In this Update:
- Busy Times Before the Holidays
- Airboat Ride
- Ponce Care
Busy Times Before the Holidays
The good news: after 3 years of working the holidays, I finally got both weeks off this year. The bad news: I still had to work four 12-hour shifts in a row at the maddening-busy ER in order to string together my days-off to accommodate my mom’s arrival from Germany. I worked Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, “off” on Tuesday, then jury duty on Wednesday from 9AM to almost 5PM, followed by racing home, just to turn around and go to the airport, where their flight landed at 5:55PM. If I knew that my mom and step-dad were going to be stuck in immigration for another three hours, I wouldn’t have had to rush so much.
I certainly put my back and ESP disc up to a challenge, especially after working four brutal days in a row, which is always demanding on the body and mind. On that one day off on Tuesday, I started the day early to run errands across town, then I cleaned my 2-story town home top to bottom, which included deep cleaning two full and one half-bathrooms, vacuuming/mopping the floors, and converting Ralf’s office into a guest room. Just before my work-marathon, Ralf and I put together another cabinet, complete with six drawers. That was a couple notches up from the shoe cabinet that I recently assembled and involved lots of crawling on the floor, putting in screws at awkward angles, and putting the finished product in place.
Ooooh, and then there was the issue with that massive, electric recliner that cluttered up my living room. In the months leading up to my surgery, I basically lived in that thing due to the back pain. But now, I no longer needed it, and it really didn’t fit with the new couch anymore! Ralf and I had to wrestle that thing into the garage by sliding it down the stairs, step by step. Ralf did the heavy lifting, of course, but I am proud to say that I hung on to that sucker to prevent it from crushing my love on the way down. Rest in peace, recliner. You will be returned to the Wallaby Ranch, where I got it as a loaner from a good friend who was trying to help me be more comfortable.
Before Surgery 
After Surgery
Airboat Ride
Anyways, I did have a wonderful holiday season, which I got to spend with my family. However, those two weeks have been quite busy: I took my family on various outings, such as Disney Springs, Celebration, and Portofino Bay at Universal. In fact, I surprised my mom with a mother/daughter spa day at the Mandara Spa at Portofino, since she never had a massage at a spa – ever! Because she doesn’t speak English, I booked a “couples massage”, to be able to tell her what’s happening. This was also a nice massage for me, but boy, am I tight between my shoulder blades!
So, the day before New Year’s, we went on an airboat ride, which can be quite bumpy but are a “must” to get glimpse at the amazing nature and wildlife Florida has to offer. The outfitter was located in Christmas, Florida (yes, that’s the actual name of the town) and lasted for about an hour. Again, those airboats can be a tad bumpy, and there isn’t really anything to hang on to. However, the tour was amazing and my ESP buffered those little shocks like a champ. No pain during or after, which made me very happy! I suppose people who suffer from severe degenerative disc disease (DDD) can understand what big of a deal a simple outing like that can be, when your natural disc is toast and any harsh motion will send waves of pain down your spine. We had a blast, my family enjoyed this experience as much as I have, and I must say that things like this make me feel normal again.
Ponce Care
As I mentioned in a previous update, my fur-baby’s diagnosis, which was finally confirmed with an echocardiogram, revealed severe heart failure with respiratory complications. So, his medications were significantly increased, and a second diuretic was added to keep the fluid in his lungs at bay. However, that also meant that we now have to carry him up and down the stairs, and that quite frequently, due to his need to pee more often. Especially at 1 AM in the morning, carrying him down/up two flights of steep stairs was a bit of a challenge, so Ralf and I took turns.
The reason why I am sharing this is the fact that I was unable to pick Ponce up prior to surgery at all! I actually dropped him once half-way up because my back gave out. Now, his 13 pounds doesn’t bother me anymore, and I can carry him without any issues or pain.
Even with his occasional wheezy cough, Ponce is still very happy and is enjoying a life full of snacks, treats, and belly-rubs. So, from my family to yours, we hope you also had an amazing holiday season with friends and family. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! 2018 has been an intense but good year for me. Let's see what 2019 has to offer...
