Helping Shannon

Michael with his baby sister Ashtyn

Shannon had left a message on my phone saying she needed her mother. “Mommy I have tried calling you a few time and haven't heard back from you I guess you've been busy with Ward stuff and you're probably doing Christmas stuff 🎄 call me back when you can I am not doing good just needed to talk to my mommy I am at my 😭😭😭F** braking point ... with my pathetic self and life...... I felt we needed to go visit with her and see what we can do to help.  I made Craig take me to the chiropractor  first, my back has been killing me I knew I needed an adjustment badly, it has been hurting me for the last couple of months aching down into my left ankle, I’ve done a lot of standings with all my decorating and it’s been hard on my back,  my back felt instantly much better after my adjustment,  from there we headed out to the Chaudhry family.   Shannon is just having a really hard time emotionally,  her medications have been very frustrating for her,  Her insurance won’t pay for the medication that she’s been taking so they have had to experiment with different types of pain medication to help manage her pain, she’s taking a new pain medicine called tramadol which my mother takes as well so I’m familiar with that one, it does leave withdrawl symptoms when you forget to take it, they also started her on anxiety medicine.  She has been sick and hasn’t been taking her medicine as prescribed & trying to wean herself that”s when it has caused terrible symptoms,  she’s been an emotional wreck the past two weeks.  She told me she know she needs help.   I called my friend Christy Dixon that owns the women’s Renaissance ranch program for addiction trying to get Shannon to go to an appointment yesterday at 2:30 with the counselor there to see what we could do to help her with her addiction to her pain pills I know she feel she needs to take them to manage but there is the addiction problems.  It has been going on for so many years and she really does need emotional support she has so many emotional issues that she needs to learn how to manage and let go of.   I told Craig  I felt like I needed to stay here and help her, he would have to go home without me.  So I’m here at the Chaudhry Family till Monday when Craig’s coming back to Salt Lake.  I’ve had to roll up my sleeves and go to work there’s always lots to do when I’m at their home.  Shannon had started moving Ashtyn‘s things in Landon’s  room and Landon‘s things in Ashtyn‘s old room they were swapping rooms, she started back in October the day we had picked her up to go to St. George and still has not been able to get their clothes in their closets switched around so today I spent the day cleaning and trying to get them organize, those two bedrooms finally by the end of the day I was able to get it done.  it was a big job for me.  I cleaned the bathroom, mop the floor, vacuumed,  cleaned her oven and microwave & put dishes in the  dishwasher.  It has been a full day.   I’m really tired.   I scheduled an appointment at 2:30 yesterday afternoon to meet with a counselor at Renaissance Ranch  for addiction and I couldn’t get Shannon to go, she just said her emotions are too close to the surface,  she needed to keep her self strong and pull together right now to get through the holidays, she couldn’t let her emotions open up,  she can’t function if she does.  She had a terriable  emotional attack with all the stress of Alec over Thanksgiving and then she got really sick afterwards  it’s been two weeks and she is just bearly recovering.  I  told her let’s please try to go, she needs the emotional support right now,  she promised me she would look into it in January sometime when Ryan can go with her.  Being here I can see how much help she needs,  I’ve got to get her in counseling.   She does not handle the stress very well,  she cries really easy and gets angry with the boys easy too.  Her emotions are so up and do during the day.   Landon stayed home from school sick, she was not happy about that, she doesn’t won’t another bug which I don’t want one either.   Being sick for a mother just makes the challenges of being a mother harder, there is no rest for a mother with small children. Ashtyn is so adorable!! Fun to get to spend time with her.  Love all her red curly  hair.  Micheal is home for the holidays and has been a good support to his mother.    He was baby sitting Ashtyn when we arrived Thursday afternoon. Pray I can make a difference while I’m here.