My leukemia's back.

[wyoDreamer]

I can certainly relate to everything you wrote @Blooie

I can be really good with money, and I can be really bad. DH does the finances - he writes the checks and does the taxes. Alot of times, he has to encourage me to buy something I want - just because I don't want to spend the money. As in, "Are you sure we can really afford it?"
I know I wouldn't be able to pay all our bills on my paycheck alone, but he could with his. But, I had to find a new job every time we moved to a new area and he has been with the same firm for over 25 years. It makes a difference in the wage that I can earn.

 

[Cynthia12]

Prayers for Lisa..my mentally handicapped sis. Her breathing has been laboured while here, for Christmas but worse yesterday and especially today. Talked with the head nurse at her place, he says it's because of the fluid in her lungs, which is because of her enlarged heart... congestive heart failure, which is because of kidney failure. He said it sounds like we may have to take her to the hospital today. My guess..didn't get the question in...is that she'll have a shot to reduce fluid in her body. There are 5 stages of kidney failure. She is in stage 4. I'm so upset that I am just now finding out all of this. She will be starting dialysis the first part of Jan. 3 times a week. Lisa had told me some things, but boy, she didn't have it mostly right, but mostly wrong. When I asked the nurse if she was in stage 4, ...I had started reading like mad when she told me what little the could... he said yes, you didn't know that?? No, she was just moved out there, they assumed the last place was keeping me updated. Ugh! I knew it was bad, but not this bad. Poor thing..struggling to breath. .I can't believe they didn't let me know. The last place had told me that she would probably need it within a couple of years ago..this was last month..it hasn't been 2 years!

 

[ronott1]

Prayers for Lisa..my mentally handicapped sis. Her breathing has been laboured while here, for Christmas but worse yesterday and especially today. Talked with the head nurse at her place, he says it's because of the fluid in her lungs, which is because of her enlarged heart... congestive heart failure, which is because of kidney failure. He said it sounds like we may have to take her to the hospital today. My guess..didn't get the question in...is that she'll have a shot to reduce fluid in her body. There are 5 stages of kidney failure. She is in stage 4. I'm so upset that I am just now finding out all of this. She will be starting dialysis the first part of Jan. 3 times a week. Lisa had told me some things, but boy, she didn't have it mostly right, but mostly wrong. When I asked the nurse if she was in stage 4, ...I had started reading like mad when she told me what little the could... he said yes, you didn't know that?? No, she was just moved out there, they assumed the last place was keeping me updated. Ugh! I knew it was bad, but not this bad. Poor thing..struggling to breath. .I can't believe they didn't let me know. The last place had told me that she would probably need it within a couple of years ago..this was last month..it hasn't been 2 years!

I hope the dialysis will help with the heart issues!

 

[Blooie]

Prayers for Lisa..my mentally handicapped sis. Her breathing has been laboured while here, for Christmas but worse yesterday and especially today. Talked with the head nurse at her place, he says it's because of the fluid in her lungs, which is because of her enlarged heart... congestive heart failure, which is because of kidney failure. He said it sounds like we may have to take her to the hospital today. My guess..didn't get the question in...is that she'll have a shot to reduce fluid in her body. There are 5 stages of kidney failure. She is in stage 4. I'm so upset that I am just now finding out all of this. She will be starting dialysis the first part of Jan. 3 times a week. Lisa had told me some things, but boy, she didn't have it mostly right, but mostly wrong. When I asked the nurse if she was in stage 4, ...I had started reading like mad when she told me what little the could... he said yes, you didn't know that?? No, she was just moved out there, they assumed the last place was keeping me updated. Ugh! I knew it was bad, but not this bad. Poor thing..struggling to breath. .I can't believe they didn't let me know. The last place had told me that she would probably need it within a couple of years ago..this was last month..it hasn't been 2 years!

I am so sorry....and yes, it flat stinks to be left in the dark about such critical life crisis! Dialysis will help, in my considerable experience with Linda, but it’s hard enough on someone who can understand everything being done and said. They explained it all very carefully when Linda started 3x weekly dialysis....that blood pressures can fluctuate wildly; that someone with existing heart issues can have more problems with it; and that while dialysis removes the toxins from the blood, it also takes out the important things, the trace elements and nutrients that our bodies need. Watching the diet is confusing when heart and kidneys are involved - what one recommends the other bans and vice versa. They often conflict. We had a hard time with that.

I wish I could do more than just pray for Lisa, Cynthia!

 

[N F C]

Prayers for Lisa..my mentally handicapped sis. Her breathing has been laboured while here, for Christmas but worse yesterday and especially today. Talked with the head nurse at her place, he says it's because of the fluid in her lungs, which is because of her enlarged heart... congestive heart failure, which is because of kidney failure. He said it sounds like we may have to take her to the hospital today. My guess..didn't get the question in...is that she'll have a shot to reduce fluid in her body. There are 5 stages of kidney failure. She is in stage 4. I'm so upset that I am just now finding out all of this. She will be starting dialysis the first part of Jan. 3 times a week. Lisa had told me some things, but boy, she didn't have it mostly right, but mostly wrong. When I asked the nurse if she was in stage 4, ...I had started reading like mad when she told me what little the could... he said yes, you didn't know that?? No, she was just moved out there, they assumed the last place was keeping me updated. Ugh! I knew it was bad, but not this bad. Poor thing..struggling to breath. .I can't believe they didn't let me know. The last place had told me that she would probably need it within a couple of years ago..this was last month..it hasn't been 2 years!

Cynthia, sorry to hear of Lisa's problems. And that you weren't kept totally in the loop. Knowing the little bit I do of Lisa's situation, it's just not right the medical people left it up to her to explain these issues to you...the docs must include you! You & Lisa will be in my thoughts and prayers

 

[bobbi-j]

It's best to learn to live within your means.

Amen!

I started working and saving towards 'goals' when I was very young.

That's how my mama raised me. She was a single, working parent in the 1970's, with no support from my dad. He'd send $25 here and there, but never any real child support. We ate supper at Grandma and Grandpa's a lot. Their way of helping us, but I didn't know it was help at the time. I just thought we were spending time together.

Yep, I agree with you! If you don't have any credit history, banks won't want to loan you any money for something like a house loan.

I got my first credit card when I needed to buy a ticket from an airline. Without a cc, couldn't buy a ticket. Also couldn't rent a car without a cc.

Credit cards aren't evil, they're a tool and like any other tool... some good sense and caution must be used when operating them.

DS 2 and DIL are very good with their credit cards. They pay it off monthly, to build up their credit rating. Apparently it helps keep your car ins. down, too.

“They” say that if you grow up dirt poor, in adulthood if you’re making a decent living you’ll either keep living as if the wolves were at the door or buy, buy, buy because you think you can.

DH and his sister. Raised together in the same home, same parents, same environment. They had very little when growing up. His folks were very frugal. His sister buys anything and everything just because she wants it. They have several rental houses, and she has used the garage of one of them as storage. They have a double garage and workshop full of stuff, an old camper in their yard being used for storage, and are renting a storage unit. One bedroom upstairs is so full they can't walk into it. DH, on the other hand, rarely makes any "unnecessary" purchases. I don't buy like SIL does, but if I see a kitchen gadget I want, or a pair of shoes or some clothes, I will buy it.

Prayers for Lisa..my mentally handicapped sis. Her breathing has been laboured while here, for Christmas but worse yesterday and especially today. Talked with the head nurse at her place, he says it's because of the fluid in her lungs, which is because of her enlarged heart... congestive heart failure, which is because of kidney failure. He said it sounds like we may have to take her to the hospital today. My guess..didn't get the question in...is that she'll have a shot to reduce fluid in her body. There are 5 stages of kidney failure. She is in stage 4. I'm so upset that I am just now finding out all of this. She will be starting dialysis the first part of Jan. 3 times a week. Lisa had told me some things, but boy, she didn't have it mostly right, but mostly wrong. When I asked the nurse if she was in stage 4, ...I had started reading like mad when she told me what little the could... he said yes, you didn't know that?? No, she was just moved out there, they assumed the last place was keeping me updated. Ugh! I knew it was bad, but not this bad. Poor thing..struggling to breath. .I can't believe they didn't let me know. The last place had told me that she would probably need it within a couple of years ago..this was last month..it hasn't been 2 years!

Prayers for you and your sister, Cynthia! Are you able to go to her appointments with her? Or get her records online? Through our clinic, there is a program that we can go online to get test results, notes from appointments, and ask questions. My mom had it so she could get Grandma's information since Grandma's hearing was so bad she didn't always understand what was being said.

it's just not right the medical people left it up to her to explain these issues to you...the docs must include you! You & Lisa will be in my thoughts and prayers

Absolutely!

 

[bruceha2000]

Cynthia, sorry to hear of Lisa's problems. And that you weren't kept totally in the loop. Knowing the little bit I do of Lisa's situation, it's just not right the medical people left it up to her to explain these issues to you...the docs must include you!

I agree with NFC!!!! for Lisa and you.

In today's world you basically need to use credit to get credit. My niece had to buy the house when she and her (now) husband were looking to buy. He never had a credit card and therefore, the bank would not give him a loan to buy a house.

There are other kinds of credit, like utilities. What they are looking for is a history of payment without fail.

I ended up spending a night in jail for 2 bad checks

I knew MOST of this story regarding your and Ken's finances but a jail bird??? Our gentle @Blooie is an ex con!!! Oh my, oh my. I hope you didn't hang the jailer in effigy
OK, you did your time and restitution was done so I guess we can let you back into polite society

And you are doing the right thing with Kenny and Jenny. Keep bailing them out and you will end up doing it until you are 6' under (or whatever your plan is). They will (hopefully) eventually learn and before you both die and they are stuck without any potential help if they get into dire straights. The best you can do is pull Evan and Katie in (though Evan has a good model who will probably talk with him about financial things) and set them straight before they screw up. Good luck

 

[oldrooster]

For those of you of faith please pray for me, I am starting to blame God and hate the world because of mom dying and our cat this past summer and how idiots are treating me. I have blocked numbers but some are blocking theirs in order to get thru and leaving nasty messages.

 

[Blooie]

They can’t do to you what you don’t let them do. They can’t rule your thoughts, your actions, or your heart. And I don’t care what anyone says, sometimes it’s okay to get mad at God and blame Him, because you know what? He’s got big shoulders. To me it’s no different than when we have to come down on our kids and get that old, “It’s all your fault....I hate you!” routine. We just walk away, let them stew for a bit, then hug them when they come to us later. In my mind, God is the same kind of a Father - letting us make mistakes, live with the consequences of those mistakes, but enfolding us in those great arms when we realize our temper got the best of us and letting us know that He understands and forgives us. Sounds simple, but then I’m a pretty simple kind of woman, as guess.

So of course you’ll be in my prayers as you struggle to get past all of this. God doesn’t turn His love for us on and off like a faucet, and neither do I! Hugs, my friend!!

 

[Alaskan]

Good morning team Rachel, Al may I ask was those photos taken in a Catholic church? why I ask never been in one before and it looked like some sort of church and it didn't look like ones I have seen before.

It is an Orthodox church. Here in the states the most common are Greek Orthodox, or Russian Orthodox. But the one I go to is Antiochian. They are all in communion with one another... there is an Orthodox Church of America (OCA) too. But the US is such a melting pot that we have all of the different kinds as well as OCA.