Physical manisifestions of stress & how I know Trent won't be a MD when he grows up

So, I have had hives since Monday. I don't mean these Hives either. *sigh* I went to the Doctor yesterday, which I loathe, so that will tell you how miserable I was/am. She took a look at me, talked to me for about 15 minutes and declared it was pure anxiety and stress coming out and manifesting itself in my skin. She doubled my Zoloft RX and suggested I take walks to help with my anxiety. Gee lady, that was helpful. I then walked back into my office and sent a email to my boss requesting that due to my state of mind could I please have Friday off? She said, "Take Friday off and Thursday too". I said okay. And here we are. Three people have asked me if I thought she gave me Thursday off to be nice or because she was pissed, but frankly I don't care. I had today off and tomorrow too and I don't really care how or why I got them off. Yes, I may regret that later, but for today it felt really good. I also decided to just quit school. I am going to get a "F" in these last two classes I was signed up for, and it's going to do a bad number on my 4.0 GPA, but I don't really care.

Well, actually, that's a lie. Whenever I think about my 4.0 GPA doing a nosedive with my 2 F's I am on the verge of a full blown panic attack. Can anyone say over achiever?

SO, what, my dear blogging peeps, you may be asking yourself is causing all this stress? Well, to start with, my job is a hell hole. I think we have established THAT fact, haven't we? But, here's what you may or may know:

1. On Saturday I found out that the man who married Chad & I has bone cancer. His prognosis is NOT good. I completely adore this man and his whole family. It's sad beyond words. And blatantly unfair. I do not believe that God tests us or makes bad things happen to us. But, this does seem to be incredibly cruel when you consider who these people are. Every time I think about John and the fact that he is sick I want to just crawl into a hole and cry. So very sad.
2. On Saturday I also talked to a girlfriend of mine whom I haven't talked to in over a year. Yeah, we have lost touch a little bit with our move and everything else. We have been friends for about 20 years now. She is one of the strongest people I know. So strong and so sure in what she wants. She has a very nice husband, he and Chad could be twins. They even kind of look alike. Chad was in her & her husbands wedding party. It turns out she has had a little bit of a nervous breakdown herself. In the last 3 months she left her husband, quit her job, quit our church, in which she was a VERY active member, and just generally quit her life. She has went back to her husband but has one foot out the door, in my humble opinion. It's very very sad. It wasn't even like talking to my old friend. I still can't wrap my head around the whole conversation. I just kept saying, to myself, what the HELL happened to her? It was earth shattering and not in a good way.
3. I talked with Kendra from juvvy on Saturday night wherein she filled me in on the gory details of how she came to be a street prostitute and etc. etc. To say it was a disturbing conversation is a major understatement. The most eerie part was how matter of fact and un-creeped out and un-scared she was about the whole experience. I think the child is numb, which is incredibly dangerous.
4. We are having major money problems. Again. I haven't quite got my finger on what our undoing was this time, I think it may have been Chad & the boys trip to Montana to visit his crazy mother which cost a lot of stinking money. We are in bad bad bad financial shape. I get paid tomorrow and after we get the check book out of the red and pay a few bills we will be flat broke, I don't even know if we will have grocery money, for two weeks. Ohmygawd, I hate this. I am working at a job I hate where I make good money, and Chad has 2 jobs & we are still this broke. UGH.
5. Connor was diagnosed as having high functioning autism. Truthfully, I knew it. And Trent also has high functioning autism. So it's not shocking. And we may be getting some help from some local state agencies which will be a relief. And the meeting went better than I expected. But, it's still just yucky to know something is wrong with your kid. And this is the selfish side of me talking, the thought of all the new meetings I am going to have to go to at the school gives me anxiety too. We have to redo his IEP. They want to redo Trent's evaluation too, which is good in theory, but again it will mean more meetings. And then I will have to ask for more time off from work. And, well, that makes me anxious, because breathing and living my life makes me anxious. Lord help me.

So there you have it. This is what has lead to the hives outbreak of 2008. Aren't you glad you asked?!?!?!

Okay, so now a quick story about how I know I am right. About everything. Well, Trent wanted a jack knife. I said absolutely not. Everybody, including Candace~the traitor~said I was being too overprotective and a 10-year-old boy should have a jack knife. So, Chad went to the store the other night to get me more liquor and he & Trent bought a jack knife. I was one unhappy Mommy. Within 15 minutes Trent cut his thumb open and had BLOOD everywhere, we thought he may have to get stitches. He kind of passed out in the bathroom. This is how we know he will not be a doctor when he grows up. And that I am right about EVERYTHING. Trent can no longer have the jack knife when Chad isn't home because I too am queasy and told Chad that he will have to be here to stop the bleeding. Because, yes, I know that he will cut himself again. And probably pass out again too.

Do you have any good advice for me? Any suggestions for the cure of stress induced hives? Speak up, leave me a comment already!!!