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Actually, it occurs to me that most people don't know why I call DH "Irish". We met at a Renaissance Faire (introduced by a mutual friend, actually) and he was always know in faire circles as The Irishman or Irish. I figured it's as good a nickname as any when I write about him here.
Anyway, he's been doing fine since he got home from the hospital. Sleeps a lot during the day, partly because (at first) he was just worn out and had no energy, but also because he never has slept well at night, not since he was in the Marines (30+ years ago), and his sleep cycle seems to be completely out of whack now.
He can't go to work till he sees the cardiologist, which isn't until November 23. He had a seasonal job lined up but I'm not sure they'll hold it that long. They've been nice, but.... Actually, his primary care doctor at the VA changed while he was in the hospital, so the new one gave Irish a complete physical, with x-rays, when he went to the clinic for his after-hospital check. The doctor commented that Irish's arthritis (back and hips) is so back he doesn't know how he keeps walking. Apparently at some point, a disk actually ruptured then fused itself to another disk. I don't think Irish will ever work a regular job again. He's very smart and very well-read in many areas but he has no college degrees or any kind of certifications or special training (except as a cook - a cook, not a chef - which is too physically demanding for someone with back problems), minimal computer skills, so any kind of office job is out of the question. He looks like he should be able to be a workhorse, so people expect him to be, but really, he can't. I think he's going to start the social security disability application process, which is long and tedious. (I hear over and over again that they routinely turn down everyone the first time - then it's an appeals process which can take quite some time, then it takes six months after approval before they'll begin paying.) Actually, he should've started it last week but hasn't yet. We need to either book time at the library for him to do it on line, or else I need to do it myself. (Or, hmm, he could take the car and get an actual physical application - do it the old fashioned way!)
So mostly he's doing pretty well; we'll know more in a couple weeks. The no working is hard on him because he's not bringing in any money at all (faire season is over). It's hard on me, because I have to stretch my salary to cover everything. Thank God (and I'm not being flippant, I really do thank God) that I can do it. We don't go without - we've never gone without what we need, only without things we wanted, even at our poorest - so I try to keep the complaining to a minimum. So I want a bigger apartment that costs less (yes, in our neighborhood they really exist - paying by the week is not cheap, it's just convenient). At least I have a roof over my head. I saw plenty of people on the bus every day that didn't. Still, sometimes it does make me feel a little whiney. *sigh* Why can't we just be content!?
I'd much rather have Irish and have to pinch pennies than be a billionaire without him.
Anyway, he's been doing fine since he got home from the hospital. Sleeps a lot during the day, partly because (at first) he was just worn out and had no energy, but also because he never has slept well at night, not since he was in the Marines (30+ years ago), and his sleep cycle seems to be completely out of whack now.
He can't go to work till he sees the cardiologist, which isn't until November 23. He had a seasonal job lined up but I'm not sure they'll hold it that long. They've been nice, but.... Actually, his primary care doctor at the VA changed while he was in the hospital, so the new one gave Irish a complete physical, with x-rays, when he went to the clinic for his after-hospital check. The doctor commented that Irish's arthritis (back and hips) is so back he doesn't know how he keeps walking. Apparently at some point, a disk actually ruptured then fused itself to another disk. I don't think Irish will ever work a regular job again. He's very smart and very well-read in many areas but he has no college degrees or any kind of certifications or special training (except as a cook - a cook, not a chef - which is too physically demanding for someone with back problems), minimal computer skills, so any kind of office job is out of the question. He looks like he should be able to be a workhorse, so people expect him to be, but really, he can't. I think he's going to start the social security disability application process, which is long and tedious. (I hear over and over again that they routinely turn down everyone the first time - then it's an appeals process which can take quite some time, then it takes six months after approval before they'll begin paying.) Actually, he should've started it last week but hasn't yet. We need to either book time at the library for him to do it on line, or else I need to do it myself. (Or, hmm, he could take the car and get an actual physical application - do it the old fashioned way!)
So mostly he's doing pretty well; we'll know more in a couple weeks. The no working is hard on him because he's not bringing in any money at all (faire season is over). It's hard on me, because I have to stretch my salary to cover everything. Thank God (and I'm not being flippant, I really do thank God) that I can do it. We don't go without - we've never gone without what we need, only without things we wanted, even at our poorest - so I try to keep the complaining to a minimum. So I want a bigger apartment that costs less (yes, in our neighborhood they really exist - paying by the week is not cheap, it's just convenient). At least I have a roof over my head. I saw plenty of people on the bus every day that didn't. Still, sometimes it does make me feel a little whiney. *sigh* Why can't we just be content!?
I'd much rather have Irish and have to pinch pennies than be a billionaire without him.