Inconvenient Annoyances

Uggh, professionals sounds good on the mice front!

UGH that sounds awful! I hope somebody gets back to you ASAP!

Yikes!! Good luck, I hope its not as bad as you're imagining but I think professionals are a good idea.

I'm getting acquainted with the NHS today after a scary night. I'm fine, as fine as you can be with crummy genes affecting your heart and brain, but definitely need to get back under the care of a cardiologist who can keep an eye on things. Random tachycardia when getting ready for bed, while shaking and not being able to fully put together words was scary. But my husband called for help and I was back to normal by the time the paramedic got here almost an hour later so I decided with a weak immune system a trip to the ER probably would just make me sick. Chronic illness sucks.

Mouse Hunt 2018 has yielded three captures over night.

My husband's reaction:  order more traps
My reaction:  calling in a professional

All have been caught in the kitchen.  None in the garage have been caught.  I think we have a BIG problem.  Ugh.  I just don't want them having babies.  Of which they have probably had hundreds....  <shudder>

I hope one of these places call me back soon!

Oh dear.  Your kitchen looks... well... sealed.  Not all open and full of paths in and out of the house, like my house.  Are mice really just an inevitable thing?  I always thought that once we do the renovations, we could just be rid of the mice and that's that.  But if your house has mice, I feel like there's no hope for mine! 

Oh dear.  Your kitchen looks... well... sealed.  Not all open and full of paths in and out of the house, like my house.  Are mice really just an inevitable thing?  I always thought that once we do the renovations, we could just be rid of the mice and that's that.  But if your house has mice, I feel like there's no hope for mine! 

I don't think they are inevitable.  Just bad luck, I suspect.

We are going to do a deep dive into how they are getting in/out this weekend.  I think it's behind the fridge, where we removed the base boards to be able to fit our fridge in.  There is a gap between the walls and the flooring (hence the need for base boards).  So we'll fix that problem.

My husband thinks they could be getting in from behind the cabinetry.  So we'll have a good sealing session from the outside (part of the blank area that we hope to put our extension on one day).

I'm sure there are a million and one entry points into the garage.  But as there is no internal access from the garage to the house, I never dreamed they would be able to move between the two so easily.

Needless to say this is going to lead to us having a HUGE clear out of the garage.  Which is much needed.  Just didn't need it to be forced this way.

Exterminator is coming tomorrow at 4pm.  He should be able to help us identify the entry/exit points. 

UGH.  What happened to your mouse?

Very sorry Margo. Hopefully you can get under the care of a cardiologist - Have you got yourself a GP all sorted yet? 

Very sorry Margo. Hopefully you can get under the care of a cardiologist - Have you got yourself a GP all sorted yet?

I registered with a practice but didn't have a GP yet.. They told me to call back tomorrow between 8 and 8:30, and obviously if I get worse again today I'll be visiting A&E. Being complex is a pain because sometimes you just have multiple things flare at once and it's hard to know if it's just normal or something worse, and I have a history of hemiplegic migraines. My allergies have been causing serious sinus headaches so I guess it all just decided to go to hell at once!

I don't think they are inevitable.  Just bad luck, I suspect.

We are going to do a deep dive into how they are getting in/out this weekend.  I think it's behind the fridge, where we removed the base boards to be able to fit our fridge in.  There is a gap between the walls and the flooring (hence the need for base boards).  So we'll fix that problem.

My husband thinks they could be getting in from behind the cabinetry.  So we'll have a good sealing session from the outside (part of the blank area that we hope to put our extension on one day).

That's one good thing about having to build our kitchen virtually from the ground up... we can seal it all off before we build the finishings.  So we can put our plumbing and ventilation holes in and seal around them before building the cabinets, so we'll know nothing will be getting in through there.

I'm sure there are a million and one entry points into the garage.  But as there is no internal access from the garage to the house, I never dreamed they would be able to move between the two so easily.

Needless to say this is going to lead to us having a HUGE clear out of the garage.  Which is much needed.  Just didn't need it to be forced this way.

Exterminator is coming tomorrow at 4pm.  He should be able to help us identify the entry/exit points. 

UGH.  What happened to your mouse?

He still comes and goes.  We don't leave food out, and we sanitize everything before we use it (each and every time).  I have given him access to the food waste bin, which seems to prevent him from exploring further.  It's a compromise, of sorts.  I mean, with a house like a sieve, there's not much I can do except practice good hygiene/housekeeping.  For now, our mouse/mice is/are inevitable. 

I registered with a practice but didn't have a GP yet.. They told me to call back tomorrow between 8 and 8:30, and obviously if I get worse again today I'll be visiting A&E. Being complex is a pain because sometimes you just have multiple things flare at once and it's hard to know if it's just normal or something worse, and I have a history of hemiplegic migraines. My allergies have been causing serious sinus headaches so I guess it all just decided to go to hell at once!

Have a list ready of yours asks for your GP.  Referral to cardiologist, etc.  Make sure each one is ticked off before you leave. 

I registered with a practice but didn't have a GP yet.. They told me to call back tomorrow between 8 and 8:30, and obviously if I get worse again today I'll be visiting A&E. Being complex is a pain because sometimes you just have multiple things flare at once and it's hard to know if it's just normal or something worse, and I have a history of hemiplegic migraines. My allergies have been causing serious sinus headaches so I guess it all just decided to go to hell at once!

Oh!  Try to see if they can give you a "double appointment".  So that you have 20 minutes instead of 10. 

Have a list ready of yours asks for your GP.  Referral to cardiologist, etc.  Make sure each one is ticked off before you leave. 

Yep, I'm digging through my medical records for the relevant stuff today. I have about 500 pages to go through

Took the day off work to rest though.

Oh!  Try to see if they can give you a "double appointment".  So that you have 20 minutes instead of 10.

Ahh good call. I will ask! 10 minutes is definitely not enough time for a new patient with complex history.

Yeah, as someone with autoimmune issues, I definitely like to bring everything in writing so that I can make sure to get through everything and not forget anything.  If it's copies of stuff that can be handed to the doctor, even better. My rheumatologist keeps all my handwritten stuff in my medical file, for example.  Condensing 5000 pages of medical stuff will be hard, but I am sure you know exactly what to talk about and what help you will need 

Definitely like the idea of a double appointment too. 

MOUSE HUNT 2018 UPDATE:

Caught another mouse last night in the kitchen.  Brings the total to 5.

Additional and different type of traps set in the garage and still not catch in the garage.

Here's the intriguing bit.  We know the mice have been behind the fridge as this is where the poop was/is.  There is a small hole leading under the kitchen cabinets.  Leading us to believe the mice are living under them.  <shudder>  There was also a small hole from when we removed the baseboards to fit the fridge in, causing a gap between the wall and flooring.

Last night I stuffed both of these holes with cotton balls.  Knowing the mice could remove the cotton and seeing what their point of entry/exit is.  Well, a mouse was caught - but no cotton has moved.  Definitely an intriguing discovery before the exterminator comes this afternoon.  I now have suspicions that the mice could be INSIDE the fridge!  My husband is going to check it out when he gets home (he does a shorter day on Fridays).

My poor husband hasn't slept the last two nights due to mice on the mind.  We have to get these critters GONE!

I've actually cornered a mouse in my kitchen and stood still and as silent as I can be watching to see its escape route before... for ages!  My husband laughs at my obsession (when he's not moaning about how it's bedtime and he needs to be up for work in so many hours).  But if I could figure out how it's/they're getting in, then I can plug that hole and stop them for a bit.  Maybe.

When we first moved in, we discovered the mice had been living IN the old cupboards.  Evidently for years.  That's why we ripped out the semblance of kitchen that there was.  We planned to redo it, anyway, but finding the mouse nests rapidly accelerated the demolition.  I have pictures, but you really don't want to see them.  *assure*