Christmas Eve

So here we are, it's Christmas Eve. Shelley flew to Nashville on Monday to be with four of her seven grandchildren. Her dad is unhappy she is gone over Christmas, but in memory care, not sure there is a Christmas.  Or if they remember if there was.

Initially, I planned to spend Christmas in North Carolina with my son, and Shelley would be in Nashville. However, my anemia dictated otherwise. I was experiencing dizziness, shortness of breath, and other symptoms related to anemia. On two occasions, I fell when I stood up because of low iron. I needed to get the infusions as soon as possible.

Since I have already met my deductibles this year and needed to boost my iron levels quickly, getting infusions before the year ends was the best option. After several weeks of dealing with insurance, we finally scheduled the infusions. Just today and December 26 infusions remain.

I hope the infusions can help me shake off the funk I've been in. It’s been tough to work out, and my shortness of breath has been a real challenge to overcome. However, after the first three infusions, I’ve noticed less difficulty breathing! My muscles are sore, and they say not to do anything strenuous for 24 to 48 hours after each infusion, so I will have to wait until next week to work out.

So I am spending the holidays at home alone, getting infusions and resting. I might visit my mother, but she is unwell, and I don't want to catch anything that could disrupt the infusion schedule and extend into next year when my deductible resets!

I'm spending my alone time shampooing the carpets and doing some deep cleaning around the house. It really needed it! I haven't been home much since September 11—only 14 days—and I never got around to doing the pre-winter cleaning. I hope I can get a few weeks at home to actually recover from the infusions and all my travels. I have one more trip planned: to watch Shelley's grandchildren for 10 days in early January.

I am torn with my decision to let go of any relationship with my estranged son. The full post is available here. In his 45 years of life, I have seen him for far fewer than 365 days.  There was that strong hope for so long. So many times he said he would stay in touch, and I was ghosted. It is part of life to accept.

There's a chance I'll have to fly to North Carolina to watch the dog in late January and again in late February. Jordan's fiancé has to go to Abu Dhabi at least twice, for two-week stretches early this spring. If Jordan travels, he'll need someone to babysit the dog. Over the past year, I've been the preferred babysitter because, for some reason, that dog just adores me and gives me chores to do while I'm there.

Carry on my friends, carry on!