Phew

There's a lot of stuff going on chez NM this week. This MONTH, actually.

First, the kids ALL got sick. Littlest Ling has strep 2 weeks ago, Numbah Two was sick last Monday, and Future Trauma Surgeon was off school ill last Thursday, Friday and again yesterday. Littlest Ling is off school again today because he's got a fever and is hurling, and FTS is saying she's not feeling too hot either.

Numbah Two joined the Junior Beta Club at school and neglected to tell us that he'd need picked up after school two days a week (he's already a member of the News Team and stays behind after school once a week for that meeting). I still can't drive, so that means Urbaner has to leave work early twice to go collect him.

Speaking of Urbaner, he's been tasked to go on a mission in a couple of weeks. I'm not going to know where he's at most of the time he's gone, and I'm cool with that. I'd rather not know, to be honest. I know what he's going to be doing, and I think that even that's too much information for me. He should be home for Christmas, though, and I'm grateful for that. When you're in the military, you learn that holidays can be on any day you want them to be....you can have Christmas in July if you like. We've been lucky and haven't had to spend too many Christmases apart - other holidays and anniversaries yeah, but that's ok.

We ran into a little issue with our bank account last night: there was an unauthorized charge using Urbaner's card for $152. We called the bank and are going to get our money back eventually, but we still have to jump through hoops to protect what's left in there. I also want to find out where the charge came from; it was an online order for services so there's going to be an ISP involved and a name attached to the order. Right now, though, I'm more concerned with getting the money back. With me not working, $150 is a fair chunk of change for us.

I see the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow morning for a follow-up and to schedule the first physical therapy session. I'm asking him for a refill on my pain medication; I know therapy is going to be uncomfortable. I think that Urbaner feels.....well, I don't think he likes me asking for pain meds and I don't think he agrees with me still needing to take them. He thinks that I should be done and over it by now...he's basing his opinion on the ACL repair he had done last year, and whilst I keep telling him that knees and shoulders are different I don't think I'm getting through. It bothers me, to be honest. It bothers me that he doesn't understand...I mean, he sees me wearing the sling all the time and he hears me whining in my sleep because it hurts (he tells me I do, so I know he hears it) - when I can get comfortable enough to sleep, that is - and I know he sees me downing motrin religiously because he made a comment about how much I'm going through, so I don't understand why he's being this way. I think there's a showdown about this subject in our near future....

I've been knitting up a storm this week. I can knit for an hour or so without my arm hurting too bad, so I've been making the most of it. FTS has one of her pair of socks finished, and I've started a pair of socks for Urbaner's birthday (he's been on at me to knit him some for ages so I'm doing it surreptitiously when he's at work. They'll be done in time for him to take on this upcoming mission with him). I've got a list of things I want to knit for friends and family - actually, some of you who read my blog are on my 'to knit for' list - and I'm going to start that as soon as I'm done with FTS and Urbaner's socks.

You know, with all this other stuff going on, my patience has been thin. I don't usually vent with as much passion as I did in the 'Feck Ewe' article; things just got on top of me and it all came out. The final straw was the email I got from the fibromyalgieur who compared herself to me and said that she understood my pain; that set me off into a virtual meltdown. The majority of fibro patients that I've personally come in contact with both socially and professionally are people who were just looking for a diagnosis, you know? They wear their diagnosis like a badge; they become a walking, talking diagnosis. They go looking for situations where they can use their 'disease' as an excuse to NOT do something. Can't work or enjoy themselves because they have fibro...poor, pitiful people with fibro. A victim. I'm not like that. I'm me. NinjaMedic. Karen. A person first and foremost...not a walking talking car accident. Not a victim. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of empathy and sympathy for ACTUAL victims...just not for people who join the cult of perpetual victimhood and who play it for all it's worth.

Ok, I'm done venting for now. I'm emotionally spent.

I'm going to go work on Urbaner's socks.