My dishwasher is dead!

[mayhue1]

I am being such a good girl. I got my income tax refund, and went out & bought tons of gluten free stuff to cook. And a rice cooker. And a wok. And a mixer. And new bakeware to replace all my gluten contaminated ones. And cookbooks. My freezer is full of prepared meals, deserts, bread (a first for me, I never made it before.) Now needless to say, this has played havoc with my dishwasher. It is used to running one load a week. Could it be that running it every other day has pushed it to its limit?No.... thats not it's problem.

I have mice. This is the 3rd dishwasher they have destroyed in 2 years. They get under it and eat the motor housing, hoses, and anything else that isn't metal. I plugged 2 ultrasonic mouse deterrants next to it. I put up metal sheets where they ate thru the wall. I catch them in sticky traps. And still more come, and once again have destroyed the dishwasher.

So I guess I'll roll up my sleeves, and go wash the damned dishes. It's always something.

Health wise I am much better. After 6 weeks on 3 Endocort daily, GI told me to cut back to 2. Well, the welcomed Normans are slowly going away, to be replaced by frequent explosions. I'll give it a couple more days, then go back to 3 daily if it stays like this. I am firmly convinced that stress plays a part in all this. Have some stuff going on with a sick friend that is worrying me.

I do have a lot more energy, and generally feel better.

I check in daily, and enjoy reading all the posts. Tex, so wonderful you are on the mend. Bye!!! Dishes call!

Colleen

[tex]

Colleen,

That's a bummer. You may have to control the mice before they get into the house. Have you tried surrounding your house with cats? I used to have pretty good luck with that, before the bobcats got out of hand, and ate all the cats. If that's not practical, bait stations around the outside of the house, (where they usually gain entry), might help. You can use short lengths of PVC pipe, for example, to help keep the bait out of the weather, and prevent pets from gaining access to it.

Also, if those are deer mice, (larger mice, with snow white hair under their belly), they often/usually carry hantavirus, which is deadly to humans. About a fourth to maybe a third of the mice that show up where I live, are deer mice. When cleaning up after them, don't breathe the dust from their droppings or urine, (or their nests), because that's how the virus is contracted by humans. I believe the CDC recommends spraying with a disinfectant first, (a chlorine bleach solution), to prevent any dust from being generated during cleanup.

GI docs always want to reduce the dose, or completely phase out Entocort, way too soon. They don't seem to have the foggiest idea how long it takes the body to heal, from the damage caused by MC.

Yes, stress can definitely make symptoms worse. Don't wait too long to increase the dose, or you might lose a lot of healing. It's good to hear that you're feeling so much better, in general.

Tex

[TXBrenda]

Hello,

At a previous house, we had to fill in between the bricks (yours may not be brick) because the mortar had eroded away. That was the mice entry way that time.

Take care

[JLH]

I was going to say too........

[TXBrenda]

Have more time to post now ...

I have cats, but they are inside. Both times mice were trying to establish residence, the cat could not get to them. The last time they were coming into the house from the roof into the attic through a hole in the ceiling in the pantry. They would get behind the dishwasher also. We would find the cat sitting in front of it in the middle of the night. She knew they were there, but could not get to them.

My husband filled the hole with steel wool and secured it with good ole duck tape. Previous owners had ran cable into just about every room in the house. This one we missed because it was in a corner of the pantry. Excellent place for that repair!

Hope you can figure out something!

[mayhue1]

Thanks for suggestions. I found a local feed store that sells rat bait, so I'm going to get that and bait inside and out. Great idea Tex- using PVC to protect the pets. My cat caught one baby mouse, and played with it for a couple days. Batted it around, and pitched it to the dog to torture. It finally passed from their abuse. Needless to say, my pets are useless. Of course the dog gets to try all the gluten free baking. I haven't killed her yet, so guess I'm doing something right.

Oh Tex- you are so right about the dr wanting me off the entocort. Says I should be weaned in 2 months. Her reason? She is afraid I will get osteoporosis! I was diagnosed with that 3 years ago! Before any steroids. Decided to spare her. I ordered some strontium, and am going to use it with calcium and D. When I was previously on Fosomax flares usually started later in the day after I took my weekly pill.

Everybody stay dry & warm. What a strange winter we are having!

Colleen

[Stanz]

Ah, mice, I read this last night and just laughed at how industrious those little buggers are. Just yesterday I found 2 dead mice in traps we'd set because my DH is a bird lover who often forgets to seal up their food in the bin I bought when we had an infestation last year and you can only imagine the lengths I need to go to to protect my catering stores.....

Mice can shrink down to 1/2" to enter your house. Doesn't give much grace for gaps. I am a collector of vintage clothing, the little buggers got into a box that had a wool suit from the 40's and turned it into bedding. I haven't had the heart to thoroughly search through all the rest of my vintage stuff, but have put nearly everything into plastic bins. They don't seem to chew through this type of plastic, but anything "milk jug like" is toast.

[tex]

Colleen,

Be aware that mice aren't nearly as fond of rat bait as they are of mouse bait. I realize that most manufacturers label their products as Rat and Mouse Bait, but if it says "Rat" anywhere on the package, it's a different formulation than the "Mouse" bait, and it's not nearly as attractive to mice. I usually use d-Con brand mouse bait, in sheds and barns, with great success, but I've tried the d-Con Rat and Mouse bait, and mice usually won't touch it, (unless maybe they're starving).

Untreated gluten-sensitive enteropathy causes osteoporosis - that's probably where your's came from. Compared with that, Entocort is a minor risk. IOW, it's not nearly as likely to cause a significant loss of bone density, as gluten is.

Tex