More Medical Crisis... Well, Fuck... Why Not?

 Above is Caprese Salad Eyeball Skewers for Halloween.  Well, in Real Time it's Monday Morning and I didn't have to take The Son in to Work after all since he woke up unable to move, his Back had gone out!   Probably due to working in tight spaces and bending in ways he doesn't usually while they worked on his Car all Weekend long.  So, at 4:00 a.m. it was a Two Hour stint at the Urgent Care with him.  At least we found out he's still covered by the ACA, so that was a relief.  His Rx was very affordable due to that too, they gave him a Muscle Relaxer, he Passed on getting an Opioid and told them he couldn't risk taking one due to being in Recovery, since he was an Addict and got hooked on them due to a Back Injury at Work Years ago.  They commended him on not risking it and being Clean now for almost 5 Years, he's terrified of falling back into Addiction if he took even One Opioid, it happens.

So, we're Home now, he called in to Work, and his Car still isn't fixed and Mando now will have to try to do it by himself coz The Son is in too bad a shape to do anything but rest his Back and hope the injury is a temporary one.  It likely is Muscle Fatigue, but, since he had a bad Back Injury Years ago he always risks re-injury, he never could have the Surgery required to remedy the Work Related Injury he sustained over a Decade ago.  Once you fuck up your Back bad enuf it can be a lifetime of suffering from it.  As he's getting Older, and nearing 40, a lot of Old Injuries he had in his Youth are coming back to Haunt him now, as they just do with Aging.  Most of The Man's Disability for being a 100% Disabled Veteran were incurred during his Youthful Years of Military Service getting hammered and injured during Combat situations and Special Forces Assignments.  Now as an Old Man he suffers terribly from the aftermath of all that punishment to his Body and Psyche.

Anyway, so, in the Morning Tomorrow The Man has his Surgery and Mando will have to get Princess T to Work for me, so I only Hope The Son can get to Work in his Car or Need another Day Off for this Injury?  Coz, I'll be at the Hospital by 6:00 a.m. and won't be Home until after The Man gets out of Surgery.  Last time the same Surgery for the other Artery took almost 5 Hours becoz he's such a complex Patient and there were complications.   So, if we have a repeat on this Surgery of putting a Stent in the other Artery, I could be at the Hospital until past Noon before he's even out of Surgery?  I do know they plan to keep him in the Hospital, they can't risk doing him on an Outpatient basis coz he's Medically Fragile and even if the Surgery goes off as planned, he could have a life threatening complication afterwards, so they need him to be right there, just in case, and not just send him right Home. 

Initially they had planned to do this 2nd Surgery on an Outpatient Basis and I told his Cardiologist my Concerns due to the Complications that arose during the 1st Surgery.  As it turns out Dr. Singh was in Agreement with me but needed Approval first from all our Insurance to have these Special Circumstances due to Patient high risk factors.  And, as I said in a previous Post, we only JUST got said Approval.  Which is why, even tho' he needed another Hospitalization for his Heart between then and October 7th when it was Scheduled, they were not Approved to bump it up and do it earlier, even with an Emergency dictating it might have been best to.  So, had to cancel the bumped up Surgery at the last possible Minute, couldn't push that Approval thru and had to then have it pushed back to the original Approved Date of October 7th.  Insurances can be difficult like that with giving Approvals for Care needed.

So, right now I have Three Loved Ones needing Medical Care, The Son, The Man and Princess T... quite the full Dance Card we have here.  Meanwhile I gotta squeeze myself in to get that Ear Situation looked at.  I'm Hopeful it's nothing Serious, but, whatever it is will need to be looked at so I know what should be done about it, before it potentially worsens and becomes Serious???   Or, if it's nothing to worry about, have that Peace of Mind that it's benign and no Big Deal.  It's always SOMETHING!  Just got my Appointment scheduled for the 17th to have my Ear looked at.  Will have to drive to their location much further away to see my Doc earlier, but, didn't wanna hafta wait until end of November at the location closer to me, so agreed to the longer commute.  Will make getting Grandchild to Work iffier unless Mando and her Mom take her that day, so I'll ask if they will.  Doubt that The Man will need an Appointment for Surgical Follow-Up that early, my Calendar is filling up with Appointments tho' for everyone.

It starts getting hairy as everyone needs to go see Doctors and I'm the only means of transportation in the household unless The Daughter's Boyfriend obliges.  He doesn't live here but he's here a lot so is usually available to in a crunch.  The Son can drive but his Car is just not reliable since off & on has been on the fritz plus he's been working mandatory overtime now as well.  So when it is working he's working Sunup to Sundown every day including some Weekends now.  I've been declining shifts at the Antique Mall coz I just can't squeeze in working too along with other obligations, it's too hectic and I am usually too tired.  The Daughter is doing Odd Jobs to make some Money and Mando takes her and often does them with her since he's not Employable with his condition deteriorating with the Stage 4 Cancer.  I'm not certain since it's not my Business, but I think he's on Social Security or Long Term Disability until he requires Hospice? 

He's already told The Daughter that when he is too ill to drive anymore he's signing his Car over to her.  He knows she can never drive due to the level of her Mental Health, but said it would give the Family an extra Vehicle available and he has no Family to give what few possessions of value that he has.  She's been there for him when nobody else has been and he appreciates that even his grim diagnosis didn't make her hesitant to have a meaningful relationship.   He does joke that probably her Crazy helps her to do things that most Sane folks would never contemplate?  Like enter into a meaningful relationship with someone that was told they're Dying before you were even introduced.  He'd be Right about that, it didn't deter her, she liked him and saw how Kind and Helpful he was to everyone in spite of being so ill himself.   She's very much like that herself so in many ways they're Kindred Spirits who have had a tough row to hoe, an incurable Illness, yet not let it make them bitter or unkind to anyone.

I've always said that the Issues of Life can make you bitter or make you better, but that will be YOUR Choice.   It's the same with Generosity, either you have it or you don't, how much you HAVE has no bearing on how much you'll GIVE.  Quite often those with the least amount to Give are the most Generous of Souls.  Those that make an Excuse that they'll Give more when they Have more are only deceiving themselves.  If you aren't Giving out of your Lack, you probably aren't gonna be Giving out of your Abundance either, it's just not IN you to be Generous or you'd already be doing it regardless of your Wealth or Lack thereof.  Most of the people I've met in Life who are the most Sincere Givers and do so without thinking about it, have the least to Give but Freely will regardless.  Some of the biggest Takers I've ever met in Life or who are the Stingiest usually have abundance and so much Greed that even Too Much is never Enough, they're insatiably Greedy and not Generous.  In fact, they'd even Take from those in Lack without a Conscience or Shame about doing so. 

Princess T wants to go to Wal-Mart Today and of coarse I'm taking her.  I don't know why she didn't go this Weekend with Rusty since they spent the whole Weekend together?  Usually she spends Weekends with him on Saturday Night thru Monday Morning when he has to return to Work.  She said his Dad's House has never looked Cleaner now that his Mom is going to be Living there, which has been a Positive of the switch in which Parent will be living there.  I guess The Mom is very Clean and Princess T abhors an Unclean Home so said it's making Rusty be Tidier in his own Habits and Room.  *LOL*  He knows how anal she is about it, and I guess his Mom is anal about Cleanliness too, so between them they may Train him to do better about Housekeeping???  *Winks*  I know I won't Live with or around a Slob or pick up after any Man.  

The Man and The Son are immaculate Men in their Habits.  Allen and The Young Prince could be messy and I wouldn't tolerate it when they lived here so the most conflict was over them both being the Messiest Gay Men on the Planet.  *Winks*  Princess T would tell them the rest of her Gay Male Friends were Tidy, Fashionable and Immaculate, so, what was Wrong with THEM?!  *Bwahahaha*   The Young Prince was tidier than Allen only coz he was Raised to be and so he knew it would be an Issue of Contention to be messy in our Home.  I told them both that when they got their own Home, I wouldn't even Visit if it was nasty and dirty, so, even when they had their Apartment they kept it cleaner and neater than I expected them to.  They did have a Male and Female Roommate, so how much Sadie and Ian did was questionable, they may have also had better Housekeeping Habits?  *LOL*  The Daughter can be extreme in her ways, either OCD Clean or Messy, so I have to keep on at her about when her Messier Alters are showing up around the Property.  *Winks*

I think her Son is similar actually, The Young Prince has some of his Alters of his Mental Condition that are way different in Habits, Personality and every other way.  So you never know which One of The Legion of either he or his Mom you're gonna get?   He was Diagnosed with Seven distinct Identities and she has Four.   Those with Dissociative Identity Disorder have many Selves and none of them is usually similar.  It used to be called having Multiple Personalities.    And Schizophrenics when they are really in an unraveled State of Being Mentally, can not be very Functional at all either.  I do give some sway when someone is so ill that their levels of Function are not consistent and interfere with their Quality of Life.  But, it's an Explanation, not an Excuse, and I Raised my Kiddos with that Truth... it may Explain why you do some things, but it's not to ever be used as an Excuse, Chip on your Shoulder or a handy Crutch.  There's never a Good Excuse for Bad Behavior in my Books.  I don't care how fucked up you are, you'll still be held Accountable by me for what you Do and how you Behave inappropriately.

I won't unduly punish someone for something they cannot help due to a Lifetime Disability, or something they simply cannot be expected to do without impairment, but I will hold them to their own highest Standard they are capable of.   It won't give you a Pass.  When I did Ministry Volunteer Work I'd often be put in charge of the most Disabled Workers and they'd do things their Families were astounded they could do, let alone be allowed to try to do.  And they'd always be so Proud to be given the authority and responsibility to at least TRY to perform the Duties.  Sometimes I'd have to go behind them a bit and either Help or Redo some of it, but, by and large they were far more capable than people gave them Credit for or would allow them to get by with not even Trying to Do.   I'd have Workers with Brain Damage or Severe Developmental Disabilities, or people who were Illiterate, doing stuff like the Inventory at our Food Ministry, their Loved Ones were amazed at what they could do that nobody ever gave them the Job of Doing.  It aided some to be more Independent and Functional in their Lives to be Trained to do more for themselves and not be so Enabled to do less.

When The Man had his Traumatic Brain Injury, in the earlier Years his Docs told me he'd need everything done FOR him and would be a Vegetable.  I wasn't having that and so The G-Kid Force and I were relentless in getting him back to a level of Function that his Medical Professionals had told us would be an impossibility.  They told us it was Impossible and I told them something is only Impossible until someone does it and shows the Possibilities of what IS Possible.   If it's never been Done before then I might just be the First One to Do it... or he might be... who can say that can't and won't happen really?  They can only Speculate at what hasn't yet been Done and resign THEMSELVES that therefore it can never be Done.   If they can't convince me, then I'm going to probably find a way to Do it and not Receive their assessment that it isn't Possible.   When you show too much Pity then often it backfires on the Person being Pitied to where they Believe they can't and shouldn't even therefore still Try.   Better they Fail than never Try and find out, shit, I actually can Succeed, who knew?   I just Did what I'd been told was Impossible!!!   Holy Fuck!!! *Winks*

I've often been told I shouldn't be able to do what I do, yet, I do it anyway.    *LOL*   The Man joked that if this Artwork hadn't been so Expensive we really Needed it.  *Bwahahahaha*   I said it only was inappropriate for us, not just due to the Price, but becoz it said PLEASE.  *Bwahahahaha*   I did Like it tho', too bad their Artwork was out of my League.   I was saddened that most of the Halloween items left that I would have been Interested in, were beyond our Budget to even consider, so, I just Photographed most of it.   It was Sad that so much Halloween and Autumn would be absent for the whole Months of October and November already, so, 3/4 of the Season and the Atmosphere we should have for it.   Too much Christmas right now is just too Early for me personally, I can't even Think about ushering in Christmas Decor and Winter Vibes until AFTER Thanksgiving.  The Day After Thanksgiving, I can start transitioning to Christmas.   I realize in Retail that would be too Late, so I Get It, but, I want to linger in Autumn and my Halloween Holiday Vibe as long as possible.  You can't do that when it's already conspicuous by it's absence Commercially.

Seriously, to even be able to Buy anything for the Season you'd have to get it in late August now coz by Mid-September it's almost gone, and by now it's 95% Gone and on Markdown already so they can clear it out for their Christmas Merch.  I did get a Cute Cookie Jar for only $8, Marked down at ROSS.  {See Below}  I didn't intend to Buy any Halloween, but, it was the last one and marked down considerably so I decided to coz it will make for Storage in The RV Garage Mahal when the Season is a Wrap.  We can keep things up all Year round in The RV Garage Mahal and Display them even when it's Out of Season.   I like that I can enjoy things longer that way now and play with Decor Year Round in there.

I also bought Four of the Dia de los Muertos Felt Heart Tassels to hang on my Marigold Garland at Home coz they had them BOGO.  I only didn't get the Lighter Green One but may go back and get it at a "World Market" closer to Home.  Once these things I Like go on Clearance I usually hold out and then Buy them at a Deep Discount if they have any still left.   If the Marigold Garlands go on Deep Discount I'm getting more of them too.   I can see that the Tassels haven't been in high demand so I might get Lucky and Score some more even Cheaper than BOGO?  If not, well, I have my Four that I only Paid half the Price of.   And I know those were Hand Crafted in Mexico so probably had Tariff Taxes unless the Store ordered them really early and squeaked them in here beforehand, Pre-Tariff?  Looking at Price Points of Imports tho', I could see the hefty Markups of most of it now, Retailers just cannot absorb all the Loss this Administration Imposed on American Businesses and Consumers.

So, I discovered that "The World Market" closest to us has Closed, so we found another one in the West Valley but it was Sold Out of almost all Dia de los Muertos Merch, but they did have the Pink etched Muertos Skull Wine Bottle still so I got that one for our Altar.   They had the Silver one too, and the Green one I already have, but the Pink one is the one I wanted.  Princess T was hunting for a specific LEGO Car of "The Fast & The Furious" for Rusty's Birthday Basket she's making for him.  We had to go to several Wal-Marts & TARGETs before finally finding one at an obscure Old Wal-Mart that is quite small and not updated, but had more Merch than all the Super Wal-Marts.   The majority of Staff there were Elderly and had Disabilities like Hearing Impaired.  The Guy that helped us was about an 80 Year Old Skinny Hippie with considerable White Hair in a Ponytail almost down to his Ass, so Funny and Adorable and his Name Tag said "Cap".

He was saying how ridiculous it was that all the LEGO are in Locked Cases with a Key App on his Phone to unlock them and then just give them to the Customer if they were under Forty Bucks.  He said I won't know if you buy it or steal it, so, what's the point?  *LOL*  She also bought one of the Plant LEGO for herself that are popular now, hers was Bamboo in an Oriental Style Pot and I guess it Lights Up.  {See Below}  She also got a big cute plush Pokemon and I got Two more larger Fugglers for my Collection of them, one has a Tongue that hangs out.  The Daughter had initially gone out with us but Tapped Out and said she wanted to help her Dad with a Pedi and make sure he got Showered so he'd be all spiffy for his Surgery in the Morning, so, we dropped her off.  Then Princess T took her and I out for Lunch at "Wildflower Bread Co." and we had the Italian Wedding Soup with Rosemary Sea Salt Bread.

The problem is that on this Ozempic I can hardly eat anything before I'm too full, so eating just this small Bowl of Soup was hard, and it was delicious, but, I almost couldn't finish it.  Its all I've really eaten all Day but my Readings are great, around 112 now, so it is working and my A1C should go down also next time they take it at the Labs.  Princess T and I had a good Girl's Day Out Together and a lot of Laughs, she's Fun to hang out with and she enjoys doing things with me.  In fact, if she has an invite to hang out with her peers or with me she'll choose me almost every time and that really is Touching for a 20 Year Old to prefer to hang out with her Gramma instead.   But she says she has a better time hanging out with me and we Laugh a lot, and, we do!!!  *Smiles* 

 When we were Buying my Fugglers they now have mini Farting Fugglers and we were Laughing so hard at the disgusting sound effects they make, but, it is hilarious in an infantile immature way.  *LOL*  They have a Motion Sensor so Fart when you are near them and won't stop, I Laughed 'til I Cried.  Coz I told her I Need one of these so I can blame it on the Farting Fuggler.  *Winks*   They have Four in Series 1 to choose from, I like all but the Red One with Button Eyes.   I did buy an Ice Maker while at TARGET, been wanting one for a long time since our Ice Maker in our Fridge quit working a long time ago and Fridge Repairs are expensive.  Plus, a previous Fridge we had that was even under Warranty for Repairs needed that Repairman to come out every Year to re-fix the Ice Maker coz they quit working often and seize up.  

 

This one I bought was on considerable Sale, but only for Today, we didn't buy their most Expensive Model which really only made a little more Ice per day than this one that was 1/3 of the Price and by Whirlpool, it was marked down from $130 to $99.  The very expensive one was marked down a whopping $200 and was by General Electric, but would take up a lot of space and I didn't wanna spend almost $300 for it.  Right now we make our Ice the Old Fashioned way with Ice Trays.  But some in the Family use the Ice and forget to fill up the Trays, which causes friction when someone else goes to get Ice.   Ours will make 26 lbs. of Ice per Day, which should be more than enough and can make it within 6 Minutes and was Stainless Steel, the Expensive GE Model looked like White Plastic.   If we really like having one we could always upgrade later on to a bigger Model.  It makes the Bullet Shaped Cubes with the Hole in the Center, which I liked too.

I took some more Halloween Blog Fodder Imagery, since, some Shops still had items I hadn't seen before that were Cute for Halloween.  But I noticed how much more everything was marked up and costing due to the Tariffs, it's so obvious now and a significant amount per item, on damned near every item.  Princess T even commented on it.  Especially the Stores that have to Import the majority of their Inventory, the price point was very high and makes you hesitant to spend that much if you don't absolutely need it and have to.   I was Surprised the Ice-Makers were on deep Discount, but, they only had ONE of each Model and that was it, and the Sale only for ONE Day, so clearly a Teaser item to bring Customers into the Store, hoping they'll purchase other things too, even if the ONE they came for gets Sold.  I Lucked Out and the one I could afford still had the solitary ONE in Stock.  *Whew*   I don't think most Appliances, large or small, are make in America, so I felt I should get one while the price was good.

We were out 'til Dark, but while we were gone I guess Mando did get The Son's Car fixed.  *Whew*  Bless him, he worked on it for Three Days!   And he's got really jacked up Hands coz of his Illness impairing function.  His Hands are really crippled up and it's a wonder he can do all the things he does with them really.  He knows eventually he won't be able to, so he likes to do things while he still can.   And he truly likes being a Blessing to those he Cares about.   We let him stay here a lot coz it not only helps him, it helps The Daughter, and is helpful to us, so benefits all of us.   There are some things he can't do for himself as well anymore so The Daughter does all of that for him.  She has a Caregiver's Heart and in Mexico often looked after Elderly Men who were Friends of hers and took Care of them like they were a Favorite Uncle.   People would have thought it was a Relative due to how much Care she took of them.   And some were Crusty OG's who had been Scary People when Younger and still had much Influence and Connections, but she took no mess from them and they knew she was Bat Shit Crazy.  *LOL*

One American OG who lived down there in Mexico permanently was a Guy Named Dave who had been high up in the Hell's Angels and was still a Major Shot Caller.   May he RIP now since he has Passed, he used to Face Time me when she'd Call him and tell me my Daughter was the most Caring but Crazy and No Nonsense Woman he'd ever met in his Life.  He said she's the ONLY person who ever got away with Yelling at him, and wasn't Afraid of him, or anyone else for that matter, I can Believe that.  He told me she told him and other Jeffes down there, that everyone was Fearful of, that the only Person she had ever been Afraid of was her Mother, so he HAD to meet me, if only by Phone!!!   *Bwahahahahaha*    He said if there was someone she actually Feared and said was Crazier than her, he had to give Mad Respect to me for that.  Too Funny coz I don't think I'm a very Scary Person, but, I'm often told I am... so... whatever.  I think I'm a very Nice Person, but, I do now acknowledge I'm probably Mental as Fuck.  *LMAO*

 He said she knew he was in a lot of Pain and couldn't do much for himself, so she did everything he needed for Years when she lived down there in Mexico, and for his little Dog, so he looked out for her.   And when Dave looked out for you nobody dared mess with you, he had still that much influence and Power.  He told me once she made him some MJ Cookies for his Pain and he got so High and Fucked Up with those Cookies, that she was told, No more Cookies for Dave, by the other Shot Callers. *Bwahahahaha*  She said they rolled up in a Black Limo with Blacked Out Windows and told her to get inside... then said, did you Bake something for Dave?  She said she did coz he'd been in so much agony she didn't know how else to bring him relief.   She really Cared about Dave and knew he didn't have much Time left.  He Died recently, but I did have the chance to tell him how much I Appreciated his Care and Protection of our Daughter, that it was Priceless to me.  He told me she had been Priceless to him too, and I Believe she had been when he had Great Need of Loving Sincere Care. 

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Blessings, Love and Light from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian