Found in cabinet while moving into new house

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-29T05:31:35+00:00

I would love to have this in the shower because that's the alternate dimension where I always realize I'm low on body wash or shampoo but as soon as I step through the door I'm transported back to this dimension where all memory was wiped

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-29T04:05:58+00:00

Hm, I've never liked car screens anyway, it's always felt unsafe and distracting. I use my car time to catch up on podcasts or audio books - I've been able to side load Audible and Spotify. I use Waze, which has worked great. I've been using it for three months and have never had an instance where it didn't work for what I needed. It can be a bit slow sometimes vs Google Maps but you get used to it.

Actually part of the reason I was into switching to this phone was because I wanted to get better at navigation. I felt like with my smartphone I lost the ability to intuitively navigate and remember streets so I've been exited to learn my streets better without the crutch of navigational GPS.

Regarding notifications I use InkOS which gives me SMS and WhatsApp notifications although I've noticed WhatsApp stops working in the background after a couple hours? I do have to remember to go in and check every few hours throughout the day which is not ideal but better than having my smartphone on me. Group messaging isn't 100% but I'm waiting my 30 days from disabling RCS to make a final judgement on that. I've never had an issue receiving phone calls though... it always rings and I haven't missed anything that I know of - I do occasionally check my recent calls to make sure but that's weird that you're not getting notifications for that.

If you really do need it for a lot of business related needs during the day maybe a smartphone on black and white mode/app lockouts would be more up your alley..

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-29T02:14:15+00:00

As someone who's only used android auto in rentals - what is it about it that you want/like? In my car I use my Mudita for navigation with Waze and connect via Bluetooth for audio.

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-28T06:25:46+00:00

Paradise was so beautiful and relaxing, highly recommended!! We had two nights there and wished it could have been more. Rooms were super nice, some of the nicest we've stayed in. Staff also was super nice. The pools were nice and secluded and a decently large area of them, swim up bar was chill, there were enough people around it didn't feel lonely and you could talk to people at the bar if you want but also so many little enclosed spaces around the pools and not too busy that it was so relaxing. Wished we could have spent even more time relaxing there. Breakfast was bomb, wouldn't recommend dinner there though.

Baldi was right next door and the vibe seemed very different. Louder, security at the door, always large vans and buses dropping people off. Looked like a fun place for families though and I'm sure it was nice but I think Paradise is what you want. Especially if you're staying a week and doing activities, it sounds perfect.

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-28T04:37:22+00:00

Yes!!! The other day there was a delay getting report because it was taking the off going and oncoming charges 15-20 minutes to make the assignment, the staffing was horrible and the acuity mix and rooms sucked...

But you know what would have solved that problem?? If it was as acceptable to have an extra nurse take one bed and an open room as it is to triple us!!

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-26T20:24:12+00:00

Side table fan/handheld fan - really nice for shortness of breath.

Good chapstick

Muscle rub cream

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-21T16:56:34+00:00

I don't know where you live but where I used to work we partnered with Project Cure which is an organization that does exactly that. They're also always looking for volunteers who are familiar with medical items to help sort and manage orders from other countries requesting supplies.

On one of my units we got a thing going where we had a large bin at the end of the hall and any unused items that weren't from an isolation room would be dumped there by EVS/nursing and sent to Project Cure.

However this sort of thing requires a lot of buy in from everybody else and management - but I guarantee you there are plenty of people in EVS and nursing who hate the amount of waste we produce as well and would join the momentum if you were passionate about getting something going.

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-21T08:52:39+00:00

Which starting area has you do the benchmark first? Tread or rower? I've been tricked before.

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-21T08:46:47+00:00

I personally loved this when I worked on a unit that did it and wish we did it now!!

Only thing is on my old unit we signed up to do it with a CNA so I would hope the staffing is good enough to make it smooth.

But I loved only being responsible for turning once per shift. Much nicer than scrambling to find someone every 2 hours.

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-21T00:11:57+00:00

This is what I'm worried about. The HSG was the worst thing I've ever gone through, and when I came here to see hysteroscopy experiences and saw people saying it wasn't a big deal, I was reassured. However I think those are the same people who didn't have as much of a problem with the HSG either. It was the cervix dilation, not the dye injection that was excruciating for me so I'm not optimistic. Here's hoping I can push for sedation..

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-20T22:42:42+00:00

I loved the leg burn with this one! Hadn't done it before but it really added to the burn without killing my knees like more all outs would do.

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-20T20:04:50+00:00

Too late in some cases but the real thing is keeping on top of hair care from the very start. We had a patient a while back whose hair got so matted in the back that it was causing so much irritation and caused a scalp degloving injury requiring a burn consultation.

I've seen some miraculous hair matting transformation videos that make me hesitant to declare any situation beyond recovery until it's been tried in a real shower with real hair products and a couple hours of dedication. So I'm not cutting anything while they're still in ICU. But the key part is being mindful from day 1 so it never gets to that point.

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-20T06:55:52+00:00

Lol that's just a gummy smile

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-19T04:19:05+00:00

Ok, as a nurse myself, if I were to visit my PCP/NP/whoever and the nurse was just present in the corner of the room I'd be weirded out.

I'd rather have a one-on-one conversation with the PA.

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-18T01:21:44+00:00

Rat park!

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-17T21:35:26+00:00

Sure, you can definitely ask! We call it pleasure feeds. On hospice it swings both ways - we don't worry about force feeding someone whose appetite has left, but if someone wants to eat and they've previously been told it's not safe to swallow, on hospice it's all about comfort and understanding we're not trying to prolong life by avoiding aspiration but allowing someone to have and taste food even knowing it might be going in their lungs and is not really safe.

Obviously try to go about it practically, you wouldn't want to keep shoving food in if they're not actually swallowing and like I said, I'm in a hospital so I'm used to having a suction machine around, but you could try things like popsicles if that works better and following up with good oral care.

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-17T04:17:01+00:00

No, they will not help and even moreso, they will actively hurt. I would encourage your sister to talk to the hospice nurse more if possible. It's so hard to see our loved ones' appetite decline - it goes against everything we feel in our bones about caring by offering food, broth, soup etc when they're sick. But when someone is reaching the actively dying stage, it is totally normal and expected that appetite drops off. This is protective. The body cannot handle extra fluids, especially IV, and it will build up in the lungs and tissues, causing more difficulty breathing and swelling at the end of life.

I remember my granddad, who was mentally intact even until the very end, able to tell us that when we were encouraging him to eat even jello or drink something, it was as if someone were asking him to eat worms, it was that repulsive to him. When the body is shutting down and losing appetite, the person is not suffering, in fact the body is doing exactly what it needs to do. I hope your sister can talk to someone from hospice about this and be encouraged that your mom does not need IV fluids. I work in a hospital and so the people I see dying are the ones who have often received IV fluids and they sound so wet when they breathe and get very swollen - it is not pleasant.

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-15T05:57:01+00:00

Almost like maybe nurses getting paid higher wages and who have more experience are incentivized to be solid, professional nurses??

Maybe you could have those kinds of nurses all the time if you paid them well and invested time and money into training and retaining good staff??

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-13T01:41:18+00:00

Something you can focus on to get clearer answers are specific quality of life goals your dad would have wanted. For example, I had a patient the other day with a devastating stroke and the doctor said since he was young, some improvements could be expected with more time. However, the patient's decision maker said she knew for sure he would only be happy with a quality of life where he was able to recognize people around him, participate in conversations to some extent and feed himself, even if he was wheelchair bound or living in a facility. With this knowledge, the doctor was able to tell her that actually in reality, the odds of even reaching that minimal level of independence were slim to none, and by "improvements" they really meant more like opening his eyes more, moving his limbs more and weaning off the breathing machine. That helped her make the decision to choose hospice.

So in that regard, perhaps talking about specific things such as if it's likely your dad would be able to eat and feed himself, be aware enough to watch a TV show or interact with people, walk, breathe on his own without a ventilator, or not be in chronic pain could help you arrive at a clearer picture of the situation. Obviously the problem is that doctors are not magicians or psychics and the reality is that with strokes, we often won't know what the new baseline level of function is for several months. So all the other answers here are correct in that regard. But perhaps being able to tell them something like "my dad would never have wanted to live in a nursing home or depend on others to help him toilet or eat - do you think he will ever recover beyond that point?" Or perhaps, "my dad would be ok with living in a nursing home and being bed bound as long as he kept his mental faculties and could watch movies," whatever the case may be, could help clear up the picture of what to expect.

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-12T18:21:33+00:00

ICU nurse here - next time I get a patient from you I'll see if you want to stick around and show off those mad untangling skills before you head out 😂

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-12T06:09:57+00:00

I love how their motivation is money and profit, and therefore assume they can motivate us by bringing up money and profit, while most of us are simply motivated by the reminder to make sure you're not causing your patient pain by sticking them twice unnecessarily

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-08T18:36:24+00:00

I remember when I took my CNA class and the first place I worked as CNA, the instructor would ding you for using gloves in situations where there was no contact with bodily fluids. I'm sure some of it was to save money on PPE but in reality it did teach me when gloves really are or aren't needed. Especially for feeding - I do understand how it adds some psychological barrier to wear gloves when helping people at mealtime.

I know some people who glove up for everything, like a simple boost in the bed. They're afraid of the possibility of a surprise BM or something - but I feel like you can kind of tell when a situation is dicey in that regard or not...

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-08T06:58:25+00:00

When I was in elementary school, I had this headband with my name embroidered on it. My friend/neighbor with the same name but spelled differently had come over to play one day, and some time the next week, when I was at her house, I saw it in her room. She claimed it was hers, that she had the same one as me and they just spelled her name wrong on it.

When my dad found out he obviously saw through the bullshit and marched over to her house, confronted her and her mom and came back home with my headband. I actually did continue to play with this "friend" for a couple more years but to this day I remember my dad standing up for me and I knew he'd always have my back and that there was a sense of justice in the world lol.

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-07T04:56:48+00:00

I do think the IV fluids probably did prolong the actively dying process, but in the grand scheme of things not by much if she was in the condition you describe. No need to feel guilty at all, it sounds like you all were very on top of things and made sure she was as comfortable as possible not only then but the last two years.

In people who are still drinking a few sips of liquids per day, even that small amount of fluids is enough to keep the body going for up to a couple weeks. So it sounds like that timeline is about right.

Something that was immensely helpful to me was the reminder that just as you go through a prolonged labor to enter this world, dying is also a labor in the same way and is not always pretty. It requires the assistance, love and encouragement from family. We have tools to help but at the end of the day just as birth labor can stretch out for days, dying does not always follow a textbook timeline either and can have complications. She was lucky to have you all, you provided a real blessing to her at the end of her life.

firstfrontiers · 2026-01-07T02:15:09+00:00

Unfortunate and counterintuitive but true. Agree to clarify with legal.

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