Something had to give

Well, I apologize for disappearing off the face of the blogosphere for a while there. Things have been crazy and stressful around here, and I've worked my way into survival mode. Which basically means anything that I don't absolutely HAVE to do pretty much isn't getting done. Including my blogging.

Now Hubs would say that I'm doing plenty of things that don't HAVE to be done and that I'm piling too much on my plate for no reason. But in his mind preserving our garden produce isn't necessary, and in my mind it is. So there you go! And of course my garden is going crazy! I picked 9 cucumbers yesterday, and a couple days before that I picked 11! So needless to say, I'm making a lot of pickles. At least one batch a week and often 2 or 3 batches. And I also made a huge batch of Ina Garten's Fresh Tomato Basil Soup, which I highly recommend if you have a surplus of tomatoes like I do. My tomato plants are now officially 7 feet tall, with many green ones coming along, and I'm coming up with plans for them. Salsa and spaghetti sauce are certainly on the list.

That may not sound stressful to you, and under normal circumstances it wouldn't stress me out either. But we're not living under normal circumstances.

Hubs is still in massive pain with his shoulder. Two weeks ago we went to see a surgeon, and he basically said that Hubs needed physical therapy because his nerve endings had become so sensitive that the surgeon couldn't locate where the pain was coming from. We were both very disappointed with this news. We were hoping that the surgeon would order more imaging so that we would get a definitive answer about what's going on, because up to this point Hubs hasn't received a diagnosis. Yup, it's been 5 months and 4 doctors, and still no diagnosis. So we were pretty bummed out. Thankfully immediately after that appointment we took off for the beach together sans kids, so we were able to console ourselves with alcoholic beverages and no responsibilities for 2 days. It was MUCH needed! While we were gone the girls had a fabulous time with Grandma & Grandpa. So they had a great vacation too!

Then just this last Monday I started having my own shoulder pain. It had been coming on slowly over the past couple months. An old car accident rotator cuff injury. I usually have to see my chiropractor about twice a year to help me out with it. In between I do exercises daily to keep the pain at bay. It's just something I've learned to live with over the years. But doing all the heavy lifting (both literally and figuratively) for the past 5 months has really taken it's toll on my body. I've learned that I really have to stop carrying both my babies at once. They're getting too big, and I'm just not that strong. I've seen my chiropractor twice this past week, and I'll see her once again next week, and hopefully that'll do the trick. Although last time I saw her she said, "Man, you really messed it up this time." So I might have to keep seeing her for a while. I'm thinking we should get a group rate or something for as much as we're seeing her these days! lol

And then Wednesday Hubs had an appointment that he's been dreading for about a month. Workman's comp has required him to be evaluated by 3 of their own doctors: a chiropractor, a neurologist, and a surgeon. All at the same time. It was a marathon appointment that lasted about 4 hours. But God works in mysterious ways let me tell ya!!! Hubs cracked a joke right off the bat and made them all laugh, and then it was smooth sailing from there! He mentioned at one point that we had twins, and it turned out one of the doctors IS a twin. So they were pretty sold on the idea that Hubs is an upstanding fellow and not just some looser faking an injury to get workman's comp benefits. At the end of the appointment one of the doctors told him, "Thank you for being so open and honest with us." Awesome!! And would you believe it? They went ahead and ordered additional imaging for Hubs' shoulder!! They told Hubs that technically they're not supposed to order tests, but that it was in everyone's best interest that he get a proper diagnosis and get the proper treatment. Hallelujah!! Isn't it totally like God to take the thing you're dreading and turn it into the best thing ever??

So yesterday Hubs went in for a very lengthy set of imaging tests. They injected dye into his shoulder for the MRI, and took a whole series of x-rays, some while holding a 10 lbs. weight. And thankfully I had the forethought to call his surgeon back and make an appointment to go over the results, we are getting in to see him on Wednesday.

We are praying like crazy that the source of his injury can be clearly seen on the imaging that was taken, and that the next course of action will be clear and decisive. Our chiropractor is fairly certain that Hubs needs surgery, and as long as I've known her (20+ years) she's never been wrong. We are anxious to have things progress in the right direction because for the past 5 months we feel like that hasn't happened.

In the meantime, Hubs is in a great deal of pain from all the tests they did on Friday. So we're keeping close to home this weekend. I'll probably spend a lot of time coloring with the girls because taking them for a walk has become too painful for me and I feel like a horrible mom when I can't get them out of the house. Thankfully my parents have helped out a lot. And I have great neighbors who are always willing to jump in when there's an emergency. Without them I'd feel very isolated and helpless.

So that's pretty much why I haven't been blogging lately. :) That and the idea of taking pictures of things, resizing them, and posting them, just sounds like a lot of work. So the plan is that I'm going to focus on just writing, nothing more, because frankly I just can't handle more at this point. My posts are probably going to be speratic at best. But be assured that I'm not gone, I'm just trudging along doing the best I can in a tough situation. A couple of you have emailed me to check and see if I'm ok. Thank you SO much!! You are such sweethearts, and I feel so lucky to have people out there who care even if we have never met in person.