm useless." I guess I got to find something to ignite my inner spark besides a three-page to do list.

The next time you play hooky from SOC you're going to need a permission slip from me.

I hope you start coming back from your mood swing. Maybe we both need a challenge.

"Don't take the good suitcase." You are one of my favorite people, Mr. Page.

 

[Tony Page]

"Don't take the good suitcase." You are one of my favorite people, Mr. Page.

Thank you Mrs.Gallagher "ditto."

 

[Tony Page]

A week ago my wife and I had an appointment with our new Doctor.

My wife had a blood test which showed her reading were high on her Lipid panel.

Her total cholesterol was high by 20 mg., her LDL and Non - HDL was high.

The doctor wanted to prescribe Lipitor, my wife didn't want to take medication she wants to try correcting the high cholesterol with diet and/or vitamins. She doesn't like trying new drugs she has a high sensitivity to a lot of prescriptions medicine.

I will have to do some research, I know psyllium husk and Omega3 oils are good to lower cholesterol. We'll have to work on diet and the foods to stay away from.

 

[Tony Page]

The story popped in the head after I saw a thread about a day in the life of a 10 or 11 year old. I didn't post it there because the story is longer than a day.

When I was about 11 years old my father did the groundwork so that I could get into the Green Point Little League. We lived in Williamsburg in Brooklyn, they did not have a little league. My father wanted me to play baseball so bad that he used my aunt's address who lived in Greenpoint so that I could join the League. I tried out and made a team. However before my first game, my father was diagnosed with tuberculosis, he was hemorrhaging from the mouth. He never saw a game in my first season.

As an 11 year-old I overheard my mother and uncles talking about my father's illness, and I came to realize that this could be a deadly disease.

My father would not go to a hospital, he felt it would be a death sentence. Dr Rosen, a specialist, explained to my mom what to do to keep him at home if that's what he really wanted. We had to clear out all the furniture except for the bed, the nightstand, a lamp, and a radio. She had to disinfect the room initially and then every so often after that. My brother and I stayed with my aunt until my father got healthy. I did visit him after every ball game, I went over how the game went and of course talk to him about how he was doing. I was not allowed to enter the room I had to stay in the doorway.

My mother had this belief that as long as my father was eating he would not die. Everyday she'd make him breakfast before she went to work, would come home from work to make him lunch, and then of course she was home at night to make him supper. Another thing she did, just about every day, she would bring him home a vanilla malted. My father was a thin man about 130lbs., after 6 months of being on his back and my mother's food plus the malted when he did get out of bed and Dr Rosen gave him permission to start taking walks, he was over 200 lb. Took my father a while to get strength back in his legs but he was feeling good and getting stronger every day.

I was there when Dr Rosen told my father "your wife is the best nurse you could have had."

My father spent a lot of time listening to the radio when he was on his back. His favorite show was the "Guillermo B Guillermo," William B Williams. That's where he first heard the Les Elgart Orchestra, who happened to play Bandstand Boogie, which was the theme song for Dick Clark's American Bandstand. I still listen to Elgart today.

My second season my father saw every game, came to every workout, took me to the batting range to practice. He was not allowed to pitch batting practice to me for fear of tearing the spot where he had hemorrhaged.

It was just great to have him back in my life.

 

[Marie Mallory]

@Beth Gallagher
"Ditto" your description of your mood describe my disposition lately.

I've been in an ornery mood. My wife is so tired of my complaining and my mood when I told her I want to "run away," she said just don't take the good suitcase.Haha Thinking about it, been a long time since I "run" anywhere.

My thoughts keep going to "why am I still here, I'm useless." I guess I got to find something to ignite my inner spark besides a three-page to do list.

The next time you play hooky from SOC you're going to need a permission slip from me.

I hope you start coming back from your mood swing. Maybe we both need a challenge.

At least the wife still has her sense of humor. Jake an I try to keep one although sometimes are more trying than others.

 

[Marie Mallory]

"Don't take the good suitcase." You are one of my favorite people, Mr. Page.

Mine too @Tony Page , I'm sure I'd like your wife too..

 

[Tony Page]

Yesterday my wife had a girls luncheon date at my cousins house. 6 of my other female cousins attended. They have been doing this once a year for the last 10 years or so. Every guest will bring a food item to share at the luncheon. It could be something purchased or something made. one of my cousins is the coordinator, she makes sure all the guests know what the other guests are bringing so there's no duplicate.

My wife this year brought cookies. I took my wife to the bakery earlier in the day to get a tray of cookies to bring. They had a 2 pound pre-made tray, wrapped in cellophane and tied with a ribbon. The cost was $48. My wife asked the clerk how much it would have cost, if the cookies were boxed instead, answer $44.
So the tray, cellophane, and ribbon cost $4, which I felt was a fair price since they had to stack the cookies and wrap them.

Then I got to thinking the tray was about 10 or 11 inches around. I don't believe there was more than 35 to 40 cookies on it. that means the price of each cookie was a dollar or more.

I don't know what it cost to make a cookie but it seems like it is a good business, when you can sell them for $22 a pound. I decided to compare the price to a commercial cookie. Oreo cookies are about $4.25 to $4.80 a pound. That's a pretty big difference in price per pound. I believe the commercial bakeries with their automated equipment is the major reason for the difference in price. Once manpower is used it makes a significant difference in cost.

It reminded me of a video I saw on YouTube yesterday, where robots working in a warehouse, can lift 10 times the weight a human can, do the same job as a human, and do it for 24/7 without tiring. They are expensive but it's a one-time cost. They did not mention what maintenance cost is to keep them working. I'm sure the company would need a tech or two to program them and maybe do some calibrations.

It's going to be a completely different world, unrecognizable to us seniors, in some cases it's already here.

 

[Don Alaska]

Yesterday my wife had a girls luncheon date at my cousins house. 6 of my other female cousins attended. They have been doing this once a year for the last 10 years or so. Every guest will bring a food item to share at the luncheon. It could be something purchased or something made. one of my cousins is the coordinator, she makes sure all the guests know what the other guests are bringing so there's no duplicate.

My wife this year brought cookies. I took my wife to the bakery earlier in the day to get a tray of cookies to bring. They had a 2 pound pre-made tray, wrapped in cellophane and tied with a ribbon. The cost was $48. My wife asked the clerk how much it would have cost, if the cookies were boxed instead, answer $44.
So the tray, cellophane, and ribbon cost $4, which I felt was a fair price since they had to stack the cookies and wrap them.

Then I got to thinking the tray was about 10 or 11 inches around. I don't believe there was more than 35 to 40 cookies on it. that means the price of each cookie was a dollar or more.

I don't know what it cost to make a cookie but it seems like it is a good business, when you can sell them for $22 a pound. I decided to compare the price to a commercial cookie. Oreo cookies are about $4.25 to $4.80 a pound. That's a pretty big difference in price per pound. I believe the commercial bakeries with their automated equipment is the major reason for the difference in price. Once manpower is used it makes a significant difference in cost.

It reminded me of a video I saw on YouTube yesterday, where robots working in a warehouse, can lift 10 times the weight a human can, do the same job as a human, and do it for 24/7 without tiring. They are expensive but it's a one-time cost. They did not mention what maintenance cost is to keep them working. I'm sure the company would need a tech or two to program them and maybe do some calibrations.

It's going to be a completely different world, unrecognizable to us seniors, in some cases it's already here.

The machines don't whine or ask for vacations, sick leave, paternity/maternity leave, and they don't sue you for maltreatment, real or imagined. They do, however, require regular maintenance.

 

[Tony Page]

Went to see my oncologist yesterday at New York cancer and blood. I was very surprised when a substitute doctor came into the room instead of my regular doctor. I found out she was out on on maternity leave, the last time I saw her was 2 months ago I didn't even realize she was pregnant.

At every appointment they do a blood test and the most important reading is my PSA, and if it had any movement upwards, which could mean my prostate cancer has returned. Up till now my PSA showed no readings at all. I was told I would get the results of yesterday's test in a few days. I also found out I will be taking the hormone pill for 2 years at least, which means I have about a year to go, at that point they'll make a determination whether to continue it a while longer.

I thought of a question on the way home. I always thought the PSA reading was an indication of prostate cancer only. What if the cancer spread to another area will the PSA reading indicate that?

‐---------------------------------------------------

This is probably one of my craziest thoughts.
I've Been Told all my life I'm a "poor eater", meaning I don't eat healthy foods. I agree I don't like a lot of vegetables like spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, and on and on. The same goes for beans, the only beans I will eat are baked beans. I remember my mom would make a big pot of pasta fagioli soup which had beans in it, I would refuse to eat it, she'd say you don't know what you're missing. I've heard that hundreds of times, however I will eat a box of Devil Dogs or other junk food in 2 days.

I think Maybe what you eat has nothing to do with your longevity. I'm 82 years old and still called a poor eater. Maybe it's more what's in your genes, or the quality of your organs. Maybe it's how fast you can regenerate cells. Who knows?

I could speculate all day or how I reached my age considering the men in my family, my father and uncles most died between the ages of 45 and 60.

Another thing I've heard most of my life, is God has a plan for us. What if I haven't completed my task? And that's why I got to this age. Maybe longevity has nothing to do with how healthy you eat, or what your lifestyle is. Maybe you're alive because God still needs you. Who knows?

 

[Yvonne Smith]

I think that what we eat can affect our longevity, and even if it does not affect how long we live, it does affect how well we live. A poor diet leads to illness and poor health, so a person might live as long as if they were eating a healthy diet, but they will have more medical and health issues than if we have a better diet and get optimal nutrition.
Of course, all kinds of other things can affect our health as well, like accidents or contagious diseases; so even if we are taking care of our health, things can go wrong.

 

[Don Alaska]

Went to see my oncologist yesterday at New York cancer and blood. I was very surprised when a substitute doctor came into the room instead of my regular doctor. I found out she was out on on maternity leave, the last time I saw her was 2 months ago I didn't even realize she was pregnant.

At every appointment they do a blood test and the most important reading is my PSA, and if it had any movement upwards, which could mean my prostate cancer has returned. Up till now my PSA showed no readings at all. I was told I would get the results of yesterday's test in a few days. I also found out I will be taking the hormone pill for 2 years at least, which means I have about a year to go, at that point they'll make a determination whether to continue it a while longer.

I thought of a question on the way home. I always thought the PSA reading was an indication of prostate cancer only. What if the cancer spread to another area will the PSA reading indicate that?

‐---------------------------------------------------

This is probably one of my craziest thoughts.
I've Been Told all my life I'm a "poor eater", meaning I don't eat healthy foods. I agree I don't like a lot of vegetables like spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, and on and on. The same goes for beans, the only beans I will eat are baked beans. I remember my mom would make a big pot of pasta fagioli soup which had beans in it, I would refuse to eat it, she'd say you don't know what you're missing. I've heard that hundreds of times, however I will eat a box of Devil Dogs or other junk food in 2 days.

I think Maybe what you eat has nothing to do with your longevity. I'm 82 years old and still called a poor eater. Maybe it's more what's in your genes, or the quality of your organs. Maybe it's how fast you can regenerate cells. Who knows?

I could speculate all day or how I reached my age considering the men in my family, my father and uncles most died between the ages of 45 and 60.

Another thing I've heard most of my life, is God has a plan for us. What if I haven't completed my task? And that's why I got to this age. Maybe longevity has nothing to do with how healthy you eat, or what your lifestyle is. Maybe you're alive because God still needs you. Who knows?

I think PSA in metastatic disease is a mixed bag. Here is what the government has to say about it. It may be useful in experienced hands/brains.

I, too, worry about God's plan for me. Is it done or yet to be fulfilled.

 

[Tony Page]

I got the call from New York cancer and blood yesterday, my PSA is undetectable. It's been that low since I started taking the hormone pill and had the radiation treatment.

late yesterday afternoon, I noticed our dog Penny, chewing and playing with something shiny. Concerned she might swallow it, I took it away from her. To my surprise it was a small (1 in.) statue of Sacred Heart of Jesus. As soon as I realized what it was I felt it was a sign that Jesus was acknowledging my prayers. I asked everybody in my family if they dropped it, nobody claimed ownership. It's possible Penny who is still a puppy and gets into everything found it outside. She was outside for a long time with me while I was gardening.

We're expecting an appliance repairman today to fix our LG refrigerator the ice maker is not working. This is the second repair for the LG refrigerator in about 3 years. We selected LG appliances, refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher as replacements about 3 years ago for the ones damaged in the fire. We replace the dishwasher completely it was not cost effective to fix. This time we selected a Bosch. I could not recommend LG appliances based on our experience. Fortunately we purchased the extended 5-year warranty so the repairs are covered.
We based our decision to purchase LG appliances based on the high customer rating and reviews we saw at that time. I remember I got a hand-me-down refrigerator years ago from my cousin, it was a GE and lasted over 20 Year's It was still working when we traded it in for a newer model.