News from Forum Participants

[Nonc Hilaire]

If it's any consolation, catheters make it easier to fill your squirt gun.

[noddy]

Splendid imagery all round.

[Nonc Hilaire]

I'm a Florida cracker. A popular tourist item used to be Orange Blossom perfume, which was a strong smell like burning orange peel. It was our favorite squirt gun ammo.

[Simple Minded]

If it's any consolation, catheters make it easier to fill your squirt gun.

At times like these, one's friends should be expected to dig deeper, push the envelope, try just a little harder, and be a bit more creative........ to show that they care just a little more!

kmich, also keep in mind the ancient wisdom of "this too shall pass!"

I hope you are feeling!

If it makes you feel better: It seems like I have officially passed into the realm of the “oldness & feebleness.” Last night, one of my co-workers saw me walking across the parking lot of a restaurant and told his wife that I was one of his co-workers. Without hesitation, his wife who has 20 years experience in the physical therapy profession said "That guy? He needs knee surgery!”

[kmich]

Thanks for the support and help lightening up SM and NH. I started to accompany my walks around the house supporting my scrotum with the old AC/DC song.

Don’t know about the pee play stuff, though, the urine in the catheter has been pretty gross. I spare everyone the details.

Due to my alcoholism history and concerns about “cross-addiction,” I really tried to avoid the narcotics, but failed when it became way too much with the ureteral and bladder spasms. The oxycontin didn’t cut it so ended up using the atropa belladonna and opium suppositories. Those really worked but spaced me out for a couple of days. Getting by with ibuprofen an occasional oxy in the evening. It is amazing how intense pain can consume one’s whole being for a period. Doing better now, scrotum, abdominal, and general swelling is going down gradually.

Pathology was good. Cancer was large but confined to the prostate. Margins were clear. Seminal vesicles and lymph nodes were negative. Looks like they got it all. They will draw my PSA in a month and if that is 0, I should be good.

As far as growing old, SM, I have been playing this song when I have been starting to get down with everything this past week:

LODkVkpaVQA

[Nonc Hilaire]

Good to hear you're improving!

[Simple Minded]

Thanks for the fight song kmich. One can't have too many fight songs.

e8qDOGLCSFo

Glad to hear you are improving, perhaps in this instance the timeless wisdom should be modified to "This too shall piss!" ?

I thought Nonc would step up to the plate and provide that modification....

Just in case you need another fight song:
7IjgZGhHrYY

[Nonc Hilaire]

I tried to get a grin out of kmitch, but cancer just isn't funny. My brother in law had his pinky toe amputated, and we did have fun with that. I refused to serve him ice cream because he was lack toes intolerant.

[Simple Minded]

I tried to get a grin out of kmitch, but cancer just isn't funny. My brother in law had his pinky toe amputated, and we did have fun with that. I refused to serve him ice cream because he was lack toes intolerant.

that's when, IMSMO, humor (along with humility and optimism) is needed most of all. as noddy noted, if you don't laugh, you will cry.

besides the war stories, insensitive, but well intentioned friends give you great stories to tell other people.

a few years back my neighbor was in his final months with terminal cancer when his son in law came to see him. He said it was the best laugh he had had in months.

"Hi Dad. Wow, you look like lavender!"
"You should see it from the inside."

[Nonc Hilaire]

I had another friend who had brain cancer. People always call me asking for jokes or sermons and speeches, but Angelo called saying, "Nonc, I need every bald head joke you have!" The man kept a positive attitude throughout the course of his disease.

[Doc]

I had another friend who had brain cancer. People always call me asking for jokes or sermons and speeches, but Angelo called saying, "Nonc, I need every bald head joke you have!" The man kept a positive attitude throughout the course of his disease.

When your hair starts falling out what will stop it?
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A) The Floor


Q) WHen your hair starts falling out how can you keep it?
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A) Pick it up off the floor and put it in a box.

Q) When you are going bald, what kind of hair cut do you get?
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A) A HawkMo

[Doc]

Hope you have a speedy recovery Kmich.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

God bless you, kmich. Hope you are doing better from the last update some months ago.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

I am the owner of a new kitten. She was found abandoned under a dumpster a few weeks ago. The short of it was that she was not in good shape at all. The person who found her nursed her back to health and would've kept her if not for having a full house of kids+pets already.

All's well that ends well? Not exactly.

The original plan was to ease her into things here but she bolted from the little room she was in, and no one can get close enough to her to grab her again. We've tried cornering her but she is smart enough to avoid any spot which can box her in; and unlike other pets we've had who've hesitated in running or put up a brave front by hissing or growling for a second, this kitten runs the minute you get within feet of her.

It's only been a few days so I'm not worried yet; but this thing is so timid (and considering the condition she was found in) that I'm not sure how to actually get her to relax or if she's just going to anytime soon.

I don't mind the hiding as she's still sneaking out to eat and use the litter box. I just hope her high anxiety disappears sooner than later.

[Simple Minded]

I am the owner of a new kitten. She was found abandoned under a dumpster a few weeks ago. The short of it was that she was not in good shape at all. The person who found her nursed her back to health and would've kept her if not for having a full house of kids+pets already.

All's well that ends well? Not exactly.

The original plan was to ease her into things here but she bolted from the little room she was in, and no one can get close enough to her to grab her again. We've tried cornering her but she is smart enough to avoid any spot which can box her in; and unlike other pets we've had who've hesitated in running or put up a brave front by hissing or growling for a second, this kitten runs the minute you get within feet of her.

It's only been a few days so I'm not worried yet; but this thing is so timid (and considering the condition she was found in) that I'm not sure how to actually get her to relax or if she's just going to anytime soon.

I don't mind the hiding as she's still sneaking out to eat and use the litter box. I just hope her high anxiety disappears sooner than later.

Give her time. Might take weeks. Don't try to grab her or corner her again. Be Zen like. Just make sure the cat can't bolt out an outside door when you get home. Be available for interaction, but ignore her otherwise.

Sit quietly in the same room and read, or just talk to her (no big words at first ). Ocassionally, just flick a pull toy around, roll a ping pong ball around, as if you are amusing yourself, with no expectations of the cat participating, and any hanging toy they can bat at is also a good idea. Perches by windows are big screen cat TV's.

We have a room we use as cat isolation/introduction, and that becomes their go to spot while they are building confidence. They get to be master of that universe first. The litter box is in that room, and there are lots of toys and nooks to hide in. if you have a cat carrier, take the door off it, and put that in the room, with a tee-shirt that you have worn so it has your scent in the carrier. You can feed in the same room, but not too close to the litter box. Throw a few of your dirty socks on the floor and leave them there.

We had a dog loving cat that hid from us for 16 days, we would occasionally sit in the room and read, and let the dogs in for a few minutes. The cat cooed whenever the dogs were in the room, so obviously, it was not entirely intent on hiding. On day 17, the switch flipped instantly, and the cat came out of hiding and started rubbing up against the dogs and us like he had known them and us for years. He loved to cuddle with the dogs.

Never forget for a minute, you are dealing with a superior being..... cause yer only human. And they know this.

Shoot me a PM with your phone number if you want to talk.

[Nonc Hilaire]

Use subtle threats. Photoshop a Chinese take-out menu and substitute the cat's name for "Mandarin's Delight" and pin it next to her food bowl.

[Simple Minded]

You could also go down to the local pet store, buy about 50 live crickets and turn them lose in the cat's room and your house. Cricket juice is soy sauce for cats.

That should pique the cat's interest. If the cricket don't work, get some live mice.

[Simple Minded]

30 hours and no kitten update from Nap.

If Nap hits the 48 hour mark with no kitten update, I'll bet he tried to corner the kitten again, the kitten counter attacked, Nap got his throat ripped out and is dead.

First the humans came for the defenseless kittens and tried to corner them, and I said nothing cause I wasn't a kitten.
Then the kitten counter attacked and killed the aggressive human, and I said "I told you not to do that again."

[Nonc Hilaire]

Good point. I've heard 'taking a Nap' is not uncommon kitten behavior.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

30 hours and no kitten update from Nap.

If Nap hits the 48 hour mark with no kitten update, I'll bet he tried to corner the kitten again, the kitten counter attacked, Nap got his throat ripped out and is dead.

First the humans came for the defenseless kittens and tried to corner them, and I said nothing cause I wasn't a kitten.
Then the kitten counter attacked and killed the aggressive human, and I said "I told you not to do that again."

We had a baptism&chrismation this weekend to attend. Then work, work, work.

I'm sure the kitten got into all sorts of trouble while we were out. We know she ate well.

[Simple Minded]

yesterday, while sitting blissfully sitting by the creek, waiting for the pups to return from a 20 minute runabout, one of these beauties did a slow motion fly-by at a distance of about 25 feet...... I would estimate the wing span at close to 6 feet.

Other news, according to 23andme, I have 279 Neanderthal genetic variants, more than 57% of the people in their database!!!!!

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

yesterday, while sitting blissfully sitting by the creek, waiting for the pups to return from a 20 minute runabout, one of these beauties did a slow motion fly-by at a distance of about 25 feet...... I would estimate the wing span at close to 6 feet.

Amazing when it happens right in front of you.

In this neck of the woods, I don't get to see' em by a creek, but every so often if I look above the tree lines, I catch a glimpse of these huge predator birds on the hunt. A few years ago, one crashed right into the side of my house- I went to the window to see what it was, and it was a falcon which had caught the fattest chipmunk I've even seen- I've seen smaller fat cats.

The falcon strode to a stump and started tearing into the carcass of the creature. It didn't take off for a good hour; at about the half hour mark I worried that perhaps it was injured from hitting the house, and it was getting dark with other predators about...so I started calling around for someone who had expertise in taking care of wild birds. But, as I was on the phone, it started to get very vocal, stuffed the remains of that chipmunk it its mouth and zoomed off into the air.

Was something else to see.

Other news, according to 23andme, I have 279 Neanderthal genetic variants, more than 57% of the people in their database!!!!!

I'm at 258, which puts me in the 23% percentile. Find out anything else interesting?

We did it as a family- my father bought every one tests, and so I was pressured into it...we ended up surprised on a few fronts.

[Simple Minded]

Nap,

Cool story. Not only can nature be impressive and graceful, but also brutal and merciless. I've had the good fortune to see a few predator killing prey events. Cats killing mice, birds, rabbits, etc. Dogs killing cats, rabbits, moles. Snakes killing and swallowing birds, and mice. Snapping turtles eating fish and frogs. Even rabbit on rabbit violence.

I've seen the big herons a few times up there, along with smaller egrets, birds of prey, turkey vultures at about 8 feet when you approach their nest, foxes, deer, opossums, rabbits, turkeys, etc. No Bigfoot yet...

Very cool, especially because it does not happen every trip out.

A friend has a story of hitting a hawk with a broom several times to try to get the hawk to let go of a chicken. The hawk did not comply. So he shot three 9mm rounds into the ground about 10 aches from the hawk. Hawk said "F**K off, this is my chicken." A veterinarian we know said "Oh yeah. Hawks are badasses." She tells of a hawk grabbing a small god out of the arms of one of her friends. Traumatic to say the least.

Lesson, Mama Nature don't care if you are a wounded deer or Timothy Treadwell. "Yer all made of meat!"

No surprises from 23andme. Yet. My ancestors are from all over Europe, so I am both a massive oppressor and supreme victim. My body type is elite athlete. So is my wife. But she has less Neanderthal genetic variants than 88% of their database. Always knew I married above my species......

[Simple Minded]

How bout you Nap, any surprises? Is your Dad related to all his kids? Everyone in the family related?

I think my ancestry, (or is that incestry?) accounts for my supreme mental balance and well adjusted-ness. Not only are my ancestors murderous, villainous, genocidal scum, we are also the perennial victims of the same. I'm playing both sides of the game.

[Doc]

How bout you Nap, any surprises? Is your Dad related to all his kids? Everyone in the family related?

I think my ancestry, (or is that incestry?) accounts for my supreme mental balance and well adjusted-ness. Not only are my ancestors murderous, villainous, genocidal scum, we are also the perennial victims of the same. I'm playing both sides of the game.

Let me guess -- the socialist mind is the simple mind so as all brain cells are equally balanced !!! So which are the first among equals?