DEHYDRATION SCARE

By OLIVENE GODFREY

When this blasted heat wave got underway, I vowed I would not leave my air-conditioned house until it ended. I couldn't have known it would go on and on. But, I'm still not going outside no matter what until the extreme heat cools down. Still, I had a heat-related episode last week even in the comfort of my home which convinced me I needed to take more precautions.

The coolest room in our house is my bedroom and I had been resting during the hottest time of day in there. But, for some insane reason, I decided one day to stay in my recliner and read for a while. The sun streamed through the glass wall and I didn't close the draperies as I thought the plants in front of the big window needed to be there. That was a big mistake.
I began to feel very tired and realized I hadn't drank much water or fluids since I had been in the recliner. Son Barry had filled my water bottle and left a bottle of Gatorade's low calorie drink on the table next to my chair.

Since Barry has had to be out of work so often to take me to doctors, etc..., I called him but just asked him to check on me later in the day. A woman from Home Health came by about two p.m. and told me my therapy was over and my arms and legs are strong now. The nurses will continue to check on me every two weeks. I told the nice lady how I was feeling. She went to the kitchen and made me a sandwich and opened a cup of chocolate pudding and a Coke Zero. She also filled my water bottle. All of the Home Health Care people are so kind and caring.

For a little while I felt better and then I began to have a horrific headache. I thought of how all my vital signs indicate a healthy person. So why the heck did I feel so bad? Maybe I have a mental problem and am only imagining I feel bad.
NO, that wasn't true. Barry continued to stay in touch but he was working in a building that's temp was 94 degree and had about all he could handle. Finally, late in the afternoon, I felt so hot, I became desperate, and somehow made the long walk to my bedroom. I drank some water in my adjoining bathroom and then I went to bed. When Barry came home, he checked on me and helped me to the dining room and then he cooked a quick supper.

Barry took my vital signs and my blood pressure was okay but my pulse was 124. I took my medications and went to bed where I tossed and turned most of the night. My pulse is normal now.
Barry looked up dehydration on the web and I had some of the symptoms of mild dehydration. The info said in people over 50 the body's thirst sensation diminishes and continues with age. Dehydration, along with hyperthermia, results in seniors dying during extreme hot weather. So,I am going to be prepared with water and drinks during this heat wave and hope all of you will, too.

See you next time.

REMEMBERING CONNIE
By Olivene Godfrey
My niece, Connie, who had lived in south Florida since she was a young teenager, lost her battle with cancer last week. Her former sister-in-law, Annie, said, " Connie had fought with all her might to stay alive. She was one of the bravest people I knew."

Connie's brother, John, called to tell me of Connie's death. And, we talked a few minutes about when he and Connie and their cousin, Charlene, and my young sister, Dianne, played together and had such fun. I told John I had happy memories of those days and he said he did, too.

When Connie was a little girl, she wanted a pair of black, patent Mary Jane shoes. My son, Barry hadn't been born yet and all the grandchildren and my baby sister were precious to me. I told Connie to be ready on a Saturday and we would go to a shoe store in Dalton (GA) to buy her Mary Janes. Her mother, my late sister, Joan, said Connie was beside her self with excitement while she waited for me. I remember we walked on the sidewalk to the shoe store from my car and Connie held my hand and skipped along, big blue eyes shiny. and she told me that her stomach felt all "fluttery". I told her she had butterflies in her stomach and she laughed. Shortly after we arrived at the shoe store Connie was proudly wearing her Mary Janes as we walked to the car. I've always remembered that day.

After Connie grew up, she had a tragic life, partly because of events she couldn't control, and she made her own mistakes, too. Her brother, John, told me when we were talking on the phone that Connie had been going to church with him and his wife and that she had made peace with the Lord. And, we believe that she's in heaven and has no more pain. Our prayers are now with her 21-year-old son, Chris, as he struggles to face life without his "Mom".

See you next time.

WICKED IBS EPISODE & A BUSY WEEK & WHATEVER HAPPENED TO PEAR PRESERVES?
By OLIVENE GODFREY
I've been sick for about a week. For several days, I didn't feel well. Then while eating dinner about two days ago, I had a pain in my colon and I told son Barry I had to get to my bathroom on the double. That was the beginning of a massive IBS episode which lasted several hours and I am still not recovered from. I mean, it was a cold sweat and white knuckle time. Just as I thought I couldn't bear the pain, the vagus nerve that is a fascinating thing, came to my rescue and I passed out. Barry had to stay home the next day to take care of me. I still don't feel chipper but hope I will recover soon. I have started taking Mirrorlax which my GI doctor advised me to do as Barry and I both think I'm too old for anymore ordeals like this one.

Before this episode, I had a busy week, with the highlight being a "girl..fun..lunch" with my neighbor and friend, Genevelyn. We went to Edna's a popular North Georgia restaurant for lunch and then to shop in a boutique that has gorgeous ladies clothing and accessories. I hadn't been there in years and one of the owners remembered when I was a regular customer at The Fashion Vine'. I hope to go back soon for some serious shopping.

What happened to pear preserves? We're going to have a bumper crop of pears this year. One year,I tried to make preserves with them. What a mess! My late neighbor, Dorothy. also tried to make preserves from the pears with the same result. The pears are good for eating but obviously not for cooking. Barry says Ingles carries just about every other fruit preserves but no pears. The animals, such as deer, that come down from the mountains usually eat them.

I am getting tired so will close for now and hope next week, I will feel better. We are having a heat wave and I am staying in my AC house until it ends.

See you next time.

MY DOC SAYS, "YOUR GUT HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN."

By OLIVENE GODFREY

My doc says my gut has a mind of its own and I should have listened to my gut when it told me to cut red meats from my diet. The horrendous IBS attacks on the days after eating a delicious steak or slice of roast beef became more and more painful. Finally, son Barry and I could no longer deny the beef I had loved since I was a child was definitely a "trigger" food before I had the IBS attacks. So, I have given up the beef and, fortunately, I love white chicken and turkey meat and fish and they please my gut, so they will be in my diet for the future.

It's strange but giving up things now that I'm an old lady doesn't really bother me the way it would have when I was young.
The bakery in Ingles Supermarket in Chatsworth has the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever eaten. I had asked Barry to buy a few for my desserts during the week for months now. Barry had never eaten one of them until recently when he reached in our pretty cookie jar and got a cookie. After he ate the cookie, he declared it was the best he'd ever eaten. The cookies are chocked full of especially delicious chocolate chips. Now he buys more of them when he goes to grocery store on weekends.
Being a diabetic, I know I can't eat as many of them as I'd like and so far eating a few has been safe for me

The Home Health Care occupational nurse visited me last week. She inspected our house to see if we needed to add any more safety measures. She gave us an "A" as Barry had taken care of those things when my late husband was sick for several years before his death She will be back next week to bring me a gadget to help me put on my socks which is the hardest thing about getting dressed for me now.

The Home Health regular nurse came last week, too, for a scheduled visit. My vital signs were all perfect as they are most every day on the "smart monitor' that records this info that is sent to the Home Health headquarters. As I've written before, I seem to be doing fine except for the IBS attacks. I have a list of IBS "trigger foods" on my fridge door to remind me to stay away from the culprits.

See you next time.