Smiling Fibros

OK, back in August 2007, we were wrongly and illegally foreclosed on, we were able to get the money to stop it but it ruined our credit so we were unable to refi our home in September. The interest rate went up over $1,000 and we were in deep trouble. Our credit was so bad we could not rent, borrow, or anything to sell our home and live somewhere else. On top of that the houses dropped over $300,000.00 and the value of our home was almost what we owed, just a little over. The little over was not enough to buy or rent anything bigger than a storage unit for 1 year :(
Then I am not sure when but, I broke my ankle. I fell and broke same bone 2 times, one was almost all the way through the bone. I still feel the "band" around my ankle but it is healed and doesn't hurt (hardly ever) :)
Now we come to Jan. 2008, it was the very beginning of the month and I had the pups on my lap. I also had a very hot bowl of soup in my hands. Yes, I can hear you all telling me now but it is too late :(. All the sudden I couldn't hold the bowl, it just seemed to be liquid. I couldn't let it burn the pups, so it landed on me. It was so hot that the noodle that landed on my neck left a second degree burn. I was burned from my neck to almost my bellybutton, from mid left breast to mid right side. Between the time I got burned and then got to the bathroom I was almost covered (in that area) with blisters and had already huge spots with no skin. Honey was great, he ran right away to the store to get me a burn gel which helped so much!!! It took almost 2 months to completely heal, one month of tons of pain.
All this time I am still fighting with our first loan to not file foreclosure. I kept requesting what they are calling a loan modification. We sent in the papers, they were lost, we faxed the papers, they got them then they lost them. So the 6-8 weeks turned into 8 months. Finally we are now getting our loan modification. Sadly due to all the mess with the papers, they filed foreclosure on us as well and that completely ruined our credit so we can't even get anything at all. Prices on homes went up a little then the fell again. Right now if we sold our home we would wind up with nothing left over and no place to go so we need to keep our home until we have time to clean our credit enough to buy or rent somewhere else.
Also at this time, Honey started having more problems. He is frustrated at work and has been turned down twice for a promotion he is very qualified for and deserves! He planned on staying with this company until he retired now he wants out.
Also during this time Honey's dad health has declined even more. His step mom's cancer came back and spread. (As far as I know she is doing well now.) Woo hoo :)
In December I was told I needed to be in court for a very important meeting. I thought it was really strange because I only found out about this when I called the lawyer a week before the hearing date. I woke up so sick, I had to force myself to get up and dressed. Honey gave me a barf bag and we went to court. Just to make me feel even better about how I felt, while we were walking from the parking lot and people would walk wide around me. :( When I finally got to the court room for the first time ever my lawyer was there before us. Honey opened the door and I started going in and I saw my lawyer see me. His mouth LITERALLY dropped open and turned white!! (he is dark skinned) he walked over to us and said,"why are you here?!" I told him I was told to be here so I am here! He made a phone call while apologizing to us. I think as hard as it was on me it was good for them to know how sick I am. (He left the firm at the end of the month)
In Jan I found out that my lawyer had left (fired) the firm and I had a new lawyer. I made an appointment to meet with her and she was so arrogant, condescending, and worse. She knew everything and I knew nothing. She understood everything, I nothing. I thought well I do not have to like my lawyer and she is a strong fighter so let's give her a chance.
Now Feb. Honey and I are having problems. Things are too stressful and we are having communication problems which did not help anything. I felt alone and lost, I did exactly the wrong thing, I hid more.
In March I heard from my lawyer, I had to go to court because I was being offered a SECOND SETTLEMENT. This would be in June.
April, my birth daughter started contacting me and every time I let my shield down for her she hurts me so this just added to my stress. On top of it my real daughter was scared I would dump her and nothing I said could change that. More drama.
May, I am not sure if I am getting everything in the right timeline but I am trying my best. A friend that Jon and I really loved, decided instead of making me a substitute wife (his is living in Texas now) he wanted to ruin my relationship with Jon so he could have both of us alone. I don't have to say this was a terrible thing to do and caused even more trouble between Honey and I :(
Now it is June and Please understand I settled my worker's compensation case 3 years ago for the rest of my life. We are in court and my first lawyer came out and said hi. He had heard I was there and wanted to say he was sorry about how he left. He also told me that the lawyer I thought was mine was not, I had a different lawyer. He knew him well and thought he would be great for me. This made me worry a little bit since he was the one that did next to nothing for me all this time and I hoped his friend was nothing like him. Then I met my current lawyer, he sat with me and answered all of my questions. I thought this is awesome, he is not only hearing me but talking WITH me!!! He said, we could not settle now because the other side had not heard from Social Security to get my payoff amount. The good news was the judge was disgusted with how I had been treated and demanded we meet again in my lawyers office and settle! WOO HOO I thought this is finally going to be over :). My adjuster had decided I was a fraud or whatever and started treating me like the slime on the bottom of a slimy slug! She was making my life so miserable, denying meds, canceling transportation, refusing to reimburse me for things I had been told I would be paid back. She started this in about Oct of last year and has not stopped at all. Well, all of this made me for the first time ever, suicidal. I actually was put on suicide watch :(. Nothing was happening, my lawyer couldn't reach my adjuster or she would hang up on my lawyer. Her supervisor did the same. Everything was beyond dark and I so couldn't show my face to anyone because I was in too deep. The settlement offer finally came in June.
July I was given a offer for a structured settlement payoff. What they do is figure out roughly (I hope roughly) how much longer you will live, for me it is 30 years. Then they figure out your costs from what has been spent on you now and the last 3 years. That amount is how the figure how much to offer you. When I was at the meeting with the structured settlement specialist they explained the offer. They talked to me about what I need and what I have been given all this time (do not forget this is the second not first settlement, my first one is open medical for LIFE and pay for life. That is a done settled signed and sealed deal. The offer was below 50% of what I would get if I had no increases from today on for the next 30 years. It would not allow me to continue my therapist and support groups I now see, plus my income for life would be almost 1/3 of what it is now. Everyone told me do not accept this, so I declined and made a counter offer. This was so fair the specialist and the defense attorney agreed I was being very fair. It was turned down and my adjuster offered only a little bit more. Understand my lawyer has been paid, unless I accept another settlement. Even my lawyer who has gone to court, written letters, made calls, and deals with me says do not take the offer. So right now I am waiting for my next meeting to see if the offer is close to what I need and if it is I will accept it in a heartbeat. If it isn't I can't accept it or I will be signing my own death warrant :(

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