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Fumus

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Nov 24, 2014
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If nothing else, this has been a memorable Christmas season.  Couple weeks ago, my wife threw her back out (no idea how) badly enough for the pain to be incapacitating. Ive been with her for little over 20 years now and she's one tough lady, definitely not an easy crier, but this had her crying and shaking with the pain and frustration as I carried her where she needed to go and took care of things for her.  We were able to find a chiropractor who was willing to come in on a Saturday and meet us at his office. He examined her and showed me how one of her legs was 1/4 inch longer than the other. Said this was due to her pelvis being tilted as a result of her vertebrae being out of alignment.  Explained that was why the pain pills she had been taking weren't fixing/helping anything. After he re-adjusted her spine, attached the electrode muscle shocky things for a bit, and then applied some kick butt pain cream, she was able to at least walk out to the truck when we were done.  While we were dealing with her back being out, both of our vehicles decided to break down. Fortunately my pickup just needed a new alternator and since its a 99 ranger, I was able to do that job myself.  One of the advantages of growing up without alot of money is that I learned to how do alot of stuff myself.   Still cost $132.00 that I didn't really have for a new one, but (shrug) such is life and I aint complaining cause I know it could be a helluva lot worse.  
Christmas eve day, we had to take our youngest to the urgent care, where he was diagnosed with mild pneumonia. While in the waiting room waiting to be called back, my dad calls and tells me he cant move his right arm and it hurts like hell. I'm already kinda freaking out a bit cause my youngest is having a real hard time breathing, and dad has a history of TIA's and heart problems so this news jacks my BP up a few more notches.  As calmly as I can I tell him that I love him but am already in the middle of things with his grandchild and "WHAT IN THE HECK ARE YOU CALLING ME FOR?!! CALL 911!"   Just then, they call us back to see the Dr. so I tell dad good bye and head back to exam room with wife and child.  Later that night, dad calls to tell me that he called his Dr. and then drove himself in and he wasn't having another mini stroke or heart attack, just an award winning case of bursitis in his right shoulder. He also told me that mom had fallen again (she had fallen once before on the 13th) but "she's OK. Had to call the ambulance to get her on her feet again but other than her arm being a little sore from the last time she fell, she's fine." I told him falling twice in less that two weeks didn't sound fine to me, but since it was nearly 7:30pm Christmas eve and they both swore they were OK, and I was pretty well wiped out already, and I knew everyone would be closed for the holiday, I'd wait until Monday before calling her PCP.  The next morning, (Christmas day) about 8am, our kids had just finished opening their gifts when my dad calls again crying (haven't heard or seen that man cry for at least 30yrs), saying that moms down and he cant get her up, "I need help. I just cant lift her. I need help" (I don't remember ever hearing him admit he needed help  from anyone.)  Wife and I immediately jump into our outside clothes and race over there, leaving the oldest in charge. When we get there, moms in her chair in the living room but cant get up and its a mess cause she couldn't get to the rest room or anything. I manage to pick her up and get her on the seat of dads walker and we wheel her into the bathroom. My wife worked as a CNA the first few years we were married, so even though she cant do any lifting cause of her back, she took over the cleaning and bathroom end of things once I got mom in there. We both noticed mom wasn't using her right arm at all and when we asked her about it, she just said it was "still a little sore from the first fall". Yeah right. We got her in the shower and she was bruised black from elbow to shoulder (the kind of bruise that screams broken bone).  Wife also noticed mom had areas where her skin was breaking down, something she had seen before while working in as a CNA.  So mom gets ambulance ride to ER where we find out she has a humeral head fracture (broken shoulder. when she fell the first time she jammed the ball end of the ball and socket shoulder joint, in to the socket part, hard enough to fracture the bone), and a raging bladder infection. ER Dr. says bladder infection probably caused the falls and broken shoulder and being unable to care for herself are not considered "admittable injuries" by either medicare or OHP, so even though he agrees that she needs to be admitted, all he can do is give her a sling and pain meds for her shoulder and some high power antibiotics for infection and send her home.   I explained to him that we really didn't have anywhere for her to go, since neither her house nor ours is ADA anything, and there aren't any places open to get any of the things she would need, even if we could get her up the stairs and into one to the houses.  Also, I was scheduled to go back to drive bus tomorrow so there would be no one who could lift mom and get to restroom, into bed, etc.  Fortunately, our Pastor was there and overhearing the conversation, offered us a spare bedroom for mom on the ground floor of his house, with large restroom and ADA toilet right next door. Insisted all of us, (mom, my wife, myself and our kids stay with him and his family until we could get a hold of moms primary care physician (and no, the hospital was unwilling to even contact moms PCP for us and inform him of her condition since she was not being admitted. No comment on what their concern for our well being and willingness to help did for my BP or chances to remain Un-incarcerated for the holidays).
So, from Christmas till today we've been living in pastors house, taking care of mom, and doing what we had to do.
   This morning was able to get mom into her PCP's office and even though he was too busy to see her, another Dr. in the office was able to see her.  Turns out this other Dr. was a man we knew from a church we attended when we first got married. He listened to us explain the situation and checked mom over, and was able to get mom admitted to the hospital where she can get the care she needs, continue rehabilitating her leg muscles so she can walk again (my wife was working with her while we were at pastors house and mom was making improvements), and get her meds straightened out, since she has apparently not been managing her diabetes very well.  Huge relief knowing she's taken care of.  Didn't sleep much last few days, what with worry, stress, taking care of mom, keeping dad from flipping out with worry and stress, keeping my brothers informed and in the loop, etc.
      But as I sit here tonight in my own house, moms cared for, youngest is well on the mend, wife is still moving good, ranger is running fine and got plans to get van fixed tomorrow, dads calmed down, and in the midst of it all Santa brought me seven 1oz samples  of baccy (six arros and one Virginia that I'm very eager to try), a couple of bottles of higher end beer, some ammunition, and a double Music CD from one of my favorite artist. All in all, its been a rough ride but could have been a whole lot worse and it seems to be ending well, so I'm a happy man who's looking forward to smoking some new Christmas baccy tomorrow and enjoying a large bottle of good beer. :cheers:
 
Sounds like you need 2 large bottles of beer. All the best to you and your family! Hopefully all will mend and get better soon. 2015 should be starting better than 2014 ended!
 
These things happen in life and it seems like they come in clusters when
we already have enough on our plate to deal with. I believe there sent as
a test and or to prepare us for life ahead. Sounds like you handled it well
and came out unscathed.
Hope you and your family are well and can get back to normal soon and
relax and enjoy life a little but, always remember to keep one eye out. ;)
 
Wow, that was some ordeal! I'm glad that you came out the other end mostly unscathed and that all are well, or at least mending. What touched me most about your story was the wiilingness of so many to step forward and offer help. Your pastor, the second doctor, and at several points you yourself demonstrated that there is still plenty of good in the hearts of mankind.
God bless you and your whole family, and best wishes for the New Year,
Mike.
 
Glad to see you kept your wits and your sense of humor through this! Hopefully things will settle down for you now. Best of luck in the new year.

Jim
 
Damn Sam, looks like you went through the wringer there brother. Sure hope things start to improve for you soon. That's a lot for a guy to bear, but looks like you're handling it as best as you can.

Have yourself a couple big beers and a good bowl when you can, and stay positive. Your family is looking to you now!



Cheers,

RR


 
Thank you all for the kind words, prayers and well wishes :)

Cart, I agree with you sir about things like this being trials or test, and like the man in black "I keep my eyes wide open all the time.." :face:

Jim, figure I can either laugh or cry, and Id rather laugh.  :lol!:

Bearded, you know it brother! Been doing/getting all three as I can.

Mike, That's the part that touched me the most as well.  Its very easy for me to fall into the mindset that the whole world is just "dog eat dog and rat eat rat". But then things like this happen and I realize that this dismal viewpoint is incorrect.  Obviously its not all beer and skittles out there, but its not as bad as the media portrays it either. Have to keep in mind the old journalism axiom: "If it bleeds, it leads". Don't sell many papers (probably dating myself with that) with lead stories about Good Samaritans rescuing fluffy kittens, or members of BoB bombing each other with kindness. The thing about acts of kindness though IMHO, is that as much of a blessing as they are for those on the receiving end (and I cant say enough about what the second Dr. and our pastor did for us), the reward is even greater for those committing the act. Heck, just observing or even reading about true acts of kindness is inspiring for me to get out and do the same.  One of the many reasons I'm so glad to be a part of this group. yall are an antidote for a negative mind set and dismal outlook on the world.
 
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