MEDICINE ABUSE IN HOSPITALS?

I put a lot of thought into what to title this blog.  I have noticed the correct title brings in readers you would have never reached normally and who would not accidentally happened on your blog.  I want to reach more people than I would normally to warn them they must be vigilant in their health care.

Last night I received a call from my sister.  She was spending the night with our Mom who is in ICU.  Our Mother was admitted at 2 AM, two nights ago with a nosebleed that could not be stopped.   Nosebleeds are usually taken care of with cauterization. 

Mother has complications, she is on coumadin for her heart condition.  She is 87 years old.  They tried several means of stopping it and after 24 hours they called in a specialist.  He cauterized the nose,  along with that comes the packing of the nose.  If anyone has ever had nose surgery of any kind  they know how horribly uncomfortable it is.  In addition to that factor, you have the feeling like you can't breathe and the pain of the packing.  You know how a toothache can drive you mad, this can do the same thing.

She is also in extreme pain from being told she can't move around.  Her bones are riddled with arthritis and the muscles are screaming.  She has spinal stinosis? Spelling?  Her back bone is brittle and deteriorating and sitting for any period of time causes even more pain. 

The reason I am explaining this is, because of all these things and she has not found relief with pain medication, she is complaining a lot, who wouldn't.  She is allergic to a lot of medication for pain, most slows her heart to the point it isn't beating properly, even with the defibrillator.   This has given her a fear of anything people suggest.  She has a zest for life and doesn't want it cut short for any reason, even if it means living in extreme pain.

My sister called to ask me to check out a medication on the Internet.  They were told it was a mild pain medication that would help mom get some rest.  Mom was afraid of it even though she was told both of her doctors had okayed it.  The nurse on duty said all patients it's given to have had good reactions.

I went to look it up and was so shocked!  If I had been at the hospital I would have been yelling and asking to speak to the administrator and I would have called newspapers.  The drug they wanted to give her had nothing to do with pain, or even sleeping pills.  The alternate uses were not to promote the betterment of the patient in these circumstances. 

The drug is Seroquel.  It is an anti psychotic given to schizophrenics, manic depressives, and bi polar cases.  It specifically states, in the top 3 negatives, that it can cause an irregular heart beat (Mother has been having trouble in that department.)  There were other negatives that would, if I were a doctor, I would say, this patient should not be administered this drug. 

Another fact about Mom, she weighs maybe 100 lbs.  The drug had a big warning, do not give to under 18.  I have read that older people do not metabolize meds well.  It made me think to myself, "what are they thinking, or are they thinking?". 

Why did they tell her it was for pain? Why did they tell her it was for sleep?  In my opinion they were giving it to her to shut her up.  Haven't you heard of nurses dosing nursing home patients to keep them quiet?

I went back to visit the sites about Seroquel.  I was looking for anything I might have missed that related to pain or sleep management.  I couldn't find a thing but I did find the following note:

Off-label uses include the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and behavior problems associated with dementia in the elderly.

Do you think I am being paranoid, thinking they are trying to quiet my mother to make their night job easier?  Why else did they lie to her about what the drug was for?

You can also visit me at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/

This is mainly a quilting blog with cooking and gardening too.

New blog Feb 16, tutorial for making 5 panel boxer shorts.

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry

New Blogs about seed sprouting.

Thank you for visiting.  I love sharing my projects.  All writings, patterns, and pictures shown here are mine.  Please ask permission before using.  (Credit is given for pictures and ideas not my own.)

READ LABLES WHEN SHOPPING

I am sure you noticed when you arrived at my blog that it is called Glo's Garden.  It was set up as a garden blog, to be a journal.  I already had a garden blog and it sat there unused for almost a year.  I decided to put it to use for a blog to discuss things which bothered me or excited me.  A blog where I could speak about things which would be of no interest to the readers of my other blogs.  A blog about things which effect my life.  A place where ideas are "cultivated".

 

This morning I planned to make a New York Cheese Cake.  I got all the ingredients out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature.  When I retrieved the heavy cream from the back of the ice box my only worry was, is this still fresh (I had purchased it quite a while ago.)?  I turned it on its side to check for the use by date (which I never go by), but just wondered.  I re-opened it (it had been used before) I smelled it, I tasted it, all was fine. 

 

While I was checking it out, I decided to read the whole box including the "health " info.  I was shocked.  Not by the 300 mg per serving of cholesterol but by what I read under it.  Did you know there are ingredients in heavy Cream?  At least in this carton there are.

 

My husband brought home this quart of " Heavy Whipping Cream", which I needed the minute he came through the door, the only thing I noticed was the note on the front which said "ultra pasteurized".  I am not a fan of it but it seems to be a fact of life on a lot of products.  This morning, in detail, I began reading the carton.

 

FRONT OF CARTON:

Under the name it has in small print "made with" and then larger decorative print, "All Natural Cream".

Then if you get a magnifying glass, on the bottom left corner in red printing on top of red strawberries is, "see side panel for complete ingredient listing".  WHAT ingredients, okay I will give them that, the carton contains cream; the ingredient.

 

LEFT SIDE OF CARTON AS YOU LOOK AT THE FRONT:

A beautifully done rendition of how to whip cream.

 

RIGHT SIDE OF CARTON:

The nutrition fact label.  Under that the ingredients.  My whipping cream is not pure cream. 

 

HEAVY CREAM

CONTAINS LESS THAN 0.5% OF THE FOLLOWING: MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, POLYSORBATE 80 AND CARRAGEENAN.

CONTAINS MILK

 

BACK OF THE CARTON :

A lovely statement with a picture of a bowl of whipped cream telling us how it is produced without preservatives or artificial flavors. 

 

I am used to reading ingredient labels on lots of products because I am cholesterol conscious.  Heart Disease runs in my family.  I also try to stay away from additives.  There are products I don't think I need to look at the labels, because I know what they contain.  I.E. you don't think you have to read the labels on a dozen eggs.  They are after all a self contained product.  Do I now need to read the label of a pound of butter?

 

I have a pound of butter in the refrigerator.  Guess what's there!  It contains:  Pasteurized cream,  natural flavor and contains milk.  BTW what is Natural flavor that it is an ingredient?  Isn't the butter "naturally flavored" by the cow.  Why is it added and what is added to give it "natural flavor".

 

Our food is being over salted, teaching our tastebuds to consume too much.  Our food is being filled with preservatives giving it a longer shelf life, what do they do to our quality of life when ingested.  Our food is being sprayed to control the bugs, ZAP! what does it do to us?  Our food is being dyed to be pleasing to our eyes, does it dye our brain too?

 

Years ago, We (as in my hubby and I) produced 80 percent of the foods we injested.  We had our own milk, eggs, and meat.  We raised all of our vegetables; drying, canning and freezing.  It was hard work and we miss the products.  Now we only have the garden and the chickens.  I would like to say our good health then was due to the consumption of the foods we were eating, but is our declining health now due to food additives or just old age?

 

The point of this rant is reading labels.  Be concious of the contents of your foods.  Return to cooking from scratch (you will know what's in your dinner).  People say they don't have time.  How much time did you spend running to and from the fast food place?  Was it maybe around 30 minutes. In 30 minutes you can fix a multitude of meals, ask Rachel Raye.  Breakfast can be made in 15 minutes.  If you are worried about dishes to wash and the time, there are disposables which BTW is what you get at the fast food places.  Dishwashers are a green alternative and those kids you are catering to by buying fast food, They can learn responsibility by loading the dishwasher.  When you are in the kitchen together you are spending time with each other. 

 

You can also visit me at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/

This is mainly a quilting blog with cooking and gardening too.

New blog Feb 16, tutorial for making 5 panel boxer shorts.

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry

New Blog Feb 16, about seeds sprouting.

Thank you for visiting.  I love sharing my projects.  All writings, patterns, and pictures shown here are mine.  Please ask permission before using.  (Credit is given for pictures and ideas not my own.)

IN THESE HARD TIMES

In these hard times there are moments we smile,

Mine happened holding the hand of a child,

A late afternoon walk on a chilly day,

The little one on my right hand did say,

"Baba, I have to tell you this,

Are you listening, if not you will miss,

Today I met you and I love you so,

I wish I could stay, I don't want to go."

The little boy with cheeks ruddy and cold,

Put a smile on the face of someone who's old,

Made me glad I went the extra mile,

Taking time, catering to a little child.

You can also visit me at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/

This is mainly a quilting blog with cooking and gardening too.

New blog: Cookie recipes

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use,

some cooking and some poetry

Thank you for visiting.  I love sharing my projects.  All writings, patterns, and pictures shown here are mine.  Please ask permission before using.  (Credit is given for pictures and ideas not my own.)

SQUIRREL WATCHING

Can squirrel watching be considered a past time?  I know there is "people watching".  In this case the people are watching the cats who are watching the squirrel.  Today I realized the cats were congregating at the top of the stairs looking out the window. I moved things aside and laid down a cover on the tile so they wouldn't get chilled (today in St. Louis was a rainy cold dismal day).

As I was putting a cover down for them I realized to source of their attention.  A squirrel was in the pan  on the deck eating the remainder of the dog food put out for the raccoons.  A few minutes after I fixed soft place for them I sat in a chair for over fifteen minutes watching the antics of 6 Cats trying to catch a squirrel through the window.  (We have 7 cats, Fluffy wasn't part of the group because she was around the corner watching out the long window on the door.)  One of the younger cats left, she decided she had enough floor show.

The lump in the pan is the squirrel. 

I imagine it was more fun for them than watching a fish tank.  Our babies are great mousers.

You can also visit me at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/

This is mainly a quilting blog with cooking and gardening too.

New blog: Cookie recipes

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use,

some cooking and some poetry

Thank you for visiting.  I love sharing my projects.  All writings, patterns, and pictures shown here are mine.  Please ask permission before using.  (Credit is given for pictures and ideas not my own.)

KITTENS NEED A HOME

The beginning of this story is here:  There are 8 stories about Spirit and her begininngs.

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/search/label/STORIES%3A%20CATS

More stories about our cats and Spirit here:

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/search/label/CATS

This is the Spirit in our lives.  She loves and mothers kittens who are not hers but she is their sister.  She doesn't know that, but that hasn't stopped her from adoring 9 kittens.  We inherited 3 litters again in the barn, we had to feed them but she did the mothering.  This is the second time this phenomenon has occurred.  The first time the mom (Dawn) had just had babies and ended up taking care of 12 babies, of which, only 2 were hers.  Spirit has never been a mom, the day she decided to mother she had just been spayed.  Spirit was one of the 12 kittens mothered by Dawn.  Spirit ended up mothering 9 babies.  We have found homes for 6 of them.  We need homes for 3 more.

 

This is Dipper now, one of Spirit's charges, 6 months old.

This is Dipper at 6 weeks. We have labeled this one

"This is my space"

Dipper's Sister but not his litter mate, Gertie.  They are siblings through the father on one side and the grandmother on the other side.  She has an exact twin who wouldn't stand still for pictures but I caught her in the background of a Dipper picture.

This is "Girlie" She is getting ready to hop up on the sink.  The only difference looks wise is she doesn't have a full Bib on her chest of pure white.  She is a twin to Gertie.  The twins are 3-4 weeks younger than Dipper.

The following picture, the 3 are doing their favorite pastime.  They love to play in the sink with the faucets dribbling.  (Old thread spools are a favorite toy.)

Dipper contemplating where the water is going.

These are the last of 9 Kittens.  They have been loved and cared for.  We hope to find homes for them soon.  We just had Dipper neutered.  He was the lesser of 3 evils.  If we end up with these kittens as permanent residents then we will have 8 house cats.  We have Dawn, Precious, Fluffy, Lady and Spirit.  In my husband's workshop we have Grayling and My friend. 

I sure hope we find homes soon.  
We already have a houseful with 2 Amazon gray parrots, and a little dog named Honey.

You can also visit me at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/

This is mainly a quilting blog with cooking and gardening too.

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use,

some cooking and some poetry

Thank you for visiting.  I love sharing my projects.  All writings, patterns, and pictures shown here are mine.  Please ask permission before using.  (Credit is given for pictures and ideas not my own.)

HUMMERS

I imagine there will be people clicking on this expecting to see a blog about the vehicle of that name.  I am sorry if I disappointed you.  This is a quick note, with no pictures, about the Humming birds and my older cat "Lady".  We are bird watchers and feeders.  I have yet to be able to take a picture of our Hummers.  I keep trying.  The following site has information and pictures on the variety of Hummers we have.

 

http://sdakotabirds.com/species/ruby_throated_hummingbird_info.htm

 

We have recently had a hatching of them and I counted at least 16 of them visiting the feeder at the same time.  At this time of year we should really get another feeder.  The Hummers are beefing up to make their long journey home.   A Hummer won't leave until he has gained enough weight to travel.  One year we had one here till the middle of December.  We had to hang a light bulb to keep the sugar water from freezing.

 

As I write this, our older Cat, " lady", is sitting on the desk top by the window, which she does most of the day, watching the hummers at the feeder.  She loves them,  she sits so calm.  We will see her get agitated, we look out and there, taking a little nip is a Downy Woodpecker.  We have three who are constantly raiding the feeder.  Lady can't stand it.  She wiggles, squirms, switches her tail and jumps up on the screen.  She definitely knows they don't belong there.  Amazingly, the hummers do not attack the downy (they sure attack each other and have occasionally attacked me while I was hanging the feeder).  They seem to be afraid of the woodpeckers.  They won't approach until they are gone.

 

The following is a site with information and pictures of downy woodpeckers.  They are a small bird but nothing close to the tiny hummers.  They indulge on the siding of our house, too.

 

http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i3940id.html

 

Another really sweet thing which happens is, several of the hummers will come down to Lady's level and hover nose to nose with the glass between them.  I've never been able to capture a picture. 

 

Try feeding the Hummers next year  They show up in the mid west about April 15.  Ours know to come to the kitchen window and let me know they are here.  No kidding, They actually fly there and hover and keep coming back till they see me.

 

Thank you for visiting.  

 All writings, patterns, and pictures are mine.  Please ask permission before using. 

(Credit is given for items not my own)

For more blogs by me visit at:

  http://www.organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/
This is a garden blog, but it occasionally has recipes on it.

http://www.gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/

This is a blog with quilting, Cooking, prose, gardening

New articles on quilts made for recent weddings.

IN MEMORY OF

This picture is one of the barn cats who used to reside in our barn.  She would let you touch her as long as there was food in front of her.  She was getting to the point she would let us casually touch her when we were walking by.  This only took us 5 years to cultivate, lol. 

Life is always renewing.  We never realized how attached we had become to our "multitudes" of barn cats.  All of which were varying degrees of friendliness.  All knew the names we gave them.  They would come to their name singularly, and if we sang the meow song from the meow mix commercial they would all come.

We had been wondering why some of the young cats weren't coming to the feed dish when we were there.  We figured they were out hunting the mice, snakes, lizards and other crawling creatures (we were very fortunate our cats didn't seem to go for the birds). We only found the remains of two birds this summer.

One Morning our beautiful Russian Blue type male didn't come when we called him.  His name was "Mr. White Gloves".  For two reasons;  he had 4 white feet and he was so fastidious.  He was a dumped cat who had been with us for 4 years.  He protected all his harem from any visiting marauders.  From the time he was dumped he never left the area around the barn.  So when he didn't show for breakfast we figured he was either sleeping it off, or "Catting around".  After all it was summer and he had a harem of at least 15.  Two days went by and he never returned.  On that second day my husband saw the first coyote we had seen since the subdivision went in 5 years ago.  We knew why the cats seemed to be disappearing. 

Our Priscilla was the last to disappear.  We now only have one female gray cat who is very shy and she has one baby left from this spring.  Hunny has yet to see the baby.  Everyone always laughed at us feeding and caring for our wild cats.  They never understood the benefits they provided.  We didn't have a barn which smelled like mice.  The Canvases, garden blankets, and burlap stored there never had holes chewed in them.  I never had to worry about snakes in the barn (copperheads were prolific this year). 

They didn't seem to bother the critters in the garden.  I still have garter snakes and lizards there and lots of frogs in my little pools.  Boy were they excellent grasshopper hunters.

I don't know what we will do about a new papa in the barn.  I always worry about cats coming around because they might have disease.  That was what was so nice about Mr. White Gloves.  He kept the vagrants away.  We have been very lucky since 1975 to have had strong healthy felines (if you can't catch them you can't vaccinate them).  No one has left our farm due to disease.  They have all lived long lives usually over 15 years each and some have lived for 25+ years.

We have two cats in the work shop of the barn (if cats become friendly they get neutered and shots).  "My Friend" and "Grayling" are so terrified of what's been happening they will not go out to play.

We sure miss the commotion in the barn.  Wish the coyotes could have caught the ground hog who is eating any vegetables I plant.  Now he is too big to fit in a large Raccoon trap and he has learned how to take the bait without getting caught.

Thank you for visiting.  

 All writings, patterns, and pictures are mine.  Please ask permission before using. 

(Credit is given for items not my own)

For more blogs by me visit at:

  http://www.organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/
This is a garden blog, but it occasionally has recipes on it.

http://www.gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/

This is a blog with quilting, Cooking, prose, gardening

New articles on quilts made for recent weddings.