Did I get there still alive…?

Let’s start from the beginning of yesterday. Horrible night gives horrible morning. If I weren’t so bloody stubborn I wouldn’t have left my home in the morning!

It took me a lot of effort and pain to get ready. I was late again, but it was impossible in any other way. My body would simply not move until then. What do you do when you can’t move? Hey, maybe I could rent a wheelchair somewhere ;-)

A normal person had never left home, but I’m not normal… I was not sure if I would make it to the shitty place and I almost gave up. Then I thought: No, if they’re forcing me to go through this, they are gonna see how my reality really is!

I did warn Mr L though, that I might phone him if I got stuck on the way somewhere. (You never know with my back, suddenly it can be totally blocked and I can’t move without screaming).

So I walked. Very carefully which means real slow. In fact a very funny walk, sort of partly bend, tiny steps with a small limp. I’m sure I could have had John Cleese as the ministry of Silly Walks, to acknowledge my silly walk… *LMAO*

…and the bus didn’t crash into any car today, so I did arrived alive there - no car wreck - but a human wreck instead!

I had to lay down immediately, because I even got muscle cramps in the back besides the back pain. This time not at the floor, because there was no way that I could get down to the floor… They don’t have a normal rest room with a bunk that I could use, so I had to use one of the meeting rooms that had a couch.

This couch was one of the worst kind for back problems, it was so low so I almost didn’t get down on it, you should have seen me try to move around, probably looking like an elephant roll, even I was laughing despite the pain. It was hard and with gables, so I couldn’t even put up my legs, which almost made it even worse.

…and when I had get down… do you think I could get up…?

I had to give up and call for Mr L to come and help me up from there and get me home. I don’t trust other people to help me with my back, if they move me too fast or wrong in any way, I might get nerves squeezed and I’ll scream. (Anyone would!)

So another day with no “work” done, but still it made me covered in sweat!

I wanted them to see me in this condition, so they don’t think that I was laying at home snoring in my bed and just called in sick…

This has made my back much worse. I have really big problems to move now and have been laying most of the time after that. It’s on the edge all the time to getting real bad. I’m not taking any more right now, if I don’t stop at this point I might get so bad that I can’t get up from bed for weeks and I don’t want to be there again!!! It’s my life and I will not allow that.

That was yesterday, today and Friday I’m staying at home curing my poor old body.

And why on earth am I writing about this sad subject?

I guess it is to get more personal and show you some of my reality, but even to show you how things can be for people with back problems.

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Anyone noticed that I was gone? The most horrible happened: No internet connection between 12:00 last night and until this evening!!!!

As tackle #1 we ordered IP telephony from our ISP. Little did we know that they decided to send out a new modem for it and make the change at the same time - without telling us about it! That was a real tackle to get through to the support so they could tell us… Phew!

Tackle #2 is to visit my Mom and deal with everything around her illness and hospital visits.They’ll send her back to the elderly home any day now, because she is better, but very very weak, so we don’t want her back there yet.

They have mistreated her and are not capable of nursing her in the right way, so we have to find another solution soon or she will end up in hospital again!

Next comes a 4 weeks long tackle that have a potential to make me very very boring by Christmas time….

As an example I’ll describe my day 2 at the shitty place. (See earlier psot to read more about the shitty place)

Short version: I need to go up 3 hours before, walk and take a busride which almost crashed with a car, laying on the floor struggling - and have done absolutely nothing…

My day started with me feeling nauseous, because I had to go up too early when I have had a bad night because of the back. I had to go up 2 hours before I should be at the shitty place, to actually end up being there around 10:45 instead of 10:00, which means that I probably need to get up 3 hours before I should be there!!!

This is because it takes extra time for me to do anything and especially in the mornings to get my back, joints and muscles to soften up and actually move when I want them to without killing me. I also need extra time to get down my breakfast because of my sensitive stomach. (After all the painkillers I’ve been eating before).

I have to go by feet first and then take the bus to get there, because I’m simulating how it would be if it was a real work place I was on the way to. The walk and the busride were not what my back wanted at all, so I was devestated when I arrived there and had to lay down on the floor in one room to at least try to do my MacKenzie exercises.

They usually helps a lot, not always and not this time. I couldn’t really do them because my wrist were hurting. I have a problem with it since earlier and I had forgot my wrist support at home. I did my best, but still feeling a bit nauseous, not succeeding and I finally struggled up from the floor just before 12:00.

I told the woman in the reception that I didn’t know what to do, maybe my nauseous would go over if I ate my sandwiches I’d bring with me and I could do something after that? But she was suppose to have lunch 12:15, so she decided to show me some of the work instructions there.

They were written and not complicated, but I couldn’t concentrate because of the pain. She noticed that. I couldn’t stand still while she explained all that either. So she thought I should just go home.

So, in my day I was supposed to do something there, I was there maybe 1,5 hour, doing nothing!

I called Mr L to come to get me since I couldn’t take the bus. Besides that I thought it was more safe since the bus almost crashed with a car on the way there and had to make a very abrupt stop.

This is not a good feeling at all. What a waste of feelings, health , time and money for both parts. This is our tax money they’re throwing away here, I don’t like that.

I was thinking of taking a beach matress (!) with me because I have to have something to do my back exercises on…

Can you imagine peoples eyes on me when I’m going by bus with a beach mattress this time a year???!!!! *ROFLMAO*

Oh, and sunglasses, I must have sunglasses on me too…

So this is going to be an not exciting adventure of mine.

Will I get there still alive tomorrow?

Please re-check here tomorrow to find out…

As a matter of fact, this post is a tackle in itself, it took me several hours to write. Honestly.

See the latest post and Tackle It Tuesday participants over at 5 minutes for mom.

I don’t want this day. I want to exchange it against a day with peace and quiet and some rest. Anyone offering one?

It starting early today (feel lucky that you aren’t here and see and hear me ;-) and I don’t like early mornings. It’s not my thing because of my back which make my night sleep not so good, so I need more sleep. Which I don’t get. Today and maybe a lot of days ahead too.

That’s because today is my first day at that sh*tty (excuse me, but it really is) place I wrote about earlier in my back cracks post.

They haven’t even told me how long I’m supposed to stay there today or the other days, there is a huge lack of information, which I’m going to tell them. Even if people that come there are on a sick leave, we at least have the right to know ahead for how long we’re supposed to be there.

Thing is that I really can’t cope with this. I’m not at all feeling well. On top of everything else, I’ve got a terrible headache and tootache - the gums is not well, some kind of inflammation.

Though I’m gonna sneak out of there in the early afternoon, no matter what they say, because I’m gonna go and visit my Mom at the hospital. She is getting antibiotics and they’re going to check her lungs among other things too.

My brother and other sister were there yesterday and she was mostly sleeping then, so maybe she is getting better. She is a dynamite lady, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she makes it even this time. She is unbelievable sometimes.

I’m going to update this post later, so you can hear all about my exciting first day at work ;-)

UPDATE:

I’ll take the most important first: I did visit my Mom at the hospital. Read more about it on her blog Lifelessions.

I’ve survived my first day at the sh*tty place, which was just a long meeting the first day to plan my time there. She interviewed me a lot, did some paperwork and decided that the sewing, carpenting and kitchen duty was nothing for my back. (You don’t say? If you read my doctors opinion you wuld know this already)

So tomorrow Tuesday, I gonna start 10 am in their reception or maybe in the packing area if they have something that’s easy enough for me. I supposed to try to “work” for 3 hours. This is going to be a huge problem for me. Already to get myself there at 10 am will be a big obstacle.

I have no idea how my back will hold for this, I just know that it won’t, but how bad it’s gonna be we’ll have to wait and see.

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You have to excuse me this Sunday, this might not be the most excellent photo, but I throw in this post in a hurry. My mom is ill and was sent by ambulance to the hospital, so I was there the whole Saturday night - the evening I use to prepare GTS posts.

We don’t know yet what’s wrong, but they suspect some kind of infection, because the tests they took wasn’t good. We’ll see what they’ll find. We feel that she is more safe in the hospital than in the elderly home since, once again, she has got a lack of fluid too… *sigh*

Now over to the Green Thumb Sunday post again! Lately I’ve begin to notice that the staff in stores seems to have minor knowledge about plants (actually something like the elderly homes staff don’t have about the elderly…). This is a Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum), in the picture.

The Peace Lily is a swamp plant originally. The soil should be watered through and not be allowed to dry out. So what are these plants doing in that kind of pots in the picture? They are not at all suitable for this kind of flowers. Too small too, they grow rather fast if you treat them right.

In the spring you can divide the plant and plant it again. I’ve had Peace Lily’s that I did put down in the aquarium, they were excellent for that purpose. I just had to make sure that they had enough nourishment. I wrapped the roots in peat and some kind of nourishments tablets in there and put it down in the sand.

The Peace Lily cleans indoor air of many environmental contaminents, including benzene, formaldehyde, and other pollutants.

It cleans best at one plant per 10 m2 - could it be any better?

~ Time Tells ~

NOTE: Every comment is equally welcome, even if you’re not participating in this Photo Hunt-thing, we ♥ LOVE all comments :-)

Meet my Mom as she looked like at her 80th birthday. She has had a very difficult life and still holding her humor high. All the pain she has gone through…. Phew.

She is amazingly easy to get to giggle so her tears roll down her cheeks. Despite the fact that I have a lot of humor myself, she beats me. She is a remarkable woman which I admire tremendously.

Right now she struggles real hard with her health. She is so fragile, so even some minor health issue is nearly throwing her over the edge to the other side. Every time so far, she has been able to fight it, but it’s only a matter of time as it is now. Her life is hanging on a fragile thread all the time.

Can you even imagine how it would be like to be 80 years old and in her condition?

Her skeleton is literally falling apart from the inside. She haven’t been able to do anything by herself for a very long time now. All her joints is severe damaged by rheumatism, crooked. Even her back, it’s S-shaped. She has hardly been able to sit in her wheelchair. One of her shoulder is almost gone - the arm is just hanging there.

She is dead tired. I think her body can feel that. Maybe it’s influencing her health. She has wanted to go sometimes when it has been extra tough. I don’t blame her - even though one part of me naturally want her to stay. That’s just selfish of me.

Maybe it’s time for her to finally be pain free.

I’m not saying this to scare you, I’m saying it to make you understand that life is a gift that we should appreciate and enjoy much more than we do.

If you haven’t lived after that rule before, consider it now:

Carpe Diem - while you still can…

♥ LIVE, ENJOY… LOVE… LIFE!

Read the latest post about Lifelessions on her blog

Warning: Don’t read this if you’re sensitive!

1. Never try to find your brain or think before noon, it’s hopeless and will only be lead to very confusing situations where things end up in the wrong places and only god knows where. You might find them years later. If you’re lucky.

2. Feed the hungry monster BEFORE the outburst. Afterwards will be too late and you may not survive. Not without scratches anyway. A bite taken here and there.

3. Always accept help in the shower so the shower takes the double amount of water, soap, time and effort. A bonus effect is the cool bruises on the elbows.

4. Cleaning up do hurt - so only fun housekeeping is allowed. Fun means together nude or something. Everything else is forbidden. (Don’t you just love that word?)

5. Answer and hear everything completely wrong. This is my favorite. Especially in the mornings. Talk about completely different things, but make it sounds like you’re in the same subject. Mumble. Argue of what you’ve just said. End conversation with hysterical giggle attacks.

6. Don’t go to sleep until you’re unconscious. Even if that means that you’re literally sitting in front of the computer and sleep. Always try to beat that staying awake record of 40 hours.

7. Always turn around (both) at the same time in our 90 cm / 35 inches bed in the sleep. Don’t wake up despite the fact that there are heavy explosions here on our little street every morning because of roadworks.

8. Never resist a love attack even if you die on the mission. (even if it means about 5:30 in the mornings when we finally go to bed…. I’m not sure if that’s before or after the brekfastdinner though *lol*)

9. Never go out in wintertime if you can avoid it. Always make your grocery shopping huge and seldom so your provisions is FULL. Invent new dinner meals mixtures. Don’t shower to save the soap so you don’t have to go out too often.

10. Throw all your uncomfy clothes off at once you come home before you’re doing anything else. Never raise the blinds.

11. Always say very strange things or make interesting noises so the extremely nosy neighbour can hear that and be amazed.

12. Always describe your poo’s speed, consistency, color, size and smell. (We have poo records. No one want to judge though ;-)

And the most important one:

13. When farting, light a match to cover up the smell. (be careful to not get a big bang from the gas explosion though!) So we’re getting heavy reduced prices now on matches. Wellknown customers get that. A bonus thing is that it’s getting lighter here in this dark season. This way we’re having our own light therapy.

♥ I LIVE, ENJOY… LOVE… HOUSE LIFE!

DISCLAIMER: Don’t blame us if you’re upset after reading this, you got a warning first and besides that: even princess’es does poop, so what’s the big deal…?

NOTE: Every comment is equally welcome, even if you’re not participating in this Thursday Thirteen-thing, we ♥ LOVE all comments :-)

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I’ve been ignoring the boxes with the porcelain, the hallway closet and bathroom. It’s much more easy to come up with a million other things to do…. *lol*

So what have we been up to?

- Done backups of photos, June and forward
- Washed the car before yearly safety inspection
- Bought 4 of our christmas gifts
- Get lights for our recently cleaned closets
- Get clothes hangers with the same style
- Fixed cables hanging loose on the wall
- Cleaned and oiled kitchen oak table
- Get new red curtains for the livingroom
- Ironed Christmas curtains & cloths
- Get wooden blinds for the windows

Getting the closet lights (2) that works on batteries and the clothes hangers (32 + 3) with the same style were the easiest tackle.

    

*Remember, we live compact living and don’t know for how long we’ll stay here, so we must find cheap solutions, but yet practical.

Our kitchen bar tables have a tendency to collect things…. Besides that, it really was about time to oil the second table, Mr L oiled the first one weeks ago. You can’t see much difference in the picture, because it’s the already oiled one that’s nearest the camera.

  

At last: the wooden blinds! Hurray! (Maybe even the neighbours agree here) So now we can go naked to eat our night sandwich without having all the neighbours or the street walkers staring at us ;-).

  

It may not sound like a difficult tackle, but it was not that easy to find blinds in the right size, price and color - it involved 2 returns to the store - not to mention to install them properly.

  

See what ugly windows we have in this apartment? They really needed to be camouflaged!

We do have a problem. We don’t want to raise the blinds - we want to fold the blinds all the time ;-).

Note to myself: Always check the blinds…

See the latest post and Tackle It Tuesday participants over at 5 minutes for mom.