Timer Tuesday

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Many of us are under the weather. Many of us are overwhelmed. All of us struggle to stay on task.

Timers can be wonderful tools (along with routines) to help us through these times.

Dust off yours.

For those who are ill - when I'm really, really, sick, I simply don't care about the house or myself. I'm sick. Once I start to improve, that's when I turn to the timer. I set it for 10 - 15 minutes and then do a task (get up, open the windows to air room, sponge bath, change pjs) and then go back for 45 minutes. I stick to 15 on/45 off until I'm ready for 15on/30 off, and then 15 on/15 off, then 30 on/15 off. That may take a few days but in the meantime, even with just those 15 minutes of on/45 off, I will get 2 hours of items done during the day (15 minutes x 8 hour day.) That's enough time to feed myself, clean myself, maybe toss on laundry, maybe load and run the dishwasher and wipe down counters.

So do as little as you can, but intersperse that with as much rest as you can, and you'll find your mind relaxes while your body recovers.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I'm up and it will be a timer day (and any other tools I can remember.)

The apartment is trashed AND dirty underneath.

My mind is still in a state of chaos.

I have important deadlines for tomorrow so I need to get focused but all the chaos surrounding me is distracting me.

Plus, this extreme focus on a low calorie diet is taking up about 2 hours a day in planning and tracking food. That will get better as the weeks go by but for now it is a bit intense and I'm still thinking about my next snacks or meals all the time which is also distracting.

So, timer it is.

I'm having tea and chocolate now. Dh woke me up with his twitching at 5:30 (he was rocking the waterbed so much, it flipped my tablet off the bed onto the floor.) I dozed until 6:20 and then listened to the radio on my tablet until 7 when he woke up and turned on the radio in the room.

I've texted ds about his laundry. No idea how sick he is, or how work is going for him but I may have to run over there to drop it off if he's not better. The elevators in his building are useless so this time I'll walk up (10th floor). Last time I waited 15 minutes for an elevator (and walked down.) There is only one but there are 4 levels of parking below the building so by the time the single elevator made it to the lobby level, it was full of people from the parking levels so I couldn't go up the first time. Then it stopped at 6 floors on the way up and 10 on the way down (right down to P4) and another 3 on the way back to lobby. That time I crammed myself and the laundry in with the other 8 people on the elevator. I was texting dh to let him know what was up and when I showed up in the parking lot from the fire exit instead of the front door, he said that there was a steady stream of people using that door. So at least those young enough are using the stairs down, if not the stairs up. While we were away, all 3 elevators at the building weren't working so ds moved in here for a while.

At least during the wait, I got to know a neighbour of ds's who was also waiting!

OK, tea is almost done. Check email and then get s2tw (showered to timer watch!)

[LadyMaverick]

My FB feed is full of DFriends dealing with flu and pneumonia. Getting medical treatment is a challenge. One DFriend took her brother who did NOT have flu symptoms to ER yesterday. They suspected he was having appendicitis or diverticulitis attack. They sat in the ER waiting room for EIGHT HOURS waiting to be seen. She said there was a couple of people who got tired of waiting so they went outside to the parking lot and called for an ambulance. The ambulance came and took the person the 100 yards or so to the ER entrance. Why did they call for an ambulance when they were already at the ER? If you enter the ER by ambulance then you are taken directly to an ER treatment room and you bypass the long line to be seen and don't spend the 8 hours sitting in the waiting room. (DFriend was not one of those who did the ambulance).

I need to adjust my morning schedule. DGD6 does not arrive here now at 6 am. I don't feed her breakfast now. I don't brush her hair and listen to her talk nonstop before she gets taken to school. DD is taking DGD6 to school now since she is no longer working a daytime office job. I am enjoying the peace and quiet this morning, but it feels weird that the little happy-go-lucky jagged-tooth chatterbox is not following me around.

[CathyS]

Hi everyone!!

Dh and I were both really cold last night, so I turned the furnace up. I was so hot this morning at 5 a.m. that I just got up. The living room was 26 C! It had snowed for a good part of the night. I shoveled a path between the back door and the garage. Dh put my car in the garage for me last night.

Right now I have a 2 pound loaf of white bread doing it's thing in the bread machine. Too bad I have to go out for cat food. That is the only reason I have to leave the house today. I think I will let the plows go and do their things in parking lots before I go and get the cat food.

Insurance person might be coming either today or tomorrow. We sent pictures of the bathtub to him yesterday. Men with digging equipment are coming tomorrow for $400 per hour, 3 hour minimum charge.

Cat is reminding me to clean the cat litter box. (She uses the box and then stops by the doorway to meow loudly at me!)

[Twins' Mom]

I am up and about and fever free. And I don't feel too bad. I still have a cough and sore throat, but cough may be better. Did I dodge a bullet? Time will tell. I'm going to let dh know that I'll pick him up at the airport today wearing a mask, just in case. He did not have a flu shot. The ER yesterday was full of people, both waiting and coming in by ambulance. I'm not going to see dmom today, just in case this isn't over.

My energy is good, almost great. I've already started a load of laundry. I'm also uploading a DNA file from FTDNA and it's running better than it did in SLC. (hopeful )

[DeeClutter]

So smart with the mask, Twins. I saw on the news today that schools in at least 12 states have cancelled classes because of the flu. I'm on a '3 or 4' step back with mine. I don't think I've been anywhere to pick up a new bug, but am feeling puny and my 'color' is back to yellow. Coughed a lot yesterday and got up and took d elsym about 11 and then again about 5am. Also took one of my 'magic' cough capsules. So far today I'm doing fairly well but just feel yuk. Almost wish I'd run a fever so I could go back to urgent care. I'm going to put a roll of paper towels in the kitchen to wipe our hands instead of that 'germy' towel. Hopefully that will help the spread.

I stick to 15 on/45 off until I'm ready for 15on/30 off, and then 15 on/15 off, then 30 on/15 off. That may take a few days but in the meantime,

Thanks for permission to do this, Kathryn. I often when I'm sick, work for only 5 minute sprints and I'm amazed at how much I get done in a day with that little effort.

I just put a LOL in the washer and that will be my big push for today. Think I'll bring out a letter sorter from the desk in our room and get that cleaned/sorted out. At least it's something I can do seated. I also have one on the computer desk in the office. I just may empty them both out and start from scratch -using that timer.

[Harmony]

Oh my. Feel better everyone.

We have not had flu shots. We usually don't get them because I just can't think of maybe starting up a feeling yucky few days. DDad once had the flu shot and he was sick off and on all winter that year and declared never again! The guys where he worked used to tease him and say, "getting the flu shot this year?" But this year I am very nervous. Today I am going around wiping every surface. I'm afraid with as much as I've been out I might add to any germs I already have and be extra sick. It's hard to know what to do.

One year DMom took the polio booster. They were giving it to everyone, there was a big campaign. We all went to the local high school and had our little sugar cube to eat. She got really really sick and all her muscles ached. Dr. told her never to do that stuff again.

Plus, when you pair all this with the fact that the shot is not really effective this year.... I am just crossing my fingers and being as careful as I can.

Ok I'm off to sanitize everything I can think of.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

LadyM: not sure how your hospitals work but ds works in an ER so here's how it works here:

1. Walk-in, you are triaged. The nurse then tells you to go register, go home, go to a clinic (if there's an open clinic at that time.)

2. If you choose to register that happens quickly. You then wait in the waiting room until you are called in. At that point you go to a waiting room that is inside the ER and wait there until you are called to a cubicle. You then wait in the cubicle.

At all times, since it is triaged, people who are sicker than you will be seen before you.

3. Ambulance in: your are triaged and lie in a hall on the gurney with the ambulance attendant because you can't leave until they get their gurney back. The registration takes place in hall, and then you wait. But you are in the same queue as the people who came in the other way.

When I had my gall bladder issues, I was always into the back waiting room fairly quickly (under 30 minutes) usually spent an hour in that waiting room and 45 minutes or more until I was seen by a doctor in the cubicle. When I went in by ambulance, I was at least an hour in the hallway and then moved to a cubicle. By then I was really, really, sick so was seen fairly quickly. As well, the paramedics gave me a shot of gravol so I wasn't throwing up as much as I was the whole time waiting when I came in by car.

Here, an ambulance won't come to get you if you are at a hospital, even if you are requesting to go to another hospital. That transfer has to be done by the hospital itself (another one of ds's job.)

[Nancy]

I have snow drops in bloom! I did a task then rested then while rested thought of the next task and made good steady but slower progress none the less yesterday. Still need to do sheets and 15 min. on carport and store run. skipping knitting meeting this week. Trash is at the curb. Two neighbors did it kast night and winds knocked it over but it was not blown all over yea. That is why we wait till morning to put it out.

H slept through his alarm. I was tired and went to bed early so I got up in time to get him up and off to work just a couple min late. H does his lunch the nite before that saved the day this morning!

[LadyMaverick]

All the "normal" hospital ER waiting times here are off the chart and way out of "normal" because so many people are there with the flu. The hospital beds are full. The ER and clinics are backed up due to the volume of patients. I've been told they have quit testing for the flu if you show up with the symptoms because everyone is coming up positive.

The word here is - if you have the flu then stay home and get better. The problem is so many are getting pneumonia after having the flu. They are telling everyone that you should be mostly over the flu in 5-7 days. If you're still sick then it has most likely turned into pneumonia and you must seek medical care for that. I have 4 family members that are currently battling pneumonia after having the flu. Two of them are under 5 years old.

This year's flu seems to be more contagious than previous years. Maybe the germs left on surfaces don't die after 24 hours? I don't know. I am being extremely cautious when going to stores and in public. I try to remember to keep my gloves on. I play games with myself and try to treat my hands as if they belong to a surgeon ready to enter an operating room. My hands can't touch anything with germs. Yes. I know I'm weird. But I gotta have some fun and games somehow!

I'm waiting on DS9 to finish taking a Math test. He has a test every 10 lessons in his main Math curriculum. DS9 has a fantastic attitude today and lessons are progressing smoothly.

DH is doing tax related paperwork stuff for the church. He has several stops to make so it will likely take him several hours to accomplish them.