Category: Health

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Chloe Dealing With Grammie Who Is Sick

When Grammie got sick – I had asked Chloe how she feels about Grammie being sick and in the hospital – being the new age mom – I learned that we have to talk to our kids about things they don’t comprehend and don’t know how to go about asking about it.  We bring Chloe to visit her grammie everyday since she was admitted to the hospital and she make it her plan to read to her grammie in the hospital – I thought that was a very good idea – and she enjoys showing off her reading skill.

So how is Chloe coping with her grammie’s illness?  first of all she doesn’t know that Grammie is very sick – we told her that Grammie is in the hospital to do more tests and to find out what is wrong.  Chloe said she is a little sad and hopes that Grammie discharge soon because she doesn’t like visiting Grammie in the hospital.  She asked me one night – if Grammie was going to be alright – and I had told her that yes, Grammie is going to get treated and she will be as good as new or somewhat new.

Chloe is very closed to her Grammie – more than her grampie – so if anything happens to her Grammie, I think she will be scared forever.  So I’m really praying hard that Grammie will be treatable and that she will lived a long, long time. As for now, we are telling Chloe to have hope and to pray.

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Not Good News On Grammie

So we haven’t really grasped what is going on with Chloe’s grammie health yet.  We spoke to her doctor after she had her scan and it’s not good news.  Her liver is enlarged and they suspect that she has cancer and not only in one spot.  I’ve asked her doctor if we had anything to worry about – and if it was treatable but he wasn’t sure it was just one spot – like in its late stages – from what I understand.  So we are currently all in shocked and don’t know what to think or do.

But after a night of restless sleep, I’ve decided that I’ve to be strong for PB and his family – and have to think positive and make sure I send positive thinking to them to.  More tests is asked for now and we are just waiting for a biopsy and another more thorough CT scan.  Hopefully, after that we will get to know more.  In the meantime, we are just praying hard that Chloe’s grammie will fight this, coz’ I don’t know how it would affect Chloe if anything is to happen.  Chloe’s grammie is only 64 and I know we weren’t expecting this at all.

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Hospitals

I do not like hospitals – period and only go to one unless absolutely necessary or if it is because Chloe needs to see a doctor.  Now that would be a totally different thing altogether – afterall, it is Chloe we are talking about right.  Today, Chloe’s grammie went into the hospital to see her family doctor but ended up getting admitted to the hospital for a CT scan.  Her doctor had suggested that she stay in the hospital so that she can get her CT scan quicker.   So I got PB to go help her to get admitted and before going home from work we brought Chloe to visit her.  There wasn’t any bed for her – so she was admitted to overflow – where the emergency was, on the ground floor – so we’ll see what happens after she gets her CT scan – hopefully tomorrow.

 

 

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Rounding Up 2011

A round up for 2011 – since it’s coming so closed to the end of the year.  So what have I done right or wrong for 2011 – what are my achievements for 2011.  Well, I started out wanting to be a healthier me – in 2011 and started with going to the dentist – but instead of making me smile – a few hundred dollars later – I came home with a few months of pain in the exact teeth that I had a filling – that wasn’t even bugging me.

Far forward a few months – summer came – Chloe finished her Grade 1 with good results but still having trouble with standing up for herself.  And this summer Chloe started playing with the neighborhood kids – and on the trampoline as well.  She had a great time doing that but not without a lot of getting used to – to other kids and compromising.    She went to day camp every day because she liked it a lot and had a good summer.  We only went out of town twice – this year – because the store had been so busy. Work wise at the store and myself – it had been a great year.  This year my regular advertisers were great to me and  i had a lot more private advertisers than I did last year.

Health wise – I’m still struggling to lose weight – and stay healthy but I have to work harder next year.  I also took control of my online life and gave up some games and some friends online – best moved I’ve made.  I didn’t have time for the online games (fb or mahjong) – nor did I have time to take care of others (because I started taking pills for my anxiety attacks).  I spent a lot more time with Chloe and helping her with doing well in school and reading especially.  I also took care of the house and myself a lot more than I did when I was taking care of others.  This year – Chloe did well in school and socially, I made more friends than I did in my entire life both online and offline – spent more time with friends from here – and gotten a friend to help out at the store in May and it is still working perfectly well – no stress ! thank God!   This year I got more involved with the things happening around downtown and this town.  This year things had to change because I had to set my priority right and I’m glad I did what I did – because some people are never happy with the good things that is happening in your life.  The business tripled its sale from the previous years and we had more customers come thru’ our door more than the last few years.  We also ate more often out – and going to different places to try different food around town and a little ways out of town.

This year had been a great year – despite a few unpleasant things – I count my blessings.  What about you?

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Organic Skin Care For Kids

Found some organic skin care for Chloe at the supermarket the other day – but they were old stock I think.  Parked right at the back of the store – I think I’m going to check out the health store instead.  I’m trying to look out for skin care lotion for kids for Chloe and a friend who is a beauty blog expert recommended some brands to me – I can’t find it in our local pharmacy – so I’m going to try the health store instead tomorrow.

We never used to use anything except Johnson baby lotion – and we do the same for Chloe but I think she is old enough to use other things but I don’t want anything but natural stuff for her.  After all, you don’t want to try her skin like a mature skin right?   Wished me luck, you know how ulu this place is – they have some stuff but not all.

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Clever Ways To Cut Down Your Laundry Bills And Help The Environment

Image Source: Frugal Living

When it comes to being frugal and eco-friendly, many people may not realize the amount of laundry that they do can have a significant impact on their expenses and their energy-consumption. The average size household will do at least 7 loads of laundry per week, which totals around 400 loads of laundry per year. A load of laundry can use 20-40 gallons of water meaning a year’s worth of laundry will use 16,000 gallons of water.

That is not to mention the amount of electricity that will be used to wash and dry 400 loads of clothes, towels, and blankets.

When you are looking for ways to save money and reduce your family’s carbon footprint, the laundry room and your washer dryer is the perfect place to start.

Pro Tip 1: Wash in Cold Water

By washing your clothes in cold water, you can cut the amount of electricity you use by more than half! The average load of laundry washed in hot or warm water, uses 4.5kWh of electricity (about $0.68 per load-$265/year) whereas a load washed in cold water uses a mere 0.3kWh ($.04 per load- $16/year). [Source]

Pro Tip 2: Use Other Drying Methods

The clothes dryer is a major culprit in raising electric bills. Any item that generates heat uses more electricity to operate. Use a clothesline to dry your clothes or hang them from hangers on the shower rod in the bathroom. Clothes will take longer to dry; however, you will save a great deal of money on your energy bill.

Pro Tip 3: Avoid Expensive Detergents

Yes, expensive detergents smell great and will leave you with the impression that your laundry is clean because of the way it smells. However, cheaper, economy-sized laundry detergents contain the same basic ingredients and will work just as well.
For half the price, you can purchase larger containers of laundry detergent and your clothes will be just as clean. Furthermore, there will be less packaging to recycle or toss out. You can also choose eco-friendly detergents. Environmentally-friendly ingredients to look for include grain alcohol, coconut plant oils, rosemary and sage.

Pro Tip 4: Top Load Versus the Front Loading Washer

If you are still using the outdated washing machine that you bought ten years ago, chances are you are wasting a lot of water. The average top load washer uses almost 40 gallons for one single load of clothes. A front-load washer only uses about 20 gallons per load.
Upgrading to a new washer can dramatically reduce the amount of water that you use in your home and is an eco-friendly choice.

Pro Tip 5: If It’s Not Dirty, Don’t Wash It!

Okay, this does not mean that you and your family should wear dirty clothes just because you are trying to reduce the amount of money you spend on laundry. Just make sure that you are not washing clothes that are not dirty. If you wear your nice dress slacks for an hour and then change, they most likely will be fine to fold up and put back in the drawer.
Some other tips to try:
– Cut your dryer sheets in half (or omit them altogether). This way you can cut these dryer sheet costs by half!
– Dilute your laundry detergent. By keeping an extra detergent bottle aside, you can fill it half way with detergent and the other half with water.
– Use vinegar instead of fabric softener. ¼ cup of fabric softener (for big loads) saves money and does just the trick.

By paying a bit more attention to how, and when, you do your laundry, it will be completely possible for you to save hundreds of dollars each year. This will help reduce the impact that your family has on the environment by cutting water and energy usage as well. Everyone likes to have clean clothes to wear, but this should not come at such an expensive cost and it really does not have to.

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Flu Shots

We never did get our flu shots till last year – but this year – we were all quite gung-ho about taking our flu-shots and of course Chloe had her flu-mist – that goes thru’ the nose. She was a wee bit frightened of it initially because she had almost forgotten about it – but after taking the flu mist – she decided it’s not that bad after all. Plus, she met her favorite doctor this visit – Dr Randall – who gave her a hand drawn sticker on a sticky note – like last year – boy! was she tickled. Then we had to get our flu shots – and she didn’t want to look at it – so she went out to play in the hallway where all the medicine carts were lined up in front of the doctor’s consultation room. The girls at the clinic was very nice and let her hope around it – and explained to her what were the medicine carts for and what were in them. We left the clinic after half an hour for we needed to make sure that we didn’t have a bad reaction to the flu shots. Thus far, we feel that the flu shot had been good for us – for we’ve noticed that we don’t get sick as often as we did the previous years. So for now – we will continue taking the flu shots every year. Flu shots are free in Canada.

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Job Hunting In Canada

I haven’t been job hunting for a long time – but many who are planning to migrate to Canada or even in United States would prefer to secure a job first before migrating. Some looking for Psychiatric Technician Jobs will find that there are plenty of jobs in this field – and even without a head hunter – you can land a job easily. But what about other jobs in the sales department or clerical field ? I get asked these questions very often as an expatriate.

I have friends who’ve migrated here but didn’t stay because they say they can’t find a job here but truth be told I don’t think they got the right job – and most likely feeling a bit homesick and inferior – to the Westerners. So one good advise before migrating is to make sure you know what field you want to be in. I think those who are in the health industry have plenty to offer in the West – whether you are a pharmacist or a health nurse – there are plenty of jobs here for you. As for other industries, if they can find their candidates from within – I think they rather hire their own. So shape up or ship out!

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Asthma Clinic

Chloe had a appointment with the specialist last week – and she had all sorts of breathing test done for her – and then of course, she got to see the asthma doctor too. The whole process took about 2.5 hrs – for the asthma doctor took an hour to talk to us. Yup ! you heard me right ! while most doctors here can’t wait to get you out of their office – so that they can see another patient – this doctor was totally different – which took us by surprised. But a pleasant one ! Anyhow – Chloe was taken off her puffer – but she had to be monitored the next time she catch a cold or flu – to see if it was worst. We too hope she is not going to be dependent on the puffer – because PB is till today. I was quite worried when she first had to take the puffer – because Chloe was quite resistant towards it – but after she learned that it wasn’t bad or hard at all – she took it like a champ. But taking steroids is not good for anyone – so we are keeping our fingers crossed that she only had a lung infection the last time.

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Separation Anxiety

Not only Chloe but myself – I’ve thought of going up to the city with some of my girlfriends for a night or two – but I have separation anxiety !!!! yup!! me!! but can you blame me – I’ve never left her side except when I had no choice during surgery a few years ago – and that already I was not too keen but had no choice.

Before having Chloe in my life – I had no problems whatsoever traveling at anytime and any place – i didn’t have anything to worry about – nor anything to keep me from traveling but things has changed so drastically for me – I sometimes don’t recognized myself – hahah!! or had I been this way all the time? or have I suddenly turned into a wuss ? And I do not like the thought of me becoming one or turning into one – or is one ! I’m a very tough person – so why is it that I don’t want to be separated from my daughter just for a night and an entire day? Am I the needy one ? or do I think that Chloe is the needy one?

A check with my other girlfriends with kids – some feels the same way but some didn’t have any trouble with spending a brief vacation with their girlfriends. Hmmm… ! interesting isn’t it ? I will chat with my family doctor about this.