Wow, we missed a month!

After at least one trip to the hospital each and every month from December 2007 to December 2008, the pattern has finally been broken. We've missed a month! Hooray! No one in our family had to go to the hospital in January 2009, PTL. Praying for a healthier year with, hopefully, fewer (or maybe even no) hospital visits.

I've been very neglectful of my blog recently and have had several people inquiring about Jason's health. PTL, Jason has been working steadily since the middle of November. He has good days and bad days and is very blessed that since his return to work, they have had him training three new mechanics that have been hired to work in his area. IMHO, this has been a win-win situation for both sides. Jason is such a knowledgeable mechanic, that he is definitely missed when he is not working. The department has been overloaded for some time, so this will help keep the workload more manageable for everyone. While he is training the new crew, he has times when he can stand back and simply oversee their work, which is definitely easier on him from a physical standpoint. Of course, he is still doing mechanic work himself, but at least his new responsibilities have allowed him to make a slower transition back into the heavy manual labor. He is still in pain, but is learning to grit his teeth, so to speak, and bear it.

Jason did return to the hospital on Dec 29th for a few hours, because his pain was very bad. After doing another CT scan, we were informed that he was still inflamed and that there was really nothing they could do for him. Jason is allergic to anti-inflammatory medication, so other than rest/time, we knew that nothing would really help. At this point, he decided to just go back to work and deal with it, knowing that the only alternative is for him to get on disability. It is very likely that Jason could get on disability, but at this point it is his desire to continue working and we are both praying that God will allow him to do this for quite a while.

We've not had any luck whatsoever with getting Jason in to a pain management specialist. No one is willing to take him, probably because they know that, other than narcotics, nothing they can do will help. Unfortunate, but we have come to accept things for what they are until the Lord tells us differently.

I have found myself perplexed right now as to exactly what I should be doing each day. After our trying year, things have become chaotic, housewise, schoolwise, child training wise, etc. I feel compelled to get things back in order, but am overwhelmed with the task of where to begin. Also, we have made so many trips to the hospital that I feel that I have to be prepared at moment's notice to have our lives thrown into a new round of hospitalization (read: chaos).

In many ways, I would just like to take some down time and relax and enjoy some things with the children, but at the same time I don't feel that I have that luxury when Jason is still not doing very well. I am trying to find balance in all of this, but it is difficult because the Martha in me wants to get everything organized as quickly as possible. I am praying the Lord will help me prioritize my time and allow me to focus on the things He would have me to do with my time and energy.