Not A Good Start

The kids on Christmas Eve.

This morning Cain came in my room at 4 o’clock to tell me that one of the local hospitals called to say that my mom was in the ER and that she needed a way home. Might want to get you some popcorn for this story because I’m about to rant.

Mom was sick on Christmas Eve. We all thought she had an earache (I’m going to try to make this story a short one). We only stayed a minute, just to give her her presents, talk for a second and leave. On Christmas Day she had my brother take her to the ER because her head was hurting so bad. They gave her a prescription and sent her home. I didn’t know any of this until this morning. Apparently last night she called an ambulance to come and get her because her head was still hurting and she had them take her to another hospital because “Hospital 1 doesn’t know what they’re doing!”

Cain gets the call, he comes in and wakes me up. Brooke is sleeping in Cain’s room since her room is now the attic (sort of) and she said that when Cain picked up the phone he said hello and then listened and then said, “What did she do now?” meaning that he thought Mom had pulled something stupid again. How sad is it that — that the first thing that came to his mind was that she had tried to kill herself for the third time? He comes in and wakes me up and tells me that Mom is in the ER and is ready to come home. I got out of bed and called the hospital and asked the nurse who called us if my mother had not tried to call my brother because he lives with our mom–I live a couple of cities and two mountains over from them, about 40 miles away. The nurse didn’t know and had Mom call me back.

I listen to her story of how her head was splitting open, etc. and I asked where my brother was and she told me that he was home with the baby (the “baby” being my six-year old nephew) and she didn’t want him to have to drag my nephew out of bed. I understood that, that was fine. I wouldn’t have wanted him to get out of bed either. I got ready, Brooke got ready, and we drive to Chattanooga and get my mom from the ER. Her nurse handed me a handful of prescriptions and then my mom asked him if they could give her something that would knock her out so she could just sleep when she got home. He goes and checks her charts and comes back in and says, “I can’t give you anything else. You just had two Percocet (sp?) less than an hour ago and you can’t have anything else right now.” He goes back out to get her a wheelchair and I’m looking at her papers. Know what was wrong with her? She had a sinus infection. She called an ambulance for a sinus infection. By this time I’m fuming but I play the dutiful daughter and hold it all in. I load her in the car and she pretty much passed out. I drove her to her home on the mountain and then she asks if I will get her prescriptions filled for her –including the one that she got from the hospital the night before.

That’s when it hit me. I didn’t realize what she was up to, and why, I don’t know, but she wanted ME to bring her home, not because she didn’t want my brother to get my nephew up, but because she wanted ME to pay for her prescriptions. And she didn’t want all of them–just the pain pills. Now, she was sick, and I’m not saying that she wasn’t, but she had a SINUS INFECTION. I told her that I’d get her whatever I could afford knowing all along that I wasn’t getting all of her pain pill prescriptions (three of them plus two other kinds of meds) filled. My brother hasn’t worked in forever, my mom doesn’t work, so I was the person she’d call on to pay for them, and it just didn’t hit me.

I left her house and drove back off the mountain with Brooke. We ate while we waited for the pharmacy to open. While we were eating my brother called and said that mom wanted to know if she had just dreamed that I was there and if not, was I going to get her pain pills. I was SO mad. We went to the pharmacy and I asked the pharmacist to tell me what each medicine was for. The original prescription from the hospital that “didn’t know anything” was a muscle relaxer. Why would she need a muscle relaxer for a sinus infection? The others were for another pain med, a nasal spray, an antibiotic, and something to make her upset stomach settle. The antibiotic was over $100. The nasal spray was over $100. There was no way I could afford those. I asked the pharmacist which prescriptions of the cheaper ones she REALLY needed. The pharm. told me and I got those, and I gave her some Dayquil and Tylenol Sinus. I drove them back to the mountain, gave them to her and left.

Before you think I’m a horrible daughter (for those of you who don’t know), my mother has been addicted to over-the-counter or prescription drugs for years. I thought (ONCE AGAIN!) that she was doing better. I really think she was doing better because she had no access to any meds and no money to get them even if she did have access to them. I think that she realized she could get some medicine if she went to the hospital and so that’s what she did. I’m sure she’s mad at me for not getting the muscle relaxer and all that, but it’s just too bad. I’m SO over all this. I really am. I love her very much–I mean she IS my mother, but right now, I just want her to leave me alone. She’s pulled stunts like this before and I just wasn’t thinking I don’t reckon.

Another thing that makes me mad about it is that I don’t have a real job. I work sporadically for my hubby when he needs things done and I work for Kandi when she needs help with weddings and whatnot. I don’t have a regular paycheck. I guess she thinks that since my husband’s business is doing so well that I can do whatever for her. I don’t think that’s right. My husband didn’t take her to raise, you know? Luckily I had just received a check in the mail for $40 for a photograph that I sold and that’s what I used to get her medicine.

I’m sure I’m going to regret blogging about this, but it’s so cathartic for me. Otherwise I feel like I might explode. Oh, and I also missed going to my neighbor’s funeral because I was doing all this stuff for her. That made me very sad. :(

The rest of the day went really well. Brooke and I came home and Brooke took a nap while I washed clothes and straightened the house. The kids got computers for Christmas (I got a Mac!) and I helped them get those set up today. I took my shower and got Brooke up to get ready. When Marshall got home we headed to my Dad’s house for our Christmas celebration. Here’s a photo of Cain, my Daddy, my 91-year old grandfather (with his new Canon 30D), and Brooke:

We had a really nice supper that my stepmother prepared and then opened gifts. I got a beautiful ceramic bird feeder, Marshall got some gloves, the kids got gift certificates, and I also got some ornaments that we bought when my brother and I were very little. I love them.

We also had a great time at Marshall’s parents the other night. Here’s a picture of some of the kids surrounding Marshall’s mother:

I cut one of the kids out (didn’t mean to) and didn’t notice that another one was blinking. :( I can’t believe I did that. I’m supposed to be a photographer after all.

Well, my hubby just got in bed less than three minutes ago and he’s already snoring. How does he DO that?! I wish I knew, that would be so wonderful.

Have a good night.