Crappy Day (vent) *Updates: Migraines and Car troubles, see comments*

pinkshorts27

It has been a bad week already. My great-grandpa is back in the hospital. He is 85 or so and was doing so well. We just can't convince himself to feed himself properly. We order meals for the elderly for him and fill his fridge with easy to eat healthy foods. My aunt and uncle check up on him every day and today was worse. He has fluid in his lungs and was disoriented. He had congestive heart failure earlier this year, so this is a set back in his recovery. 

On top of that, my neighbor has appendicitis. This is my neighbor that's little kid got cancer a few years back. Kid is 5 now and doing great, but they have faced so much stress in their life. He is fine now I think but it was a stressful night. I need to remember to send them flowers. 

Also, my fiance's younger brother may not graduate high school as planned this weekend because apparently he was cutting class and no one bothered to find out why or contact his parents or punish him for it. I know that he did wrong, but how does a school let him miss 15/40 days and not do anything about it? If we missed school, we used to get a call to our parents. So we are stressed about that because his father is complaining to FI and there is nothing FI can do about it. 

My cousin announced today that she is getting a divorce. She has been married for less than a year. Great. More family drama. 

My other grandma is in one of the best nursing homes, but is miserable because her hearing and eye sight are going so she can't do crosswords or play cards. She is in a wheel chair after a stroke last year. Apparently she isn't reacting well to her medication and so they are switching. I worry about her. 

I'm trying to finish my degree so I'm already stressed. I have to move in two weeks and have family in town at that point. I'm trying not to stress FI out because he has 5 finals and we are long distance so all I want is a hug and I can't even have that. It is that time of month, so I'm crampy and pissy and whiny. 

thanks for letting me vent. I know my life isn't terrible, but I worry about everyone.

wandajune6

Hugs!

I understand how it goes with elderly relatives. My (divorced) grandparents are in their 90s and both have hearing loss and ever-increasing dementia. The eating issue is a tough one- I don't envy you.

As a future step-parent of a HS kid, I can tell you that these things happen. My future stepson is failing half of his classes but we can't get ahold of anyone at school. We can follow his grades online but lying teens paired with overwhelmed teachers and staff are a bad combo.

I remember studying for finals not so long ago. Video chats help- and I'm a big fan of setting a timer for a set amount of griping.

Finally- big hugs!

pinkshorts27

@wandajune6     Thanks! I am so glad I don't have kids right now.  A younger brother each is more than enough, thank you very much.  I think I'm just overwhelmed. I know I can't do anything to change any of this, which is more than frustrating. I think that is the worst part, I can't control any of this. 

lyndausvi

interent knottie hugs

pinkcow13

I'm sorry to hear all this, I'm sending you lots of hugs, fellow pinky. When it rains, it pours, but things will pick up again!

JCbride2015

I'm so sorry Pinkshorts.  It really sounds like a lot of stuff is just piling on.  Try to take care of yourself.  (((((hugs)))))

You are probably already doing this, but a long-distance tip.  When Fi and I were long-distance for a year, we would have Netflix dates.  So we'd get on Skype and press "play" on something on Netflix at the same time [we had to play with the volume not to get an echo, but it worked].  Then you keep the other person's Skype window up in the corner.  So we could chat and watch TV episodes.  We tried to have set days of the week.  It really helped have some normalcy and togetherness even when we were apart.

amakayeb

I know that feeling of just wanting a hug on one of those days, and not being able to get one. That's a lot to deal with all at once...

You might do this already too, but another long distance suggestion--FI and I downloaded a couple of apps for game that we could play together while on Skype. We played cribbage and Ticket to Ride (a board game).

FiancB

JCbride2015 said:

I'm so sorry Pinkshorts.  It really sounds like a lot of stuff is just piling on.  Try to take care of yourself.  (((((hugs)))))

You are probably already doing this, but a long-distance tip.  When Fi and I were long-distance for a year, we would have Netflix dates.  So we'd get on Skype and press "play" on something on Netflix at the same time [we had to play with the volume not to get an echo, but it worked].  Then you keep the other person's Skype window up in the corner.  So we could chat and watch TV episodes.  We tried to have set days of the week.  It really helped have some normalcy and togetherness even when we were apart.

My roomie did that with hulu and it worked pretty well. Sorry you're going through all that pinkshorts!

mysticl

pinkshorts27 said:

It has been a bad week already. My great-grandpa is back in the hospital. He is 85 or so and was doing so well. We just can't convince himself to feed himself properly. We order meals for the elderly for him and fill his fridge with easy to eat healthy foods. My aunt and uncle check up on him every day and today was worse. He has fluid in his lungs and was disoriented. He had congestive heart failure earlier this year, so this is a set back in his recovery. 

On top of that, my neighbor has appendicitis. This is my neighbor that's little kid got cancer a few years back. Kid is 5 now and doing great, but they have faced so much stress in their life. He is fine now I think but it was a stressful night. I need to remember to send them flowers. 

Also, my fiance's younger brother may not graduate high school as planned this weekend because apparently he was cutting class and no one bothered to find out why or contact his parents or punish him for it. I know that he did wrong, but how does a school let him miss 15/40 days and not do anything about it? If we missed school, we used to get a call to our parents. So we are stressed about that because his father is complaining to FI and there is nothing FI can do about it. 

My cousin announced today that she is getting a divorce. She has been married for less than a year. Great. More family drama. 

My other grandma is in one of the best nursing homes, but is miserable because her hearing and eye sight are going so she can't do crosswords or play cards. She is in a wheel chair after a stroke last year. Apparently she isn't reacting well to her medication and so they are switching. I worry about her. 

I'm trying to finish my degree so I'm already stressed. I have to move in two weeks and have family in town at that point. I'm trying not to stress FI out because he has 5 finals and we are long distance so all I want is a hug and I can't even have that. It is that time of month, so I'm crampy and pissy and whiny. 

thanks for letting me vent. I know my life isn't terrible, but I worry about everyone.

Some schools do a robo call if the child is not in school.  As long as someone (including voice mail) answers the phone the system thinks that notification has been made.  I've known kids to wait around the house for the call, answer it, and then go on about their ditch day or beat the parents home to erase the message. The parents don't know what's going on but the school thinks they do and they just don't care.  

As for not punishing him. The school is punishing him by not allowing him to graduate. 

lc07

*hugs*

That sounds like a lot to deal with emotionally and mentally if not physically. Remember to set aside time each day for something for YOU that YOU enjoy that takes your mind off things. And on days where you can't make time, make sure you at least breathe. Just don't lose you in your role as a supporter. 

*hugs again*

pinkshorts27

lyndausvipinkcow13FiancB thanks

JCbride2015 Thanks! That is a great idea. We sort of do that but with different shows. As we get closer to finals that has stopped. It will definitely start again this summer when he is catching up on Game of Thrones.

amakayeb Thanks, I wonder if they have games for hangouts, which we use because it tends to freeze less.

mysticl I know the whole graduation thing is a punishment, but that is for grades. At my high school (same school district), I was tardy by one or two minute three days in a month (due to having to use the restroom) and I had detention and the counselor called and talked to my parents. But I guess he goes to a lower income school than I did so they may not have the resources. I'm just surprised it took this long for his dad to find out, but I was a good child and didn't really rebel so I wouldn't even think of hiding anything. 

lc07 Thanks! I will do. I'm going to play some soccer tonight, so hopefully that will help me de-stress a little. 

Thanks everyone.

amakayeb

We just downloaded the apps on our phones, and use those to play while we skype on the computer.

wandajune6

pinkshorts27 said:

@wandajune6     Thanks! I am so glad I don't have kids right now.  A younger brother each is more than enough, thank you very much.  I think I'm just overwhelmed. I know I can't do anything to change any of this, which is more than frustrating. I think that is the worst part, I can't control any of this. 

Recognizing what you can and can't control is huge. People underestimate the importance of that!

sarawifenow

pinkshorts27

Thanks again everyone for your support! 

A brief update:

Today I had a stress migraine. On top of this, my check engine light was on and my car and then my breaks started thumping every time I press them. So that is $300 to check out both and doesn't include the costs to fix them. Ick. That is what I need today.  And I just got a call the dealership wants to charge 1000 dollars for something that might take me 2 hours to do at the most but I'll have to research to find the real parts at reasonable values which takes time. Arg. Stop trying to rip me off.

Grandpa is doing worse, which is a bummer. 

But we got news that the little brother is officially eligible to graduate. He may lose his soccer scholarship to college, but he will have graduated. We will know more in a week when he gets finals grades. Honestly teachers were much too lenient and I doubt he learned anything, but FI is happy. It also led to some great discussions about how we would handle discipline and raising children. Of course we have talked about it before, but good real word experience to discuss.

atlastmrsg

Btw on migraines....Relpax changed my life.  I'd have the terrible, vomiting, sit in the dark until I could sleep it off migraines when my life sucked while working at a law firm I hated.  One Relpax and 20 minutes in a quiet place with a ginger ale, and I was able to function again.  Best prescription ever.  Well, that and getting a new job.

pinkshorts27

SAHoehle that is good to know. If I catch it early with, excedrin migraine tends to work okay. It mostly goes away and I just feel dazed/off the rest of the day. But if I happen to catch it late, usually nothing helps. 

atlastmrsg

My FI swears by Excedrin migraine or tension headache. I don't get many headaches, but when I do, they're insanely bad ones. Over the counter meds don't begin to help. I tried three different other migraine prescriptions before trying Relpax. Lifesaver. For whatever reason, it was the one that worked on whatever starts my headaches. Edit: husband. Wow, going to have to get used to saying that now. Evidently I haven't figured it out in four days.