Catching Up

Hello, my people.

It's been so long since I've posted, I feel like I don't quite belong in the blogosphere anymore.

But here I am anyway.

I am at home recovering from the surgery I thought I would be having last October. Turns out the doctor doing the surgery was unaware how long the wait would be. I'm just glad to have it over with.

There's been a bit of a wrinkle in the week since surgery. My heart rate was quite elevated one day so I went to the Emergency department. Bloodwork was done, and showed I am diabetic. I also had to have a CT scan with dye to rule out a blood clot in my lung. 

I am not as surprised as I could be about the diabetes. I had gestational diabetes with my first pregnancy, requiring daily insulin shots. It all settled down after the baby was born, and I had no problems in my second pregnancy. I have been tested every year to see if I was developing diabetes, and every year was given the all clear. My last bloodwork was in June 2025. However, I was not being as careful about my weight and diet as I should have been. I feel I've been struggling with everything since my husband died, and only recently feeling motivated to do more for my health. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. But I do feel I am now prepared for this challenge, and have a good knowledge base from long ago to anchor my efforts going forward. I have an appointment with my family doctor in a week's time to chart a course of action.

As for the surgery recovery itself, I think it's going okay. I was plagued by coughing at first, caused by post nasal drip seemingly related to the anesthesia and then to a pain medication, but that is easing now. My son, who lives with me now, has been spectacular about getting me where I need to go and making sure I have everything I need. The day of surgery, I had to be at the hospital at 6:30 a.m., and we had a huge snowfall overnight. He was out shovelling show at 2:30 a.m. for two hours. The snowplow cleared our street only a half an hour before we had to leave. It was an "interesting" drive to the hospital. The surgeon was late getting there but in the end everything worked out okay.

I'm so thankful for so many things. Crises in life have a way of making clear what matters and what doesn't. I have family and friends and neighbours and co-workers who care about me and that is everything to me.

***

My mother-in-law passed away at home on December 26. My son and I had planned to visit her that day, as I was having Christmas dinner with my mother at the nursing home on the 25th. I woke up sick on Christmas Day and couldn't follow through with either visit. My sister-in-law found my mother-in-law early on the 26th when home care workers were unable to reach her at her apartment by phone to do her care. We think she had a quick end, probably a stroke, and hope it was peaceful. I will miss her. My husband got a lot of his good qualities from his mom, and I could see echoes of him in her mannerisms, voice, and expressions. It felt like there was still part of him here whenever we visited her. I am glad to have our children and grandchildren, and nieces and nephews from his side of the family. Still, the family grows smaller and it is melancholy at times to think about it.

***

After my mother-in-law's death, we had one month to clear out her apartment. Most of the job fell on my sister-in-law and her son. As I mentioned, I was sick with a respiratory virus starting on Christmas Day, and my son fell sick five days later. We were unable to help until mid-January, but then were able to pitch in. My MIL had a two-bedroom apartment with huge closets and many pieces of furniture with more storage, and we found paperwork and keepsakes from her parents and two of her aunts, as well as from one of her deceased brothers, one of her deceased sons, and belongings of every kind and clothing from her and her husband. We were somewhat surprised by how much stuff was packed into every available corner and drawer, as MIL was a practical person and I thought she would have gone through things years ago. But I guess she had trouble parting with the memories, and as one with similar sensibilities, I get it. I know she was very lonely the last few years, being the last of her family and with only one son of three still living, and he being in a nursing home with MS and dementia. The bright spot is that we found photos we never knew existed, and many items that I associate with my in-laws from our visits through the years. This is my favourite, and I brought him home as no one else wanted him. He was handmade by someone in the family and occupied many a grandchild through the years. One of his ears stands up while one lays down and somehow I just love him.

That is all for today. Hope you are having a good week. Let me know what you are up to, as I haven't been visiting blogs much, and some of you do not have blogs anyway and the only way I know what's happening in your lives is in your comments here.