Read the Side Effects Of Pills

 I came home from hospital with codeine and paracetamol. Both are pain killers.

Don't confuse codeine with caffeine. Caffeine in your coffee is a stiumland. codeine is a pian killer. It has the opposite effect. Caffeine wakes you up. odeine send you to sleep, hence less sensivive to everything outside and inside, including pain.

I slept all afternoon. I thought that meant I was getting old, and dying.

Then I read the insctructions with the pills. I knew how many to take and how often. That was on the outside of the paceket, on a sticker.

The Instruction leaflet icluded the side efects. One side effect was feeling sleepy. That explains it.

No driving.  No drinking with the pills.

Different pills are used for different maladies. And different amounts for different ages and weights. Be guided by your doctor. However, by reading background inforation, you may be able to ask relevnt questions, and to notice side effects.

Useful Websites

https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/codeine/side-effects-of-codeine/

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How To Find & Use Dollar and Pound Signs In Text $$$$$ ?

Dollar and Pound Signs On Keyboards

$$$$$$$

 When buying a laptop overseas, or at home, note whether the keyboard has dollar signs or pound signs on the keyboard. America uses dollars. On my Dell keyboard, the dollar sign is above the number 4.

So does Singapore. In Singapore you add the capital leter S before the dollar sign, S$. 

To Change Keyboard Signs

If you are technically minded, you can go into settings and re-configure any key on your keyboard. We did this once when the key for full stop was stuck. We switched it with the colon which was rarely used. For several days I instinctively used the full stop key with no result. So we found that you need to print and stick on the new sign on the key.

Then one day we cleaned the keyboard with a blower. The Key must have been jammed by a microscopic piece of grit, or toast. We removed the sticker, then reconfigured the keyboard settings back to the way they were originally.

To Show Pound Signs On Laptop Keyboards

I have a Dell laptop which has dollar signs. To show pounds I can list them as GBP, as is done by some websites. I sometimes do that here in blogspot. You read my posts in blogspot where they are read-only and cannot be altered. I create posts in blogger with a passcode.

EDITING ON A PHONE

However, I can also use my Samsung phone which was bought in the UK. This has pound signs. So I can create posts on my phone with the pound signs. Alternatively, create posts on my laptop, then edit on my phone to insert the pound signs.

Keyboard Characters' Numbers 

If you have a separate numeric keyboard, you can type in the codes for certain characters which you use frequently. My husband has a list of those he uses a lot. But he knows off by heart the numbers he uses frequently. For example 0163 is the pound sign. For French and some other languages, the acute accent used frquently on the letter e is 0233/

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How To Find Lost Items

 Take measures to prevent repeated loss.

Note where you lost your spectacles last time. My list is

LOST & FOUND LOCATIONS

In the car - in the glove box. Between the seats. Under the seats. Under a blanket. 

In the Bedroom - dropped on the floor between the bed and the  bedside table (which Americans call the night stand).

The Bathroom

The windowsill

The side of the bath

On top of towels o the towel rail.

On the toilet lid - this is the best place.

On Your Chair

1 You are sitting on them.

2 They are behind the cushion behid your back.

3 On the floor under the chair or desk.

4 Dropped inside your shoes.

Clothes

Accessories

In the straw bag you took to the bach on holiday.

Inside the straw hat or baseeball cat.

1 How To Locate Spectacles

Keep spectacles in a glasses case. Mark the case with a coloured ribbon. Attach the ribbon to a bedside light. Attach the ribbon to a desk lamp.

How to List Lost and Found Places

List in an email sent to yourself filed under WHERE IS IT?

In a whatsapp labelled LOST & FOUND.

Inside the front cover of your diary.

In a list on the fridge door.

On a pincbard in the office or home study.

LOST NEEDLES

In the item you were sewing.

On the floor under your chair.

On your lap or in your clothes.

In a pin cushion.

In the corner or edge of the sewing box.

In the cotton reel or polyester thread.

BOTTLE CAP OR JAR TOP

In the sink.

In the dishwasher.

On the work surface.

Under the bottle or jar.

In the waste paper bin.

LOST KEY(S)

In your pocket.

In the lining of your jacket.

In your bag, tote bag or rucksack.

Still in the door lock.

Hanging on the key rack.

Picked up by mistake by a visitor or workman.

How to swallow pills

1 Ask the doctor for smaller pills, or liquid medicine.

2 When buying, look for chewable tablets. I found chewable vitamin D and clacium in the UK. Boots sells chewable tablet with vanilla flavour, and the sixe of the tablet show on the label o the outside of the plastic bottle.

2 Grind up pills, if the doctor or pharmacists says it is OK to do so (Pill directions ought to tell you this. If you can, write to the manfacturer.) 

 3 Swallow a large gulp of water before takig the pill. Then put the pill in your mouth and take three large gulps of water. Take another three gulps of water to prevent a pill which sticks in your throat from being brought up.

Note which pills are small. For example, I have codeine pain killer which is small.  My panadol tablets are larger. 

I buy chewable vitamin D and calcium tablets.

Boots sell their own brand oval vitamin D and calcium tablets, vanilla flavour, with the size shown on the packaging.

Useful Websites

USA website

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/two-tricks-make-easier-swallow-pills-201411137515#:~:text=It%20can%20be%20caused%20by,prepare%20your%20food%20for%20swallowing.

UK NHS (National Health Service)

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/problems-swallowing-pills/

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Repair Broken Pottery, vases and lamp bases with glue and gold paint - kin-tsugi

 

The Japanese name for this is kintsugi. Kin means gold. Tsugi means repair. 

For this you need

1 Your broken pottery item

2 A superglue

3 A gold felt tip pen and/or

4 A gold glitter pen

Why Not Use Gold Spray?

I considered using gold spray, which I already had.

I had a gold paint spray. I decided against using this because of the risks of

a) Breathing it in 

b) Getting it on my hands

c) Getting it on my clothes

d) Damaging nearby items

e) Extra time spent covering the table and floor

f) Needing to discard plastic or cardboard covered in paint, thus adding to landfill

g I would need to use more paint to cover the entire vase.

h) I wanted to cover only the cracks because the green base matched the lampshade

Verdict - Success

1 I was pleased to have my lamp restored

2 I had put together the pieces which were cluttering up the house waiting until I thought of a way of repairing the item.

3 I was proud of my skill

4 My husband was impressed by my resourcefulness and creativity

5 He said the restored lamp base looked like the gold pattern abstract was part of the design, better than the plain green original.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi

Predicting And Preventing Problems After Divorce, Eviction, And Redundancy

Problem - Redundant

 Years ago I was made redundant at an advertising agency.

Cause

It was not my fault. The company had lost contracts. 

Help

When Personnel gave me the bad news, they went through a relevant newspaper, found me two jobs to apply for. They helpfully printed off a cv for me to send and stuck it in the envelope.

They also rang up another company, explained my situation. Then, they put me on the phone for an initial phone interview, arranging for me to go to the office for an interview. 

Success

When I left I had a new job to go to.

If you lose your job, or are out of work, you might be unable to pay rent and bills. This can lead to eviction.

Eviction

The person being evicted might have nowhere to go. The stress of leaving their home could overwhelm them.

Pictures in public domain under eviction from Wikipedia.

Divorce

Being homeless can lead to divorce. Divorce can lead to financial disputes. Also custody of children battles. Divorce can be the result of financial problems. Or the cause of them.

For one person, divorce can be news of a new start. For another it can be the end.

Marriage guidance is there to try to help prevent divorce. But where is the help for those divorcing?

Lawyers tend to go into battle to help their client financially. Some lawyers encourage mediation.

Another factor contributing to divorce, and depression, is bereavement.

If you think of the mind as like a see-saw, put too many items on the negative side and the see-saw goes down. You need to have something on the positive side.

Prediction

When somebody is divorced or made homeless it is pretty obvious that they will be angry. They might attack those who they blame or random bystanders. 

Preventing Problems

A system should be in place to register and help the homeless, unemployed, divorced, bereaved, neighbours in disputes, before matters get out of hand.

Relevant Websites

A search online will produce websites related to the country where your computer setting show you to be. If you are on holiday or working in another country, or trying to help somebody in another country, you need to change the wording of your search, or your computer or phone settings.

Divorce

https://www.familylives.org.uk/advice/divorce-and-separation/thinking-about-divorce/getting-counselling-to-help-you-during-divorce-or-separation

Redundancy

https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/redundancy.html

Eviction

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice

Refugees

https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/our-work/mental-health-support-for-refugees-and-asylum-seekers/

Mistakes and Apologies - Training Children & Adults

 It seems we need to train every child and driver and adult what to do in an emergency. From a baby crying, to a road accident to an elderly person's corpse. 

First, a baby is not evil. It cries because it is cold or hungry or tired or wants loving attention. You don't hit it to quieten it. You offer food, hugs, rocking, or a rocking cradle or a ride in a vehicle. 

Secondly, if you make a mistake, such as knocking over somebody's drink in a pub, or causing damage with a vehicle, you apologise. 

Thirdly, if somebody else makes a mistake, you address them politely, not angrily which escalates things.

 Fourthly, it is not safe for children and pets to run around in driveways and on roads where they might be hit by vehicles, wander off, or fall in ditches, or be abducted, or die of starvation or cold. 

Nor is it safe for children and adults to be locked in windowless basements or outbuildings. 

Fifthly, we already have mandatory (in the UK) signs for restaurant staff toilets saying Wash your hands. In restaurants, hospitals and places serving food there should be signs saying, do not touch the blades of knives or tines of forks, bowls of spoons or inside plates, bowls and glasses. 

I have a book which gives children multiple choice questions about what to do in school and visiting homes, telling them the likely result of each choice. Everything from avoiding eye contact with a teach to prolonged unsmiling staring at another pupil, or shoving somebody or prodding them or threatening a child or adult to scare them or 'for a joke'. 

Often running away causes an animal, especially an attack dog, to chase you. 

A friendly pet or animal can get aggressive when hurt, as any vet knows. The animal does not know the pain comes from inside or another source and will attack anybody who approaches or tries to touch it. Even friendly pets should be kept away from or muzzled in the presence of babies and small children who might scream, shout, fall or pull the animal's tail for a joke. 

The same applies to the police. Run or drive away in a hurry and they think that you are a criminal. They fear that if you escape you will make a circle and come up behind them and kill them from behind soon after or another day.

Useful Websites

Problems

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11518965/FedEx-driver-killed-Athena-Strand-7-hit-van-strangled-panicked.html#reader-comments

Solutions

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1187506343/good-choices-vs-bad-choices-behaviour?

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/942766788/no-biting-a-social-story-for-autism-

You can find lots more books on good and bad behaviour to share with one child or a group.

 If the person doing the questionnaire makes a choice which will likely result in a worse situation, they are told the best answer and are asked to re-do the quiz and try another choice. 

Useful search words are behaviour, choices, tracker, questionnaire, chart, flash card, book.

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