Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

I put a new feeder inside the run, and filled it with layer feed, but the chooks won’t dip their beaks into it. They wait until I put some in a bowl for them! I obviously know nothing about chickens

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Grandma update.

She did develop a touch of pneumonia from covid. It is not terrible and according to her doctors it was caught early and is mild as far a pneumonia goes. They tried to be reassuring but the big picture is she is 81 years old with many more health problems who signed a DNR again the minute she got to the emergency room. It is very hard to be reassured knowing she has both covid and pneumonia.
Thankfully she did not break anything from the fall, they did discover a blood clot in her left leg. We were told this could have been there for a year or it could have developed in the last few days before being admitted since her mobility has drastically decreased in the last year. She has been on a heparin drip that started Sunday afternoon. Yesterday we were told they were having difficulty adjusting the levels. Once they get it stabilized then depending on her insurance she will have to be on either warfarin or cumadin the rest of her life.
For the last 4 months we have been dealing with excessive swelling of her legs and constant fluid leaking from them. She has been in very real danger of loosing them. Her heart doctor told us and her that this was the result of venous insufficiency. There is no cure and no medication she can take for it. She was told there was only 3 things she could do to help relieve the problem. She was told to eliminate or reduce salt intake, keep her legs elevated as much as possible and the big one is compression wraps or bandages. We tried and me and mom ended up feeling like banging our heads against a brick wall. No matter what type of wrap or bandage we used she would leave it on for less then a hour and remove it herself claiming it hurt and she could not wear them. She was not comfortable sitting with her legs elevated and salt became the new sugar. At this point salt and sugar pretty much had to be hidden and locked away where she can not find or reach them as she would eat handfuls if given a chance. Her legs are bad, the amount of fluid that leaks from them is crazy and there is water blisters that form and she finds a way to pop or rip them open to leave open wounds.
She officially went on a very restrictive diet yesterday at the hospital. They are restricting fluids and is on a no salt cardiac/diabetic diet. They are wrapping her legs and addressing the wounds. She managed to get the wraps off within a hour the first time they did it. Well, the nurses are not me and mom. She has not beat them down emotionally and verbally and to her surprise they were immediately rewrapped, and in a manner in which she cannot remove them herself.
Mom has not been back to the hospital since she left early Sunday morning. We have called and spoke to her only for her to get furious and hang up on us. She is wanting and expecting us to bring her outside food. Remind her we cannot and she starts berating and hangs up the phone. She left to go for a bit this afternoon. The nurses charted and informed mom that she was more agreeable to complying with things when mom is not there which is one reason she has stayed away these first few days. My sister works as a x-ray tech at the hospital on the night shift. She has managed to pop in her room several times throughout the night since she has been in to check up on her for mom. For the most part she has been sleeping and resting comfortably but she does wake her up in the mornings to talk to her a bit after she is off work. She is getting mad at her as well. She is expecting and demanding her to sneak in and hide food or non diet pop which sis tells her she cannot and will not do.
Lab work has also revealed that her kidney function is borderline. Back in February they had to change her fluid pill to lasix because of the terrible leg swelling. We were told by her family doctor he had put off for years putting her on lasix because it would be hard on her kidneys and it was his last resort.
We have had some long hard discussions between our family and the 2 of her siblings that have kept in contact with her since the stroke a year and a half ago now. Her brother and sister and my brother are of the opinion and believe this is the end and she will not come out of the hospital. Everyone agrees if she does she needs to be in a nursing home as hard as it is for mom to face. I have made a hard decision myself, especially right now where she is on the isolation covid unit. I will not visit that hospital. Thankfully I managed to not catch it while I was tending to everyone 2 weeks ago when they were all very ill. As a type 1 diabetic I also do not need to be visiting that hospital and picking up any other virus or infection. Rosie also will not be visiting. She would not be allowed in the room anyway as she is only 15 and with her recent history she too would probably pick up another bug.
The house feels like we are in limbo right now. Me and mom have spent 2 days essentially spring cleaning and wiping down walls trying to disinfect everything. The living room is still a wreck. Everything is cleaned and wiped down. There is also still the hospital bed and 2 wheelchairs in it. We arranged it like we have been doing to make things easy for her for when she "comes home". That phrase keeps being said by mom who just looks at us when we question it and tells us to leave her alone she is processing. Grandma's sewing table and the 7 large totes of material and supplies are neatly stacked under it like she left it. A stash of candy bars was found hidden under one of the couch cushions and a bag of gummy worms found hidden between some of her folded clothes. They were left alone. CeeCee and Gracie now sleep beside the hospital bed or the recliner she stayed in and look for her whining. Jack has taken up sleeping curled up on her pillow. They too sense something is up.

Very tough place to be in, to live with. The medical caregivers are a blessing, aren’t they?
I know from experience the in-between, nothing’s resolved yet, everything’s-changing feeling with a loved one in a rock and a hard place situation. Try to get as much rest as you can, and find comfort and practice kindness where you can. Everyone has to come to terms at their own pace.

 

[SimpleJenn]

Kasumi is getting splashy markings! She was labeled "olive egger" do y'all think she'll get the cute cheeky poofs like easter eggers/americauna have?

Here she is next to Liara, the sapphire splash.

 

[featherhead007]

Kasumi is getting splashy markings! She was labeled "olive egger" do y'all think she'll get the cute cheeky poofs like easter eggers/americauna have?
View attachment 3634100
Here she is next to Liara, the sapphire splash.
View attachment 3634102

Kasumi is cute with/or without puffy cheeks! Or beard

 

[SimpleJenn]

Kasumi is cute with/or without puffy cheeks! Or beard

Yes! She's my favorite haha, she had the pasty butt so is pretty good with being held and cuddled.

 

[RoyalChick]

Grandma update.

She did develop a touch of pneumonia from covid. It is not terrible and according to her doctors it was caught early and is mild as far a pneumonia goes. They tried to be reassuring but the big picture is she is 81 years old with many more health problems who signed a DNR again the minute she got to the emergency room. It is very hard to be reassured knowing she has both covid and pneumonia.
Thankfully she did not break anything from the fall, they did discover a blood clot in her left leg. We were told this could have been there for a year or it could have developed in the last few days before being admitted since her mobility has drastically decreased in the last year. She has been on a heparin drip that started Sunday afternoon. Yesterday we were told they were having difficulty adjusting the levels. Once they get it stabilized then depending on her insurance she will have to be on either warfarin or cumadin the rest of her life.
For the last 4 months we have been dealing with excessive swelling of her legs and constant fluid leaking from them. She has been in very real danger of loosing them. Her heart doctor told us and her that this was the result of venous insufficiency. There is no cure and no medication she can take for it. She was told there was only 3 things she could do to help relieve the problem. She was told to eliminate or reduce salt intake, keep her legs elevated as much as possible and the big one is compression wraps or bandages. We tried and me and mom ended up feeling like banging our heads against a brick wall. No matter what type of wrap or bandage we used she would leave it on for less then a hour and remove it herself claiming it hurt and she could not wear them. She was not comfortable sitting with her legs elevated and salt became the new sugar. At this point salt and sugar pretty much had to be hidden and locked away where she can not find or reach them as she would eat handfuls if given a chance. Her legs are bad, the amount of fluid that leaks from them is crazy and there is water blisters that form and she finds a way to pop or rip them open to leave open wounds.
She officially went on a very restrictive diet yesterday at the hospital. They are restricting fluids and is on a no salt cardiac/diabetic diet. They are wrapping her legs and addressing the wounds. She managed to get the wraps off within a hour the first time they did it. Well, the nurses are not me and mom. She has not beat them down emotionally and verbally and to her surprise they were immediately rewrapped, and in a manner in which she cannot remove them herself.
Mom has not been back to the hospital since she left early Sunday morning. We have called and spoke to her only for her to get furious and hang up on us. She is wanting and expecting us to bring her outside food. Remind her we cannot and she starts berating and hangs up the phone. She left to go for a bit this afternoon. The nurses charted and informed mom that she was more agreeable to complying with things when mom is not there which is one reason she has stayed away these first few days. My sister works as a x-ray tech at the hospital on the night shift. She has managed to pop in her room several times throughout the night since she has been in to check up on her for mom. For the most part she has been sleeping and resting comfortably but she does wake her up in the mornings to talk to her a bit after she is off work. She is getting mad at her as well. She is expecting and demanding her to sneak in and hide food or non diet pop which sis tells her she cannot and will not do.
Lab work has also revealed that her kidney function is borderline. Back in February they had to change her fluid pill to lasix because of the terrible leg swelling. We were told by her family doctor he had put off for years putting her on lasix because it would be hard on her kidneys and it was his last resort.
We have had some long hard discussions between our family and the 2 of her siblings that have kept in contact with her since the stroke a year and a half ago now. Her brother and sister and my brother are of the opinion and believe this is the end and she will not come out of the hospital. Everyone agrees if she does she needs to be in a nursing home as hard as it is for mom to face. I have made a hard decision myself, especially right now where she is on the isolation covid unit. I will not visit that hospital. Thankfully I managed to not catch it while I was tending to everyone 2 weeks ago when they were all very ill. As a type 1 diabetic I also do not need to be visiting that hospital and picking up any other virus or infection. Rosie also will not be visiting. She would not be allowed in the room anyway as she is only 15 and with her recent history she too would probably pick up another bug.
The house feels like we are in limbo right now. Me and mom have spent 2 days essentially spring cleaning and wiping down walls trying to disinfect everything. The living room is still a wreck. Everything is cleaned and wiped down. There is also still the hospital bed and 2 wheelchairs in it. We arranged it like we have been doing to make things easy for her for when she "comes home". That phrase keeps being said by mom who just looks at us when we question it and tells us to leave her alone she is processing. Grandma's sewing table and the 7 large totes of material and supplies are neatly stacked under it like she left it. A stash of candy bars was found hidden under one of the couch cushions and a bag of gummy worms found hidden between some of her folded clothes. They were left alone. CeeCee and Gracie now sleep beside the hospital bed or the recliner she stayed in and look for her whining. Jack has taken up sleeping curled up on her pillow. They too sense something is up.

This is very hard on all of you.
Just a big hug for everyone - it is a tough situation to get through.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. They are very much appreciated and needed. I knew one day we would reach the place where we are at right now. I have tried to mentally prepare myself for it. I actually fooled myself thinking I was. No matter how difficult things had gotten and been for some time nothing can fully prepare one for this. I do know one thing and in the coming months I will probably needs everyone's support. It is time to quit smoking, for good now. I am not stopping today, or even tomorrow. I will fully admit they are a emotional crutch. All it will take is one phone call from grandma where she starts shouting at me or crying or worse and I will be ready to eat a entire pack. That being said, in the last 3 days I have only smoked a total of 1 pack. That is huge for me at the moment. In my mind, no matter the outcome I have decided I will be quitting on October 1st, possibly sooner but I do not want to overwhelm myself with a sooner date.

 

[RoyalChick]

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. They are very much appreciated and needed. I knew one day we would reach the place where we are at right now. I have tried to mentally prepare myself for it. I actually fooled myself thinking I was. No matter how difficult things had gotten and been for some time nothing can fully prepare one for this. I do know one thing and in the coming months I will probably needs everyone's support. It is time to quit smoking, for good now. I am not stopping today, or even tomorrow. I will fully admit they are a emotional crutch. All it will take is one phone call from grandma where she starts shouting at me or crying or worse and I will be ready to eat a entire pack. That being said, in the last 3 days I have only smoked a total of 1 pack. That is huge for me at the moment. In my mind, no matter the outcome I have decided I will be quitting on October 1st, possibly sooner but I do not want to overwhelm myself with a sooner date.

That is a very good life choice. We are all here to support you however you need.
It is not easy.
I quit 35 years ago and it is only quite recently that I stopped having any cravings at all.
You can do it and there is a lot of help now with gum and patches etc., don’t be afraid to use that sort of help.

 

[rural mouse]

Grandma update.

She did develop a touch of pneumonia from covid. It is not terrible and according to her doctors it was caught early and is mild as far a pneumonia goes. They tried to be reassuring but the big picture is she is 81 years old with many more health problems who signed a DNR again the minute she got to the emergency room. It is very hard to be reassured knowing she has both covid and pneumonia.
Thankfully she did not break anything from the fall, they did discover a blood clot in her left leg. We were told this could have been there for a year or it could have developed in the last few days before being admitted since her mobility has drastically decreased in the last year. She has been on a heparin drip that started Sunday afternoon. Yesterday we were told they were having difficulty adjusting the levels. Once they get it stabilized then depending on her insurance she will have to be on either warfarin or cumadin the rest of her life.
For the last 4 months we have been dealing with excessive swelling of her legs and constant fluid leaking from them. She has been in very real danger of loosing them. Her heart doctor told us and her that this was the result of venous insufficiency. There is no cure and no medication she can take for it. She was told there was only 3 things she could do to help relieve the problem. She was told to eliminate or reduce salt intake, keep her legs elevated as much as possible and the big one is compression wraps or bandages. We tried and me and mom ended up feeling like banging our heads against a brick wall. No matter what type of wrap or bandage we used she would leave it on for less then a hour and remove it herself claiming it hurt and she could not wear them. She was not comfortable sitting with her legs elevated and salt became the new sugar. At this point salt and sugar pretty much had to be hidden and locked away where she can not find or reach them as she would eat handfuls if given a chance. Her legs are bad, the amount of fluid that leaks from them is crazy and there is water blisters that form and she finds a way to pop or rip them open to leave open wounds.
She officially went on a very restrictive diet yesterday at the hospital. They are restricting fluids and is on a no salt cardiac/diabetic diet. They are wrapping her legs and addressing the wounds. She managed to get the wraps off within a hour the first time they did it. Well, the nurses are not me and mom. She has not beat them down emotionally and verbally and to her surprise they were immediately rewrapped, and in a manner in which she cannot remove them herself.
Mom has not been back to the hospital since she left early Sunday morning. We have called and spoke to her only for her to get furious and hang up on us. She is wanting and expecting us to bring her outside food. Remind her we cannot and she starts berating and hangs up the phone. She left to go for a bit this afternoon. The nurses charted and informed mom that she was more agreeable to complying with things when mom is not there which is one reason she has stayed away these first few days. My sister works as a x-ray tech at the hospital on the night shift. She has managed to pop in her room several times throughout the night since she has been in to check up on her for mom. For the most part she has been sleeping and resting comfortably but she does wake her up in the mornings to talk to her a bit after she is off work. She is getting mad at her as well. She is expecting and demanding her to sneak in and hide food or non diet pop which sis tells her she cannot and will not do.
Lab work has also revealed that her kidney function is borderline. Back in February they had to change her fluid pill to lasix because of the terrible leg swelling. We were told by her family doctor he had put off for years putting her on lasix because it would be hard on her kidneys and it was his last resort.
We have had some long hard discussions between our family and the 2 of her siblings that have kept in contact with her since the stroke a year and a half ago now. Her brother and sister and my brother are of the opinion and believe this is the end and she will not come out of the hospital. Everyone agrees if she does she needs to be in a nursing home as hard as it is for mom to face. I have made a hard decision myself, especially right now where she is on the isolation covid unit. I will not visit that hospital. Thankfully I managed to not catch it while I was tending to everyone 2 weeks ago when they were all very ill. As a type 1 diabetic I also do not need to be visiting that hospital and picking up any other virus or infection. Rosie also will not be visiting. She would not be allowed in the room anyway as she is only 15 and with her recent history she too would probably pick up another bug.
The house feels like we are in limbo right now. Me and mom have spent 2 days essentially spring cleaning and wiping down walls trying to disinfect everything. The living room is still a wreck. Everything is cleaned and wiped down. There is also still the hospital bed and 2 wheelchairs in it. We arranged it like we have been doing to make things easy for her for when she "comes home". That phrase keeps being said by mom who just looks at us when we question it and tells us to leave her alone she is processing. Grandma's sewing table and the 7 large totes of material and supplies are neatly stacked under it like she left it. A stash of candy bars was found hidden under one of the couch cushions and a bag of gummy worms found hidden between some of her folded clothes. They were left alone. CeeCee and Gracie now sleep beside the hospital bed or the recliner she stayed in and look for her whining. Jack has taken up sleeping curled up on her pillow. They too sense something is up.

 

[rural mouse]

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. They are very much appreciated and needed. I knew one day we would reach the place where we are at right now. I have tried to mentally prepare myself for it. I actually fooled myself thinking I was. No matter how difficult things had gotten and been for some time nothing can fully prepare one for this. I do know one thing and in the coming months I will probably needs everyone's support. It is time to quit smoking, for good now. I am not stopping today, or even tomorrow. I will fully admit they are a emotional crutch. All it will take is one phone call from grandma where she starts shouting at me or crying or worse and I will be ready to eat a entire pack. That being said, in the last 3 days I have only smoked a total of 1 pack. That is huge for me at the moment. In my mind, no matter the outcome I have decided I will be quitting on October 1st, possibly sooner but I do not want to overwhelm myself with a sooner date.