The Caregiver Cup Podcast

When Nothing Goes As Planned: Finding Calm in Caregiver Chaos

Cathy VandenHeuvel Episode 261

Send Cathy a text:)

Have you ever felt completely lost in a hospital, frantically searching for your loved one while juggling bags, security badges, and your own mounting anxiety? In this raw and surprisingly humorous episode, I take you through my first chaotic days at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, where what should have been a straightforward procedure for my husband Dennis turned into a maze-like adventure of miscommunication, construction detours, and badge readers that simply wouldn't cooperate.

The healthcare system does an admirable job caring for patients, but as caregivers, we're often left navigating the periphery with minimal guidance. From wandering parking garages in search of elusive elevators to sweating through my clothes from stress (yes, I literally could have wrung out my bra in the bathroom!), these experiences highlight a universal truth about caregiving: no matter how prepared you think you are, chaos finds a way.

What saves us in these moments? Small acts of self-care—taking deep breaths in elevators, feeling the grass under our hands when overwhelm strikes, finding humor in absurdity, and connecting with fellow blue-lanyard-wearing caregivers who get it without explanation. These tiny moments of grounding become lifelines when everything feels overwhelming.

Whether you're currently in the caregiving trenches or supporting someone who is, this episode offers both practical wisdom and emotional solidarity. Remember: caregiving is a marathon, not a sprint. You don't have to have it all figured out, and it's okay when things get messy. The strength is in showing up anyway—for your loved one and for yourself.

Share your most chaotic caregiving story with me! Text the number in the show notes. Your experiences matter, and in sharing them, we remind each other that while this journey is challenging, we're never truly alone in navigating it.

Support the show

💌 Want more inspiration, information, and a deeper connection? Join the Caregiver Cup Community Newsletter for my weekly email filled with support and encouragement.

Get my free resource: 17 Shifts To Reduce CAREGIVER STRESS & Say Good-bye To CAREGIVER BURNOUT


Speaker 1:

Well, hello there and welcome to the Caregiver Cup podcast. It's Kathy here. Well, I am recording this now from my new home away from home. It's the housing called Kathy's House across from Frederick Hospital in Milwaukee, wisconsin. I've only been here I'm recording this on Saturday, before the Tuesday episode.

Speaker 1:

I've only been here for three days four days, but it feels like forever already and I am going to share some stories that's happened in the first few days that I didn't plan for and I didn't plan for and I didn't think about it and I really went in thinking that I would be prepared. I kind of knew the process and you know what. Things just never go as planned and as a caregiver, we can do as much as we need to do, but we can't stop the unexpected. We need to do, but we can't stop the unexpected. And when I was writing my notes, I wrote on here things like if you don't laugh and let it go, you're going to be this big kettle of steam on your stove that's going to whistle and whistle and whistle and keep going until you go ahead and pull it off. I know that's a bad analogy, but if I allowed myself to get frustrated or angry or emotional with all this stress and let it get the best of me. I would be on the couch, not able to even move right now. So I have had to learn that I just had to go ahead and go with the flow and ride this craziness for the last few days, knowing now Dennis is situated, he's getting the best possible care and I think the healthcare system does a really good job. Most of the time it's debatable, but most of the time with treating the patients really well, but they don't think about the caregiver and all of the hoops and stuff that we have to jump through. And it just was like a light bulb moment for me, and I have seen so many caregivers over the last few days that are trying to go ahead and navigate seriously navigate where the patient is and trying to get to see them, or figuring out how to park or whatever it would be.

Speaker 1:

When we drove into Freighter Hospital, they are doing construction on the main roads by the hospital, so we're detoured around and they're doing construction on the front entrance to the hospital. Now when I talked to Dennis today he said well, you don't have their app which is going to walk you through everything where you need to go Well. For me it's like it looks obvious and I'm on their website, I get there the information, but he gets the app that shows them all of it and I didn't know that, so I went in kind of blind. So I feel like this episode is going to be a few short little story experiences, how I handled them in good ways, how I handled them for lessons learned, and some of them are kind of funny to me. Maybe they're not to you, but they're funny to me based on how I reacted or some of the actions that I've taken. I mean, I'll just give you a sneak peek because I wanted to walk. I mean, seriously, the road is a sidewalk away the road from Kathy's house and it's across the street. I mean, it's a little bit of a walk, but it's across the street. Why should I take my car out of the parking lot, follow this detour around the block and then get on a different road and go into a parking ramp, when I could walk across the street? But what I didn't know is sometimes the door is not well placed or it's not explained, and so I'm like walking around in parking garages and getting lost. I'm getting ahead of myself, but I'll share some of these.

Speaker 1:

So on Thursday morning let me go back to Thursday morning we moved into Kathy's house on Wednesday and then on Thursday morning he had a 930 lab where they did all of his lab work and they actually put in his IV line right away for his surgery procedure. He was getting his port taken out and then he was getting a PICC line in and apparently they said the PICC line is less, there's less of a chance for infection versus the port is different and we've had PICC lines in, we've had ports in and different types, and he wanted a little mild sedation with freezing so that they could go ahead and do that. So he went after the 930 labs which he got out of there about 10 o'clock we went up to the surgery area, we checked in and he was scheduled to move in there at 1030. After all of the pre-surgery stuff that they do, like they have to go ahead and explain everything consent forms, talk to multiple nurses and the surgeons and the operating room tech and all that kind of stuff. He was then moved out at 1130. I had to leave the room at 1130. And then at that point, 1130. And then at that point they explained that I would have it and I gave them my cell phone number and they would go ahead and keep me updated. But they thought once he got into the operating room the port removal was going to take about 30 minutes because they had to remove it and they had to go ahead and stitch him back up it's in his upper chest and then the PICC line takes 15 minutes. And so she said, or they all said, probably an hour max.

Speaker 1:

So at 12.04, I got a text saying patient has entered the procedure slash entering operating room. That's what I got. And then it said we are preparing for the procedure. So I thought, okay, they're probably getting him in there shaving his chest and cleaning it all up. And that at 1234, I got a message saying procedure is going as planned, okay. So I'm thinking, okay, good. And at that time I had my grab and go big and I packed myself a little bit of a healthy snack like trail mix and a granola bar and I had my water and I was just kind of sitting back and doing some journaling water and I was just kind of sitting back and doing some journaling and then at one o'clock I just took a peek up at the board because there was also a board and it said he was still in the procedure.

Speaker 1:

And then at 1.30, it said the same Okay, now it's an hour, so I'm thinking it should be done by now. 1.45, the same Now. In the past I would have went into panic mode already because it's beyond an hour and I probably would have been calling or crying for somebody to just listen to me. I was getting nervous but I kept telling myself don't panic, take some deep breaths, it's going to be okay. This is a big hospital. I decided I was going to stand up because I just felt like if I stood up I would be able to breathe and let you know, let. And I just stood behind my chair. It was by a window so I could look out the window.

Speaker 1:

2 pm check the board and nothing, nothing. His name wasn't even on the board anymore, versus his name always showed in procedure. He was in procedure, they were color coded, but it didn't show that he was on the recovery room. So nothing, he wasn't on the board anymore. He was removed. And so I walked to the information desk and explained to the girl that the last text that I got was at 1234 and it's two o'clock and his name's not on the board. And she goes that's crazy, that's weird. And she said you know, I'll go check on it. And I said, well, I'm going to go back, I'll just keep my phone with me too, in case something happened. I'll come and I'll come back and let you know if I got a text. You know, if I got a text. And then I started pacing Eventually. Then, at 2.15, I got a call from Frater. Talk about the weirdest thing ever that your husband's name's off the board, you don't get a text and you're getting a call. That was crazy, and it was his. That was crazy. And it was his.

Speaker 1:

He had a male nurse and his nurse came and said hey, somehow we didn't tell you in the text that we decided, since he was already in a bed, we're moving him right. We moved him right up to his admission room and we forgot to tell you admission room and we forgot to tell you. And I'm like where do I go? How do I get there? I still have his bags in his car, because my husband sleeps with the CPAP machine and they told us to pack enough for him, and so he had a big duffel bag that was pretty heavy and his CPAP machine. I had my carry, grab and go bag and the room was like now I have to think about it. It was a number and then it was four letters and then his room number and I was like, okay, the nurse told me it and I'm like I'm confused. And he said just wait a minute, I'll meet you. Just wait there, I'll meet you. I wrote down the room number and I'm going to walk you through this.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so he was trying to do it. Okay, so I had to go to the car to get his stuff and then I had to go back in and he told me I had to go to the first floor to get a security badge that would open the elevator up for me to his ninth floor that he was in. So I get there, you have to go ahead and show your ID, you have to get a picture taken. You get this badge and the girl says, yeah, just wave it over where it says badge in the elevator. I could not get it to work. It would not work.

Speaker 1:

And then another gal came in and she said, yeah, you have to almost kneel down because the red light has to be far enough away. And I'm like, okay, thank you. And she got me in and I got up to the ninth floor. Okay, where do I go? Okay, now it says there's a buzzer that you have to press. So I pressed the buzzer and then they allowed me in and they had said there's sinks right in the front, you have to wash your hands, you have to put your mask on as I'm fumbling with all my pegs, and by then I was like soaking wet with sweat because I was just nervous and so, and she explained that this is the port protocol.

Speaker 1:

And then I figured out his room and then, when I got in the room, he's like what took you so long? And I'm like you so long? And I'm like nobody told me you were moved up here and so we had two seconds to talk, and then it was, instead of you know, getting angry or frustrated or whatever, I'm like, okay, take a deep breath, okay, and then all of a sudden walks in, you know the RN, and then another RN, and then he has two assigned CNAs. They walk in and do their thing, and then a nurse practitioner walks in and gives a bits of information, and then a physician's assistant walks in and gives bits of information, and then a physician's assistant walks in and then the doctor walks in. It was just like there was so much going on and they were asking him questions, they were doing his vitals and he was like I didn't eat lunch yet today and I'm starving. And they said, oh yeah, you just have to call in and order your lunch. And I'm like, oh my gosh, you don't explain anything. And all of a sudden, boom, you know, and they rattle it off fast and he's trying to figure out the menu and I'm like, oh my God, it was like a flippant nightmare. But I laugh at it now because he's settled in.

Speaker 1:

But at that time it was so chaotic and I could have moved into being this angry caregiver, mama bear, and saying you guys have this all messed up. You got to stop and slow down, or, you know, I want to fix the process and I can't fix the process for myself, or because I could have been doing some of this while I was waiting. But we just had to move forward and I made the decision at that point while I was going through it. I was just going to keep going and absorb as much as I can because things were moving so fast. And if I would have hadn't reflected on it and got angry, I would have never absorbed anything else.

Speaker 1:

So, going back to the humorous side though, I went to the bathroom because I had to find I can't use his restroom in his room and got to be masked up and everything. So I have to find one in the hall, which I asked. And I found one in the hall, but my bra was so soaking wet. It reminds me of when I used to run marathons. I lifted up my shirt and I could have rang it out. It was so wet. I know you can relate. At some point you have to be, and I'm like I wish there was like one of those blow dryers in there, because I would have just, you know, did that. And for some reason, that floor with all of the sick people things are hotter up there, or at least I think it is. So, in carrying Dennis's bag and walking all that way, all I wanted to do was pull this damn bra off and walk into a cooler or a freezer at that time, but what I did instead is I took some paper toweling and put it around my neck and tried to cool myself off and just took a few breaths.

Speaker 1:

But as caregivers, so you and I have to hold it together for our loved ones Because, you know, if I would have gotten upset, my husband would have been upset. You know that. And so you have to kind of mask some of those or just saying, yeah, it was a little difficult, but you know, I figured it out. You know, and even knowing the whole day, that first day was a mess. It was a mess of emotions for me. I was so confused, the physical exhaustion of trying to maneuver through floors and different wings and badges and security.

Speaker 1:

So I had this expectation, like I said, that everything was going to run smooth and people were going to be friendly and service driven. Well, they are for the patient and they try to do that for the patient, but, like I said, it's not for the caregiver. We got about 50% of that, or at least I did that day, and we usually get about 50% of service. The rest of it we usually have to figure out. I just wish and I can dwell on this forever and it's never going to fix itself but I wish I would have thought about things are not going to go as planned. Why did I go in thinking it was just going to be okay. You know things are going to be.

Speaker 1:

If you think about the healthcare system, first of all it's complicated, especially in bigger hospitals. They have emergencies, they're behind, they're, just to be brutally honest, they're stacked one right after the other, and so Dennis was just part of that assembly line, you know, and being able to move it, you know they didn't think about me sitting out there, which they should have. But eventually, as the afternoon went on, we settled in. The next day, though I was, you know, I was able to kind of figure out. I knew exactly where I had to go in the wing that we were in, it's called now I can't remember what it's called the Center of Advanced Care. That's the building that it's in, and so I knew that. And so I still had issues with my badge, but I leaned on others to help me. Others that were in there, and I'm like anybody ever use this badge before. I was talking to people and somebody else said, yeah, just pull it down even further. And so they helped me. But the check-in processes changed. Then over the weekend, like I said, I'm recording this on Saturday. Then over the weekend, like I said, I'm recording this on Saturday, Well, this morning was a whole different process, because the Center for Quality Care, the main building, is closed, the entrance, the first floor, and so is the parking garage, and so you have to use the hospital and the hospital is under construction and so there's no front door in the hospital and apparently you have to go ahead when you drive in, you have to go in through the elevators from the parking garage.

Speaker 1:

Well, I talked to somebody on Friday night that and I said, because she's been here for a few weeks, I said how do you go in? And she goes, well, you can just walk into the parking garage, and if you walk in straight you'll see it. But there's two entrances to the parking garage that I didn't know about. I went to the wrong entrance and here I am, walking around, circles up the parking garage trying to find the elevator. Okay, I finally find the elevator, and then I'm like okay, what floor is the hospital on? And I thought it was the first floor. Well, that's the basement, it's on the second floor and there was a sign there, but I was so flustered I didn't see it.

Speaker 1:

And then I got off the elevator and I saw that the check in and it looked for me and I saw the check-in and it looked for me, Naya's, like an airport almost. It was a makeshift check-in area because they're under construction. So I go up to the counter, they get me in. I didn't know I had to go through a metal detector and a security check. So they checked my bags, they checked everything and I told the guy I'm like you can smell my coffee but you can't drink my coffee. I was so nervous I joke when I'm nervous he at least had a smirk on his face. And then he said now you have to go through these glass doors with your badge Okay, kathy again has trouble with her badge, but eventually it works. And then you have to follow where it says get to the N elevator. It's like a maze, it's definitely at least a block to get to the elevator.

Speaker 1:

And then eventually I get up. Well, on the way out I couldn't find my way and so I asked somebody and she goes yeah, it took me two or three times before I figured out this maze that you have to go through so well, I get to the elevator and I'm like there's got to be a better way to get out of here. Well, I walked and I walked and I walked to try to figure out how to get out, and it was the third floor to get out of the garage. So, oh my gosh, but eventually I figured it out. Now I know my way, but when I got out of the parking garage, of the parking garage, all I could see was there was a sidewalk with grass, and I just I dropped all my stuff on the grass and I knelt down and I felt the grass. I was so flustered and overwhelmed. I probably look like a total idiot, but I wanted to ground myself because I was going to lose my mind because of it. But oh my gosh, like I said, I sat down and took some deep breaths. It was crazy, but I made it. I kept saying what I did.

Speaker 1:

All I wanted to do each day, though, especially with all this chaos, all you want to do as a caregiver is you want to. When your loved one is inpatient, all you want to do is get in, figure out where to go and sit with your loved one. You want to meet with the doctors and nurses and get updates, and this crazy chaos made it so hard. Trust me, eventually I will give that feedback to somebody, whether it be our social worker or our navigator, like his case quarter. I will give that because that needs to be explained, because that is not you know. Nobody told me make sure you have the app loaded on your phone because of the things that are. Nobody told me that Dennis knew it because they sent him that information as a patient, and apparently Dennis didn't think I needed to know that because he was going to be part. He was supposed to go in for that surgery, come back out, get dressed and then we were going to walk up together and I think that's what he thought was going to happen. So who knows? Now let me shift.

Speaker 1:

One other thing that was quite impressive but overwhelming. When he checked into his room they had this big white board on the wall and that was kind of like their. What am I trying to think of? Their central navigation board? It's kind of like a board that he goes through I can't think of the word right now, but anyway, the board is about five feet wide it's longer than probably the length of my arm to arm, a little bit longer than that and four feet tall and it's at his eye level. So when he's laying on the bed next to his TV he can see this big, big board and it has the date and it has the nurses that are taking care of them.

Speaker 1:

There's two RNs, two CNAs. He has his dietician, his occupational physical therapy person, his doctor, his physician's assistants, all of the people that are servicing them. Their names are on the board, all of the people that are servicing them. Their names are on the board. Each day they change it. What's really cool is they have a calendar on it because he is in this process, and so they'll explain what each day is and then they'll talk about what he's getting on each of those days, like he had chemo today and they named the name of the chemo on there. They also have his goals. He's got activity. He's got to walk the halls, he's got to shower a specific way, he's got to brush his teeth four times a day, he's got nutrition goals and all that. So they have his goals, so he can see his goals that he has to adhere to. They also have his target for discharge and then they have lab goals, where they have to keep his labs at this level and if they're not, then they adjust his medication.

Speaker 1:

I thought it's really cool and for me, being a very organized person. I can look at that board and know who's on duty and how they're taking care of them that day, which I thought was really impressive. And then he has his app too, his MyChart, so I can see the hospital notes that the nurses are taking and the doctors are taking. So if I take a break I can catch up with those as well, and then I can read them and ask Dennis about them too. I thought that was really good, but it's so overwhelming to be able. You're going in there on that first day and they're going through all of this. So you know, and so the nurse. I said to the nurse I'm like, oh my gosh, this is so much to take in. She goes I know it's a lot to take in, but take it one day at a time. Don't look at all of that. Dennis is focusing on his goals. We're focusing on the medications that we need to take. You need to just look at it as an informational piece in small chunks, and so I thought that was a really good reminder. So I'm thinking about us.

Speaker 1:

When everything feels like it's happening all at once and I know you've experienced this or even may be experiencing it again Don't forget to pause and breathe, especially when things are chaotic. You don't have to know it all, you don't have to do it all. You don't have to know it right away. You don't have to do it right away. This could be a personal reminder for us as caregiving that we just need to do, you know, take a pause, even something as simple as when I was just I had to go to the restroom. When I got up there and after the series of medical teams came in, I said I need to go to the restroom. I paused in there, cool down. I sat on the toilet going to the bathroom and I took deep breaths and I did box breathing, trying to go ahead and center myself and relax a bit, because chaos and overwhelm in these types of caregiving seasons are going to happen no matter what, and they can be planned, they can be unplanned, they can be seen or they can't be seen.

Speaker 1:

So your well-being plan that you think, that you say, yep, I'm going to walk, I'm going to eat, well, I'm going to drink. But when something chaotic goes wrong, everything goes out the window and what you're going into is survival mode in that minute or in that day and you're just trying to sustain your energy and keep your sanity. For me, yeah, I could have said well, it's lunchtime, I got to go down and eat, but Dennis was in surgery. He was supposed to start at 10.30 or 11.30. I can't even remember and it didn't go as planned. It didn't go as planned, so you also want to think about focusing on just small little chunks of breaks in the chaos or in the moment. Okay, drink your water. That's all you can control right now. Take deep breaths. Even while you're sitting in the bathroom, you have your grab and go bag with a granola bar or some trail mix, or I had a banana in there.

Speaker 1:

You got to find humor in the situation. I thought I could use it. I couldn't figure out a security card thing with a barcode on it and I couldn't get it to work. And I'm like, oh my gosh, and I've tried everything. And then I was so worried that I was stinky with that wet bra on and you just have to find humor in it and joke about it. You know, or you know just saying help me, I can't figure this out and I'm like it's so silly, but I don't know. And then, most of the time that I was in the elevators, because I've been in the elevators a lot, figuring out this card, because I usually visit them in the morning, go take a walk or go for lunch on a typical day and then come back, and every time I talk to a caregiver they said oh yeah, we've been in this boat the first time, the second time it's kind of like being a newbie in there.

Speaker 1:

Another reminder is ride the chaos waves and try to ride those with some level of just letting it go and granting yourself grace. This kind of reminded me of in 2015 in my corporate job. I traveled a lot. I was home probably one week a month and that was the whole year for my corporate job and it reminded me of when flights were delayed or when I missed my connection. Nothing would go as planned and it was very challenging. It was very overwhelming. This is what the last few days reminded me of myself.

Speaker 1:

And then finding ways to release the chaos as soon as you can. If it's just going ahead and taking a quick walk down the hall and grabbing some water, if it's breathing, if it's getting home at the end of the day after your loved one is all settled in and you taking a shower, or whatever it would be. You have to find that, like I said, I've met so many caregivers in the last few days who are in the thick of it as well, just like me. And finally, when I'm at Kathy's house, we have to wear these lanyards and the blue lanyards. I feel like we're in a sorority club, because I'll see other caregivers at Kathy's house and I'll say hi, neighbor, I don't know where you're at, but I'm at Kathy's house too. I don't know where you're at, but I'm at Kathy's house too, and so you see them as well.

Speaker 1:

I'll never forget one that I was standing in the hallway of the hospital and I'm running into a fellow caregiver and she asked me how are you doing? And I said how are you doing? And we asked each other that and we both looked at each other and just totally laughed and I'm like this is only my first day and I am so overwhelmed, not with my husband's condition, but navigating this hospital. And she goes oh yeah, it is just such a treat because you never know what to expect. And we both laughed and we shared, and our husbands are on the same floor and so we kind of shared room numbers and I waved at her today. She was in the room with her husband and we can't go in there because it's all masks and stuff. But it reminded me of we need to check in with each other. We need to go ahead and just be bold enough to just talk to other caregivers who are in the same situation, or smile, smile at them or, you know, say hi to them, because you may be facing the hardest season of your life, but you know what Others are too, and we're not alone in this journey.

Speaker 1:

Another caregiver I met today she's like I didn't realize how much walking I was going to have to take to get to my loved one's floor and I didn't wear the right shoes today. And I'm like, yeah, I learned that real fast the last few days, but I didn't know I would be walking even further on the weekends. And yeah, she said, yeah, she goes, I learned my lesson. She said I'll be getting my tennies or my tennis shoes on the next time. And she's like, and I'm going to carry less with me. So to kind of round this up and wrap this up, tips for caregivers in stressful situations.

Speaker 1:

I wanted to just kind of do a little reminder. Hey, pause and breathe in the middle of chaos. Just take 10 seconds. It could be riding up the elevator, it could be going to the bathroom, it could be sitting in your car before you go in. You so deserve it and remember these pauses are scientifically researched. When you go ahead and do deep breaths in and you breathe out, you're allowing your body to take in that oxygen and going ahead and trying to calm your body.

Speaker 1:

Also, accept help. Ask for help. When you're in a chaotic situation, like navigating, ask for help. I can't figure this out. There is strength when you ask for support. I delegated my home stuff. I checked in with people today. How are you doing? Thanks, and it just makes you feel better.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I'm going to just share finding humor when things feel overwhelming. Sometimes a good laugh is the best medicine. What the hell? I'm sorry I usually don't swear. What the heck am I doing in a parking garage, walking up and down, when cars usually drive this, and why can't I find the out? I feel like I was in a corn maze trying to figure out where the entrance and the exit was and I probably looked so weird and it was such a weird situation and now it's like I'm going to probably remember this forever and then practice grounding.

Speaker 1:

Find ways to ground yourself when things feel out of your control. This could be a grounding technique like feeling the grass, or taking a walk outside, or listening to music, humming a song, taking a deep breath, reading a Bible verse saying the Hail Mary, our father. Whatever it would be, you will need to find that. So let me end with an empowering message here Caregiving isn't for the faint of heart, but in the midst of chaos. Remember there is strength in vulnerability and there is courage in showing up for yourself as much as you show up for your loved one. So next time you feel lost, stressed or emotionally drained, know that you are not alone. We're in this together. We're stronger than we think. And hey, by this way, I would love to hear your most chaotic story. I would love to hear your most chaotic story, the good, the bad, the ugly because I think there is power in us talking about these Things that you know should have been changed, things maybe that you made a mistake, things that made you feel uncomfortable.

Speaker 1:

And let me leave you with a few quotes. I just feel like a quote kind of person today. Now I don't have the author, so I'm going to do a little disclaimer here because I just forgot to write them down. But here's one. It's okay to have not what I wrote it down wrong. It's okay to not have it all together. What matters is showing up, even when it's messy. So no matter what you're showing up, you're figuring it out. So I want you to go ahead and do that.

Speaker 1:

And then remember, caregiving is a marathon, not a sprint, so you have to take a lot of breaths along the way. My husband's going to be here till the middle of July, so if I get stressed out now, I'm not going to be able to sustain my health and energy. So I have to figure out how to take deep breaths. You have to do the same deep breaths. You have to do the same. And then the famous one and the reason I call this the caregiver cup is you cannot pour from an empty cup, so you need to take care of yourself first, my friend. So have a good rest of the week and I look forward to going ahead and reading some of your text about your chaos, your techniques, your humorous moments just fill the text line up. The text is in the show notes and so I don't know who you are. I don't get your text number. I just get a few digits to tell me where you're located and that's just on a different hosting system. No-transcript.