Hello Dearest Bloggy Friends.
It's been a while since my last post. Recently we have had much trauma and drama within our family. Or to put it delicately, we have managed to live up to the name of "Maximum Chaos"!
So let's chat a bit and catch up. Or rather, please allow me to vent and throw myself an itty-bitty pity party.
The Cliff Notes version are as follows:
Thursday, February 10: Husband's car goes into the mechanic for repairs. $1000 later he has almost an entirely new front end, including tires. UGH! We did not have $1000.
Thursday, February 17: Receive a frantic late night call from my Dad stating Grandma is not doing well. She's receiving hospice services in their home and they don't think she will make it through the weekend. Husband is leaving in two days for a week long business trip, so I jump in the car on Friday morning to drive the 3 to 3 1/2 hours up to Dad's and Grandma's to spend time with them. I cry a lot, hold my Grandma's hand, sing to her, prayer for her, help the hospice nurse and my Auntie take care of her, bathe her. I am only able to spend one night with her since Husband is flying out. I make the 3 hour long car ride home on Saturday with a heavy heart.
Sunday, February 20: At 6:30am, an intruder attempts to break into my house while I am home alone with 3 of the wee ones. (Remember Husband is traveling for work) An hour after the police remove the first fool from my front porch, three new thugs drive up to my house and, again, try to gain entrance. When they cannot get in, they take a sledge hammer (yes, I said SLEDGE HAMMER) to two of Husband's car windows. The police did not apprehend this set of freaks and Husband doesn't have glass coverage on his insurance so we're out almost $200.
To add salt to the wound, we promptly received 14-17 inches of snow, which I had to try to keep out of Husband's busted up car and single handedly shovel. (Full intruder story here.)
Wednesday, February 23: My last remaining grandparent, my paternal grandma, passed away after a valiant fight with an aggressively advancing bout of Alzheimer's. I am heart broken.
Saturday, February 26: Front porch screen door rips all of the way out of the frame and off the hinges. The door is completely ruined due to damage from said intruders. Another $100+ to get a new door. Add the cost to the expanding list of unexpected costs that have begun accruing.
Monday, February 28: I receive a call from my baby sister stating that she is picking Mom up at her clinic and plans to bring her to the Emergency Room, per the clinic's orders. A few minutes later, I receive a second call from sister, who is now distraught and nearly hyperventilating. Mom is having trouble breathing and is clutching her chest. Sister is calling an ambulance.
I am beside myself. Mom is my best friend. Is she having a heart attack? WTH is going on?! I call Husband and yell that he has to come home right away. I run across the street and pound on the neighbor's door like a crazed nut, I beg the neighbor to watch the wee ones until Husband gets home so I can leave for the hospital right away.
ER determines shortly that Mom has not had a heart attack and she doesn't have any blood clots. Other than that they are confused about what exactly is wrong. Her heart and lungs are not working as they should. Mom is admitted and subjected to every medical test known to mankind. I spend the night in the hospital.
Tuesday, March 1: No new news for Mom. Tons of tests but no conclusive results. Within the last 18 hours, Mom had been subjected to over 10 separate blood draws. She looks like a walking bruise.
Wednesday, March 2: Tons more tests but no news. Finally in later afternoon, the professionals decide Mom needs open heart surgery and they want her to do it as soon as possible. A slot for the next day opens up and it's scheduled. I spend the night at the hospital.
Thursday, March 3: The Day -- SURGERY! Open Heart... Cracking open Mom's sternum...
After spending the night, I have to leave the hospital at 6:30am because Husband has a vitally important meeting at work, so I need to get the wee ones to school, then race back to the hospital in time to see Mom in pre-op before the 4-7 hour surgery.
6:30am: Race home and arrive on time - check.
8:45am: Wee ones off on the school bus - check.
9:00am: Drive Little Man to preschool - check.
9:25am: Crash vehicle on the way back to hospital for Mom's surgery - CHECK!
Yep, as if my luck wasn't sucky enough recently, I managed to rear end a large, shiny, silver, new-ish Suburban with my old, dilapidated minivan. Air bags deployed (never experienced that before and hope I never have to again!!!) My vehicle was smashed to smithereens.
The kindly tow truck driver had mercy on my sobbing, inconsolable soul and actually gave me a ride to the hospital where my Mom's surgery was scheduled. The price tag you ask? Well, obviously it's PRICELESS that no one was injured in the accident. However, we did need to pay $177 to tow my trashed, inoperable vehicle.
I arrive at the hospital, Mom's surgery starts 2 1/2 hours late. My two sisters, two aunties and I wait with as much patience as saintly possible while Mom endures a five-hour long surgery to replace one heart valve and bypass one heart artery.
Success! Surgery went well and Mom is resting in ICU. We are finally allowed to see her around 8pm.
Friday, March 4-Sunday, March 6: Spending most of my time at the hospital with Mom. Mom has now been a patient at the hospital for seven days. The cost of $10-$15 a day to park is adding up quickly, but it is absolutely a tiny drop in the bucket compared to what I would pay or do to have my Mom be healthy and happy and around for a very long time.
Monday, March 7: Wee ones and I have our jackets and boots on. We're getting ready to go lead Big E's Girl Scout troop meeting. Suddenly Little Princess trips and smashes the corner of her forehead on her bedroom door. In the two seconds it took me to cross the room and grab her, blood has already covered half of her face. After much hullabaloo, Big E goes to the GS meeting with a neighbor; a fellow GS parent is stuck leading a meeting she never intended to lead; and I am in urgent care with Little Princess and Little Man, in which we endure a three hour wait before Princess ends up with 5 tiny stitches in her precious, beautiful forehead. (Not that I am keeping track, but just in case you are, the urgent care copay was $50. I wanted to take her to the emergency room at the local children's hospital, where I assumed with would give her less scar-inducing stitches, but was deterred by the $200 copay.)
So... I am left wondering what have I done to royally piss off the karma gods recently? I'm thinking this recent string of unpleasant events should hopefully get all of my families troubles for 2011 out of the way. RIGHT?!?!?
Sigh!
I really need a break from trauma and drama. Normally any one of these events would leave me feeling a bit raw emotionally, but after ALL of these events in less than one month - OY VEY! I think I'm tittering on the edge of insanity. (Not really, but I'm stressed!)
If you have any pull with the powers that be, please ask them to send me a rainbow or five.
It's been a while since my last post. Recently we have had much trauma and drama within our family. Or to put it delicately, we have managed to live up to the name of "Maximum Chaos"!
So let's chat a bit and catch up. Or rather, please allow me to vent and throw myself an itty-bitty pity party.
The Cliff Notes version are as follows:
Thursday, February 17: Receive a frantic late night call from my Dad stating Grandma is not doing well. She's receiving hospice services in their home and they don't think she will make it through the weekend. Husband is leaving in two days for a week long business trip, so I jump in the car on Friday morning to drive the 3 to 3 1/2 hours up to Dad's and Grandma's to spend time with them. I cry a lot, hold my Grandma's hand, sing to her, prayer for her, help the hospice nurse and my Auntie take care of her, bathe her. I am only able to spend one night with her since Husband is flying out. I make the 3 hour long car ride home on Saturday with a heavy heart.
To add salt to the wound, we promptly received 14-17 inches of snow, which I had to try to keep out of Husband's busted up car and single handedly shovel. (Full intruder story here.)
Wednesday, February 23: My last remaining grandparent, my paternal grandma, passed away after a valiant fight with an aggressively advancing bout of Alzheimer's. I am heart broken.
Monday, February 28: I receive a call from my baby sister stating that she is picking Mom up at her clinic and plans to bring her to the Emergency Room, per the clinic's orders. A few minutes later, I receive a second call from sister, who is now distraught and nearly hyperventilating. Mom is having trouble breathing and is clutching her chest. Sister is calling an ambulance.
I am beside myself. Mom is my best friend. Is she having a heart attack? WTH is going on?! I call Husband and yell that he has to come home right away. I run across the street and pound on the neighbor's door like a crazed nut, I beg the neighbor to watch the wee ones until Husband gets home so I can leave for the hospital right away.
ER determines shortly that Mom has not had a heart attack and she doesn't have any blood clots. Other than that they are confused about what exactly is wrong. Her heart and lungs are not working as they should. Mom is admitted and subjected to every medical test known to mankind. I spend the night in the hospital.
Tuesday, March 1: No new news for Mom. Tons of tests but no conclusive results. Within the last 18 hours, Mom had been subjected to over 10 separate blood draws. She looks like a walking bruise.
Thursday, March 3: The Day -- SURGERY! Open Heart... Cracking open Mom's sternum...
After spending the night, I have to leave the hospital at 6:30am because Husband has a vitally important meeting at work, so I need to get the wee ones to school, then race back to the hospital in time to see Mom in pre-op before the 4-7 hour surgery.
6:30am: Race home and arrive on time - check.
8:45am: Wee ones off on the school bus - check.
9:00am: Drive Little Man to preschool - check.
9:25am: Crash vehicle on the way back to hospital for Mom's surgery - CHECK!
The kindly tow truck driver had mercy on my sobbing, inconsolable soul and actually gave me a ride to the hospital where my Mom's surgery was scheduled. The price tag you ask? Well, obviously it's PRICELESS that no one was injured in the accident. However, we did need to pay $177 to tow my trashed, inoperable vehicle.
I arrive at the hospital, Mom's surgery starts 2 1/2 hours late. My two sisters, two aunties and I wait with as much patience as saintly possible while Mom endures a five-hour long surgery to replace one heart valve and bypass one heart artery.
Success! Surgery went well and Mom is resting in ICU. We are finally allowed to see her around 8pm.
Friday, March 4-Sunday, March 6: Spending most of my time at the hospital with Mom. Mom has now been a patient at the hospital for seven days. The cost of $10-$15 a day to park is adding up quickly, but it is absolutely a tiny drop in the bucket compared to what I would pay or do to have my Mom be healthy and happy and around for a very long time.
Monday, March 7: Wee ones and I have our jackets and boots on. We're getting ready to go lead Big E's Girl Scout troop meeting. Suddenly Little Princess trips and smashes the corner of her forehead on her bedroom door. In the two seconds it took me to cross the room and grab her, blood has already covered half of her face. After much hullabaloo, Big E goes to the GS meeting with a neighbor; a fellow GS parent is stuck leading a meeting she never intended to lead; and I am in urgent care with Little Princess and Little Man, in which we endure a three hour wait before Princess ends up with 5 tiny stitches in her precious, beautiful forehead. (Not that I am keeping track, but just in case you are, the urgent care copay was $50. I wanted to take her to the emergency room at the local children's hospital, where I assumed with would give her less scar-inducing stitches, but was deterred by the $200 copay.)
So... I am left wondering what have I done to royally piss off the karma gods recently? I'm thinking this recent string of unpleasant events should hopefully get all of my families troubles for 2011 out of the way. RIGHT?!?!?
Sigh!
I really need a break from trauma and drama. Normally any one of these events would leave me feeling a bit raw emotionally, but after ALL of these events in less than one month - OY VEY! I think I'm tittering on the edge of insanity. (Not really, but I'm stressed!)
If you have any pull with the powers that be, please ask them to send me a rainbow or five.
