You could, of course, wear a lampshade on your head. If nothing else, that does tend to make others reconsider approaching you....

Attempted humor aside, my magic pill is to literally stand in place and yell "AMOK AMOK AMOK AMOK AMOK!" to defuse and diffuse the intensity of a "can't hear the song for the noise" sort of day. I usually use my bathroom or something, where no one else can overhear.

It's my version of "running amok".... Since the time I literally blew up at Hubby during a bad stretch (relating to family issues of course) and did a lap around our living room yelling "AMOK AMOK AMOK!" while waving my arms like the robot in "Lost in Space'....

GEntle soothing vibes, from a safe distance, of course....
Leo

I think Leo has a good point - let it out in a very direct way, and not only will it relieve some of the pressure inside, it will subtly signal to others that you are on the verge of overwhelm.

It's a lot to deal with. There's so much going on in your family, and everyone is probably orbiting around you, radiating their distress and expecting you to safely absorb it all and maybe even soothe them. Can you put aside any time for self-care, whatever that means to you? Chasing chickens or a meditative timeout - whatever works for you.

I like the idea of sending out a direct overwhelm signal. It's honest self care, wouldn't you say? Like I often remind myself, flight attendants tell us to put on our own oxygen mask before helping others when the plane is in an emergency. I think your situation qualifies as such an emergency and the analogy holds as much as the lampshade one does.

The cardiologist has weighed in and it looks like hubby's heart is stable enough for surgery. I may have said already, but a major clunker in this escapade was that the yaddahs of the gall bladder blahs stressed his heart enough that they discovered he has a hole in his heart. Many people live long, healthy lives with a hole in their hearts without ever knowing it. If hubs had had the removal 2 years ago with the first attack, he still might not know he has a hole in his heart. As it is, he is at critical risk for a stroke. That situation will be reviewed in four months.

Now for the gastro-intestinal fun... There is damage to the bile duct in addition to the gall bladder. Fun, fun, fun.

I had some time to play in the dirt today. Instead of chasing frightened chickens around the yard, I did some tweakage on the gypsy-rigged shelter to make them feel a little more at home. It is inspiring to watch how gentle they have been with one another during the transition. Hubs named the bold on, "Phyllis." The shy one is, "Shady Grove." He still can't tell them apart well enough to name the four in-betweeners. Some girl-watcher he is!!!

Still no eggs.

I put a lampshade on my head....smile...I hope you feel better soon...xo

I hope your husband soon feels better as well arfie... I didn't mean to sound 'smart' in my answer... I just saw the picture... Big hug for you...x

Wow, a hole in the heart. Gives one pause indeed. Glad it's not as serious as it sounds and attention's moved on to the GI tract. It's a long haul, sounds like, so keep the updates coming. We're with you.

By the way, I'm being slow up on the uptake saying so since you changed it a while ago, but love the bee avatar.

Mucho support, my friend.