The snowball effect

It's not about raining or pouring anymore - now it's a snowball effect. Michael found out the results of his MRI today, and it's pretty bad - bad enough that his doctor (who was previously being pretty conservative) has told him that he needs to see an orthopedic surgeon. It's not guaranteed that he'll need surgery, but basically it's up to the surgeon to make the call now. Michael has an appointment to see him on Tuesday of next week, and I'll go with him.

Of course, this introduces a whole new range of problems. The most significant is that Michael is likely going to have to come to terms with the fact that he needs surgery, something he had really hoped to avoid. Also significant are the financial considerations: the surgery will likely require that Michael allow a month or two for recovery (meaning no work). It sounds like he can claim temporary disability at work, but his income during his recovery time might not be the full amount. On top of it, the insurance only pays for a certain percentage of the surgery, so we'll have more bills to take into consideration as well.

This will also affect me quite a bit, as I'll likely have to be home with Michael much more, which will cut into my availability for babysitting and other supplemental income. Also, as I've discovered in the past, such as when I was nursing my sick kitty or when Michael was home for back pain last week, I don't get as much writing done when I have distractions like these. However, I've told Michael I will support him 100% through this ordeal, and I meant it - I'll be happy to take care of him while he's home recovering.

It's funny how things happen. Since I quit my job to freelance, there have been a flood of additional expenses and interruptions: Cleo got sick, my glasses broke, and Michael developed serious back problems. If I were superstitious (which I'm not, terribly, but I still can't help but notice the pattern), I could take this one of two ways: either that it's a sign I shouldn't be freelancing, or it's life's way of testing my dedication to my dream of being a writer. I think I've had enough successes in only three months that I'd prefer to see it the latter way. If I have to, of course, I'll get a full-time job again, but for as long as it's feasible I will continue to stick it out as a freelancer!