Parents of the HS Class of 2011 - Original

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
4581

<p>I love reading this thread daily, but don’t really have much to add!</p>

<p>blueiguana: I love your idea about wearing the t-shirt from your favorite school from now until April as a subtle hint…I am right there with you with that fantasy! When I applied to college, I did 3 applications: reach, match, safety. And I ended up at my safety, which was a great experience ultimately.</p>

<p>Every single school my daughter is seriously considering right now would be a reach for anybody…the “match” and “safety” schools aren’t on her mind right now, but may well be later this autumn. We have certainly toured enough matches and safeties for her to add some to her mental list! At least her CA is completely finished - now it is the supplements that beckon.</p>

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<p>OT shout-out for any advice: my mom (83) was just diagnosed with shingles. Inexplicable side pain for 2 weeks. Docs did Xrays, scans, everything, but couldn’t find cause for this severe pain…thought it was a pulled muscle. Then the blisters appeared, and they all realized it was shingles. (So did we after looking at some images on the internet).</p>

<p>Anyway…they prescribed Tylenol 3 (with codeine) for the pain. Told her to start small (1/2 tablet), and she tolerated one or two doses that way and did get good pain relief. Then came the nausea and vomiting. She can’t tolerate any more. I called and got her an alternate pain med to try (Darvocet)…right now she doesn’t want anything because her stomach’s still so queasy, and the pain’s not horrible right now. But they’ve told her it WILL come back (and when it does her blood pressure spikes dangerously high).</p>

<p>So here’s my question: if she tries the Darvocet during the night or tomorrow morning (whenever the pain comes back in strength), and finds that it, too, makes her sick to her stomach…any suggestions? Any home-remedies for easing a sick stomach into better tolerating pain meds? She was careful not to take them on an empty stomach, but even so, she can’t tolerate the Tylenol 3.</p>

<p>Sorry for the diversion…I’m so worried about her and know how many smart, caring folks read this thread. Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated.</p>

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<p>Oh, momofsongbird, I’m so sorry about your mom! Please ask her Dr. (or have her ask her Dr.) for a Rx for Promethazine. Usually 12.5mg every 6hrs. My son gets very sick with anesthesia and has to have something through his IV and oral when he’s home. Pain meds make him sick as well and he has to take something with it. Check with the pharmacy first, but you can also have her try a Benadryl, 25mg. This may help a bit. My son’s been given Benadryl several times for nausea in the hospital. It will also make her sleepy so she needs to have someone with her. Try to remind her to stay hydrated, which is hard if she’s so sick. The newer, low sugar gatoraid is okay. We like propel much better because it’s not so sweet.</p>

<p>Please let us know how she is doing.</p>

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<p>momofsongbird, no great solutions, but some sympathy here for your mom. I have heard that shingles can be extremely painful! My S can’t tolerate any of the prescribed pain medications either. He threw up for days after taking Vicodan after hand surgery, and had a similar reaction to Darvocet after his wisdom teeth were removed. The thing he was able to take that worked was 800 mg of Ibuprofen, basically the equivalent of 4 regular Ibuprofen pills. Can be harsh on an stomach, so I always made my son take it with milk. The Ibuprofen never bothered his stomach though, the way the more powerful pain medications did, and 800 mg provided pretty effective pain relief.</p>

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<p>MOSB-no advice, but I hope your Mom feels better.</p>

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<p>I doubt that it’s enough to knock out the pain for mosb’s mom, but for those who have trouble with Rx pain meds, or Advil just doesn’t keep pain at bay until the next dose, you can stagger doses of Advil and Tylenol to help. They work in different ways so there is no worry of overdose. The A/T combination has been offered as an option by several Dr’s as well as our pharmacist (Which I will do a silent shout out to! Find a good one you love and keep all your Rx’s for your family with them!! Ours has been very helpful with Rxs and OTC and always based advise on the entire family history.)</p>

<p>@momofsongbird - Came down early this-am to check on any status on your mom. I’m sure CC isn’t tops on your list, her care is. Please know we are thinking of her, and you. ((((hugs))))</p>

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<p>Blueiguana, SDmom, and mamom, Thank You! Your info and support are helping more than you can imagine.</p>

<p>Mom slept pretty well til early morning (worn out) but shortly after waking, the pain started climbing from “2” up to “3” and then “4”. We had to do a lot of persuading to get her to try half a Darvocet. Soon after, she was throwing up again. I’m calling doc in 4 mins when they open. Will ask about promethazine or Benadryl (Blue, THANKS!)</p>

<p>I’m concerned about dehydration, too, so will follow up on that.</p>

<p>My Dad’s doing his best to help but this has him a little un-done. </p>

<p>Will update soon, and thanks again. You guys are the best.</p>

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<p>mosb - My heart goes out to you and your mom, and dad too! I’ve been on your end, although not with a parent. You want to stop the pain, but to see them physically ill on top with meds that are supposed to ease the pain is heartbreaking. You are left feeling helpless. I hope one of these options helps, or opens a conversation with her caregiver for another option that will.
Peace.</p>

<p>PS, regarding the hydration, if your mom is really hesitant to try a new drink (propel) and wants to stick with a favorite clear juice…apple, whatever…make sure it’s watered down. The sugar will be too much for her system. The benefit to propel, it’s very low sugar content (4g to 16.9floz), and it has vitamins.</p>

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<p>MOSB
Thinking of you—
Everyone here gave great advice–so none to add…
I can say that I have seen how my dad is not so great at being a caregiver—My mother is in late stage 4 breast cancer-- Perhaps its their generation–however my dad is used to my mother doing everything for him. </p>

<p>Dont know where you live in terms of your parents-- so if you can jot notes for him, sort of a schedule–that might help him know what to do when in order to help your mom.
Thankfully shingles (related to chicken pox) will go away with time–
My dad had it–I hear it is quite uncomfortable–Hoping they find good pain management for your mom soon. I suspect her upset stomach is in part now tender–and hydration and a bit of bland diet (BRAT diet) may help??</p>

<p>Hugs
fogfog</p>

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<p>MOSB-my mother also has problems tolerating pain meds and the combo of Tylenol and Advil at approximately 2 hour intervals does help. She hasn’t had shingles nut my father did and they are horrible to deal with-my heart goes out to you. It really is hard when parents are sick and the kids are at such a high-need state like now with all this college work in addition to their regular lives.</p>

<p>If I can think of anything else I will PM you.</p>

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<p>MOSB - I hope you find a solution to your mom’s pain and that the shingles disappears as quickly as it came.</p>

<p>I live with major pain daily as a result of spinal cord surgery 10 years ago. In addition to my plethora of meds, I find, listening to calm soothing music in a comfortable rocking recliner in semi-darkness to be very helpful. Also focusing on other things besides myself espec doing things for others is a great pain reducer.</p>

<p>FYI - For those of you who don’t know, there is a shingles vaccine altho I believe most doctors only give it to people over 60. I don’t know why.</p>

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<p>Well, this day is finally over, and it’s been a doozy. </p>

<p>Have you ever had a day advocating for a sick loved one, where you are the conduit/communicator/re-communicator with doctors, PAs, nurses, pharmacists, billing folks and insurance processors…not to mention the sick loved one (in this case, my mom and trying-to-cope dad)?</p>

<p>That’s been my day. I won’t even try to describe the various occurrences, set-backs, communications, and developments…too tangled a story.</p>

<p>I’ll share the outcome as of tonight, though, because that’s the good part. Mom’s resting/sleeping comfortably, nausea/vomiting FINALLY under control (Rx I forget name of (ond-something) – Blueiguana, they didn’t want to try Promethazine because of her asthma, but you were right: my asking for it started the right conversation and led us to something that’s working. THANK YOU!)</p>

<p>Pain is also under control with Tramadol (non-narcotic so easier on the stomach) AND pain patches (Lidoderm).</p>

<p>I was with Mom and Dad (and my new best friends, the docs, nurses, pharmacists, etc) all day. I feel like we’ve come through a war, but all is well this evening and I hope it
continues through the night.</p>

<p>Fog, I was sorry to learn of your mom’s cancer. My mom’s situation pales in comparison, and I hope your mom is doing well. I’m only a half-hour away, but your suggestion about making notes for my dad was very helpful. I have them set up with a notebook – separate page for each med, labeled at the top with what it’s for, and dosing instructions. Then space for him to log what she’s taken. I got them started, and they said it was a huge help. Thanks, fog!</p>

<p>Pepper, thanks for your post, too. Gotta tell you all how much it meant to see your words of encouragement and empathy here. My parents, though elderly, have always been extremely independent and self sufficient. This was the first time they’ve REALLY needed my help on something like this, and they needed it in a big way. All through the day, one or the other of them would keep thanking me and saying how they just couldn’t have managed this on their own, especially the sometimes complex communication process with all those who had a role in resolving the situation. The whole thing required a project manager, and that’s where I came in.</p>

<p>I’m so glad I’m nearby and able to do this for them. I’ll never be able to repay all they’ve done for me, but this was a small way of giving something back.</p>

<p>My thoughts tonight are of families, and how important it is that we take care of one another…this world can be a very scary place if you’re elderly and sick, and have no one to take care of you.</p>

<p>One final word…we did ask (on Thursday when she was diagnosed) if my dad should get the shingles vaccine. The answer is, he can’t now because someone in the household has active shingles. But, interestingly, their doc told me, “It’s tough for a lot of us health care professionals to really recommend this vaccine because it’s only efficacious
50% of the time. And even then, many people only get immunity for 2 or 3 years. For us to recommend a vaccine, we’re used to seeing efficacy in the 90% range, and immunity that lasts at least 5-10 years.”. I pass that along just fyi if anyone here is 60 or older and considering the vaccine. (You should also know that, at least here in the Chicago area, they’ve had manufacturing issues and it’s currently out of stock.)</p>

<p>May we all rest comfortably through the night. :)</p>

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<p>FLMathMom, I forgot to mention that your suggestion of the soft, soothing music is what helped Mom finally drift off (exhausted, but restless) tonight. Thank you! I’m so sorry that you struggle with chronic pain, but maybe it helps a little to know that your suggestion really helped relieve my mom so that she could drift off.</p>

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<p>MOSB - Glad to hear everyone is resting comfortably for now. I hope they all get a good night’s rest. Tomorrow your mom is one day closer to this unfortunate episode in her life being behind her. Good night. Oh and thanks for the info about the shingles vaccine.</p>

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<p>MOSB, I want to add my voice to say I’m sorry that your Mom is going through so much trouble. I’ve heard that shingles is really painful. It is good that you are close and it sounds like you were much help to both of your parents today. You’re a good daughter!</p>

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<p>flmathmom, sorry to hear about your chronic pain.</p>

<p>mosb, a few years ago, my father had a stroke. It wasn’t clear whether he would recover at all of if he did, how much. I took over their financial affairs because my mother had no idea about it. My father was a very determined guy and came back, but with aphasia. He worked incredibly hard to regain his abilities (the therapists said that they had never had a patient work harder to come back from a stroke). Unfortunately, he relied on my mother and tired her out. She collapsed and was hospitalized and they couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but was intibated, which was fortunate because they figured out that she had Guillan-Barre syndrome (temporary paralysis due to a virus that removes the lining of the nerves going away from the spine and it can be fatal because the nerves telling the lungs to breath or the heart to beat may stop working). Then, he was diagnosed with cancer. So they were both in the hospital at the same time. Fortunately, I had siblings with medical and neurospychological backgrounds. He died while she was still hospitalized, but she was able to attend his funeral (came there in an ambulance). Not what I would call a fun time.</p>

<p>At some point, I did a search for and found someone who did medical claims for patients and handled all of the work with the various insurers who wanted to dispute or deny various claims. She was a godsend. If this goes on a long time, you may want to find such a person (I’ll be happy to look her up if you want a name and PM me).</p>

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<p>mosb, no advice here (I’m just a student) but my heart goes out to you. My great-aunt was diagnosed with shingles a while ago and it was a very hard time for all of us. Hang in there!</p>

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<p>Morning All</p>

<p>Our student had a good time at the visit to the school. Stayed with student on campus, went to 2 classes, sports practice, hung out in the evening etc. All a good experience --not tons of alcohol present and no pressure to imbibe–so kiddo felt that if you drank it was fine, and if you didn’t it was all cool too…and it felt like a nice fit. We shall see.
Kiddo did one visit to another school where the drinking was way out of hand and it eliminated to school from “the list”
Kiddo is still asleep–however when up–the order of the rest of the weekend will be hw and working on apps…One school supp is done, next app needs to be done–it is in pieces–kiddo will be going to visit that school this coming week so not alot of time for play/hanging out this week.</p>

<p>ACT scores start getting released this week—a few more points is doable–so that too is a “we shall see”</p>

<p>Cannot believe it is alrady the end of Sept!!! Parents of kids already through this had reminded me that the fall goes quickly with all the kids have to do in short order…</p>

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<p>mosb - I join everyone who wished your mom speady recovery. Don’t forget to take care of yourself as well.</p>

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<p>fogfog - If you don’t want to post it on the forum, can you PM me the name of the “drinking” school. I have a feeling our kid’s list overlap. And drinking school is a big no-no as far as our kid is concerned as well. We tried to avoid them when compiling the list, but could overlook some. S won’t be doing any overnight trips until he is accepted.</p>