a hard time. Something is being very hard to deal with. Also "it hit me for a row", same meaning but an unexpected loss, difficult crisis.
Farmers used to use a
hoe to plant things or to hack at a row of dirt to break it up or
kill weeds. Sometimes, you feel like a row of hacking and hoeing is about to wear you down because it's a lot of work.
Growing up in
Texas, I heard some old-timers (born before 1900) say this.