if you hang around long enough the skunk will stink
Have you ever noticed how the smell of skunk permeates the air and just seems to hang around forever? You can be driving along and smack – there it is right in your face, er, nose I should say. Twenty miles later you’re still smelling skunk.
Much of life is like that. You go along all hunky-dory and when you least expect it – smack – there it is – something slows you down or changes your plans – and if you hang around long enough the skunk will stink!
My skunk lately has been medical issues – since late October the skunk has been skulking around and won’t leave. I go from one appointment to the next and keep hoping that the stench will finally be gone, but here I am 20 plus miles later and still not through paying the piper.
And I mean paying very literally. Don’t even get me started on the high cost of insurance and medical bills. (on a side note, the hospital thinks they can write off some of my surgery bills – if I give them my life history and tell them all my assets and monthly expenditures – the paper work is a skunk too, but I guess worth it)
But back to metaphorically paying the piper. Last week I had a follow up with my Doctors’ office and that led to two more appointments this week on top of the follow-up I already had scheduled with my surgeon (which should get me released, thus finally getting rid of one skunk – no pun intended).
This week I see a cardiologist to see if he or she agrees that I need an ultrasound, carotid biopsy, and a change in medication. All because I have a heart murmur that I have lived with for 49 years, oh and the fact that I seem to always have high blood pressure at the doctors office. I could tell her why it’s always high – as long as she keeps sending me to see other doctors my blood pressure will be high – because I can’t stand the smell of the skunk any longer!
My other appointment this week is to consult with a sleep specialist to see if I need to be tested for sleep apnea which might explain why I am tired all the time and sometimes wake up in the middle of the night (sometimes you just gotta pee – hmmm… maybe my bladder is too small – dare I mention this to my doctor?).
If she would sleep in my bed for one night and hear the traffic on Grindstead she’d know why I can’t sleep. Of course I might have mentioned to her that occasionally when I wake up I feel like I am gasping for air (this seems to have gotten worse since I have been smelling the skunk – could they be related?)
Naturally ….all of this has to be done before my little colon procedure on the 5th of April because, to quote my doctor (actually PAC) “If I were your anesthesiologist I would want to know your results prior to putting you out” Never mind that I was just put out for surgery prior to having all these test and did just fine thank you very much.
So, the skunk really stinks right now. I had it all planned out – one thing at a time – surgery (check), colonoscopy, then deal with all the other stuff. My theory? If they find something wrong with my heart or decide that I have sleep apnea I’ll be a lot more nervous to have the colon procedure than if I didn’t know anything else was pending. I prefer to deal with one thing at a time if I have to face it at all. But due to the nature of skunks when they stir up a stink they really stink.
So, here I am, way too stressed and about to hyperventilate on the smell of skunk – you know how it is when you’re driving along and yawn at the wrong time?
Right now my favorite day is April 6 because that is the day after my colonoscopy, which should mean that all my other procedures are over with and God willing the smell of skunk will have finally cleared and I will be able to breathe again.
In the meantime I will put a clothes pin on my nose and look for the lessons to be learned and carry a sling-shot in case I see any more skunks lurking around the corner.
Then, God willing, I’m going to make plans to get out of Dodge for awhile, because if you hang around long enough the skunk will stink.
Skunkfully yours,
Teresa
P.S. Did I mention she thinks I should also see a dermatologist because I have a couple places on my legs – caused by a burn from oven cleaner on one of the few, and I stress few, times that I have ever cleaned an oven in my life…seems these things can change and cause problems with time and well, they should be checked out…………whatever………….maybe later.
P.P.S. I do value my health and take it seriously and trust God’s provision, but sometimes you just gotta clear the air of skunk!
