Grossed out and need to vent—I just caught Mom using my toothbrush to comb her hair!

Hey Ted: Didn't meet you during your time on GO, but caught you in a media connection with Cricket. I just want to say I'm truly happy for what you have come through and for the good things that are to come. Blessings, Cattails

Diane and Book, ooh!! Sorry about the roaches and other creatures! Right now I have mice coming in because of the cold weather, but my cats take care of that problem. Butter catches them and the other three keep an eye on him while my husband and I grab the mouse from his mouth and dispose of it. Old house and foundation make for easy access to mice. Glad I'm in New England. Bugs don't get too big here and no scorpions, that I know of!
Book, Mom's insurance paid for most of the cost of her wheelchair. We only needed to kick in $675, and I will get that from my absent sibs!!! She seems to be more comfortable and less agitated in the new chair. When she is having a PD spell, she sticks her legs out straight and throws her head back. Also, when we are feeding her, or giving her meds or a drink she will throw her head back. Now it can only go so far because of the headrest. Makes life easier for us!
Juju, Oh yeah!!! Hate the mouth stuff here too!!! My least favorite things are vomit, snots and drool! the first being the worst! Doing her dentures makes me gag too!
Mama, been wiping Mom's butt for 3 years. First she couldn't do it well, then she forgot she has to, and now she wouldn't know how if she tried.
Ted!!!!! Where have you been? so good to hear from you. Miss our conversations on CGL. Sorry that went by the wayside. It was a great idea. Glad to see you are moving on. Don't let those sibs get the best of you. You are a much better person than either of them could ever be! Wow, going back to school, sounds great! Thanks for giving us an update and so glad you are back on your feet. It will be my turn some day, and I will look to people like you and Bobbie who have been through hell and back like the rest of us. Good luck and don't be a stranger!
Bobbie!!!!! How's the boat? Let me know when you are ready for an onboard chef!
Jen, where the hell are ya?

Hi everyone: Well we had the garage sale today. Deef, I was able to sell that Sleigh Bed. Yeah. It was late in the day and I was resolved to the fact that I would have to put an add in the paper for it. But as luck would have a woman drove in and went nuts over it. She hadn't even seen the add for the garage sale. Her friend saw our sign and called her and then they showed up. She gave me a deposit and is supposed to come back Monday with her son and a truck to pick it up. I was happy and she was ecstatic.

Of course everything didn't sell, but most stuff did. So we will make decisions on what gets taken to Good Will and get that done next week. Then we can put our cars back in the garage.

It was a fun day because our son had brought a ton of stuff for the sale. He and his girlfriend both have their household items, furniture, etc. and they have been living in a large log cabin, but recently moved into town in a smaller condo. So it was perfect timing for them to unload things they really didn't have room for and make some decisions.

The fun part was that we spent the day together and it was fun. I feel like I'm getting back some of my old self and I'm not even sure what that means except I get these glimmers of happiness. I'm just in the moment, you know? When we were out there today, I would hear my son talking to people and it would just make me smile. Sometimes it would make me laugh out loud. He has such an engaging personality and he is so nice to people and yet he has such a wit about him.

So it was just a nice family day. There wasn't the tension that I so often feel from just feeling stressed and wanting to be somewhere else. I was just glad to be here.

I'm glad I'm getting some of time and feeling back. It started to feel like winter today and I actually caught myself thinking about how fun it would be this Thanksgiving and/or Christmas to spend it with Nick and his girlfriend, Karen. I didn't feel that way last year. It was just another job to do.

I know someday that NIck and Karen will move away from here. They both want to live in a warmer climate and with their professional backgrounds, it will be easy for them to relocate. So I'm grateful that we can have some quality time together before that change takes place. I'm going to cherish every moment.

Diane and Deef: It's been a long 7 plus years for me and I know you both have it worse, but hang in there and believe. It will get better.

I'm feeling very grateful this evening. Love you all, Cat

Good Early Morning Crew!

I just woke up and decided to check on here to see wassup and saw a new thread about how well Paul Ryan treats his mom.
Couldn't help but respond and it wasn't a nice one.
That will teach me to look at this thing before coffee.
lovbob

Jen, where are you? Please check in and let us know you are ok.

Ditto on the "Subtraction of family support" !!!!

Mame, I hope the wedding turns out beautiful n go ahead n be selfish all the way, you deserve a freaking break! I know this post was 4 days ago n I am still trying play catch up from being sick but hey, I am here. When I get caught up I will know how the wedding went n how u r doing as well. Hopefully, you had tons of fun.

Crap! I lost all my notes I just written, man!!! I will try later for we need to get out n feed the ducks n breathe some fresh air before it gets too cold for the mnl.

I finished mowing the front lawn and still need to go out and sweep everything up. I had to take a break since the grass got my asthma going. Now I'm sitting here listening to my mother's crazy imaginary stories. I find this to be very difficult because she is talking all sorts of crap and wants to have a conversation, but it makes no sense. How do you have a conversation with someone like that? I feel like I'm being sucked into her vortex of insanity. I miss my mom the way she used to be. I can feel the tears welling up when I type about missing her.
Lildeb I'm glad that you are feeling better. Cat, it sounds like you have a fun and productive day with your garage sale. Our community is having there's next Saturday. I'll let you know if mine was a success or not. If my mother won't agree to sit with mom from 6am-9am when the sitter arrives, I may be SOL. Bobbie, how are you and the boat angel doing?
Maybe I'll get mom to sit on the front porch while I sweep up the walkway, driveway and sidewalk. Then I have to get dinner in the oven. I miss my house husband while he is working at the fair :(
Have a god afternoon all!

Love ya,
Diane

TED!!!!! So glad to hear from you and that, at least for now, you're doing well. Of all the black holes, the one I sank into AFTER dad died was the hardest to get out of. And, like you, I still can't take it for granted that I'm ok. Time - hopefully - heals all wounds. You stay strong too! Love ya, Kuli

My mother sincerely believes that everyone is intently interested in the details of her bowel movements--her descriptions are graphic and ongoing. Recently she called 911 and got herself carted off to the ER because she was constipated.

Hi everyone I haven't been to dads in a few days cause my little boy has been sick. This morning he wakes up at 4 in the morning saying that his ear hurt. I was finally able to get some tylenol and ear drops in him. Then he fell back off to sleep. He acts like he feels better but i am carrying him to the dr tomorrow. Just keeping the tylenol in him to be on the safe side. I also have been MIA this weekend because of this hypothyroidism. For the last two days i have been so depressed, i just mainly cried all day yesterday. Then i wake up this morning and life seems normal again. No mood swings today. No crying. I just don't know what tomorrow will be like. Maybe another day like today i hope. I feel like i am on a rollercoaster ride. One minute i am up and the next i am down. I hope everyone has had a good weekend. I haven't caught up on the posts, I will try to do that later on tonight. Here's hoping all of you have a good monday. Love and hugs stormy

Lori... its not funny,but it is! Who has "planet bowel" at their parents' house? Someone here on AC has a dad who is very into daily bowel reports and now I can't remember who it is, but I've laughed out loud at the comments.

Stormy - do you have CVS Minute clinics near you? Some CVS stores have a nurse practitioner in a clinic, and they take most insurance and just charge the usual dr visit copay. I've had sick kids on weekends and the clinics have been awesome. Strep throat, ear infections, things that can really wait till Monday but it just sucks to have a kid in pain - those minute clinics are great for that. Just a thought.

Diane, when your mom is talking, just answer with Uh huh, Oh yeah, really? or anything that will satisfy her that you are listening. My Mom uses all the wrong words now, so it's impossible to understand her most of the time. Just hearing a voice answer her calms her down. She doesn't really listen to what is being said. Save yourself the heartache of trying to hold a conversation and humor her with the sound of your voice, it will calm her down if you stay calm. It's not easy, but necessary for your own sanity.
Lori,Poop stories abound here! Don't be shy, join in!!! In fact I got Mom out of bed for her shower this morning, and the fragrance warned me that something was afoul!!! Yep! I was right! What was in her diaper was so huge, I was afraid to put it down the toilet! And she went twice more like that in the afternoon. Must have hurt to sit down.
Stormy, Hope Connor is better tomorrow! Poor baby! Hang in there with your synthroid. Sounds like your body is trying to adjust.
Cat, Sounds like you had a great time with your son. Is he your only child? I know you spoke of a grand daughter and her wedding.
Got to go through my fridge before bed,. Tomorrow is trash day and everything is done, including what I raked up in the yard this afternoon. Now I just have to clean out the fridge. My least favorite job!!!
Hope you all had a good day today!

Deef, that is one expensive wheel-chair. Maybe it can do back-flips n wheelies on it on n that is why it cost so much $. jk. At least it does sound more protected for her n maybe if you had a broom handle across the front if it would keep her from falling forward? You could wrap the broom handle with bubble wrap for comfort n tape it to the chair. Okay, thats sounds like Jerry Rig but it sounded nice. I had no idea wheel chairs were so expensive. too bad they don't come with a key lock to keep them from unlocking the wheel or braking it. Maybe someone else will have some suggestions? Did her insurance help pay for this chair? Just checking out ahead of time in case I need one down the road for the mnl.
Diane, I have no idea why some of the physicians work only a half-day on a Friday. Sorry you will have to re-try all over again Monday. As for the nasty bugs, we use Bengal. They tend to go where warmth is located n everywhere u mention is a nice little home for them. They multiply like crazy. The spray is a bit expensive but it works great around here. However, u may need another typr of bug-man to come out n then use the spray to help keep them out.
They will eat up the plastic coating on the wires in your t.v., what ever appliance they r living. My mom had them too. It took a once a month bug-man for a yr to get her bug problem down. Now, if u know any tricks to keep rats from getting in the attac please feel free. However, I am not going to crawl up in the attic. Hubby been putting traps up their n one got caught n squeal n etc n I had to leave the room for it was the sound. I wish it had just killed it right on the spot but it didn't. I slept on the couch that night. They r not eating or getting into our food in the house so I don't understand why they r in our attic?
Judy, I had a friend whom got stung by a scorpion in his house n he had to go to the emergency room. It made him very ill n he was a young looking fella too. Be careful of those things n they can get in your shoe n hide. I hate those fyling cock-roaches n I have seen them come from our pine trees. I think its the little roaches that multiply like rabbits. ; )
Cattail, I hope your garage sale turns out good n I hope it is a nice day for it too.
Book, my brother had one crawl into his ear n I had to take him to the ER for he half did something to it trying get it out n he was in misery. He could hear it wigglying in his ear. OMG! It was funny at first but, after awhile you could tell it was bothering him real bad so off we went. My mom was passed out n she couldn't drive anyway. They had to pour something in his ear n then they were able to get that sucker out. You wander how that huge thing could get in a ear? sometimes now, I will cover my head or at least with my hair cover my ears from the fear of that happen to me. I hope this don't freak you out more but I don't like those flying suckers either nor spiders. If any lizards come in this house they will be gone by the cats however, I like the little green lizards.
I hope everyone was able to have a nice weekend. Ours was okay which is better than a bad weekend. Peace out. ; )

Bugs in the ear! Lildeb - did you ever see that Twilight Zone when the guy had the earwig crawl into his ear? I saw it when I was a kid and had to sleep with the sheet tucked over my ear for months afterwards.

I saw in the real ER show on TV about the .. I can't remember the name of the bug. It comes out at nights. The guy was sleeping in the car when it crawled in. Another lady (in another episode) also came in. They thought she was like "handicap" because she kept screaming that her ear hurts and the whirling helicopter sound was so loud. They couldn't understand her because she was not making sense. But, the doc looked in her ears and he just about freaked out. He can't stand cockroaches. Guess what was inside? I'm not sure which one (man or woman) but the doc had to try several things to get it out. He explained that you can't just stick the instrument in and pull it out. Because if it struggles, it might go more in or it might cut some part of the bug off and that is not recommended! So, I think he used alcohol or some kind of stuff to knock out the bug and then pull it out. It's the flapping of the wings that made the person think of helicopter blades inside. Ever since I saw that show, I have this fear of the cockroaches going inside mine!

I liked the one where the lady went hiking. She came back to the states, and something was in her head. She went to the ER and kept insisting that there's a worm in her head. The ER doc checks her head. He sees a broken skin but no worm. He leaves her and goes to the next patient. The nurse comes rushing in and telling him that she saw it! He goes back to check. Nothing. Then the worm pops up and he just about freaks out.....I just love watching that show!!!

Oh, the worm that was in her head? When she was hiking, the mosquito had landed on her head and buried it's larvae just under her skin. The larvae must have hatched, and the baby mosquito was the one popping up and down on her head. How gross can that be! From a mosquito!!! Yuck!

Eeeeeeeuuuuuwww! Did you see the one where the guy had some gross larva under the skin on his arm? Something like botfly? Like a giant maggot. I think it was from a mosquito bite. Sick. Well, this is the gross out thread, right?

Well, I'm grossed out. How about those people that go to other countries and end up with parasites or tape worms or lord knows what all growing and moving around inside of them. Then one comes out of their nose when they sneeze or in their stools. It's amazing how long those tape worms can be. You'd be pulling on that sucker for a while before you got it out. Yuck. Makes wiping butts sound like a walk in the park.

No, I didn't see that one. But did you see the one where the homeless man came in. And all the senior ER doctors gave it to the newbie intern? He picked up the man's pants, and saw hundreds of maggots on the man's legs! That doc just freaked out, too! It seemed that man had some kind of infection on his leg. The maggots had actually "cleaned up the infection."

Cat, I've heard stories about those too. People go to Mexico and buy food at the street stands. They come back to the US and kept losing weight. Tape Worms. Except one person was unfortunate because the tape worm traveled to the brain and was eating it. The person was becoming more and more sluggish until finally went to the hospital. The worm had eaten most of the brain. They showed the xray of the brain - it was all mushy - no lines showing. The person died. After I saw that show, I decided that I will never ever eat food sold on the street in a foreign country. You just don't know how hygienic phobic they are.

So I wake up at 4:30 am and figure that I'll check in and see what's going on.
You guys sure don't disappoint!

Book! I'm with you on eating just anything anywhere....

Judy!! I just told that Twilight Zone earwig story the other day! omg. After chewing its way through the guy's head it had laid eggs in there. (in the Zone story)
arrrrrrg. They have all the Zones on Netflix. Still some of the best tv writing ever.

I committed insecticide earlier when I killed a roach. They fly here as well. Urp.
Flipflops are the best roach killers. The Cat is falling down on her job.

Cricket and Christina! Hope you guys are having a great time. Thought you might check in and give us an update.

What ER show is that? Sounds delightful. Not kidding. Like a train wreck... can't look away.
Ok, going to try and go back to sleep. hahaha

lovbob

Jen!!
We're really starting to get worried. Please just let us know that you're there.
Deef!! Have you heard from her?
lovbob

am happy to see ted ! so glad he posted and we all needed to hear what ted had to say , big hugs to u ted !!!
few weeks ago i was thinkin jenny girl jsomebody and i thought oh shit where is she , now i notice gangs here are worried about our jenny looo .
JEN - JSOMEBODY ! we love you !!
hope all is well ,
bobbie i am well well umm ok well .... lalalala ,
love you all . xoxoxo

Hi Linda! I'm feeling shitofranic too these days. Have you had any bonfires lately?

flex !! yes just had bonfire this afternoon . made pork chops and all the peppers oinions taters all piled up , a lit burnt but good yummie !
shitofranic wooo hooo

flex - wheres jen ?

Bob, I hope u r doing great n enjoying life to the fullest.
Deef, I like to know if u don't mind, of what type of insurance your mom has for they paid a lot for the wheel chair. The $ amount you have is quite a bit but u have sibs thats going to help n that sounds great. Plus, it all about comfort for her n if she is comfortable then you get more rest sometimes. At least the headrest part cuts back on her flipping so far back n probable keeps the chair from flipping backward n less worry for you too.
Cat, sound like your yard sale turned out pretty good n plus you will have room for your cars. You can hear the enjoyment n sense of happiness just by listening to you talking about spending time with your son n his girlfriend before they move to a warmer state. I am so happy for you that u r starting to enjoy life again. Just don't leave us any time too soon on here for we enjoy your posting.

Diane, Thanks n I am so sorry that your mom health has declined to where her conversation r imaginary stories n wish I was their to be able to give you a big hug for I can feel your pain. Yet, I can send u a ciber-hug n I know its not the same, however, it comes from a little person with a big heart n I hope it help ease yours pain while you are taking care of your mom. Have your tried using a mask to see if that will help ease the asthma when cutting the grass? At least it shouldn't have to be cut anymore as Fall come. It irritates my sinus real bad n ragweed is my enemy.
Today was a pretty good day. However, I do kind of get worry somedays where the mnl gets confused on things. Such as where to put 'used' #1 toliet paper! For some reason she has been taking the toliet paper an just placing it in areas like her dresser top, the counter top n bathroom sink n her pockets in her jacket. I made some signs thinking it will help her being she can still read fairly good. Sign like, "Toliet paper goes in the Toliet bowl please." I placed the signs in her room above the dresser, above toliet seat, by the toliet paper roll n by the kitchen trash can. Because it was starting to smell like pee.
I just happen to notice when I was directing her to throw her toliet paper in the toliet bowl from the kitchen that she had gone to the dog bowl. I am like wtf!
I will respond to her with a question like, "We don't use the bathroom in the dog's food bowl do we?" She will reply," No! who would do such a craxy thing like that!" Then she seems to remembers where the toliet bowl area is located as I direct her if she still needs help but usually she does not. This has happen more than once in a day. I do get a bit worry about her how to say it, mind slipping some more as AD takes it toll. I am hoping that this birthday she will be happy even though she saids, "she don't celebrate her birthdays." Yet, she told the people at the St. Luke church she does. Go figure? I am going to make her a cheese-cake for she likes it too. She will be 81 this month of the 27th. I have to admit she gets around pretty good too on most days. Well, enough of my flapping jaw. I got to take a break n go dispense medicine out to everyone in the house n including the dog. ; )

Bobbie, that's exactly the Twilight Zone episode I was talking about - when the earwig laid eggs. Freaked me out as a kid. The other one that I remember is the one where William Shatner is on a plane and there's some kind of monster guy on the wing, tearing it up. I'll look on Netflix. I haven't seen those in years. The animal planet channel has/had a show called "the monster inside me" and it was all about people with parasites. Soooo gross.

Oh, Cat, tapeworms are disgusting. Can you believe people actually ingest tapeworm eggs on purpose to lose weight? I'd love to be skinny, but the thought of a tapeworm in my gut would be enough to make me want to drink bleach or go insane.

Lildeb, the TP issue would make me crazy. I hope mnl gets better with flushing it. Cheesecake sounds delicious to me. If you don't already have a recipe you like there's a great recipe for NY cheesecake that I love. If you google "frugal gourmet cheesecake" you'll find it.

I had a pretty good day. Managed to piss off my mother. Doesn't take much, really, to get her all butt hurt. I actually googled her sisters' obituaries to see how long they lived, trying to gage how long I have to deal with her. My karma is going to be so bad.

Judy, you got BOAT time!!!!!

I'm feeling a little frazzled after having a text conversation with my nephew. I made the mistake of asking if he could get the family together for Thanksgiving since my mom said she is afraid she will die before the family is mended. If we are all mature adults, I fail to see why we can't gather for mom's sake and behave civilly for a few hours. Of course it all comes back that the family divide is all my fault. Needless to say that has thoroughly pissed me off.
I have to direct mom to the bathroom, how to sit on the toilet and wipe her. Tonight her gross thing occured when she was sitting in her recliner crying for no apparent reason. She sat there letting snot run down her face. Mind you the box of kleenex is right next to her. I don't know where she zoned out to, but I cleaned her up and got her to bed. It always makes me feel so bad when she gets into these crying spells for no reason. She can't seem to tell me what is bothering her, but she must be very sad or frightened to sit there crying like that.

Deef, have you spoken with Jen lately? I know you have her phone number. We are worried since we haven't heard from her.

Have a good night all. I'll go back to watching Romney and Obama duke it out on the debate. Have a good night all.

Love ya,
Diane