Well the good news is they put my husband in the rehab center this past Tuesday so he finally got out of that hospital bed he was in for 4 weeks! Now he is in a wheelchair and getting physical therapy everyday to hopefully get strong soon and come home to us! BUT now the bad news -- he has pneumonia! My son and I traveled there yesterday (1 hour) on the freeway, I was having total panic attacks while driving, had to get off the freeway 1/2 way there because I thought I was going to pass out, then it started raining and that was the icing on the cake for my stress level. My husband looked awful, I just wanted to cry but I held back. He just looked so weak and frail and I thought he was going to look so much better than he did in the hospital, but it is because of the pneumonia. My son asked me when his dad is coming home and I don't have an answer, now that there is this setback. Each day that goes by with him not here chips off a little piece of my sanity and my stress and anxiety levels are just at an all time high with no relief in sight. Thank goodness for Power Surge and you wonderful ladies who have become the sunshine in my cloudy days.

many hugs to you, 2sonsmom. this has been an incredibly hard time for you & your family, but so many are thinking about you & wishing you the best. i so hope that the pneumonia will respond quickly to treatment & that all of you can be together very soon.

xo,
ellen

Just wanted to say that I'm thinking about you and your family. Hope your DH responds to the meds soon and the pneumonia clears up. WIshing you are all home together soon and hugs to you and your son.

Sending more hugs and prayers your way - I hope your husband starts feeling and looking better soon. Take care of yourself and your son.
Hugs,
Di

Pneumonia is awful. My son had it at age 19 and it was very debilitating. He passed out while he was standing for an x-ray.

I'm sure your husband doesn't look well but try not to focus on that too much. With the right meds the pneumonia will clear up and he'll look much better quickly.

Thinking of you and your family,
Helen

(((((2sonsmom)))))
Loads of big hugs on the way to you! I'm so sorry your husband has caught pneumonia, but with antibiotics it should clear up soon. Of course he's looking ill and frail - he's having a rough time, but he'll soon be on the way to recovery! Actually he is already, otherwise they wouldn't have let him out of his hospital bed.
You and your family are in my prayers. Please look after yourself and take some time to relax and recharge batteries. You've been carrying a big load for a long time.
Ah, those awful panic attacks, they really get you down.
Have you got Claire Weekes' book "Self-help for your nerves" ? Loads of our meno-sisters recommended it to me and it made such a difference! It's very practical and helps you cope when the panic comes. Please do get it - I got it over Amazon if you don't find it in your local bookstore.
Have a good night's sleep, things will start looking better day by day and then this nightmare will be over!
God bless you with peace and strength,
Jonie

I am praying for your husband, you and your family. Please take care and let us all know how things are going. Sending you super BIG HUGS!
Jan

(((((((( 2sons ))))))))

You are so much stronger than you think.

I am sending ((((Healing Hugs)))) ~~ To you and to your husband.....with thoughts of your sons in my heart

Dottie

2sons:

I am so sorry for your husbands setback, but I think it is common to get pneumonia after a long stay in hospital, laying abed. I am sure he will be better with treatment. As hard as this as been for you...and Lord knows it has been....perhaps it will be a wakeup call for your husband and he will start taking better care of himself! I know how stubborn men can be regarding their health, but he is diabetic and should be keeping his weight down, exercising, eating healthy, etc. Perhaps this experience will help him to see the light?? And if it does...then there is a silver lining to all of this! I like to believe that everything happens for a reason.

As for you, my dear! Somehow you just need to de-stress. To relax and unwind. I am so worried about you....this non stop stress is not good for you. Are you taking some time for yourself? Because you really need to. I can't express that strongly enough. Somehow, someway, you have to take some timeout. Please please take care of YOU!!

You are in my thoughts!

2sonsmom, I was thinking about you this morning and was going to send you a message asking about your husband, as I hadn't seen you post anything new about him for awhile. I am glad he has been able to get into the rehab center, but I am so sorry to hear about the pneumonia! My goodness, you must be exhausted by now, having to deal with one thing after the other. I'm sure with the antibiotics he will get over this latest setback, too. Pneumonia takes a lot out of a person, and I'm sure he isn't feeling well, which is why he didn't look as good as you had hoped.

And like the other, I am concerned for you, too! I can relate to the panic attacks on the fwy.....I hate them! But you did the smart thing by gettin off. Is there an alternate non fwy route that maybe you could take, at least for part of the way? It may take longer, but if it is easier to deal with, I think that would be the way to go. I have done this many times myself. I always bring favorite CD's, cold water, and make myself take deep breaths when I start to feel anxious. And I stay in the right lanes as much as possible, to stay out of the way of the people who want to drive 80 MPH!

I know you want to see your husband, but I think with the distance and anxiety it causes, that maybe you should limit your visits to a few times a week and not try to go every day. You need to think of yourself, too, and you need to stay well to take care of your son. Like the others have said, please take some time to yourself. It is a necessity, not a luxury.

I would tell your son that his dad will be home as soon as he is over this pneumonia and when he is strong enough. Be honest and tell him that you don't know how long it will be, but you hope it will be soon.

Wish I could help you out. One day at a time, that's all you can do. Hugs and prayers coming your way! Gardenbear

Just want to add my thoughts and good wishes to the others' who have already so eloquently responded.

We all admire your devotion and strength and are here for you. Hang in.

Hugs,
Marcy

My prayers are with you...somehow I missed what was going on with you, but I'm going to look back over your old posts and try to catch up. Illness is so draining...I pray he recovers from the pneumonia soon and is back to his old self!

((((((((((((2sons))))))))))) forever in my prayers..............I'm here and I'd be more than happy to call you - you can pm me your phone number if you like.

Hugs again and again,
Karen

Hello 2Sonsmom,

I probably identify with your post as I am in a similar position. My husband is also in very frail health, and I have watched him suffer so much. With my husband the situation is severe, and multi factors. He also suffers with "depression".

I have been through the panic attacks, crying and feeling sorry for myself, as this is how I feel from time to time, it is difficult to face each day and their doesn't seem to be a break, good news seems to elude me.

I wish I had simple answers to tell you. I pray a lot, and I realize that I can't control the universe. I try to help him the best I can, for me, I must stay the course with all of this and learn to accept this part of life. I know things will eventually change, I keep hope alive as much as possible. I try not to let the children know how much I suffer (they are grown, luckly).

I have learned to take it easy upon myself, otherwise I would crack under this pressure. I stay positive when I talk with my husband, he can't bare to seem me "cry". He feels badly that I am having to shoulder all of this and work fulltime. He cannot work any longer and financially we are having a tough time. Life has thrown us some lemons lately.

It's difficult what you are going through, my heart goes out to you and I'm saying alittle prayer for you today, I hope you have peace and courage to hold you through this. Learn to just "love" him daily and help him the best you can, we can only do so much, the rest is not up to us.

Take care, Juliann