u/Midwest-Christian

It’s so hard being short sometimes!
I’m 5’0”, and need wide-calf compression socks for size 9.5 shoes. Everywhere I look, their medium size socks are for 5’6”+.

Normally, I don’t worry about petite length socks, because I wear ankle socks. 😁 But when wearing knee-high compression socks, it makes a big difference!

Any short girls have a favorite place for socks? Or do you just fold them down/scrunch them a little?

I have been in home care for years, but now I’m doing clinicals at a LTC, and hope to get a hospital job when I graduate. I know a lot of CNAs and nurses wear comfortable running shoes, and others swear by waterproof and wipeable shoes.

What do you wear, and what do you see most?

Does it change by the setting? Do CNAs in LTCs wear waterproof shoes more than those in hospitals…

I did have my shoes thrown up on once, but it was years ago, and I was in a home so I threw them in the wash with the rest of the sick laundry.

I have cut out gluten, dairy, and soy. (Please don’t come after me saying that diet doesn’t affect Hashimoto’s. I am newly diagnosed and working through what works for my body.)

For those with similarly restrictive diets, what do you take to snack on when you’re out and about?
I mostly cook at home, and have a tight budget, so I’m not stopping for a full meal at a place that is allergen free.

I’m doing CNA clinicals next week, and my teacher says we won’t have a meal break, so we should pack a snacky meal that we can eat between patients needing us.

So far I’m thinking:
Boiled eggs
Sliced veggies to dip in hummus
Chicken salad and tortilla chips
Veggies Made Great chocolate muffins (my go-to “treat”) 😁

Those who grew up or live in the (American) South, how do you stop the habit of using generalized nicknames?

I try my best to be professional in every aspect, but I really struggle with not calling my female patients “sweetheart” or “dear”. I live in the Midwest now and my company is adamant that this is disrespectful and rude.
I have a wide vocabulary, rarely get my remaining hint of a southern accent commented on, and don’t generally sound like a redneck. 😆 But that part is SO engrained! It’s not like I only use it on seniors, either.

Kansas City metro:

I have been doing non-medical caregiving for ~7 years. I am now getting my CNA license for clinical experience while I work on my ADN.

I have a private client who I have been with for over a year. I charge $40/hour for 2-3 hour shifts twice a day. Now the family is asking me about moving in with her.

I would have my own suite, and would have full use of the house and amenities. I would be expected to sleep through the night, but would have a monitor for her room. (She hasn’t started wandering yet, but there is a concern it won’t be too long before she starts.) I would have 3 hours off in the afternoon, and 2 in the evening, and I would be free to leave the house for my 5:15 am workouts before she’s awake.

The client has mild dementia, and is fully mobile. I would cook, do basic housekeeping (they have cleaners once a month), med reminders (family would fill the pill planner), encourage and assist with showers, wash laundry, help her pick out clothes to dress herself, drive her car to appointments. All fairly basic stuff that I am used to.

How would you charge for live-in care if you were sleeping through the night? I can’t charge $40/hour 24/7. She is desperately resisting moving to a facility, and she doesn’t need it if someone is there. But she can’t live alone anymore.
I’m thinking $1400-1600/week. Does that sound reasonable?

TL, DR:
I am 9 weeks into a gluten, dairy and soy free diet, and am attempting to take my pills regularly.
I am seeing tiny pieces of progress, but it’s exhausting sticking to something without having real results. How long did you have to wait before your symptoms started reversing? And what diets have you done?

I was diagnosed at the end of May. I’m not going on the prescriptions immediately and starting with diet and supplements first.

I have been gluten, dairy, and soy free for 9 weeks so far. As far as pills go, I struggle SO hard with taking them consistently. I’ll remember a couple days in a row for the morning pills, but forget to take the evening ones. Or I will forget about them completely for a week before taking the time to refill my pill planner.

Honestly, as emotionally mentally difficult as it has been to figure out how to eat a gluten, dairy, and soy free diet, it’s still SO much easier than remembering my pills. It’s easier for me to cut something out than to add something in.

My family and friends keep asking if I’m feeling a difference yet.
Progress:

1. I have noticed a slight increase in my energy. I am no longer taking daily naps.

2. My ankles aren’t tight. It used to be so bad that every time I would sit down for 10 minutes, I would hobble when I stood again until my ankles loosened up. It would be like that all day, every day. Now it’s happened maybe 2-3 times in the past 6 weeks?

No progress:

1. No weight loss. 😩 I was 143-146 all through my late teens and early 20s. Then at 26 I started gaining weight. Open the past eight years I’ve gone from 145 to 230. Part of what pushed me to go back and beg harder for some kind of diagnosis was that I kept a very strict healthy diet, eating quality proteins, vegetables, and fruit, with smaller portions of grains, along with exercising 2-3 times a week for a month. And I still gained 7 pounds that month! 🙄

2. Still no menstrual cycle. I’m on day 131. 😭