No, I cant yet stop, I need to keep going....

So P had cold feet at the last minute; the thought of having to pay for insurance through your own pocket; the thought of neither of us having a permanent job. I don't blame him. These are all scary thoughts. So I brushed aside all thoughts of quitting my job and taking a break and instead worked a couple of hours on Sunday to make sure I was on top of things before the work week hit.

Every time I feel like now I have reached the bottom, there is a new low past it. I have stopped counting the lows and hoping it is the last thing. I am giving in now. Going with the flow. Not in a good way, one can only withstand so much.

I had my periods for the first time after my D&C. Blood flowed like a bright red downpour along with huge clots for four long days and nights. Just when I was beginning to think if this was serious enough for a hospital visit, it slowed down and stopped. I rejoiced, but for a day, when my right ear, under the ear, right side of the tongue started aching; I went to the doctor; of course the youngest most inexperienced doctor was on duty on Saturday, he calmly told me that I was going to have Bell's palsy - temporary paralysis of the face in which your face supposedly droops down and stays like that for months. It is supposedly temporary which was supposed to cheer me up. Bell's palsy or you might just have sinus pressure - its like saying you could die or not! I drove home in shock and broke down. I told P how I felt hurt that he had stopped looking for permanent jobs now that he had found his contracting gig. That had killed the last of my hopes of ever being able to listen to my body and slow down.

Decongestants, warm compresses and more tears seemed to cure this "palsy". Again I picked myself up, brushed myself off, told myself this was the last bad thing, now it will be all better. Got a new dentist who told me I had been nursing a root canal for long and admired my high threshold for pain. When your entire body is in different levels of pain and discomfort, you really do not pin point the exact locations of pain. I went to my swimming class and came home and took a shower and then realized my right pinkie was involuntarily trailing towards the other fingers.

From the past couple of weeks, I have felt that my right hand is growing weaker, when I am driving, I brush aside thoughts of whether I will lose strength altogether in my arm and have to stop. In the shower that night, I eerily realized how my fingers hurt, my palm aches, my arm hurts. Its like you stop and focus and those parts of your body start lighting up - singing in unison - I hurt, I ache, I am broken.

I am done. P feels awful that he is not able to give me the one thing that I badly need right now, a break. My parents cannot handle any more of my non stop saga, they have their own health issues, they cannot bear their child being ill. BFF #1 has always been able to compartmentalize people/situations/emotions - that's what makes her an excellent physician - she has stopped being in touch. BFF # 2 has no more energy and patience to provide virtual support. These are all people who have walked alongside me for 30+ years; they have let go now and are fading. My birth mother has finally given me what she thought I need - space; she didn't even call me when she was leaving from the US to go back to India. My birth father - what to expect from a man who never was there, is of course not around. My husband has his own demons to fight and feeds off my despair and is hundred times more distressed when I am down.

My grandma used to say this many many many many times during my childhood. You have no one. Except God and your birth mother. I never believed my birth mother who needed support and coddling all her adult life from her own mother could ever be there for me. So I used to tell myself God will stand by me.

I need to know that you are by me. I am ready for that miracle, please send it my way. I have had enough. I cant go on and I cant stop. 

Closing a chapter slowly

Sudden onset of breathing being stopped - in reaction to what, I still do not know - Check
Urgent care visits, painful shot, steroids - Check
Six seven months of feeling like crap, seeing the allergist every couple of weeks and getting prescribed stronger and stronger medicines - Check
New physician completely negligent in review of pulmonary tests - Check
Taking two asthma prescriptions + one rescue inhaler everyday - Check
BFF 1 suddenly dropped out of my life - Check (Yes, she had her own personal shit to take care of!)
Laying in bed evening after evening overcome with guilt at the sound of life going on downstairs - my girls eating dinner, chitchatting about their days, pretending to be asleep when they tiptoed upstairs, crying myself to sleep - Check
Deciding to quit job after obtaining bonus - Check
Mother in law hurting with words at every chance she got - Check
Little S peeing blood and painful UTI because no one paid attention to her when she watched TV all day long during summer when I was away at work - Check
Realizing I have been misdiagnosed with asthma - Check
Realizing I had undetected UTI and upper respiratory infection - Check
P losing his job - Check
Decision to quit job cancelled because in this country you need insurance - Check
Promotion new job begins - Check
Keeping up with stressful job and even more stressful boss - Check
Outpouring of advice, suggestions, stupid suggestions (you should pack a fruit everyday), moronic suggestions, preaching, "How you are an idiot whose life is falling apart and how we can impart wisdom to you because we know so much better" - Check
Putting on 20+ pounds with unnecessary medicines - Check
Getting a D&C done - Check
Doctor forgetting bandages inside me after D&C - Check
Frantic visit to ER to check for signs of infection after bandages left in - Check
ER nurse spilling an entire vial of blood on the floor - Check
P's awful job search with no luck - Check
Baba being diagnosed with Parkinson's - Check
Seeing Mom scared and worried and dejected for the first time ever - Check
Being alternately angry and missing my best friends - Check
Helpless - Check
Overwhelmed - Check

Screw this chain of events and lets reverse time and let me start with quitting my job - Check

I will hand in my resignation next week. Even at the thought of it, I feel like an elephant has finally gotten off of me. Like a thirsty person lost in a desert would guzzle in large tanks of water, I feel that I will soak in the rest and freedom for days.

R is worried if Mommy and Daddy both dont work, does she have to - poor kids burdened by big people issues - Check

But here's hoping that everything from here on are positive things to be checked off. Here's to hoping that the rest of this year will be one filled with peace, restfulness, good health and happiness. Please keep me in your prayers and send me good vibes!! Thanks!!

To my mother in law

I hate what you have turned me into.

I was always known for my compassion, my loving kind nature, my ability to nurture and grow strong relationships, my forgiveness and my empathy, my opening the doors of my house and my heart to whoever wanted to come in. I was known to be a good daughter, friend, wife, mother, colleague, employee.

I hate what you have turned me into.

I am now the evil daughter in law who will not let her poor old in laws move in with their son and his family. Every side has a story and I am too tired to tell mine. So I will accept your blame and will be your daughter and son’s excuse to avoid confrontation and to avoid taking responsibility. I will be burdened by your sad vibes, burdened by the paap of not fulfilling old parent’s golden year wishes.

But its either that or my sanity, and for the sake of my husband and my children, I too will be selfish just like you and work on feeling better and get stronger. And then hopefully one day I will be ready to let you back in, ready to let you knock me down again, just this time, I wont fall down but will walk away unscathed and happy.