Man, I don't know how we have harvested such shitty karma lately but it feels like it is just one thing after another, after another. Tim's dad had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance tonight (technically last night I guess, Friday night) because he had been unresponsive for at least an hour (Tim's mom said it was two). But here's how it went down, he was sitting at their kitchen table which is a pub height table, and either passed out or fell asleep sitting up? Tim's mom couldn't get him to wake up and after awhile called Tim's brother who went over and then called Tim, who promptly started flipping out. I kept asking, UM WHY HAS NO ONE CALLED 911?! I drove Tim over to the house while he got his brother back on the phone and told them to call 911. When we got there and walked in, seriously you guys, I was pretty sure he had had a stroke and that was going to be it. He looked awful. He was sitting sort of propped up against the table, and he looked completely out of it. He had started opening his eyes but he couldn't talk, he couldn't move, he was deathly pale. Tim took his blood pressure and it was really low and his blood sugar was 250. He couldn't communicate and couldn't squeeze Tim's hands. The paramedics arrived about 5-10 minutes after we did and he started coming around quite a bit more after they were there. When they put him on the stretcher, he still really couldn't move without a lot of help but he did start to communicate, asking what was going on and where he was going. When they told him to the hospital, he started to protest and lift the sheet they had over him but they just told him, yeah, you're going to the hospital bud, and he didn't really fight it. After they got him in the back of the ambulance he apparently became a lot more alert and was asking what was going on, he had absolutely no recollection of how he got into the ambulance or what had happened. They took him to the hospital and so far all the tests rule out a heart attack. Tim thinks it was his blood sugar, that it went dangerously low and then spiked back up in response. I don't know if that is really how it goes, or merely some wishful thinking on his part because, for real, it looked to me like he had a mini stroke, or something way more severe, not that low blood sugar isn't severe or anything.
Anyway, they're keeping him overnight for observation though, of course, Tim's dad is protesting that he wanted to go right away. I was surprised by how strong of a reaction I had to seeing his dad like that, so I can only imagine what it was like for Tim. He had to take his nitro before we left the house and his hands were shaking so badly that insisted that he let me drive. But seeing his dad looking so sick and so not like himself, I got really choked up and had to walk outside and wait for the ambulance because I was afraid that I was going to start bawling in the house and upset everyone else. I don't know where that came from because while I do kinda like his dad, it's not like the two of us have any sort of relationship at all beyond a few words exchanged here and there about the kids or Tim. Maybe it brought up a lot of emotion about seeing MY dad sick like that right before he died, I don't know. And of course with all of the physical health turmoil we've been dealing with, a lot of fear and anxiety is already simmering right below the surface anyway. But still, it was an extremely difficult moment for me and I was taken aback by just how hard it was.
To top it all off, today was Savino's Christmas party at school which I foolishly volunteered for, and then I tried to do some Christmas shopping while the kids were in school since I had already missed out on the sleep I would have normally gotten in the AM before school let out. Then I picked kids up from school and after Tim got home everything happened with his dad... Then I had to go to work at 10, so at the moment I am running on zero hours of sleep in the last 36. I am ditching work early, consequences be damned, because if I sit here for another 2.5 hours, driving home will truly be a dangerous proposition. The adrenaline from everything started wearing off at about 1am.
I guess I am ready for Christmas, the Christmas spirit has come and gone on me. I just feel mostly exhausted. I hope the kids will have a good one, that's all I care about. I have to buy Haley's big present and get two or three little things left and something for Tim's mom and dad (a Fillon wing in the hospital maybe?) and put together the gift baskets that I have been hoarding things for. There are a few things left to come in the mail yet, but 85% of what I had planned to purchase has been purchased. Next week I am working crazy hours, they have me scheduled for 6p-4a three days and then 12-9p on Christmas Eve. Yeah, that's 39 hours before the holiday time, and it's too damn bad we aren't eligible for overtime pay on a week with a holiday in it, because that would make my paycheck a whole lot nicer, but oh well. I absolutely have to get cookie baking done this weekend or it's not going to happen, there's just not enough hours left between now and Christmas if I don't do it now.
I was touched and surprised that Savino's teacher sent me a Christmas gift home with him after school, it was a really nice (HUGE) Christmas coffee mug with "snowman soup" (hot chocolate with marshmellows and Hershey's kisses) and a thank you note for helping out, I think with Parent Volunteering perhaps? I've somehow managed to commit myself to coming to one more Parent Volunteer Monday at least, and I'm also sending something in for the Valentine's Day party. Man, I hate doing this but Savino just gets so overly excited about me coming to his class that it's hard to say no both to him and the teacher. At least Mondays aren't so drastic for me to do since it follows a weekend and I'm not falling over with exhaustion from just getting off work. It does make me want to punch those other parents in the throat talking about their leisurely days when I'm all, yeah, just finished my midnight shift here, thanks.
I do have New Year's Eve and New Year's Day off next week but Tim's work friend has invited us over to her house to celebrate with her husband and kids. We went out to dinner with the friend and husband on Black Friday and had a fun time but I'm a little apprehensive about doing a whole NYE thing at their house. Oh well, I'll just bring my vodka and deal I guess. Not exactly my idea of how to ring in the New Year but I guess we are trying to be more social, even though that is exactly what Tim has resisted against all these years until I gave up and started loathing human interaction as well. I don't know, there's something about this woman that just sets my teeth slightly on edge, I don't know what it is. I just feel slightly distrustful. But then, that's how I feel about everybody so perhaps I should just STFU and get over it.
Well, I think I'm going to be completely irresponsible and go home two hours early. Not that anyone will know, most likely, but it would be my luck that the one time I skip out, someone is going to call the office and there will be no answer. Oh well!
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