Things to do list
“Has anyone seen my brain? It ran off flailing and screaming about being overwhelmed this morning. I’d really like it back.” – Unknown
This week I’m dog sitting nearby at someone’s home (not my usual, they usually stay at my house). Anyway, it’s a good quiet time for me to ponder all the things I need to take with me to Arkansas. We are flying, so I have some limitations. I was sure I had prepared a “list” somewhere on this blog in the past to help others in treatment away from home. I found it and then discovered there was a video link for hand washing from the CDC I had put in the post that no longer worked (I fixed it). Sigh. I’ve noticed that links seem to get broken over time as things get updated and improved. It’s frustrating. So if you encounter that stuff on my blog, my apologies. (I’ve definitely noticed on the older links from this blog I posted on my Riding the Wave FB page, have broken!)
Anyway… I’m reposting the list here. It’s a good one. Gives me a chance to go through it and see what applies. I’ve asked Dave to start his medications list. Not just stuff he’s on now, but things he thinks we might need while we are there. For two people who were rarely sick, we were (and sometimes still are) overwhelmed with all the drugs we needed to have on hand for one thing or another. Add to that, all my own “remedies,” and it used to fill a carry on luggage bag! It’s a lot to confront no matter.
THE List
- Protein Powder
- Vitamins
- Tea
- ALL MEDS (Take ALL MEDS, over the counter or prescription)
- Notebook
- List of notes to doc/nurses
- tape/scissors/stamps
- heating pad
- knife (for food preparation) Not in carry on!!! Just reminding!
- GPS Smart Phone works for this now
- thermometer
- extra spices if you have two of anything you use a lot (or put some in Ziploc baggies)
- Sharpie (to write on the lids of all the medications!)
- Small lap blanket (like a throw)
- Deck of cards
- Chlorox Wipes Get there
- Wireless Router (if you use laptops) Thank goodness for wifi these days
- Comfortable, loose clothing and shoes
- electric shaver (they don’t like you using razors to shave) Forgot about that!
- recipes
I deleted a lot of the original list (and added a couple things). I think that one I did was if you were driving. You can take more creature comforts when your driving than flying. Anyway, I’ll put the original post in the related posts below. It’s kind of humorous that we traveled with a wifi router “back in the day!”
I’ve asked the manager of the Apt where we are staying for a recliner (if it’s not in there already) and a blender. They’ve said they’ll make sure we have those two items. I thought I saw a recliner in the photo of the apt, but I didn’t want to assume that was THE Apt we were getting, blah blah blah. We found the recliner very helpful. You get really sick of laying down. Sometimes too, Dave couldn’t get comfortable and so a recliner seemed to do the trick.
This will certainly work to get started and then there will be some sub-lists I’m sure.
Electric Spinner
For me, there is the list to keep me busy. That one is sometimes more important to me than the clothes I pack. Knitting/crochet projects and such. I have that scoped out already. And I think I’ll be bringing along my Hansen Mini Spinner. It’s why I bought it and I haven’t really traveled with it as much as I had planned when I made the investment. But with that, I have to bring cords and/or battery pack, fiber, 
and then a thing called a Niddy Noddy. It allows you to wind up the spun fiber into a skein and also measure how much you have. Fortunately, mine comes apart and stores/travels well. (Although it’s a bit bigger than it appears in the photo!)
Anyway, it will give me a chance to catch up on some of these languishing projects I’ve neglected with my other creative diversions.
It’s one of those things that is incredibly helpful for the caregiver. Quiet, small activities to help fill the many hours of watching over the one you are caring for who is sleeping, a lot. I remember early on that Dave would often express how guilty he felt that he was sleeping all day and I was just stuck in the apartment. It was really important to me, for him to see that I was just fine. I was reading, knitting, blogging, writing letters, etc. I was good. So once again, it isn’t just for your own sanity to have some things to occupy your time, it is good for your patient to see you are OK with the long days of not much going on. And trust me, you really do want things to remain as uneventful as possible. Which reminds me of a funny time when I was caring for my mom. We had a doctor’s appointment at Bethesda Naval Hospital and the oncologist asked how things were and we both looked at each other, smiled broadly and in unison said, “UN-EVENT-FUL.” He started laughing, we started laughing and he responded, “Uneventful is really good!” We agreed. It was indeed. With all the things that are being orchestrated, like a fine symphony, uneventful is definitely a good goal, which means if you are a can’t sit still and read a book for hours kind of person, you need to have things to do and enjoy.
That’s about it for now. Even with lists, I still feel like there is a lot swirling around in my head.
Stubborn
“I know of no higher fortitude than stubbornness in the face of overwhelming odds.” – Louis Nizer
