Back to work tomorrow!

[Jvstin]

well, I officially get to go back to work tomorrow night since being discharged the 13th of November. only allowed to do 2 days this week, the 3 the next, then back to full time officially.
been sitting around the house so much I can't wait.
plus we're getting on the "poor" side, so I gotta get some cheese coming in.
what sucks is since we lost so much money with me not being allowed to work for almost 2 months is that my girlfriend and I had to agree not to buy each other anything for Christmas. we got our tree up and we're gonna wrap empty boxes to give it that holiday feel, but other than the card I get form my mother, that will be it for me. plus the 26th of this month, she leaves for WI to see her family until the 3rd of Jan. what a great Christmas for me.
I'm not meaning to whine, it just sorta hit me and made me sad.

 

[crohnsmom]

holiday time

Justin,
Know how you feel with the concerns about being short on money at the holiday time. My husband and I have found out how precarious a middle class lifestyle can be-just when you think you are finally getting a bit ahead of the game, wham-a year of medical bills can almost wipe you out-even with good insurance!
In preparation for tax season I decided to pull the medical bills and totals for this year-my son was diagnosed with Crohn's in January 07-had 2 hospitalizations, numerous procedures and a resection in May. The toals with meds, etc are well over $100,000.00 with insurance paying about $70,000. Add to that the $12,000.00 or so in plane fares and hotel bills (he is 1400 miles away at college and we made 7 trips up so far this past year), and I am totally sympathetic about being down about the lack of cash for presents, etc. We have gone through it all-savings, credit cards, etc., and are happy we were able to do so. So what if it will be years before we dig out.
I can tell you one thing I have learned however-no amount of money or financial security is worth not having good health! My entire philosophy and take on life has changed-now all I wish for is for my son to feel as well as possible and be able to get on with as normal a life as possible. No matter how well we plan for the future life has a way of sidetracking even your best efforts!
I am happy that you will be able to return to work, and that you have the support of your girlfriend. Material things come and go, but anyone with Crohns or a family member with Crohns starts to learn what really matters.
Wishing you and everyone else out there the best of health and and happiness this holiday season!
Ramona

 

[Kev]

Many years ago, I was facing the worst of all possible Christmas's. The company I had worked at for nearly 9 years had suddenly closed their doors, and relocated to Asia. The company my wife worked for went bankrupt. By December, with just no money rolling in, and no new jobs to be had (we lived in a high unemployment area) we'd lost our home, had our car repo'ed, and were living in an unfinished basement of a family member. To top if off, we had to sell a lot of our prized possessions, mostly thru yard sales, whatever, just to make ends meet. At the worst point, we even had to sell our Xmas decorations
So, that Christmas, the only presents under our 'loaner' tree dressed in some 'borrowed' decorations were a modest gift for each of the boys. As for each other, we placed promisory (sp?) notes, entitling the bearer to a special treat.
Like a romantic evening of soft lights, music, candles, and a total body massage. Or a breakfast in bed of Eggs Benedict and an 'unread' Sunday news
That period of my life taught me some important lessons. Material things are OK but in the overall scheme of things, they really don't matter a hill of beans. and no matter how bad things appear, you can, if you really look, find good things in the darkness that will help push back the shadow of the darkest of times.

 

[Jvstin]

thanks guys, I really needed to hear (read) this. I am very happy that although it cost a lot, I do have my health better now and a girlfriend that supports me. and she pushes back the shadow, always.
you guys are the bestest.
*high fives*

 

[D Bergy]

Anyone can stay together during the good times, but the hard times test the commitment of the relationship. You learn more about each other during the stressful stuff.

I have never been hungry broke, but have never had much disposable income either. That is changing now, as my kids get along without us. Everyone in my family has never had more than a lower middle class income, so I never really knew anything different.

Christmas without gifts can be a great time to actually celebrate Christmas in a more meaningful way. I do not care for Christmas because of the burden it puts on people who really can't afford it. I can now, but I still remember the feeling of not having the money for gifts. I end up feeling sorry for younger couples who I know are having trouble buying stuff for people that do not really need anything in the first place. I have a big beef with the way Christmas is celebrated, for this reason.

I like Thanksgiving better because it is just a great time to get together without the commercialism.

Kev is a gift expert in my mind, he will not steer you wrong.

It is good you can get back to work. It drives me nuts after awhile if I can't work.

Dan Bergman

 

[katiesue1506]

You aren't the only one not buying Christmas presents this year... my boyfriend and I decided not to get each other presents a second year in a row. I don't mind it at all... but I mean as he's a grad student and I'm undergrad both at Purdue... we are trying to stay focused on school and such... I have a little job on the side at a cafe, but its just enough to buy gas... plus we aren't ones much for decorating for the holidays... just saves money that way

 

[Jvstin]

my only problem is with everything we've went thru this year with me and my guts (this all started back in spring time) is that she deserves a great Christmas, she deserves so much and I can't do anything yet. when income tax comes though, I'm gonna spoil her hard.. so hard it may hurt.

 

[JTKrol]

Good luck going back to work. I know (and most everyone here knows) how hard Crohn's can be on your body, causing you to miss work (not to mention fun things). I've been having a really hard time with Crohn's and my school work lately. I think it's a positive feedback cycle though. When school stresses me out, Crohn's kicks in which causes me to miss school and not finish my school work on time. This (used to) cause me lots of stress which made my Crohn's worse.

Moral of the story? Try not to stress out so much. Yoga and bike riding are two things that really seem to help. Plus, you can even do the yoga when you are feeling really yucky.

 

[Sojourn]

Congratulations on going back to work. That's good they allow you to do a few days at a time before full-time. A lot of people don't have that option.

I'm not really looking forward to Christmas this year. I don't have many people to get presents for, but I enjoy it more for the food and getting to spend time with family, both of which I won't be able to do much of. I'll most likely be working on Xmas eve, and day, and won't even know what day(s) I'll have off until the day before which makes it impossible to plan anything. And, of course, won't be able to enjoy any big meals.

But, through my job, I'll be helping a lot of people get home to be with their families.

 

[KCMike]

I got a dose of reality last night. I work for a small publishing company(15 employees + 3 owners) and we volunteered to help out at the Johnson County Christmas Bureau. It is a local charity for needy families that sets up a "store" in a vacant building every year around the holidays. The families that are in need fill out an application listing the names, sex and age of each. Then they will make an appointment to come out and "shop".

This year they have enough donations for 10,000 families(approx. 30,000 people). The size of each family determines how many items they can put in their cart. Our job was to help take one member from each family shopping around the store. So basically a family of 4 would get about $100 worth of food and about the same for clothes plus a gift item for each child or teen and for each adult. They would also get personal items(toiletries, soap, shampoo...etc.). I was able to shop with 5 families during my shift. It was so crowded. It really put things in perspective for me.

As I finished my shift last night, one of the members of the charity thanked me for volunteering my time. I said "Thank you". It was an awesome feeling. We also have 2 more charities we will be helping in the next couple of weeks. I know a lot of us here in this forum are financially strapped, but if you can find a few hours to help others by volunteering your time you will bring a smile to a lot of faces. It doesn't cost anything either.

 

[JTKrol]

But, through my job, I'll be helping a lot of people get home to be with their families.

What do you do?

 

[Sojourn]

...if you can find a few hours to help others by volunteering your time you will bring a smile to a lot of faces. It doesn't cost anything either.

You're right about that. I have a friend who is holding a dinner at the Salvation Army here and hope to have the time to help out with that.

What do you do?

I drive a passenger bus. I was driving trucks before my surgeries.

If you're a college student, stick with it. It doesn't guarantee you a nice paycheck, or life, but helps out in the long run in many respects. I completed two years coming out of high school but didn't finish. While I was a truck driver, I was also taking online courses to finish, but my recent hospitalizations has temporarily put an end to that.

 

[mikeyarmo]

While I am saddened to read you can not have the Christmas you want Jvstin, I am glad you are taking it in stride. While I have never really cared for materialistic things too much, I understand the pleasure that comes from being able to give and receive gifts with loved ones. What I have found though is that no matter how creative, well planned or expensive a gift I have given has ever been, nothing has meant more to those I am closest with than me being healthy after having some intestine removed a few years ago. Health is the greatest gift we have, and I think everyone deep down knows this.

For those who are not in the best of health now, I want to remind you that many of us have been where you are now or in even worse condition and we are doing much better now. I remember spending new years eve entering 2006 thinking how the new year provided me a new opportunity to live a better life with my disease. While that did not turn out to be true for the first part of the year, the year did end with the best my best health in over 4 years, which currently has me living a healthier lifestyle currently than I had ever done before.

So for all of you who are not able to enjoy life now as much as you may have wanted, remember that tomorrow is another day and that things can change a lot in one year. At least I know they did for me.

 

[drew_wymore]

I'm sorry to hear that your christmas is not going to be what you want it to be Jvstin but it is good to see that you've got a positive outlook and a supportive girlfriend. I've been off work for parts of almost 6 months now and I'm officially on short term disability now ... fighting with insurance companies to get paid sucks. If it weren't for the kindness of family pulling together for me I'd be getting evicted this month. I'm pulling together enough cash to get a few gifts for my daughter and thats it and my family understands and is being incredibly supportive.

I echo the sentiments of others who have mentioned that while we might not be able to give the type of christmas to others that we want, we do have our health even if its not the best of health and that we're all on the road to better health as Mike mentioned and we can spoil the crap out of those who are supporting us now when we get back on our feet.