Friday, March 13, 2026

Five for Friday #39: We're Falling Apart Over Here

1) Update to my husband's rhabdo situation: You guys, it's not good.  His CK levels were high after he helped me carry in groceries! They can't figure it out and it's very frustrating. I started to write about it, but I just want everyone to know that an otherwise healthy man in his 40s who cannot carry a 24-pack of fizzy water without causing literal muscle breakdown is NOT COOL. 

2) Now he has a man cold, too. He is not a good patient. I love him dearly, but if he doesn't figure out a way to deal with his congestion in a manner that is not snapping at me whenever I so much as breathe, I might have to murder him. 

3) In Birchie's most recent post, she wrote, "I'm taking a beat to think about my fitness life.  It feels like it is a constant cycle of hard work and exhaustion with no clear end game." I wrote a small novel in her comment section about how I am exhausted/tired ALL THE DAMN TIME. Like...this has been my entire adult life. I graduated from college and became exhausted. 

I wake up thinking about how I can take a nap or get to bed early. I nearly fall asleep in every yoga class. I daydream about my bed. By Friday evenings, I am literally agape at people going to the bars downtown as I'm walking the dog. Who has energy for that after working all week? 

And here I am learning that it's not like this for everybody?! 

4) On the bright side, my pap smear results came back fine so everyone I can quit worrying about having to go through torture again. (And then get charged $700. America, fuck yeah.)

5) On even brighter side, my nephew is not happy with his already good ACT score. He asked me to help him improve it! Yay! I was in test prep for twenty years and I'm very good at standardized tests (*brag* I was a National Merit Scholar and got a fellowship for grad school based on my GRE scores *not so brag* this has not meant actual success in grad school or life), and I've been waiting EIGHTEEN YEARS for one of my niblings to ask me to help. 

I ordered books, set up a Webex meeting, and we had a grand old time discussing parts of speech and comma usage on the ACT. By the end of the meeting I had him saying things like "the ACT doesn't like commas, so I bet the answer is F" and "well, you can't separate two complete ideas with a comma." I AM WINNING AT AUNTING. 

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Anyone else having a spouse who isn't a good patient? How do you prevent yourself from committing a crime? 

Anyone else chronically just want to go back to bed? 

4 comments:

  1. mbmom113/13/2026

    Tired us a perpetual state, but anxiety means few naps. I wasn't always tired until a few years ago, when my daughter had a regressive health situation where I had to be on alert for middle of the night disasters. Now I just hope for 6 hours at night and wind up staring st the wall a little in the day.
    Maybe check for sleep apnea?

    So glad you can use your test taking skills for good! And why does the ACT hate commas? I noticed that when looking over my son's practice tests. The kids usually don't let me help them with test taking. However, given I like the Oxford comma, semi-colons, and two spaces after a period, perhaps it's for the best.

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  2. SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR A PAP TEST. WHAT IS HAPPENING.
    My spouse is not a great patient, and I am not a great nurse. But then I'm probably not a great patient either. Anyway, I am so sorry that your husband is going through this. And that you are going through this. What a weird thing this rhabdo is. I hope they can figure this out and soon. Also, omg man colds.
    I'm sure you've checked all the usual things like thyroid and iron levels, on the subject of tiredness. I might also add that the amount of stress you've been through in recent years can add to the exhaustion. Stress does tire out the body and mind. I know you say it's been your whole adult life, but maybe that is also a factor? I don't know. I do know that I used to be able to go out after dinner and now I absolutely do not want to, I want to put on my jammies and read a book.
    Anyway, I'm sorry you're tired and I'm sorry that your husband's health has been a concern. But yay about your nephew (I don't know what ACT tests are and I don't know what a National Merit Scholar is but it sounds impressive so I am just going to be over here beaming at you with pride)

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  3. Engie, two resounding YESSES. First of all- men are babies. When my husband has a cold, he acts like he's dying. Yes- we know colds are uncomfortable. No one likes them. We all have to deal with them once in a while. STOP WHINING. Having said that- I feel really bad for your husband about the rhabdo. That's frustrating and concerning. I hope the doctors can figure out what's going on.
    And, tired. Yes I am. I do wake up thinking about when I can take a nap. If I somehow don't get an afternoon nap in, I might fall asleep while I'm sitting on the couch right after dinner. You could argue that I stay up too late reading sometimes (ahem, last night) but even when I get seven or eight hours of sleep, I don't feel any different.
    Yes, you are winning at aunting!!! Good you can put your skills to use.

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  4. For the first time, I am wondering if men feel colds etc more than women. OTOH, I don’t think I carry on like that, so I don’t know. Your guy has it tough for sure.

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