"Just another day in Paradise" / My weekend / Life in general

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Isn't it funny how there are 2, far different songs with that same title? I prefer the Phil Collins version, but there is a popular version by a country artist too. The Phil Collins one was released in 1989. Almost 30 years ago, and is about a homeless woman who gets ignored by everyone as she pleads for help. The Phil Vasser (country version) was released in 2000, and is about someone who is happy with life even though the kids are screaming, the mailman brings bills and the milk is sour and the toast is burned. When I lived in the country growing up there was a tiny town nearby - for their yearly city celebration they would use the slogan "Just Another Day in Paradise". I wondered why they would choose such a hopeless song for their slogan. Until I discovered the country version of this song. So, that brings me to my weekend. I was supposed to go out of town with friends from my dance troupe - we were going to stay over night for 2 nights at a casino, go to a concert, go to a spa and enjoy the hotel's pool. But of course things can't work that way for me. I have thought about what I was going to say here. My life really is a "Twilight Zone" episode. It's fascinating in a boring way, and I wish I weren't living it at all. It would take 1,000 pages of words to explain the whole thing. Where to begin? What all to mention? So I guess I'll stick with this weekend. My dad has severe chronic pain, and recently every physician around has washed their hands of him. He is un-treated. He spends most of every day screaming until his throat fills with blood and he can't scream any more because of his pain. He can act civil for awhile but he usually breaks out in a sweat and is white as a sheet because of his pain. This is no quality of life. Those of us who are pet owners wouldn't let an animal suffer like that. But what do you do when it's a human? But the thing that makes this (and my entire life) extremely weird - is that he isn't your common person in pain. He has a lot of mental health issues. And the extreme pain isn't helping. He gets quite angry and vicious to my mom and I. For no reason. I can understand he doesn't feel good I could even understand if he's grumpy. But there are certain things you *just don't say or do to someone you supposedly "love"*. And for NO REASON, he attacks unprovoked. All we try to do is help him. His anger transcends anger. It transcends rage. His face changes. His anger and rage know no bounds. It's better he be angry at me than at my mom. My mom who has been through so much. My mom who has a big surgery coming up soon. So I go, and I be the whipping boy for his vicious temper. Better me than my mom. And I've been dealing with it for almost my whole life, so, it's alright I'm used to it. Well finally we talked him into to going to the Emergency Room - and no big surprise - no help for his pain there. Well it triggered his nasty temper and he let it fly in front of the ER staff. Long story short he got himself admitted, but to the Behavioral unit at the hospital, not the medical wing. My mom and I explained to everyone we came into contact with - his mental health issues, and how his extreme pain is agitating this - if he gets treated for pain he will calm down. If he doesn't get treated, well, I don't know what will happen. Now the weird thing in all this is - that he has scans, imaging, diagnosis of all his injuries and his pain condition. But everyone involved with his care passes the buck. "That isn't my area of treatment". "Oh, I didn't look at his record", "I don't want to treat him", And all of these lolly-gagging physicians do exactly nothing to help with his pain. They just dump him back in our (mom and my) laps, where we can do nothing to help him, just feel bad for him or be on the receiving end of his severe temper. I don't know why physicians have washed their hands of him. Or why they seem to hate us enough to dump him on my mom and myself. I just know that I would rather not be going through this. So to wrap up my weekend - he had a 72 hour hold. But he sweet talked his way out of it in less than 2 days. He likes being home to torment my mom and myself. My mom and I got to spend a little time together in between doing errands, visiting him all day, and his phone calls. One sort of funny thing that happened - was - Friday afternoon I had driven to our hospital. Our hospital offers valet parking service. (Wise choice instead of trying to navigate the many lots and ramps trying to find somewhere to park.) Now when we left late in the night on Fri. valet had gone home. At that point they give your keys to a security guard, but of course the security guard doesn't go get your car. You have to do that, yourself. So, due to the knucklehead security guard giving me wrong directions I walked about 4 levels of the parking ramp, at night, on ice, in the cold, before finding my car. Even I thought it was hilarious at this point. "I could have been at a casino, having a massage hanging out with friends, but this scenic walking tour of the hospital parking ramp is so much better". lol. Well at least it was better than being in the hospital room with him. Coming up in December I will need to take care of my mom after her surgery - which will be stressful enough. But she is easy to take care of. But the real kicker is going to be taking care of him at the same time. I don't know if I can do it - take care of him that is. But I'm going to have to somehow. Hope your respective weekends were better than ours here "Another Day in Paradise" Phil Collins Version - "Another Day in Paradise" Phil Vasser Version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR4Y6Ll0DwA