Holiday Feelings: Are They Merry or Stressful?

@suerc I agree with Merry, no contractor should be doing this. He needs to be responsible to clean up his mess and right away, and you should not be trying to sleep in a room covered in construction dust. The dust might also have collected in the air ducts in your home which would then need cleaning. That is just bad for your health, and recovering from an injury is hard enough without a problem like this. This job should have been completed in a few weeks, not months, and he should have done his cutting outside of your home. If your contractor doesn't clean up his mess, you'll end up hiring someone for that too. Will your husband help clean up this mess? Is there a local church you can reach out to for help? Church groups sometimes do home repair projects for people in need and that might be a source of help. You could call a pastor or church leader and talk to them. If you reach out to a church, perhaps your husband would also get onboard. Are there neighbors who might help with the snow until the garage is usable again? Sometimes asking for help is the last thing we want to do, but it's OK. It seems much easier to want to help someone else in a situation like this than when it is our situation. If you need help beyond this, you might ask your doctor to recommend what you need. if no one is listening, that might support your cause, Try not to put extra pressure on yourself. Put your needs first as you are in recovery. I had a recovery from spine surgery and a month after that surgery I was at my mom's house for Christmas and I had to ask people to pitch in and help. I had to actually say "no" and that I can't do everything because I didn't have the strength and was still in pain with lifting restrictions and wearing a neck brace.

I can suggest you might want to get some good quality disposable doctor's masks to protect your lungs from the dust. I bought them online from Walmart ... 3M Earloop Procedure Face Masks, Blue, 50/bx 3M Model: 1820. The masks have >99% Bacterial Filtration Efficiency (BFE){1} and >95% 0.1 micron filtration efficiency which is comparable to HEPA filters. I bought these masks to help with my allergies/asthma and I sleep in them. With the ear loops rather than masks that tie, they are more comfortable. I also wear these when I'm exposed to things outside and they do help and are easy to carry in my pocket.

I decided to can some beets ,I still do some at times and I'm grateful I heard them all seal

I am so sorry for you

@suerc Its 17 yrs but for some reason its effecting me this year.?Thanks suerc

@lioness The sound of a successful day!! Do love that “pop”!

@lioness - thinking of you today. I know it must be a difficult day - these anniversaries of loss are always hard. Hope you are having some bright moments and connections to make it better. Sending hugs.

@lioness I echo what @debbraw said. Be gentle on yourself, and know we are here for you.
Ginger

@Parus yep me too a successful day is right

@debbraw I heard the pop so this was good made me happy Thanks Debbra I am glad to have friends on here ,you to Ginger,parus,jenniferhunter,theresa and others who have been gracious and caring.

Reading a book by Richard Rohr gifted to me by a good friend. Bought a journal as part of my New Years program. Will look at medication in January as well. Trintillix is new for me, and doesn’t seem to do as much as the price would lead one to believe. This will pass. I appreciate your concern and kind thoughts.