This is really the first day that it truly felt like spring to me. Yeah my kids and I planted a garden, installed a water feature and otherwise just cleaned up the yard which included some tree pruning and flowerbed preparations but it was cold and miserable most of the time and just felt like a chore. Today though, when I went to the local Tim Horton's for my wife's fix of Coffee, I breathed in a completely new sensation. One I had not felt since last year... It truly feels like spring now and I'm so happy about it.
Financial hardships hit everyone, they always come at the worst possible time in your life. After doing the taxes we have calculated the expense that came from caring for my mother during her transplant journey and the numbers are staggering. I knew our life savings had dissapeared but didin't really see it until it was on paper, the total hovering close to 15 thousand dollars. We are expecting to have about 3000 of that returned to us from the Government but you know, they will probably take their sweet time sending it back to us. Or perhaps they will question it some. None the less I have letters from my mother's care givers that state that this all in fact was true and that I was the primary care giver and that the 144 appointments were real. If you look back further than the 7 months of care, I think really the toll is much higher. It's only money though and I would do it again if I had to, it was well worth the struggle. Now however we are on the upward rise to financial stability with only a few debts lurking... If we get our return we will be able to settle the debts right away and move on with our lives...
As for her recovery, I am a bit fearful right now because I am noticing a change. She is not perky and healthy looking like she just after transplant. The arthritis has really set in causing her to be immobile most of the time. She just can't walk and it's frustrating as hell knowing that she has this great set of lungs but now she can't do what she loved to do prior to transplant. Walking...
The other day, as instructed we went to the local doctors to solve the arthritis mystery. Possibly get some drugs that will help ease the pain or hopefully elliminate it all together. The doctor prescribed a replacement for IBUprofin. And as instructed by the transplant team she contacted them to tell them what the prescription is... Well wouldn't you know it she was instructed to not take the pills prescribed because they will destroy her kidneys... Fantastic... One chance we get for pain control and we find out the damn pills will certainly kill her if she uses them. So here we are mom's not doing well right now... Things will improve over the next week perhaps...
Other challanges we are facing... Because we were struggling financially we kept putting off the purchase of a micro spirometer. This is the device that will signal an early warning to us that she is rejecting the new organ... So of course it's a vital part of the course of transplant... Thankfully my brother had been able to come to the rescue and send me the money needed to purchase the device. About 30 minutes ago I was able to make the purchase and the device will be delivered... When I am not sure but I did request that they send it as soon as possible... Explaining that she is in dire need of the device.
Finally the other struggle we have been dealing with... I work nightshift, I love the job and am very pleased that I got nightshift as this is exactly what I was looking for. However my mom's appointments are often early in the morning, and after a 9 hour day... Ehem I mean night... Well I become some what of a hazzard on the streets of TO. Half the time I feel like I am falling asleep... Waiting for her appointments to finish is tourture for me, the nearest comfort I can find is to park next to Lake Ontario during a thunder storm and watch the lightning off in the distance, possibly in New York my imagination takes me on a tour of the strikes on the other side of the pond...
That's all for now, I am returning to the task I had started an hour ago, cloning a hard drive to a remote location for later retrieval and backup... Nifty software that I plan on writing a review on in my tech blog terminalgeek...
Cheers and Rice Crispies!!!
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