So, this is what's going on.....
Sunday morning just before 6 a.m. my doorbell rings. As I grab the 2 pups who are going nuts, DH grabs for his jeans & shirt to pull on over his boxers. As he does this something somewhere in his back audibly goes SNAP - I could hear it over the dogs! He somehow makes it to the door & back about 6' to the hallway before collapsing.
(at the door was a female friend of DS20 who was upset having had a fight w/ her live in boyfriend, then left during a storm & nearly had her car washed away, then ran out of gas & pushed her car w/ her dog to our house)
DH can't sit, bend, stand on his own. I run to wake DS17 & DD, we quickly dress & load DH like 'lumber' into the van & head for ER. Of course, the ER at the only hospital I'd take him to is under construction so we have to use the main entrance. DD & DH & I go in & I leave DS17 to park the car where he has stored his pillows & he naps. After we register & get DH to a room they bring him some percoset which finally starts working a little. By the time we leave he can sit down at least. They said they no longer xray backs as too many people come in w/ back pain just to try to get narcotics. Wonderful! Said to wait a week & then take him to his PCP. We leave around 11, fill RXs run to cracker barrel then home.
DH has no feeling in his left leg/foot except in a few small areas. He also has no reflexes at the ankle.
DH spent Sun & Mon in bed. Tuesday he went to work as he had a meeting he had to do. This morning he's still just as bad & he stayed home. I started to research & found a back specialist who can see him Tuesday. Meanwhile, he is down to 8 pain pills so I had to get him into a new PCP (ours quit practicing med - "too boring") today, get his RX filled, go to his work to get his laptop, etc.
Never a dull moment. PCP thinks he has a herniated disc or a fractured disc.
Meanwhile, DS20 is not finding a job. I really don't think he's looking or that he wants one. He has a place to live, food, now a car, & he's doing odd jobs for friends for gas money, so why should he find a real job??? He's driving me NUTS!!!
Of course school starts tomorrow for DD so she's an emotional wreck, has a billion things she MUST do and is grouchy.
DS17 is scheduled to work 50 hours this week, before accounting for the fact that he never gets off on time, so he's exhausted, plus it's monsoon season & I'm having to take him to work & pick him up. He works at 6 a.m.
So, Sunday night I decide the pups & I should sleep on the sofa bed down in the family room. Keep in mind this is my like new LazyBoy top of the line sofa bed that has the inflatable mattress & has only been used about 6 - 8 times. I go to open it & it won't open all the way. Can't find any reason, the mechanism just won't open. Therefore, pups & I just sleep on the couch. Not too comfy, but I figure DH needs room to stretch out, plus w/ his meds he may not sleep when I do. I've been on the couch 3 nights dealing w/ kids coming in & out (did I mention that Sun & Mon DS20 comes in at 2 a.m. w/ the 'friend' so she can sleep on the floor???? - is it any wonder I'm going crazy??) I have to get DS17 up at 5 ea morning, which means the dogs are up & I start my day. I've been luck to get to sleep by 11, then am awakened at least twice - 1 by DS17, 1 x DS20 coming in which makes the dogs bark. I think it may be covered under the limited lifetime warranty, but who has time to go to the store & find out??
(can you tell I'm tired??? - GEE, I wonder why???)
This morning I had an added surprise. Mia apparently ate something she shouldn't have & had diarrhea all over at the bottom of the stairs. How do I know it wasn't Max??? She does 'everything' in circles - it looked like a tornado. And one of them had thrown up twice. To top it off, I had set my alarm for 5 p.m. and woke at 5:04 a.m. in a panic, ran to wake DS17. Mia of course got scared about having had an accident & peed on the carpet. Then I walked upstairs..... apparently before bed she had also had her bowel problem in the living room & I didn't notice. What a way to start the day!
So, how's food? HORRID!!! I've eaten more reeses pb cups than I can count - mini ones - I found a leftover bag from Christmas. I'm happy to report that all 6 small bags of salt & vinegar chips are gone, though! I've really not eaten a meal since Cracker Barrel Sunday Morning until I made a quesadilla tonight. Just munched, but on horrible things.
In the midst of this I was digging thru looking for a Dr's name & found my receipt from the breast Dr. in January. I'm supposed to go back to her in July (missed that) or Aug. It also says "Fibrocystic Breast disease w/ family history of Breast Cancer". Guess maybe I should read more. I really don't want to go back, of course my tired mind is conjuring up fear, but I must at some point fit it in. I really can't plan at this moment, though as DH back is more critical.
Speaking of reading..... DD has an AP paper on "peace like a river' due tomorrow. She went into panic mode & I ended up having to make time to read the book over the last two days & discuss it with her. Just what I needed. There are NO cliff notes of any kind anywhere to be found on that book. UGH!!
And, it's nearly mid August and I have, literally a 6 x 8 x 10' tall closet Stuffed Full of clothes Ebay that I need to get going on. Yesterday I started pulling stuff upstairs to sort & take pics - I'm trying to do all the pics at once as it makes a huge mess of my house. Someday we'll all stop being shop-a-holics! Maybe!
Exercise has been almost non existent. I did manage a good walk on Friday & Saturday. Plus, I've been doing laps on my stairs when I've had the chance. So, I'm WAY behind where I should be, but I've managed to get in 235 minutes as of today.
Food is horrid. I won't be making WI tomorrow as I am committed(or possibly should be) to going to help DD choir teacher organize the dresses & tuxes for fitting.
I heard somewhere recently that a SAHM is worth $134k/year. (I assume that's before combat pay).
So basically, I'm exhausted, stressed, a bit worried about DH as well as myself, overworked, underpaid & on a carb binge. But..... I have a plan.....or a dream......or maybe I just need to run away from home! I just need to survive until the weekend when I hope to catch up a bit on sleep & by then I should be mostly done with the Ebay pics & can start reloading the closet. By Monday DD should be in her school routine & I should be able to go to the gym at my usual time just after most people's lunch. Getting my eating under control will be harder, I think. When I'm too tired to cook, clean, shop, I just fix or buy junk & I eat it, too. And, once the carbs start, they're hard to get back under control.
Sometime I need to get more of DS17 school submitted & get his final 4 classes ordered. (have I mentioned I've got a lot to do??)
As I've tried to get online for a brief respite over the last few days, we've gotten 3 different notices ( not spoofs- we've called to check) that we need to change our Ebay password as we may have been 'compromised'. So, I've now got new passwords to remember & it's driving me nuts wondering if it's all safe or not, especially with all the ID theft you hear about, etc.
I've been living in my new T from DC that says 'chill....' on the front. The back has a puffer fish and says "stress blows". I also need the one that I saw at Cracker Barrel that says "Warning: I'm not in my Happy Place"
And, the icing on the cake?? TOM appeared 13 days ago and wants to hang around a bit longer! Gotta love midlife hormones mixed with a generous dollop of stress.....when it rains it pours!!
Anyway, thanks for letting me vent here. Hopefully life will calm down a bit soon(but y'all know me and we all know better) & I can get back on soon.
your way today. Keep on keeping on, Julie! 
Julie,
I am keeping your DH, you, and your family in my thoughts and prayers. 
and good wishes and let you know that I am thinking of you and wishing for a peaceful day for you. 
