Oh the life of a business owner! Who can relate? Never
ending to-do list between family, business, and friends.
But I love it! I wouldn’t do it otherwise. Right now though,
I have been getting overwhelmed. I even took a couple weeks off to just read
and relax. Not that that actually happened though! The last few weeks I’ve
tried to get a little ‘me’ time each day, but I’ve still been busy.
So I guess those who follow this sporadic blog (hoping to
get better about that too!) know I’ve been helping to care for my husband’s
grandma who has dementia. I’ve recently started being at her house longer hours
on my days I’m there, and more days as well, as this horrid disease progresses.
Then my mother-in-law had been having some shoulder pain and
trying to get an MRI done. Long story short, after about 4 months complaining
of pain she finally gets a referral to get it done, and her doc says there isn’t
anything wrong, she just needs to do some physical therapy.
Fast forward 3 months later, the PT isn’t helping, only
making the pain worse. Her doc finally gives in and refers her to a surgeon
specializing in shoulders and sends the MRI to him. He calls, says she actually
has a torn rotator cuff (keep in mind this was shown from the MRI taken 3 month’s
prior!) and that he wants a new MRI and an x-ray done to have current
information and sets her a referral for surgery appointment.
Two weeks later I drive her to the city (Oklahoma City) to
her appointment. She goes back, comes out about a half hour later all upset and
says ‘I don’t want to talk about it, let’s just go.’ Halfway home she finally
tells me the original MRI showed a torn rotator cuff but her doc either misread
it or ignored it thinking PT would correct the issue and didn’t tell her, but
if she had been referred to the surgeon then he could have fixed it.
Now, because of all the PT she went through and being told
to just go ahead and use her shoulder for the last 3 months and 2 weeks, the
rotator cuff is no longer torn, it’s shredded and can’t be surgically repaired,
there are 3 bone fragments floating around, and several small tears in tendon
and muscle. He gave her a cortisone shot and set a surgery date of Oct 9, the
earliest he had. This was all end of May/first of June timeframe.
Then, a month ago, she tripped and fell on her good shoulder
and had some horrible bruising and a huge lump near her bicep. Doc sent her to
get an MRI right away, no tears just a blood pocket and it will heal on its
own, just be careful using it.
Now the bruise is gone but her good shoulder has been
steadily hurting more. So her doc sent her back to get an MRI on the good
shoulder 3 days ago. She emailed me last night that the MRI shows that shoulder
has a torn rotator cuff. So now I’m taking her for a surgeon appointment for
that shoulder a week from Monday, where we’ll find out the new timeline for the
originally bad shoulder that requires a total reverse joint replacement and for
the repair for this shoulder.
It’s insane! Since I’m the only daughter-in-law (she only
has my husband for living children), I’m going to be helping her as much as I
can (and as she’ll let me) with her general housework, errands, an anything
else she will let me do.
Plus my business is (thankfully!) growing, so I have more to
do with it. Add all that to my helping to care for my husband’s grandma and I’m
really busy.
So after a lot of time and thinking and trying to figure out
a way around it, I opted to step down as chair of our guild’s upcoming quilt
show (in June, before the second shoulder injury, and knowing what all I had
coming up with just the original shoulder issues). I hadn’t even been able to
attend a guild meeting since January and haven’t had nearly the time to devote
to organizing it that it needed and deserved to do a thorough job like I had
the show previously, so I made the responsible decision to step down.
Lo and behold, you’d have thought I’d tried to murder
someone or something with the way the majority of the guild reacted! Especially
my co-chair who knew how crazy it’s been! It really showed me who my true
friends in the guild are, because they are the only ones who not only stayed
and supported me and the decision I had to make, but they defended me to the
others as well, and I will forever be thankful for them.
So, now with this second shoulder injury, I’m not sure where
all my crazy life will lead. I know I have one more show this year-in 3
weeks!-that I have to finish cutting and packaging fabric for, then I am
supposed to teach a weekend retreat Portrait Quilt workshop in Guthrie the weekend
after, but right now no one has signed up to take the class, which really
saddens me.
I’ve already begun working on contracts and paying fees for
shows and retreats to attend next year and take my shop. My goal is to have one
show each month and one class/workshop each month, February thru October next
year. So far I have a show each month except for March (retreat), June, August,
and October (retreat) but no classes scheduled thus far for next year. My plan
is to type up an announcement letter regarding my workshops and send them to
guilds and quilt shops and see if I get any bites. If anyone is interested in a
workshop or having me at their show, please go to my website at www.aquilterseasel.com and fill out the
‘Contact us’ form!
My next post should be in a week from Sunday on September 9,
if I can bring myself to write it. I want to honor my best friend on her
birthday.
Until next time friends.
