Goodbye January, Hello February, 2017!

I'd like to personally welcome February 2017.

January has been a brutal month for our place ...
heart surgery + followup visit,
mri + orthopedic followup visit,
echo cardiogram + followup visit,
electro cardiologist + followup visit,
vet + dog meds,
dog becomes lame + another vet visit + more dog meds,
dog becomes more lame and incontinent,
long weekend cleaning up after the dog and doing excessive amounts of dog pee laundry,
vet + put the dog down, back home to dig a hole and bury the dog,
6 hours fighting a water/plumping leak (hopefully successful),
and today was icd/pacemaker causing pain + another visit to electro cardiologist

February so far
go get cardio drugs tomorrow,
1 more electro cardilogist visit at the end of the week then
Jury duty starting Feb 6.

I'm thinking of this as a vacation from the everyday life of January.
My plan is to have a baileys irish cream and fall asleep on the couch tonight.
I am so done with this month.

Yep, January is kicking your butt. Sorry to hear about your dog and the other tests of spirit you endure.

Hopefully, the Gator and Slant6billy useless mopar adventures (last video was Sunday) put a smile on your face.

Ah stress. Makes us appreciate the better times. So sorry to hear about the health issues and the loss of your pup. Hang in there JW. The one thing that never changes is that things always change.

Skip the Bailey's and go straight for the Jack Daniel's! Keep you head up, things are bound to get better.

Here's hoping Feb 2017 is a turn around month at your house. You deserve some rest after all of the things you do physically, let alone emotionally.
We're rootin' for ya..

Good news..
checked with the district court clerk and the jury duty was cancelled !

Bad news..
Took husband to ER yesterday (last night).
We will be here (heart hospital) until at least Tuesday.
200+mile round trip today to get more clothes, set up care for the house, dogs, etc while we are gone.

I'll be off the radar for a while.
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Plow through whatever you have to do to turn the bad news into good. I'll be thinking about you and sending you good wishes. We'll all be here when you get back.

Prayers sent.

Here we go...
Wednesday a week ago I loaded us up and headed to the ER at the heart hospital.
Kidney failure, dangerously low blood pressure, excessively low potassium and potentially a small heart attack.

Well fudge.

Turns out apparently his body decided to more effectively use the diuretics than ever before in the past 7 years.

Too much fluid out in a really short time and kidneys get cranky, blood pressure drops big time, potassium drops and heart starts struggling making it look like its a heart attack.

Now its 3 more doctor visits in the next week and juggling the drugs.

Yee haw.
Hubby is still above ground and spring is here.
Saw geese on the pond, mexican plum are blooming, and daffodils are blooming.

Looks like I need to get back on to my Chrysler projects!

Glad to know things leveled off for you

March turned out to be ugly as well... Bleh.
And so for April is no better.
But I've got my eye on May... its gonna be a great May! (thats my plan)

Pappa-san has been self medicating most of his life and the vodka finally caught up with him.
Liver failure, kidney failure, pneumonia, diarrhea , you name it, it was screwed up.

3 days in the ICU, so far 4 days in telemetry bed with another 4 to go, then maybe to skilled nursing.

MRIs, CATscans, CTscans, sonograms, ultrasounds, EGD, liver biopsy, etc. etc.

Dozens of trips back and forth to the hospital.
Then hubby blew two more veins on his 'good' leg. An amazing mess to clean up when I returned home --BUT he got the bleeding to stop and we have a new doctor visit next week.

So here is the rant:
I do not understand alcoholics.
I do not get why they do what they do. Even when presented with the evidence, information, etc. they still think it won't happen to them. Ditto for smokers.
Maybe this is an additive personality trait I don't get.
I'm glad I don't have either of those two issues personally.
But being the caregiver for someone with addiction is just so dang frustrating.
I cannot fix it.
I hate that I can't at least make some difference, change some behavior.
Ah well.. rant over..
Life goes on.

I haven't gotten back to my chrysler yet. Today I finally tried starting it (first time in 3 months) and the battery was dead.

Charged the battery.
Had to prime the carb with the good stuff.
Ran rough.
Ran smooth with my foot on the gas.
Died when I quit giving it gas.

I'm thinking that saturday afternoon we need a short trip into town for an ice tea or an ice cream so we can blow the dirt out. I don't remember if it was filled with good gas or ethanol so I think I need to run the gas out and fill it up with good gas next week.

People cope with the stresses of life in different ways.
Some people have a weakness for mind altering drugs ( alcohol ), or many other types of drugs. Some choose to mix and match. It is sad to see, and they really seem to have to bottom out and ask for help before they can improve. I'll take the trip for ice cream.

Justwondering, I just read your April 7th post above as somehow I had missed it last month. Depending on how busy I get, I can miss out on some posts for days at a time. However, when I have been on the forum, I have noticed (as many others likely have) that you are MIA. That does not bode well, and I wonder how you are doing.
Regarding your "rant", I don't think you are ranting at all. You sound like you are frustrated, worried, and depleted. And with good reason. Caregiving is an extremely draining and stressful situation. It is only made worse when it seems that the person being cared for could have avoided or changed the problem. Like you, I am very glad that I never took up smoking or drinking. But what you are coping with is likely more than a man who has just made bad choices or ignored warnings. Your husband very likely has a biochemical disposition towards alcohol that is hardwired (so to speak) into his brain. Some people refer to this as a "disease model" of alcohol addiction, and in a way it is. I really don't believe it is simply a matter of choice, although that can influence it. There are many examples of this in addition to alcohol addiction, such as many types of drug addiction, hoarding behavior, obsessive/compulsive disorders, etc., etc. These types of problems are typically very demanding and stressful on the persons family and friends, and causes all sorts of problems, obviously.
As far as making some sort of change, or being able to "fix" some aspect of the problem, don't underestimate how much you are already doing to support and care for your husband. He should be very thankful for you. But, you cannot make changes in his "hardwiring", only he can change his behavior...and he has to want to. Psychology is the study of human behavior, and a basic tenant of human behavior is that it is unpredictable, hence largely uncontrollable. That is why working on F's or M's or J's is satisfying, because it is predicable, logical, and completely changeable and controllable...unlike people.
I really hope that you give as much to yourself as you appear to be to your husband. For one reason, other than that you obviously deserve it, if you don't take care of yourself FIRST, you can't be of much use to anyone else. Also, if you keep giving and giving, and never taking in and getting what you need, you will eventually just run empty. That's not good for you or anybody else. Hope you read this unsolicited advice with the understanding that you do matter to others. Ok, now, go out and try to start the Chrysler.

It has been a miserable 2017.
My dad has the problem with vodka.
I should say..
My dad had the problem with vodka.

You are right... I've been MIA and it hasn't been good news.
April 2 I took dad to the ER.
Daily battle, liver failure, kidney failure, pneumonia in one lung on top of the regular health problems.
Doing better on April 14 and 15, then the bottom dropped out on April 16.
Brought him home to hospice care on April 23. End Stage Liver Failure.
He died May 3.
Missed getting to 79 years old by 1 month. Course, he's been telling everyone he is 80 all year.

A friend of mine and I worked 12 hour shifts caring for him the last 9 days of his life.

About two weeks later we had a lunch for friends and to say good bye. Had about gotten through most of the immediate issues. Lots of mental fatigue wondering what I could have done different, how we got here, thankful for the nurses we had, etc. etc.

Then on May 15 my husband fell and broke a rib over his heart and a bone in his foot.
Did a quick data transmission from his pacemaker and it and the leads are still in good shape.

Sigh....
Thursday I picked up his cremains and his death certificates.
Only to find that the clerk in the office at the funeral home made a typo and the certificates are incorrect/invalid.
Texas takes 90 days to correct death certificates... 90 days... oh jeeze.
I'm the HMFIC of the estate and can do very little until I get valid documents.

Incremental progress today though.
Got the temporary fencing up in the back of the house and the dog door installed so I could bring his 15 year old Australian Shepherd mix to my house to live. She somehow has made it up the stairs to the second floor and is sleeping sounding here in the living room.

I swear, if you had experienced my life this year, you'd assume I was living in Peyton Place.

I'd try starting the chrysler but the tractor is blocking it, the chevy lacks 1 bolt having the a/c compressor removed for replacement, and I have two golf carts waiting to have new engines put in.

Met the concrete guys at the cemetery to okay the work they were doing for the family plots.
This evening I spent two hours weedeating around the rose bushes and the crepe myrtles and crying. But you know, I've had a shower and got my feet up. Checked in on the forum today and realized I really, really miss working on my car.

So I'm thinking Sunday is going to involve a few trees getting chain sawed, the tractor moved and the mower put on it, and I'll just have to check that fine quality Fifth Avenue out and see if he still runs down the road and back!

I'm sorry for your loss of your father. My apologies too, I thought you were talking about your husband. No offence intended. I hope the rest of 2017 is much better to you and your family.

I'm sorry to hear of your loss.

No offense taken.
I'm just swamped with responsibilities right now.
And
I now have the authority as well.

Got a handle on the accounting for last year and for the sad sad state of the estate/trust paperwork. Oh lordy.

I have walked by the 5th avenue a dozen times, but no luck in working on it yet.
Hoping that Thursday I can get the tractor out of the driveway to increase the likelihood of a trip in it on the highway this weekend.

I'll probably have to prime the choke with gas to get anything to start but it will be worth it.

If the government would just ease up on the rules a little bit I could get us a couple more husbands and wives in here to get the work done so I could play with cars all day... lol

Justwondering said:

If the government would just ease up on the rules a little bit I could get __ a couple more husbands

Click to expand...

I first read that and said WHAT?

After re-reading, it made more sense.


My twins just graduated 4th grade, today. Spent most of the afternoon at school with then, ate lunch with them (there) and so forth.

They handed them perfect attendance awards and student council member medals, this year. My son has only missed 1 day in 6 years, when he had the flu (whole family was knocked on our butts, then).

Off to a new school next year. Their school next year is an old Bridgestone Tire plant. Kinda odd, they have the first tire and last tire produced there, in the schools trophy case – which might be the only school trophy case with car tire(s) in it.


Glad to see things are looking better there.
BudW

Life is a test and a challenge. You'll get through it. I've been without my parents for over 15 years. My mom lost to big C and my dad was done in by his liver. 2001 was the life changing year for me that sucked. The only good I got out of 2001 was my daughter. The fact I got through 2001 is a miracle. I get bitter. I get angry (more angry than short white guys should). Certain things get me through the bullshit. Wrenching, parts chasing, and moparing. It balances the 60 plus hour work week. Got to get back to guitar shredding. That too.... Gets me through

Bud --
That is some seriously strange trophies ... but ... it beats have a jackalope in the case.
Congrats on getting the twins out of the old school into the 'new to them' school.

Neat that you could get the schedule to work out to spend time with them at school.


Billy --
My 2017 sounds like your 2001. I swung by the tire place and had the swap out the tires on the tiller and ordered new tires for the golf carts I've inherited. Out of 8 tires, neither golf cart has 4 tires that can hold air.
Everyday its a little easier. I'm going to try getting back to some quality shade tree wrenching now that the temps are warm enough (90 today).