Goodbye 2018

Hello grouch-a-holics,

I know, long time no type.   As the years go on this blog almost becomes an after thought but every now and then I come back with an update and some of the faithful have continued to read and I really do appreciate that.

I'm really looking forward to 2018 ending (which it will very very soon) even though I have had a lot of really great things happen this year.

I had the birth of my daughter, my second child, and that has absolutely changed my life.

My wife and I bought our new, built just for us, house and I love coming home to it every single day.

However, the year end has not been so kind.

Over the past few months I have had two separate procedures on my throat in order for me to eat like a normal human being.
Somewhere near the end of last year or the beginning of this year my throat began constricting more than it has ever in the past and it got so bad that I was unable to even swallow a Tylenol gel-cap.  Yeah, they are pretty damned tiny and I lacked the ability to swallow one.

Heck, because I type as I think, even before those two procedures I had to have dental work done because I had several root canal's fail (they had been done 10 years prior) and they were causing infection and lots and lots of pain, and in the long run cost me a good deal of money.    This, plus a few other medical bills, ended up leading us to being able to put less down on the house than we had anticipated.

So, after the Dental issues were finally solved it was time to take care of the swallowing problem.
2 procedures.   First I was referred to a specialist here in town who attempted to help but decided she wasn't good enough so had to refer me to a more expensive (I can only imagine) specialist out at U.C. Irvine.

Next comes surgery for my mother-in-law and right about that time my dad had some examinations that led them to sending him to a cardiologist who determined there was an issue.
They tried to go in through his veins into his heart to see if they could find a blood clot but instead found out that he needed Triple Bypass Surgery pronto.

The Triple Bypass happened the day after Xmas and since then I have been running my mother back and forth to the hospital to visit.  I'm mentally and physically exhausted but I know it is all worth it in the long run.
Oh yeah - then Yesterday the main water line burst right in front of the house and then my check engine light comes on and I find out I need to replace my engine mounts as everything is vibrating too much and has caused a couple of issues.

Yes, it all feels like Woe is Me but it honestly isn't.  This is just me detailing the tribulations of 2018.

The positives far out weigh the negatives.

My Baby Daughter alone out weighs all the negatives that have occurred.
The house, while it has a higher mortgage than we anticipated is amazing and feels like home.

The Dental work, while painful and expensive, has evidently been a long time coming because literally less than a week after it was completed 99% of my headaches stopped.
When I say that I mean my headaches were bad and often and I had been popping Tylenol like it was going out of style.  I'd get at least 5 headaches per week.  I was going through 200 count bottles of Tylenol monthly (easily, sometimes more) and when i couldn't swallow them any longer I was downing the liquid stuff, sometimes a bottle in a 2 or 3 day span (waiting for the liver issues to hit lol).
Since the dental work - I almost don't get headaches any more.  I've taken Tylenol maybe 3 or 4 times in the past few months instead of it being a daily candy to me.

After the second procedure on my throat I am now able to swallow better than I can remember.    The other day I actually had an entire meal without having to go through 2 or 3 sodas (I used to have to drink a ton just to keep my throat wet to help the food slide down because I had to force nearly every bite down).

My old man looks better after surgery than he has in a while, he has more color than he has had lately and pretty soon he'll be back to normal and maybe a bit better.

All the negatives have positive outcomes but I'm just ready to end the negatives and I'm ready to roll in 2019 with a better positive outlook on life and everything.


I hope if any of you have read this you all have a great 2019 and hope it is much better than your 2018.

Take care, don't drink too much and call an Uber when you do.

Tonight, my wife is coming home and bringing me Sushi and beer.   We will watch a movie or two, we will eat and drink and she will pass out far before 2018 ends.
I will then have to finish quietly because these are the sacrifices I sometimes make to have the amazing life I live!  :)  *smiley face emoji*