Stress… change… parties… doctors… and taking a deep breath

O-Dark-Thirty… listening to iHeart radio on the Echo Dot my boss got me for Christmas. I was kind of looking for a gift card, but I’ve decided I really like this option better. I don’t have to use my phone or my data to play music. It probably wouldn’t be great for a metered internet plan but it’s working for me. Only thing that is irritating is when it ‘hears’ the iHeart commercials on the radio station it is playing and tries to do what it is saying “Alexa play… whatever”… NO… I want to listen to what I want to listen to not what the commercial is wanting! eesh

This week has been quite a week here. I am reminded almost daily how much stress can be exhausting.

Last weekend we went to see Bear’s brother and sister in PA and stopped at the Butler Fairgrounds for the Christmas lights. I’m kind of weird. I make use of the sun roof when we go through the lights. I stand on the seat and ride with my top third out the roof. It struck me this year that it doesn’t hurt when I do that any more. Another non scale victory.

Monday I had an x-ray on a bump that has been being on my elbow for months and months now. Dr told me that it is a cyst (back in June maybe) and it wasn’t hurting anything but I should just ignore it. Except now it is getting bigger and hurts when I lay my arm on the arm of the chair or on my desk. It’s tender and ouchy with long sleeves (yay winter… ). So I started to push back on the doctors. Rheumy had me get an x-ray. Bone is fine. Now (RIGHT after the new year) I have to go see an orthopedist to see what can be done. Apparently it getting infected is a thing. (yeah, NOW they seem to give a shit about infection). It will either end up being lanced or removed… right after it isn’t free any more. I’m miffed I put it off this long.

Tuesday was the holiday party at work that I was on the planning committed for. It went remarkably well. We had like NO budget (because IT wasn’t permitted a budget but the business units all had money they were allowed to use for their parties… sometimes being in IT sucks) but we pulled it off anyway. Music, games, prizes, gift exchange. I got two travel mugs (Contigo) that are anti-spill. I kept one, Squirrel Girl laid claim to the other one. I had a hunch that would happen. I also got a half day off from work (raffle) to be used before the end of 2018. So… New Year’s eve I will work from home and “leave” at lunch time.

Wednesday I worked from home. I needed to help Monkey Butt drive his fiance to the airport. The Travis is moving back to Texas to go to school to finish his BA in lighting design. Ohio screwed him over something horrible with his financial aid and he found a program back in Texas that is a better program that he can finish his degree up at. So he is moving back and will come up to spend the summer with Monkey Butt and they will do long distance relationship for a while. It was a hard day. Monkey Butt was very quiet all day and he has been having a hard time with the change. He redecorated their office. He has been going WAY out of his way to be helpful (and to be being around to chase the loneliness) the last few days. He’s been running Squirrel around and everything. The house feels weird with The Travis being away. Everyone is looking forward to the three months in summer.

Thursday was normal.

Yesterday I took my last PTO day for the year to go with Bear to his pulmonologist appointment. The week leading up to those appointments are always tense and stressful. This one was even more so, because Bear was determined to not have to be told that he would have to drive to Disney. We are flying out and he didn’t want to hear that his O2 would have to be upped and he wouldn’t be able to use his machine on the plane. The tests went the way they usually do. He had to do his 6 minute walk test to see if his oxygen would drop. The first three minutes he went slowly with a walker. The lady running his test had him speed up the second three minutes (still with the walker) and he did great. His oxygen didn’t fall at all. The doctor was 90 minutes late. That was way more than just irritating. That was kind of dangerous. His patients are on oxygen. Most of them on bottled oxygen. 90 minutes could mean the difference between breathing and being able to… you know… get home still breathing or not. Our appointment was for 12:50 and we got in at 2:45. The news when we got there, however, was good. His numbers are statistically unchanged. He got the okay to not only fly with his machine but he got yelled at for his 6 minute walk being too good. If his oxygen doesn’t fall when he’s not using it for his 6 minute walk, the insurance won’t keep paying for the oxygen. Doctor won’t let that happen but that was actually a mixed blessing.

After the doctor we had tickets for Castle Noel. We were only 30 minutes late, thanks to the doctor being 90 minutes late… but we got in. Castle Noel is really a neat museum. It’s a museum of Christmas memorabilia… there is stuff from lots of Christmas movies… NYC store window displays… and you get to ride down the slide (actually, a replica only made better) of the slide from A Christmas Story. It was a great way to relax after the doctor. Bear booked the tickets so he had something to either celebrate at or to distract himself when he got done with the doctor. It was a great celebration.

And through it all, there was stress. Extra because of Christmas. It was an exhausting week. I’ve been using up my spoons way faster and way worse than I have in a while. It will be good to have the next four days off.

Love and light
April
12/22/2018