Broken Bumpers and Broken Ears - DH is Not Having a Good Year So Far

So far it has not been a good year for DH. His January is filling up quickly, and between doctor, dental and assorted other appointments, his "days off" are turning into busier days than his days at work. His stress levels are through the roof. The latest chapters in the saga began on Monday. 

I took this photo of his back bumper in the morning after 
the accident. As you can tell, there isn't a bumper there, 
just broken brackets and shattered plastic. 

On Monday night we were in our respective vehicles in the store parking lot. Usually he backs the truck out first and I follow, but he was taking an unusually long time to get moving, so I began backing out. I park in Row 3, he parks in Row 2. As I was almost ready to shift to pull forward, I heard a horrid *CRUNCH* sound. Pulling slightly ahead, I set to Park and jumped out of my car. He was pulling his truck back into his space. I was furious - I just had my car fixed in April from a crazy incident that broke my antenna and required a full roof replacement. 

The underside of the broken bumper piece shows where 
it was sheared off from the actual truck body. It was a 
pretty serious pull that got that broken. The plastic 
is quite thick. 

Fortunately, Minion was fine, but looking at DH's truck, he was missing a part of his bumper, which was on the nearby ground. Somehow he hadn't seen me at all and had backed into my car. I have no idea why I was lucky enough to have no damage, I guess it was the right angles, but he lost 1/3 of his back bumper. 

The front of the broken bumper piece looks pretty good, 
actually. Still nice and shiny. But, it really isn't doing any 
good on my back porch. We'll get it replaced/repaired 
on the 11th-12th. 

I called the insurance company on Wednesday and he took the truck in to their recommended service center on Thursday for a written appraisal which has been submitted to the insurance company. I've scheduled him for Monday the 11th, first thing in the morning for the repair, and hope that it will only take them two days to do, although picking the car up early on Wednesday would also be fine. Still, it's just one more thing. 

I really don't understand how an ear 
tube could even move behind anywhere 
in the ear, but I'm no expert. I do know 
that DH has had ear tube surgery in the 
past and it was very painful for him. 
We'll know more once he's seen the 
ENT, but I'm really hoping we get all 
of the bad luck out of the way in January. 
It's turning into a crap year if we don't. 

Before the appointment at the car repair, DH had a doctor appointment with his audiologist. He's always had ear problems - lots of infections and five surgeries. He has an ear tube to help, but this time, when they checked out his ear, they said it looked as if the tube had slipped behind the eardrum. He has a new appointment now, with the ENT Specialist, to see what's really going on and if he needs more surgery. I remember the last surgery - miserable, pain-filled, and he swore he'd never do it again. I'm not sure what he'll do this time if that's what is recommended, but I'm also quite sure they can't leave the tube where it might have moved to. Total CRAP. Poor DH. 2021 is NOT turning into a good year for him so far. 

On that note, I'm out of here. I get the first of my extra days off today and I plan to enjoy it. I'm planning a sweater, so need to spend today getting measurements and working on samples. I'm also going to thoroughly clean the bathroom and shower, and wash the kitchen floor (both projects much needed). Have a wonderful day. Be kind, stay safe, and please wear your mask.