lucius septimius 8/12/2021 5:29:01 AM

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vxbush 8/12/2021 6:03:23 AM

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In #1 lucius septimius said: Had to break the news to mom (since she can't hear anything the doctors say) that things are heading south.  And I know that no one on this end is going to deal well with it.

That is never easy, but better this comes from an honest son that someone else who might try to use it to take advantage of her. 

Regarding yesterday's missing posts--I bet all of those were from me, as I tried repeatedly to post anything to the page. I know I tried over 10 times. 

Occasional Reader 8/12/2021 6:08:50 AM

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Reply to lucius septimius in 1:

Very sorry to hear it, LS.  How did she handle the news, if you don't mind saying?

Kosh's Shadow 8/12/2021 6:51:33 AM

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Reply to lucius septimius in 1:

My thoughts and prayers with you and your mom. 

buzzsawmonkey 8/12/2021 7:12:48 AM

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Reply to lucius septimius in 1:

Having gone through this twice in the last 3 years, all I can do is wish you strength and offer a willing ear if you need one.

lucius septimius 8/12/2021 7:23:55 AM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 3:

She handled it relatively well, though she was obviously upset.  On the other hand, she wasn't all that surprised -- as she said, she knows her body and she knows it's shutting down.

The problems are almost entirely a matter of aging -- you live long enough and all the things that are afflicting her eventually happen.  But she's also paying the piper, so to speak, for never having really cared for herself.  Her eating habits are awful (she's not overweight - far from it - but I swear for years she subsided entirely on Combos) and she never, ever has exercised. 

buzzsawmonkey 8/12/2021 7:35:39 AM

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In #6 lucius septimius said: she never, ever has exercised. 

My sister---who is very athletic---was constantly alternating between venting to my brother and myself about Mom's "lack of core strength" and general physical ineptitude, largely born of lack of exercise, and her well-intended but utterly futile efforts to get Mom to reverse the habits of a lifetime.

Occasional Reader 8/12/2021 8:37:28 AM

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In #6 lucius septimius said: The problems are almost entirely a matter of aging

We really need to find a cure for that...

How old is she, if I may ask?

doppelganglander 8/12/2021 8:41:42 AM

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Reply to lucius septimius in 6:

That must have been difficult for both of you. I think it's better to be frank about the matter to give her and the rest of the family a chance to accept it. I wish we had done that with my mom. Instead, she suffered longer than necessary and only went into hospice a few hours before she died. It was as if she needed reassurance that it was okay to let go.

vxbush 8/12/2021 8:42:47 AM

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In #9 doppelganglander said: It was as if she needed reassurance that it was okay to let go.

I can understand that. After being responsible for family for decades, it may be very hard to let go. 

buzzsawmonkey 8/12/2021 9:31:51 AM

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In #10 vxbush said: After being responsible for family for decades, it may be very hard to let go. 

When my mother retired from teaching, which she'd been doing for over 30 years, she had a huge identity crisis; after all the decades of working, to process the idea that she would never be employed again was devastating.

@PBJ3 8/12/2021 9:38:39 AM

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In #1 lucius septimius said: Long day yesterday. Had to break the news to mom (since she can't hear anything the doctors say) that things are heading south.  And I know that no one on this end is going to deal well with it.

You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.  My husband is not in good shape and he is getting so deaf he can barely hear his phone ring, muchless what the doctors day.

lucius septimius 8/12/2021 10:26:04 AM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 8:

94

Occasional Reader 8/12/2021 12:32:36 PM

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Alice in Dairyland 8/12/2021 2:50:28 PM

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In #8 Occasional Reader said: How old is she, if I may ask?

In #13 lucius septimius said: Reply to Occasional Reader in 8: 94

Wondering if it's too late to which my diet plan to Combos.

Alice in Dairyland 8/12/2021 2:52:15 PM

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In #15 Alice in Dairyland said: which - should have been switch.

lucius septimius 8/12/2021 3:39:03 PM

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Reply to Alice in Dairyland in 16:

Based on how she looks, I would not recommend it.

Kosh's Shadow 8/12/2021 3:42:43 PM

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A couple of comments

"going South". I have a copy of My 50 Years in the Navy by Charles E. Clark that I got in a used bookstore.

He was in the Naval Academy during the Civil War, when they had to relocate north. He would refer to classmates who went to the Confederacy as "gone South". I wonder if this is where the term came from?

And on diets - I have lost significant weight by EATING!. (Something like 225 down to 180 lbs) I eat sandwiches or other real food instead of snacking. Maybe I should write a book.

lucius septimius 8/12/2021 3:48:56 PM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 18:

Eliminating processed food is critical.  The issue is calorie density -- the greater the concentration of calories per gram of food the more of it that ends up being stored as fat "for later."

Alice in Dairyland 8/12/2021 3:55:04 PM

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In #17 lucius septimius said: Based on how she looks, I would not recommend it.

Not knowing what your Mom looks like, it's hard for me to judge.  She's 94 years old, she's not going to look like a super model.  My own mother lived on cookies, pastries and coffee for 90 years.  I have not been able to make that diet work for me.  I thought maybe the Combos might be another avenue to a long life.  Kosh's method is what works best for me.  That and plenty of water.  I've lost about 25-30 pounds since retiring.  Who would have ever thought sitting in an office chair for eight hours a day for 32 years would put weight on a body?

Kosh's Shadow 8/12/2021 3:56:01 PM

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Reply to lucius septimius in 19:

What I find is that chips and other snack foods do not satisfy, so you eat more. Eating a sandwich, even with processed meat, is more filling, so I don't go back and munch again.

At home, it is even better, as I have more real food to choose from. I seem to be one of the few who lost weight during COVID.

buzzsawmonkey 8/12/2021 4:01:11 PM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 21:

"Slimming down" vs. "loss of weight": HG Wells' "The Truth About Pyecraft."

Kosh's Shadow 8/12/2021 4:24:56 PM

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In #22 buzzsawmonkey said: "Slimming down" vs. "loss of weight": HG Wells' "The Truth About Pyecraft."

Perhaps the author could produce the recipe in the form of Hindenburgers. He'll be Macon (link) a lot of money.

Kosh's Shadow 8/12/2021 4:27:27 PM

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And another Civil War link.

A certain German count was observing the use of hydrogen balloons by the Union Army, and thought about how useful it would be if such balloons could be made to move and navigate.

The count's name? Zeppelin