Day 20, 21 of Sheltering In

Stayed home Thursday. Friday I went shopping with my son and got items for a care package to porch drop to my daughter. Very, very long day. I got up at 7:10am which for me is the crack of dawn. I can’t remember when I last got up that early. 

Got a letter regarding my prescription insurance. It was good news, however, I have about 10 plans to look at and decide which is best for me. Not looking forward to that research.

When my son went in to pick up prescriptions for the family the pharmacist (that helped find the bridge program) mentioned she’d been trying to get sidewalk chalk for her young children. I had to run over to the cake store for my daughter’s free mini cake. Dollar Tree was nearly next door, so I dropped my son off with some cash and gave him instructions on what to get. I told him to get 2 packs of sidewalk chalk. Everyone in our community and surrounding communities are doing chalk art on their driveways and sidewalks. Encouragement, positive energy. She seemed so frazzled because she couldn’t find chalk anywhere and when her shift ended everything would be closed and she probably works all day Saturday. It was only $1, but her kids were looking forward to making chalk art for Easter, I can do $1. I even tipped the cake girl because it was curb service. 

It may not seem like a big deal, but my son followed my instructions and was walking out with the chalk when I circled back for him. It is a big deal. He has issues with focus and following instructions. I gave him the money like it was no big deal, locate them, buy them. He dropped off 1 to the pharmacist, and 1 put in my daughter’s care package. I’m not being lazy. Having him do things like pickup prescriptions or find something and pay for it at a store are steps to being more independent. These are things he has to learn. Since my daughter got her job I’ve been having her shop with me, coaching her in healthy choices, teaching her to read labels, pick the item with the best price per unit, and showing her how to use her bank card. (My son shops with me also, but he has a harder time with the labels and getting the best price.) Before the Coronavirus lockdown when my daughter worked she did a little grocery shopping after work, before her ride came...on her own. She shops on her own!

The consequences for the nutjob are on the back burner. For whatever reason, 3 group homes are on total lockdown. Meaning staff does not come and go. Staff sleeps over for 30 days and cannot leave. Either these houses have clients with the Coronavirus, or, they are doing a practice run in case they do have a home with a client that is infected. My daughter got the intel on this, and had a staff member inadvertently confirm it when she told the clients she wouldn’t be at their house for 30 days. My daughter follows her out and asks if she’s working one of the homes on total lockdown. The reply was yes. 

Wondering how that works. The staff is basically working 24/7/30 because they can’t leave and no other staff can go in. How do they pay them? Do they get hazard pay?

Lola’s Diner cc.  2008-2020

Day 17, 18, 19 of Sheltering In

The days are all running together. 

Day 17 I stayed off the phone, gathered documents  and just chilled. My sister went back to her day job. Apparently the sewing department was making masks last week. She sent me a photo.

That’s way too big, wrong fabric, and just wrong! It is supposed to fit tightly at the nose, cheeks, chin and it’s supposed to be 100% cotton. That looks like fleece or sweatshirt material. (Actually, it kind of looks like a bra cup, D, maybe?) My sister says the sewing department is making different ones. I sent her a photo of what mine look like. Mine have a pipe cleaner sewn into the top so it can be pinched to fit snuggly, and 3 pleats so it can be pulled down to get a snug fit below the chin.

Hopefully they will make them properly. (She works at a flag company, so they have an entire floor of people sewing flags.)

Day 18 I was on the phone and Internet most of the day. My wonderful, fabulous, go the extra mile pharmacist found a bridge program so I could get my insulin for $3.90 and a pain med for $1.30. She said the program is month to month, so if it takes longer for my paperwork to get processed, I can do it again next month. By early evening I was having serious back pain and spasms. I ended up having pain meds and a nap with multiple ice packs and a late dinner. 

Day 19 I woke up with serious back pain, so today I chilled. Literally...with fresh ice packs. So supposedly on Sunday there was a meeting at my daughter’s group home about the nutjob. Lines were drawn in the sand. Monday and Tuesday those lines were erased. Why bother? The first rule, or whatever you want to call it was that if nutjob left the house or had a fall she would go back to the nursing home, never to return to the group home my daughter lives in. Second was, if nutjob bullied any client or staff, nutjob would be removed and transferred to a different group home, never to return to my daughter’s group home. So Monday nutjob ate more than 1/2 of my daughter’s full sheet birthday cake leftovers which my daughter planned on sharing with everyone. My daughter was very upset. It was her birthday cake. For cripe’s sake, my daughter can’t even celebrate with her family and this b***h does that. Nutjob has also been stealing someone’s (not my daughter’s) canned beverages. Also Monday night nutjob had a fall and bumped her head. It was heard on the first floor. Wednesday night nutjob stole the Dish remote from the living room so no one could watch television. Then my daughter and the other housemate were treated to cabinet doors being opened and slammed shut for an extended period. Needless to say absolutely nothing was done. There are new staff who don’t even do what they are supposed to do, let alone do anything to stop nutjob. Nothing was even said to the nutjob about any of her wrong doing and staff made no effort to get the Dish remote returned to the living room. So from the stress of the early evening my daughter’s IBS issues started. I talked to her briefly before we ate dinner and I could tell from her voice she was not feeling well, and not doing well.

I’ve told my daughter to keep trying to reach the director or assistant director regarding the failure to follow through with the promised consequences. If she hasn’t reached either one by late afternoon Thursday I will be sending an email. It seems to be the only way to reach them. I’m not waiting until Friday because they are always in all day meetings in Fridays and I know the weekend will not be good for any housemates if something isn’t done about nutjob by staff, team lead, or ? 

I may or may not go out Thursday. I do have my insulin and pain med to pick up. If I can wait until Friday, I will. Saturday was the only day I got away from the house. That was to porch drop my daughter’s care package and 1 gift. The other gift is apparently touring the US courtesy of Fed Ex. Package was supposed to be delivered last Thursday, then Sunday, then today. FAIL times 3! I was told by the store I ordered it from it would definitely be today. Nope! Now it’s supposed to be Thursday. I doubt it. The package came from San Bernadino, CA, then to Chicago (which is normal), stayed in Chicago Saturday, Sunday, Monday, then took a trip to Indiana, then back to Chicago today. Wtfork?

Lola’s Diner cc.  2008-2020

Day 16 of Sheltering In

So today did not start out well. My wife’s sister called her and woke her up at 6am to scream at her saying why can’t she drop off their dad’s handicap placard at MY house. I’m surprised our whole family wasn’t woken up. First of all, my wife has terrible pain and insomnia and had just fallen asleep around 4:30am. And Second of all, this handicap placard has nothing to do with us. Her sister is too damn lazy to drop it at her dad’s house. I don’t care that MY house is on her way to work. We didn’t borrow that truck for over 4 years and have ample opportunities to drop the placard at their dad’s house well before there even was a Coronavirus or sheltering in.

Shortly after 10am our pharmacy called because my insulin would not go through my insurance. That’s because my insurance is all jacked up because of Medicare. 

So, since I spent 4.5 hours on hold with a related government agency on Friday, I’m not looking forward to being on hold all day again. I’m thinking I should wait until Tuesday or Wednesday to call. Last week I got up early Monday and had 95 callers ahead of me. My anxiety is off the deep end. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to try calling Monday.

I need some zen. I have a sewing machine and fabric. I know I can’t sit for long, but maybe I could get some masks started, and do a little every day or so, whatever my body will tolerate without punishing me later. I feel like I need to do something, you know? 

Not in a good place anxiety-wise. The thing with my sister in law started this. I’m high risk and finding out she may show up at MY house just set it off. It’s to the point I don’t want to leave the house to go to the pharmacy and the grocery store. Really the only thing we need is a ham for Easter, milk and bread. I keep thinking it’s 2 weeks away. It’s not. Then I think, why bother? My daughter can’t be here. I’m just not feelin’ the holiday. I feel like maybe when the quarantine (whatever you call it) is no longer necessary we should celebrate my daughter’s birthday the first weekend post quarantined, then the weekend later, celebrate Easter.

Lola’s Diner cc.  2008-2020