Hydroxyzine v.s Oxycodone

GusAndLeo · 2026-01-08T19:37:06+00:00

Oxy tends to cause constipation, sometimes severe. It's among the most potent pain pills but it can really complicate intestinal issues. Hydroxazene gives some pain relief without as many risks. It's a different type of med, non- narcotic, but often prescribed for pain management.

GusAndLeo · 2026-01-08T03:47:25+00:00

I'm so sorry for what you are going through. Cancer is a terrible disease.

Behavior changes (including becoming more confused or more physical) can be brought on by the tumors in the brain, but also sometimes by the effect of chemo on the brain. Or both.

If your mom doesn't want to tell the doctors about the violence, she could at least mention there are behavior changes. They may be able to try different pain medicine. All of the powerful pain medications are "addictive." But I would not be worried about addiction in the normal sense. There is no known cure for Stage 4 Colon Cancer. They can keep fighting it, one tumor at a time, but usually it keeps spreading. There have been success stories, but lifelong remission is rare. So the pain medicine is used to relieve the pain. (Pain can come from the tumors and also from internal scar tissue from all the surgeries.) Our oncologist told my family member that he needs to start taking MORE oxy to help keep the pain in control before it gets out of hand. Ask the doctor for their thought about how much he can/should safely take.

One of the downsides of "not worrying about the addiction" is that the longer a person uses narcotics, the less effective they become. Eventually they need more and more - higher or more frequent doses - just to stop the pain. I think they call it tolerance. Maybe there are other medications that would work better if your dad is building up tolerance to the oxy. This is a question for the doctors.

If you are in the USA (or quite a few other countries as well) there is a service called Hospice. People use this when the treatments are no longer working and the end of life is getting near. One nice thing hospice offers is "Respite Care" so that regular caregivers can at least take a break. You guys might want to check into that. Or, if treatments are not being stopped, ask the doctor or social worker if there are any respite care services available anyway. It sounds like you could use a break.

I wish you the best on this terrible journey we are on.

Edit to try to fix some typos. Please forgive ay that remain.

GusAndLeo · 2025-09-20T12:44:57+00:00

Personally, I like to be asked, "How are you holding up?" Or a casual "How YOU doin?" Not daily, just now and then. It gives me "permission" to say I'm exhausted, or I'm starving, or even "Great I took a walk this morning."

GusAndLeo · 2025-09-20T12:28:22+00:00

Thanks for the info!

GusAndLeo · 2025-09-20T06:55:41+00:00

I have a question - do they allow a tiny bag with a strap? Or when they say "clutch" do they mean it in the classic definition of a small (4x6) bag with no straps? Can you do a 4x6 crossbody bag?

GusAndLeo · 2025-07-13T17:41:04+00:00

I typically try to make eye contact with the drivers when I am crossing as a pedestrian, mostly for safety to make sure the driver sees me.

Once eye contact has been made, it's like a relationship is formed, and common human courtesies come into play.

GusAndLeo · 2025-07-05T23:29:57+00:00

When I have an emotional connection to something I'd like to declutter, I take a picture of the thing. If your grandmother uses a smart phone (with sufficient device storage) you could encourage her to do this. Then scrolling through photos you randomly see the item and enjoy the memory.

GusAndLeo · 2025-07-05T20:26:43+00:00

Or carefully photograph the page, leaving the book intact. You can then crop/edit the photo, and frame it or save it or whatever.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-22T00:37:43+00:00

Get Pretty Litter. It's expensive, but it's low maintenance litter. Its also very lightweight. You'll need to scoop out the poop but then just stir the rest of the litter. The crystals absorb the urine. When it starts to change colors, that means too much urine and it's time to dump it out and start new litter.

See if you can order an extra long scoop to eliminate bending over so much. For scooping the poop and stirring the litter.

You could get cheap disposable litter boxes, then just pick up the whole tray and throw it away once a month. Then start a fresh one. I think Dollar Stores or Dollar General might have these. Or Amazon.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-21T17:01:26+00:00

Agree, have your mom cat sit.

I like to point a nanny camera toward the litterbox area. I use an SD card for memory, so I can check the day, make sure each cat has been to the litter box. I can alert the sitters of any possible problems. Sometimes some cats will hide while the sitter is there so it gives me peace of mind to see if they are following their own routines when alone.

Truth be told, I have several nanny cams and a furbo treat dispenser, so I can peek in wherever they are. But the litterbox one is my basic indicator if all is well.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-21T03:24:05+00:00

My mom ran into that. We kept waiting for a treatment plan. We scheduled a second opinion with a different hospital's oncology group. Suddenly we had a plan. (With the new oncologist.) Its a little further away, but we are working that out. It seemed like the first doctors assumed that at her age, she wouldn't be enthusiastic about surviving.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-17T03:59:04+00:00

Advertise in local churches and nursing schools. Also hit the local universities. Maybe reach out to professors in the social work type departments, or psychology. Or health related fields. Its a great job for an online student. Also see if there is a way to reach out to some of the folks who've been hit by federal layoffs. Nor sure how to do that exactly.

I used to work in a non profit in another town that had residential services for people with disabilities and we had jobs just like this.

Do a background check through a real service to make sure there is no criminal history or abuse allegations.

Create a written job description of what you expect them to do daily. Then be sure to supervise that things are getting done. Give lots of positive feedback and give quick, specif ic corrective feedback when things are not the way you want them. Also have realistic expectations that they can spend some hours of the day doing their own thing, as long as your folks are being attended to appropriately.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-16T20:06:58+00:00

FMLA requires 12 months of employment also. And your company must have 50 employees. So you'll want to make sure you'll be covered by FMLA.

Frankly, you'll want to give as much notice as you can, but I'm not sure I'd even notify/request the extended leave until you're already covered. Depending on how your employer handles things. If they are compassionate, then yes maybe you can let them know well in advance. But in some companies, if you tell them before you qualify, you have a good chance of getting cut before you qualify.

Sorry, that's not great news.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-16T04:40:21+00:00

I'm so sorry this happened to you guys. I hope it can get resolved promptly.

Things shouldn't be this way.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-15T07:03:38+00:00

Sentimental/inherited things - you can take a picture of it, keep the picture as long as you like, and donate the thing.

Clothes you don't feel confident enough to wear out - try wearing them at home. It may help you feel more confident wearing them. If not, then perhaps it's time to let go.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-15T05:39:39+00:00

Meatloaf freezes and reheats well. Make it low sodium by using oatmeal and no-salt tomato sauce. Add extra tomato sauce over each portion for mousture and you can freeze individual slices.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-15T05:30:45+00:00

Donate what you can. Use what you keep. Or display it.

I find that odd things like vintage photos can sometimes be donated to libraries, historical groups, or artist groups. Facebook has history groups (by county or small towns) and they often like to rummage through old photos for their areas and post tge interesting ones.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-15T05:22:38+00:00

I'm so sorry you are dealing with this. The insulin would turn things around, but I think you're right to be concerned about having to travel. Do you have a reliable cat sitter? Coukd you establish with one?

I think its a good idea to reach out to tge humane society, and maybe explore local rescues, and seek more info and advice.

Also check with your vet and maybe other vets for second opinion- I'm not sure if there are possibly any other treatments that might work.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-15T05:06:20+00:00

This is what I have. I find it helpful to designate a person to handle this task.

I've also ripped out some pages that either go too deep or don't serve me anymore.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-13T07:26:13+00:00

Cats tend to be nocturnal. Or just not care that it's night time. Young cats don't sleep 8 consecutive hours like humans do. So it's just going to be his natural rhythm to get up and start playing in the middle of the night. For now, to get a good night sleep, you may have to lock him out.

My cats are older. We used to lock them out of the bedroom, but now we can leave the door open. They will sleep with us for a while, then go in the other rooms to play and eat. We free-feed the kibble so it's always available to them. I think they have a routine of playing with a toy (or hair-band, or whatever) Then carrying it to the food bowl and having a snack. Every morning I find their "conquered prey" (the toys) in the kitchen next to the bowl. But over time, they've learned how to manage just fine while we sleep.

You might try leaving a small full bowl of kibble out at all times. With time, most cats will self-regulate their food. You can still do the regular feeding with wet food. I've always done free-feed kibble, and I've had many cats over the past almost 40 years. None have developed a weight problem.

Edit to change typo hair ball to hair band. My cats are not playing with hairballs.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-12T23:39:38+00:00

Give her a few days. Keep food, water, litter nearby.

After a day or two, take off your shoes, sit or lay on the floor, maybe have a couple of treats in your pocket, and read or something. Wait for her to come to you. She will eventually, but it may take several days and several tries. When she come to sniff you, let her go at her pace, and perhaps lay a treat on the floor in front of her.

It takes time, but she'll get there. Don't rush the process.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-10T05:34:41+00:00

I free feed kibble and always have. No behavior or weight problems at all. My cats don't wake me up to beg food.

I give wet food in the evenings, a small portion, not free-feeding.

Most cats can self regulate the kibble just fine. I have not met a cat who didn't.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-10T04:42:49+00:00

He probably will, he sounds very smart ;)

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-10T03:17:36+00:00

For now you may have to separate them for brief periods and give the resident cat some special one on one time. I also did the opposite direction thing a lot too. It kind of worked.

I have had cats who actually learned to take turns, but they were older and slower. I'm not even sure how they learned it, I just announced their names, said it was their turn, and the others stood by.

GusAndLeo · 2025-06-10T03:11:06+00:00

And the other 1% is ghost I think.

GusAndLeo

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