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All this talk about candy and I'm out of gummy bears - ha ha
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MsMadge...Have you seen the cute little Elf On A Shelf candy at Walgreens?The face on it is so sweet.I just wish I had a kid to give it to.The cinnamon Santa's they have are really good though.I had to try those and they have a gummy bear texture I bet you'd like too.
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Lu,
I'll look for the elf candy next time I'm at Walgreens

Mom has been a candy freak since a small child - at the age of 4 she wasn't allowed to cross the street by herself but the allure of having a couple of cents was too much for her
After getting her candy she ran back across the street only to get clipped by a car - she was okay but her sisters saw this and threatened to tell their mama if she didn't give them her candy !
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Ooh, I got some good deals at Walgreens the other day. I had to pick up a prescription for my pinched nerve, so I figured I'd stroll around the store for a bit. They had their kids' toys on sale - $6.99 each, buy 2 get 2 free if you use your rewards card. I got grandkids toys that will help complete my holiday shopping. Good thing, because by the time I spent 20 mins walking around the store waiting for my prescription, I was done for - my shoulder and arm were throbbing and it was time to head home!
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Feel better soon, Susan. Hoping for a miracle cure for you. Pain makes me a real grouch.
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Thanks, Send - I can't do anything substantial about it until January when my insurance starts. Until then, I'm propped up on my adjustable bed with a ton of pillows, a heating pad, OTC painkillers and a laptop so I can still work. (Had to buy a new laptop on top of everything else, old one was dying a slow, painful death.) I can't sit upright in order to work at my desk or stand upright for very long right now without pain shooting down my arm from the pinched nerve. It's weird, because I can use the arm, as long as I have it propped up on pillows, etc - and I can do a little bit of stuff around the house, but if I walk around in a store, try to sit upright in a chair at a table or desk, or simply stand up for too long (like 20 minutes), the pain is incredible.

I'm trying to find the humor in it - I look like the queen of sheba with all my pillows and cushions, tv remote at the ready so I can binge watch my favorite shows while I work (with no interference by the grandkids wanting to watch kid shows), cup of coffee, and my bedroom door is closed, so it's relatively peaceful. Occasionally I walk out and see the disaster that is my house when I'm not able to maintain it (daughter is not a housekeeper - she does great when motivated, but most of the time...she's not). I try to do a bit to clean up (load the dishwasher or put a few things away, but then I beat a hasty retreat to my bedroom sanctuary once the pain kicks in.

I've been without health insurance for over 6 years now - couldn't afford it. Now I have no choice - I have to get it or I won't be able to get this problem fixed. I suspect it might need surgery, or at the very least, a lot of physical therapy. The problem is, I will be paying almost an entire week's paycheck every month just for the insurance coverage. If I don't take that level of coverage, I will have a huge deductible and sketchy coverage that will leave holes in areas where I need coverage. Or the plans available at a lower price have a higher deductible AND there are no participating doctors/hospitals in my area, or the maintenance drug I need for my circulatory problems isn't covered (and it's a common drug used by millions of people, so that's unbelievable that there are plans that don't cover it).

So....I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. Pay through the nose for the deductible, have no coverage for my meds that I need AND have to drive 40-50 miles to find a doctor that participates in my plan PLUS still have to pay the insurance premium every month - OR - pay through the nose for the insurance premium every month to have the coverage I need, a relatively local doctor (15 miles away vs 40-50 miles) and have my meds covered with a low co-pay - plus a low deductible. Either way, I'm shelling out some serious cash for this.

Thank you Obamacare....."affordable care" my foot.
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Omg, Susan, you keep mentioning your foot! I'm thinking that even if your foot hurt, that would not be covered either!

My shoulder and mid-arm hurt so much after a fall and broken clavicle, that I decided to open up the shoulder joint by placing a pillow under my arm
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I've found all kinds of interesting positions to sleep in, Send. LOL I'm going to need a new mattress after this is over - I think I've worn this one out with all the flipping and flopping I'm doing.
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Taking the arm away from my body, never lying on the painful side, and making sure my neck and shoulder never got scrunched up together.

While walking, there could be a little neck support pillow under your arm, supporting your arm out just a little from your body, thereby decreasing the stress on your shoulder and neck. I hated to wear a sling, but had to do that sometimes.

Anything that helps, and is the opposite of your body curling up, tightening up, or going into a fetal position from the pain. Think, open arms, to receive a hug!
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The sling was over-the-counter, not covered by insurance. Unbelievable-at the docs office, "You need a sling", Doc: "Do we have one around her?", Staff: "Nope, you can buy one at the pharmacy".
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Susan, You've got it! Keep moving, even if its flip flopping.!
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They gave me a neck brace and a sling at the ER the other night - neither of which I could use and demonstrated that I couldn't while I was there. Once they were opened, I had to take them with me and will of course, be billed for them. They're sitting in the van. I suspect I'll end up keeping them for later days or donating them.
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Finally found a way to trick mom into eating some yogurt - she needs some good gut bacteria after more than 2 weeks of diarrhea - an intestinal bug hit the hotel California on thanksgiving eve

I got some vanilla activia and tell her it's pudding and give her a cookie with it - she hates yogurt but can't refuse pudding
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MsMadge, Cannot believe I have forgotten about Vanilla activa! Yes, here, have some pudding-perfect!
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And, for the opposite problem, a snack cup of applesauce. Place it accessible, or on their tray, or in the fridge-they will reach for it when nothing else is readily available. "Here, while I am cooking-it will be awhile-have this as a snack".

Even if they say they don't want it, or don't like it........somehow, contemplation of a childhood eating applesauce kicks in, and they eat it all! Surprised me! I don't argue, don't try to convince them, just lay the stuff out. Have had small successes doing this.
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Actually vanilla yogurt and applesauce taste good mixed together too. I quite often eat that. :)
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Anymore unique easy snacks Gershun? Is your vanilla yogurt the Activa kind-adds extra pro-biotic action?
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Trying to figure out how to take off the lid from a pudding cup, add the activa, then glue the lid back on. Maybe there is a safe food glue or something.
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Does anyone's elder like babyfood in jars?
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Send,
Do you like baby food in jars?
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Have not tried baby food in jars, but one mother of teens added squash to the spaghetti sauce so they would eat vegetables. Just was wondering if any of that is good, or someone likes it. It is possible....
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Ugh, spaghetti squash. I had it often during summers as a child, since my mom grew some in the garden. I guess it wasn't terrible. I turn my nose up just because it was put in front of me so often... but it actually wasn't bad tasting. There are gadgets on the market -- the Veggeti Pro, the Twist Veggie Spiralizer -- that turn veggies into something the shape of spaghetti.
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Is eggplant a veggie or a starch? Either way, had some the other day and remembered how tasty it can be with a little cheese and tomato sauce. :)
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It's a fruit. Same family as tomatoes and potatoes, if memory serves. I have to say I personally think they are the work of Satan, but this is probably because of unfortunate experiences with vegetarian friends who can't cook.
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Nightshade plants... that sounds right.

Roasted in an oven, smothered with mozzarella and tomato sauce, it was yummy. Shame on your friends for ruining that for you. ;)
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The mother of teens put a jar of babyfood squash in her spaghetti sauce.

I am going to let someone else expose the truth about nightshade plants-I don't want to be shamed, lol Ali.
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Send, do you mean how nightshade fruits are inflammatory to the immune system? My chronic pain sufferer and diabetic friend told me that. She's my age and wears an IV pump, so I guess her diabetes is quite bad? I don't know much about diabetes. But, she's sensitive to food allergies (any kind of allergies) and avoids nightshade food.
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I thought nightshade was deadly.
My PCP a fairly new mother said she tasted the baby food and almost spat it out.
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I sometimes eat Gerber's jars of pureed plums and strawberry. Quite tasty. My Mom used to put that in our Christmas stockings. LOL.

I guess we were all a bunch of babies at heart.

Send, in answer to your question about snack ideas. Hmmmm......can't think of anymore offhand. I'm a funny eater though. I've never eaten the way most people do. I could probably live on soup and salads with the occasional bag of chips and chocolate bar thrown in for good measure.

Speaking of eating, has anyone on here ever had an ulcer and if so, what are the symptoms? Cause I have been having tummy problems as of late.
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Ulcers, heartburn, burning in the upper stomach, pain in the middle upper back. After eating you experience burning feeling in the upper stomach, can include vomiting. Most often ulcers are caused by a virus at least that was the last info I had on it. A blood test can determine it. Otherwise, you may have acid reflux. Talk to your dr.
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