The holidays

The holiday season has run its course, and I finally have a few minutes to sit and write. This has been, without question, the most stressful holiday season in my life. My mother-in-law was discharged from the hospital in the week before Christmas, and came to stay with us while she finishes her recovery. Her medical needs, especially during that first couple of weeks, caused a significant upheaval in our routines. The stress levels increased even more when my wife found out (just two days before Christmas) that the unit she works on at the hospital, which was closed temporarily in September, will not be reopening, effectively leaving my wife unemployed. We also discovered that the basement wall was leaking water, ruining the carpeting in our big family room (at least that turned out to be an easy fix...we had a blocked downspout, which has been fixed and re-routed, so we should resolve the issue).

After Christmas, I did manage to get up to New York to visit my parents, but only for a couple of days, which really wasn't as much time as I would've liked. While I was away, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with a case of shingles, which is causing her a great deal of discomfort. We have been struggling to find the right balance of pain meds that will keep her comfortable without leaving her too groggy to stay active enough for her physical therapy needs.

My mother-in-law is making progress, albeit not necessarily steadily. She has setbacks, but overall, her strength is improving, and it seems likely that she'll be fully recovered enough to live on her own in a couple of months. With the holidays gone, the stress levels are subsiding, and I think we are beginning to feel like things might actually be starting to look up.