Peeling a hard boiled egg...this is wayyyy cool!!

Hard-boiled eggs can be annoying and time consuming to peel. In the video below, master of time management Tim Ferris (author of the great book, The Four Hour Work Week), demonstrates how easy it is to get the egg without having to peel it!
Instructions:

1. Cover the eggs with water and boil on low for about 12 minutes
2. Cool the eggs by placing them in cold water with 1 teaspoon of baking soda and ice. The baking soda raises the pH level and reduces adherence. If you choose not to use baking soda, be sure to move the eggs into cold water with plenty of ice immediately after boiling
3. Crack the top of the egg and remove a small piece
4. Crack the bottom (wide end) of the egg and remove a small piece
5. Hold the egg in your hand and blow vigorously into the narrow end of the egg, which will expel it out the wide end
   Doesn’t get much easier than that! Just be ready to catch it when it comes out…
   

Here's the Latest...

01:56AM -- A lot has happened in the last week, so I'll try to summarize it all. Larry didn't dialyze on Tuesday or Saturday last week, and only dialyzed for 3 hours on Thursday.

His bedsore is causing a lot of pain for him, and he has 3 other skin breakdowns. The one on his heel and inside below the ankle is healing nicely. I'm using honey on all of them and it is working well. I also alternate the honey with silverdine and acquacel ag. I change these bandages every day. He's experiencing nausea. He has problems with an upset stomach every so often, and suffered dreadfully with heartburn tonight. I gave him his Prilosec which eventually eased that up. He's hoarse tonight, and says it was from coughing. Naturally, my immediate concern was the heartburn may have been a heart attack instead. But, the Prilosec worked. He's had some tough times with the cancer pain in his lower left abdomen. I called hospice and they contacted his oncologist. They upped his dosage on the Dilaudid from 4ml every 2 hours to 8ml every 2 hours. I was told to give him the Dilaudid whether he was having pain or not as a preventive measure. While I don't do it every 2 hours, I do give him an initial dose every day when he wakes up.

He told me last week to have hospice send in a hospital bed for him. So, it was delivered Thursday while he was in dialysis and I set up a single bed next to it for me. However, he woke up Friday morning complaining he was uncomfortable, couldn't sleep in it because of that, so I called hospice and had them remove it Friday afternoon (around 3pm) and I put our bed back in our room once the hospital bed had been taken out.

We learned from his newest hospice nurse that Missy - the first hospice nurse - will not be returning to hospice care afterall. We have really missed her, but wish her the very best. It's got to be one of the toughest jobs out there.

I contacted the Central Virginia Area on Aging here in the city and they came out on Friday to qualify Larry for the paratransit that the city bus line offers. They will pick him up here at home and bring him back from dialysis every day he goes at no cost to us. I've had to pull him across his sliding board from the bed to the wheelchair; into the van; lift his legs into the van and repeat the process on returns home. So, this will alleviate all that strain on him and me as the paratransist bus has a lift.

Larry's appetite isn't any better and he's very weak...steadily losing weight now. He eats very little and I make sure he drinks at least one if not 2 Ensures each day. He still gets on his computer for a short while most days. Today (Sunday) he stayed in the bedroom, watching tv and not complaining although I know he felt really bad. (It shows on his face when he isn't aware that I'm in the room.) I've also noticed a slight twitching (which he isn't aware of) in the area of his mouth and cheek. I stayed in the bedroom most of the afternoon and early evening today.

It's late, so I'll close here and try not to skip so many days in the future here.

Git 'er Done!!

10:16AM -- Well, I thought I should update everyone on how things are here since he is still asleep. Larry and I had visitors over the last weekend. Lyn and Alyce came up from SC. Larry and I both enjoyed the visit and I took my Paxil to make sure Lyn and Alyce would too. I swear I sometimes believe I'm bipolar. Anyway, I got a few pictures taken and I'll post them here in the next day or so. Larry is doing okay for the most part. He still sleeps a lot, and deals with pain and nausea on a daily basis. He's begun complaining with a belly ache. He didn't go to dialysis yesterday (Tuesday, 09/24) because he didn't want to go. His ending b/p last Saturday at dialysis was 124/64, I think. I'll check with the techs tomorrow. His ending weight was 87.9 kilos, so he's still losing weight. Larry and I talked about getting him a hospital bed the other night...he initiated the discussion. So, Thursday (09/25 -- tomorrow), Hospice will deliver the bed. I'll be moving around and cleaning the carpet in our bedroom at some point today...if I can get myself motivated. Then, while Larry is at dialysis Thursday, I'll dismantle the bed and move it downstairs. I'll be moving the roll-away bed into our bedroom, or bring the single bed up from the garage for me. Not decided yet, but I still have a little time. Maybe do both.

Okay...Larry is having skin breakdowns, and this includes the sacral wound (bedsore). He's been on an antibiotic for several days now. One is on his heel which advanced 2 weeks ago to under his ankle. That one is healing and I had dialysis run a culture on it last week to make sure it was okay. He also has one on the back of his right upper thigh; an irritation in a similar location on the left thigh; one small one that is healing nicely on the lower front of his calf; and the bedsore. I'm cleaning, applying silverdine, or acquacel, or honey to the areas. Yesterday, I had him out of his pants/depends so the bedsore could get some "air". It looked better last night before I bandaged it. Larry is weak...hence the hospital bed. It takes me pulling him into the van to do to dialysis or other appts. I have to help him sit up and to lift his legs into bed. We have increased his Dilaudid from 4ml every 2 hours to 6ml. If his pain is really bad, I can give him 8ml every 2 hours. Hospice instructed me to give him Dilaudid even if there isn't any pain in an effort to prevent severe pain...preventative treatment. I've been doing that once each morning and then as an as needed basis per Larry's needs.

I'm antsy today. I'll write more later...

Weekend Warrior...Yeah, Right!

09:43AM -- Larry is doing as well as he can for all the problems going on. He's suffering with several skin breakdowns: one on back of upper thigh; one on inside ankle and heel; one on lower front calf; and, his bedsore is acting up again. I change bandages daily; cleansing, drying, applying topical meds. He hasn't had a lot of need for his pain med, but the nausea is still giving him a fit. He's still weak, but with his appetite down like it is, that's almost expected. His ending b/p at dialysis on Tuesday was lower than usual (134/47) and his ending weight was 88.7 kilos. He didn't go to dialysis on Thursday, but is suppose to go today. Actually he needs to go today. There's no way he can't go. That would be pushing his luck. (Without dialysis, most patients will slip into a coma within a week or two.) He's having trouble turning over in bed in the mornings, so I have to help him. We discussed getting a hospital bed brought in with an air mattress and trapeze. The hospice nurse said all I have to do is say the word and the bed will be delivered the same day. Larry isn't ready for that so we have put it off. He said he wants to be able to reach out and touch me during the night so he knows I'm there. But, I have to pull him up to a sitting position; assist with moving his right leg because he can't; I have to help slide him (by lifting under his arms) up towards the top of the bed; I have to help slide him into bed from the wheelchair and vice versa; and, in and out of the car. He's still sleeping a lot although he did wake up yesterday morning by himself at 10:00am (which was a first in a LONG time).

Lyn and Alyce got here last night just after 10:00pm for a weekend visit. They had expected me to be out. I opted to stay home and got some housework done. I took a Paxil this morning so I wouldn't scare them off. LOL!!! The stress of this is finally getting to me and while I don't take Paxil every day, I do find myself taking it on average of 2 - 3 times a week now. It's 10:00am, so I am going to go wake Larry and get him ready for dialysis so he can spend a little time with the family. More later...

Another Wait-n-See Day

09:56AM -- I am late getting up this morning but then again, I was even later getting into bed (somewhere around 4:00am this morning). Larry ate most of his steak and veggies last night. However, I had to reheat the meal for him no less than 3 times over the course of a couple of hours. I gave him another Ensure at dinner to take his pills with. He began having problems remembering how to work the remote again. I walked into the bedroom to check on him and he had fell back across the bed and was sleeping. I woke him up so I could get him situated in bed correctly (his legs on the bed), and he decided he wanted to sit for a while. It was about 2:00am at this time. I'm constantly up and down the hallway checking in on him, sometimes just standing quietly in the doorway watching him. Anyway, I left the room and checked in again about 10-15 minutes later. The tv was on the guide and his fingertip aimlessly moved over a few buttons on the remote, without pressing any of them. I offered to help but he refused to allow me to turn the tv off - at one point telling me to "stop picking on" him. I explained I only wanted to help. I told him he needed to go to sleep because he has dialysis "tomorrow". He allowed me to help him lie down at this point, putting his legs into bed and fixing his pillow. I left him alone and went back in the living room and began reading again. At 2:45am, I went back to check on him and he was asleep, remote in hand, and the tv still on. I began to pull the remote away and he grasped it tighter. I told him he needed to go to sleep that it was now "quarter to three" in the morning and he has dialysis. He seemed surprised that it was so late and allowed me to take the remote. He asked what I was doing and I told him waiting on the boys to get home from work. He was asleep when I finally crawled into bed around 4 this morning. I think the last time I looked at the clock it was 5am. Anyway, it is almost time now to wake Larry and get him ready for dialysis. I'll be back later.

Update...

09:53PM -- Larry has stayed in bed all day, watching a little tv, but sleeping most of the time. He didn't know what day it was, so I had to tell him. He's eaten about a half bowl of cereal and drank almost a full can of Ensure between 1:30pm and 4:30pm. I just woke him so that he can possibly eat his steak and peas/carrots from last night. Plus, I gave him another Ensure along with a small tumbler of Vernor's ginger ale. He wasn't sure what ginger ale was and it took some tips like "the Vernor's you always drank when we were in Ohio". Then I think he grasped which ginger ale I was talking about. He's got his evening pills to take and I'll do his eye drops shortly.

What Does It Take???

Not so good days...

11:50AM -- I wanted to post here last night but couldn't find the desire to sit still long enough to do it. Yesterday wasn't a good day for Larry. TIAs (mini-strokes) seemed to have plagued him almost all day long and late into the night. He wasn't able to concentrate and do routine things for himself. Examples: he stayed on his computer maybe 3 hours, but little accomplished; he couldn't figure out how to work his remote for the tv; he stated he had tried to call me 5 times, but i didn't answer -- he had been asleep for 4 hours; I checked his phone and he had called me at 7:15pm, which I had answered; he had picked up his phone around 11:15pm to call me but he was on an erase message screen; I had called out to my son and Larry thought he had heard Alyson talking. At 1:30am this morning, I finally took the remote away from him and turned off the bedside lamp because he still couldn't figure out the remote; and, when I laid down, he told me he was ready to get off the bedpan -- I had to explain he wasn't even on it. I gently told him to go to sleep, and he finally rolled over, grabbed his body pillow and fell asleep.

He took Dilaudid last night complaining with a backache and during dinner with heartburn (I gave him Tums). He takes Prilosec every evening. He said he had eaten his steak, and I had to put the steak and veggies in the fridge hours earlier. He may have eaten 2 bites of each. That's all he had all day long. So, I made him drink an Ensure with his evening pills.

This morning he has a "belly ache" and asked for Dilaudid. During his bath, he hurt no matter where I touched him. I kept apologizing and, needless to say, I suffered right along with him...not to his extent, I'm sure, but nonetheless... I'll change his pain patch in a few moments, and the bandage on his foot. Thank God, that seems to be healing nicely after breaking down overnight just over a week ago.

I haven't turned on his tv, so I'm still waiting to see if he'll be better today. He's growing weaker, and I know his lack of appetite is one of the culprits. I'll push him another Ensure this morning. LOL...I say morning and it is after 12:00pm already. He sleeps very late during the day. I'll try to get back here later today/evening to update...

Update...

01:41AM -- Hello everyone! Sorry I've neglected posting here. Things are pretty much the same. Except for the weather. Whew! It's been muggy and hot again! Suppose to hit the mid 90s today. After Monday, however, we'll be down in the 60s and 70s for daytime highs.

Larry is doing okay. He's weaker, but still manages to play mah-jong for a few hours every day. He only went to dialysis on Thursday this past week. He decided not to go on Saturday because he wanted his "long weekend". I'm taking that to mean he will go to dialysis on Tuesday. His ending B/P was 157/70 this past Thursday; and, his ending target weight was 89.7 kilos. He still tends to sleep a lot and his appetite is still down. He generally takes a nausea med every morning now. His pain seems to be lessening. Larry hasn't taken a lot of the Dilaudid lately. He took 4ml last night, but had not had any all day long yesterday.

The hospice nurse (Alice) didn't come by last week. Larry didn't want to be bothered since nothing much has changed. Our understanding now is that his other nurse, Missy, will be back around the end of this month. Yay! We'll be glad to see her again! *big smiles* We like Alice, but I guess because Missy has been with us since the beginning of all this that we've become "attached" to her. She's such a sweetheart and Larry and I both miss seeing her.

I guess this is pretty much it. I'm headed off to bed. More later!

SPECIAL NOTE: My computer went on the fritz a couple of weeks ago and I lost a lot of email addresses - Missy, yours was one of those - so, please...everyone, send me an email so that I can add all of you back in! THANKS!

It's Cloudy Here Again...

08:22AM -- This will be another wet week - with the exception of Thursday. Thunderstorms and showers all week, but the temps will certainly be tolerable. (70s and 80s) Larry is still sleeping. I'm not sure if he is going to dialysis today. He mentioned last night that he just didn't feel like going. I imagine he will bow out since it is raining. We'll see...

10:51PM -- Well, I had to wake Larry at 10:45 this morning. He decided he wasn't going to dialysis today. He said he'd go Thursday. He's been up on his computer and is now watching television in the bedroom. Larry seems to be doing okay today...no pain or nausea meds needed. He's been dealing with diarrhea since Sunday evening. I'm not sure I've mentioned this in a previous post, so I'll do it now... Larry has gotten weaker, and most of the time requires me to move his leg for as he doesn't have the strength to move it on his own. I generally have to help slide him along his sliding board from the bed to the wheelchair and vice-versa. The same holds true when he is getting into the van. I have to lift his foot up into the van as he can't do it alone. Then, I have to help get him centered in the seat. His apettite isn't at all what it should be. He eats very little and I've threatened to make him drink at least 3 Ensures a day. He's been passing small clots off and on in the past couple of weeks. No biggie compared to previous experiences. I've got to get his evening pills and eye drops done, so I'll close here.

It Was AWESOME!!! Big Thanks to Georgia!!!

(Right: Larry watching ZZ Top perform)
10:42AM -- The concert was great! Our seats were directly in front of the staging area...the accoustics in the arena were perfect, even when you felt the floor rumble beneath your feet. LOL! I even checked my cell phone a few times because the vibration felt as if it was ringing. (my cell always stays on vibrate) Anyway, Rodney Atkins was the opening act; followed by Brooks & Dunn; and then ZZ Top took over and just absolutely rocked the house!!! Those guys are just so attuned to each other after 35 years, they're amazing! Unlike soooo many bands out there that work the entire stage, ZZ Top does their famous in-sync steps and just commands attention. I warned Larry that when they did Sharp Dressed Man, I would most likely embarrass him. That's my all time favorite song by ZZ Top!
Brooks and Dunn were great. They did a lot of their top hits. None of them played for more than a hour and 15 minutes...give or take a few. Rodney Atkins was great too! He's been to Cattle Annie's in the past year once or twice, I think. We got home around 12:30ish. It was a long day for Larry, but he so enjoyed it. I even caught him smiling and rocking to the beat in his chair a few times.

11:42AM -- Larry just woke up about 30 minutes ago. Nauseated and pain. Gave him meds for both and also changed his patch. The attendents/staff at the arena were very helpful and accommodating. They made sure I could get our van next to the curb/sidewalk so Larry would be able to easily slide into the seat from his wheelchair. They personally directed us through traffic to take the easiest access outlet. We came home with a few souvenirs. Definitely not least of all a ZZ Top necklace (which will "illegal or not" hang from our rearview mirror in the van) and a t-shirt! Above and to the right is the necklace and front of the t-shirt. Brooks and Dunn are in the pic below:

Note: Last night after getting home, I was taking care of Larry's needs and was standing in front of him while he sat on the side of the bed. Someone lightly laid a hand on my upper shoulder blade, so I turned expecting to see one of my boys (Richard or Chris). No one was there!!! I told Larry about it and he said it may have been a Guardian Angel. It didn't scare me. Actually, I was pretty calm...accepting. (Not the first time it's happened to me, but it has been quite a few years since the last time.) No, I'm not on drugs. I don't even do my prescribed meds on a regular basis. However, I DO believe in angels, God and the Holy Spirit.

DON'T FORGET: YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURES FOR A FULL SIZE VIEW!

It's the day before....

06:46PM -- Larry is looking forward to his concert tomorrow evening in Charlottesville. We have pretty much decided that if ZZ Top performs first, we will listen to a few songs by Brooks & Dunn and then leave to return home. We'll leave here between 3:30 and 4:30PM tomorrow afternoon. Okay...now as for how he is doing. His ending B/P today at dialysis was 159/71 and his beginning weight was 91.5 kilos. He's having problems with being able to move his leg, but I help him there. I'm also having to help him get onto his sliding board and in and out of the van now. He's getting weaker, but I'm sure that is because his appetite is way down. I make him drink at least one Ensure each morning, but told him if he didn't start eating more during the day, I would give him an Ensure at least 3 times a day. Yesterday, he only ate half of a Hardee's Frisco Burger and a medium Hardee's Strawberry Banana Smoothie Shake. He drank tea and water, but ate nothing else...all day. Larry is also having problems with the breakdown of a sore on the heel of his right foot. I'm now changing the bandage daily...washing it with sterile wound cleanser; applying silverdine and/or aquacel ag; and covering it with a 4x4 gauze pad and then wrapping it. It looked better this morning, but still has a way to go. He's also got a skin abraision of some type (perhaps from the pullups he wears) that is tender to the touch. I've been applying silverdine and/or protective ointment to it daily after washing the area. He hasn't been nauseated today, however he did ask for Dilaudid this morning. I also changed the pain patch.

Just a quick note...

07:57PM -- Things are relatively quiet here. Larry is dealing with nausea today. He went to dialysis and dialyzed 3½ hours yesterday. Ending B/P was 175/80...not bad for him. His beginning weight was 91.5 kilos, so we lowered his target weight to 89.5 kilos from 90 kilos. This means he's still losing weight. His apettite is still waning. Things are either too sweet or too salty. I know this is related to his taste buds, because the comments are from foods he used to eat without such a complaint. Could be the meds doing it also. His pain has been lower today and he hasn't had to take anything extra, which means the pain patch was enough. He's passing small amounts of blood clots but nothing substantial. He's weaker. I'm having to help him get onto his sliding board to move from the bed to the wheelchair. Then, I also have to help him move his right leg (i.e., moving it on the bed or picking it up to get it in the van). However, he's still looking forward to Sunday and the ZZ Top concert! My only concern is getting him into the car AFTER the concert and then into the house. Perhaps he'll sleep on the ride home...rested enough and gotten some of his strength back from the exertion of the ride up there and the excitement during the show.

Just want to send our thoughts and prayers to all who have been sick in the family...Alyce, Ernestine, and Sue. Glad to hear everyone is getting along better and will soon be fully recovered!

This has been the weekend from hell.

05:54PM -- Oh, Larry's been doing well...or, at least nothing more than is the norm as of late. As for me...stress and nerves almost did me in. I finally took a "chill pill"...my strongest one and I was better after a few hours. Poor Lyn...she thought it was her at first until she noticed I was short with Larry and everyone else in the house. Larry dialyzed for 3 hours on Saturday. Lyn got here about mid-morning on Saturday. Larry is weak and needs a little extra help now getting in and out of his wheelchair and into the van. We (our neighbor) raised the height of the sidewalk ramp so Larry could get in the van without as much strain. He's just begun to take Prilosec every day as he's been complaining with heartburn. He hasn't taken a lot of Dilaudid but at least 8ml/day. Nausea seems to be the biggest problem right now. He takes meds for that as well.

I haven't been here for a few days to post anything because when I shut my puter down Friday night just to reboot, it gave me a system error. With my nerves/stress so bad, I just couldn't make myself sit here and fix it. I'm still working on getting it back up to where it was pre-crash. Gawd, I hate it when my puter goes on the fritz! More later....