Seriously, I am pretty sure that this sort of stuff doesn't happen to most other people. I haven't "blogged", or even said anything in real life, much about what is really going on in our day to day life- too confusing, too boring (to others), too much drama, and just too depressing, and frankly, too unbelievable.
In a nutshell, things back in my home town are still beyond crazy. My mom's health is not improving, at all. She continues to bounce in and out of the hospital- most recently for more blood transfusions because her hemoglobin level can't stay where it needs to be, still on home health care. She is in need of surgery for another hernia and a fistula (don't read if squeamish..... at this point her body has eaten itself from the inside out, and she literally has bowels/intestines on the outside of her body), but they are not able to do the surgery because of her weakened state, and the fact that she has VRE (an antibiotic resistant infection). She is on TPN (tube feeding) for nutrition, but this is beginning to take it's toll on her liver/kidney/gall bladder- but there is no way to take her off of it because her body is unable to digest food like it should under normal circumstances. My heart goes out to her- she has been through so much, and is so tough, but this the worst I have seen. I can only imagine how depressed she is, having had many similarities when I was going through my pregnancy: Difference being, I knew that there was an end in sight---- and a happy ending at that.
And things with my Grandma/Joe were looking better. (I am her Power of Attorney, so I have taken over for any and all of her personal affairs- which has been stressful in and of itself.) They are all settled in at the nursing home, both have been pretty good health wise (well, since they have each had another hospital stay, followed by more rehab time). My Aunt, Jason, and I spent a week of hard work sorting through the house about a month ago- getting things out that the family wanted to hold on to, and what was to be left for the Estate Sale. I got the house on the market (just had 2 showings yesterday, actually), and got a wonderful man that does Estate Sales, that has been working around the clock on researching, pricing, and organizing the contents of the house.
Things were looking pretty good on that front. The Sale was scheduled for next weekend, the advertisements written, there have been having lots of showings on the duplex. I was really feeling like things were leveling out, and that we could start having our "normal" lives back for our little family (whatever "normal" means at this point).
My day today started off like any other, but suddenly took a nose dive. The phone rang a little before 9, a call letting me know that my grandma's house was, at that moment, on fire. The fire department had been on the scene for several hours at that point, and it was already deemed that the home had sustained "significant damage". In a very panicked state, I called Jason, the real estate agent, the insurance company, a WONDERFUL friend that volunteered to keep Brayden for the weekend- he had soccer and 2 b-day parties to attend, and we were on the road heading up to my home town.
Her side of the duplex (other side was unoccupied, but rental property for her) is pretty well destroyed- especially the bedrooms, master bathroom, garage, and basement--- seen below still filled with smoke several hours later. Obviously, many of the possessions that were intended to be sold in next week's sale, are a loss. However, we are quite lucky that many things that had just been placed in the front living room, just yesterday, survived. They will need to be restored/cleaned, but will be able to be salvaged and sold. I have taken the house off the market until a later date. I don't meet with the insurance adjuster, contractors, clean up supervisor, or get the official reports until Monday- but I was told today that an "unofficial" guesstimate on when the house will be repaired enough to re-list on the market will be about 4-6 months minimum. UGH, I am just imagining an insurance nightmare.
Here are just a couple of pictures I could get from where we could actually go in the house (many areas deemed structurally unsound):
In a nutshell, things back in my home town are still beyond crazy. My mom's health is not improving, at all. She continues to bounce in and out of the hospital- most recently for more blood transfusions because her hemoglobin level can't stay where it needs to be, still on home health care. She is in need of surgery for another hernia and a fistula (don't read if squeamish..... at this point her body has eaten itself from the inside out, and she literally has bowels/intestines on the outside of her body), but they are not able to do the surgery because of her weakened state, and the fact that she has VRE (an antibiotic resistant infection). She is on TPN (tube feeding) for nutrition, but this is beginning to take it's toll on her liver/kidney/gall bladder- but there is no way to take her off of it because her body is unable to digest food like it should under normal circumstances. My heart goes out to her- she has been through so much, and is so tough, but this the worst I have seen. I can only imagine how depressed she is, having had many similarities when I was going through my pregnancy: Difference being, I knew that there was an end in sight---- and a happy ending at that.
And things with my Grandma/Joe were looking better. (I am her Power of Attorney, so I have taken over for any and all of her personal affairs- which has been stressful in and of itself.) They are all settled in at the nursing home, both have been pretty good health wise (well, since they have each had another hospital stay, followed by more rehab time). My Aunt, Jason, and I spent a week of hard work sorting through the house about a month ago- getting things out that the family wanted to hold on to, and what was to be left for the Estate Sale. I got the house on the market (just had 2 showings yesterday, actually), and got a wonderful man that does Estate Sales, that has been working around the clock on researching, pricing, and organizing the contents of the house.
Things were looking pretty good on that front. The Sale was scheduled for next weekend, the advertisements written, there have been having lots of showings on the duplex. I was really feeling like things were leveling out, and that we could start having our "normal" lives back for our little family (whatever "normal" means at this point).
My day today started off like any other, but suddenly took a nose dive. The phone rang a little before 9, a call letting me know that my grandma's house was, at that moment, on fire. The fire department had been on the scene for several hours at that point, and it was already deemed that the home had sustained "significant damage". In a very panicked state, I called Jason, the real estate agent, the insurance company, a WONDERFUL friend that volunteered to keep Brayden for the weekend- he had soccer and 2 b-day parties to attend, and we were on the road heading up to my home town.
Her side of the duplex (other side was unoccupied, but rental property for her) is pretty well destroyed- especially the bedrooms, master bathroom, garage, and basement--- seen below still filled with smoke several hours later. Obviously, many of the possessions that were intended to be sold in next week's sale, are a loss. However, we are quite lucky that many things that had just been placed in the front living room, just yesterday, survived. They will need to be restored/cleaned, but will be able to be salvaged and sold. I have taken the house off the market until a later date. I don't meet with the insurance adjuster, contractors, clean up supervisor, or get the official reports until Monday- but I was told today that an "unofficial" guesstimate on when the house will be repaired enough to re-list on the market will be about 4-6 months minimum. UGH, I am just imagining an insurance nightmare.
Here are just a couple of pictures I could get from where we could actually go in the house (many areas deemed structurally unsound):
(Looking through what was a wall in the hallway into the master bath- where they are thinking the fire started. The master bedroom was to the left, a second bedroom was on the right side of the picture.)
(Part of the basement that we could see well enough to go into- it was dark and very filled with smoke still. The picture is not blurry- that is the smoke still lingering, 8 hours later, tonight.)
More pictures can be seen HERE
I know "they" say you never get more than you can handle, but I am waiving a white flag high above my head. Does anyone else see it????? I am just thankful that no one was in there- there is no way that they would have survived. The fire department said that the blaze burned at 1700 degrees in certain spots.
Ok.... sorry for the "poor me", whining post. Only happy things to come from here on out- and that is what I will keep telling myself.
1 comment:
wow. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Cyndie
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