The "2016 Really Sucked!!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just watched the final 2016 episode of "The Price Is Right" which is one of my three favorite quiz shows on TV.  It all came down to the "Showcase Showdown" which pitted the two contestants who won the most on the 'Wheel' during the show.  Both contestants had fantastic showcases on which to bid; one featuring a BMW Sedan while the other featured a trip to Bala along with a bright red Mazda Miata.  Wouldn't you know it, both overbid and nobody won!  Kinda been that kind of year for Carol and me this year.  

Creamsicle helping with my story for today!

Early in the year we found our cat, Creamsicle, had eating problems and was told it was a kidney disease.  After over $1,200 in tests, we brought him home to be with us for what we thought was the end of his life.  One of the few good highlights of the year was the fact that he is still with us at the end of the year.  End of January I had to have two kidney stones removed after discovering them at the end of the previous year and after not being able to pass them.  Not much fun!  Not long after Carol went through a month of pain with a gall bladder attack and eventual removal of it.  Not long after the gall bladder was removed that she had pain again and found she had appendicitis.  Happened five days before our spring trip to St. Martin.  The surgeon in the ER said it could be treated with antibiotics and we left for vacation as scheduled, but with a funny feeling that it might happen again.  While on vacation I was having trouble walking due to a severe pain in my left foot.  After returning home I found I needed a few shots for plantar fasciitis.  For those who have experienced the malady, you know the pain associated with the shots in the heal of the foot.  Sometime after returning from vacation I lost close to 80,000 photographs from my desktop when I pushed the wrong key on my computer.  Went to the local Apple store and they said they could reboot my entire computer, but I would lose anything I hadn't saved, so I opted not to do that for fear I would lose something more than photos.  Shortly after, while mowing the grass at home, I was riding down an incline when the steering wheel pulled our of the mower.  Managed to get it stopped, but found the front axle was broken and needed replaced.  Could have just about paid for another mower for the cost of repairs.  Then I began an ongoing problem with headaches, blurred vision and sinus pain.  Went to the eye doctor a few times and finally told it wasn't my eyes.  Went to the family doctor who ordered a scan of my head and that didn't show anything abnormal.  Still fighting the headaches.  Early October I found I have prostate cancer and will need to begin treatment in the near future.  We decided to take our scheduled vacation to the Turks & Caicos Islands anyway and halfway through the vacation Carol's appendicitis returned and she had to have her appendix removed on the tiny English island of Provo.  After returning I went to an eye, ears and nose doctor for the headaches and was given 20 days of antibiotics for an infection in the sinus cavity.  That didn't work and before long I was back for another visit and 20 more days of antibiotics. As of the end of the year, I still have the headaches.  Then, with two turkeys in the freezer of our garage refrigerator, it stops working.  Call and find we need a new part for the three-month-old fridge, but manage to keep the turkeys cold enough until Thanksgiving.  Naturally the new part and service isn't part of the limited warranty; thanks Frigidaire!  Then in early December, Carol gets pain in her right side near her kidney once again.  Can't be the gall bladder or appendix, since those organs are no longer in her body.  Diagnosed as bladder infection, but scan given anyway to make sure it isn't kidney stones.   Then we find the family won't be together for Christmas for the first time since our grandkids were born.  Didn't matter anyway since quite a few of the remaining members became sick during Christmas anyway.  Carol and I still enjoyed Christmas with visits from the kids at various times.  Then, two days before the new year, we get a call asking if we could try and locate the Ugg's boots we gave to one of our granddaughters. She had forgotten then when they left for their home in Maryland.  Found them and were able to find a way to get them to her.  Throughout the year the nerves in my left foot have become more numb caused either by my shingles I had two years ago while on vacation or because of the three back surgeries I have had.  No doctor wants to make a guess which one is the culprit or how to solve the problem.  And, oh yeah, the back pain seems to be returning.  Then to top all that off, my placard to allow for handicapped parking ran out and no one will renew it.  And, of course, there was the Presidential election!  So, we are so glad that 2016 is over. It really sucked!!!  It can only get better … we hope and pray!  Happy New Year anyway!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.