I'm tired of cooking/preparing 3 meals a day. It's just the two of us but boy oh boy can that woman eat!! She stays slimish, I get fattish. It's bad enough I do everything here much less start making her one thing and me the other. At times I feel guilty when I buy her fast food cuz of the nutritional value....not to mention I eat it too.
Being over 70 does not give you any more rights to agression than you have now.
Take yourself back and learn to say "No" don't do anything unless it will not adversely affect you. Choose a few things she actually wants to do like visit the beauty shop and tell her you don't feel like going out and give her the phone number of a taxi service or someone you know who would like to make a little extra money by giving her a ride. Things she needs to do like PT and dr visits you may just have to grin and bear it. Consider yourselt free to become a b**ch begining today. No warning outsmart the old trout. She is very smart so keep one step ahead of her. You managed that with difficult patients so practise what you spent years learning.
Glad the doldrums left Susan! No rush trying to get the house cleaned up... if it's like mine, it will look exactly the same in a few days! I hated to cook dinner my kitchen was so clean.... grrr
Yes pamz, mom takes agitation meds. This is not an every day occurrence... maybe twice weekly. It does keep her fit and trim and fully exercised, cept it swells her legs n feet up. When she finally crashes I elevate them and they go back to normal. It may seem nerve wracking... it IS a lot easier than entertaining her hours on end every day. She entertains herself. Please don't take it as me being harsh... I did get a lot done today. Other than knocking her out with drugs... this is just the way it is on some days. Yes, I keep all 6 eyes on her... mine and 2 dogs that is. We all make sure she's safe.
Has anyone tried the "weighted blanket"? It's used for Autism as a sensory tool. They are so darn expensive though.... I'd love to try one on mom at night to see if it helps eases her fears so she can sleep better, and ME! It might be worthwhile for me to buy a used sewing machine and make my own d*mn blankie?
Oh, she had a very filling dinner and desert... she's still up n going. I, on the other hand, am getting sleepy as heck.
Susan, my tubs are stacked in the mud room.... seems like I just move this crap from space to space :/
hope? haven't heard from you in awhile. How are you doing and how's your lovely mama? check in girl....
Jeanette, geez, I wish your mom would find a place to light and stay there, for your sake! I know that has to be nerve-wracking, keeping an eye out for where she's at all the time.
Our house is a HUGE mess right now. All I've been able to do for the past week is keep my head above water with the laundry and that's it. So now I'm scrambling to get dishes done, and having to negotiate the obstacle course caused by all the storage totes of stuff from the Christmas party last weekend, which are stacked in the kitchen, which is as far as I got when I hauled them in. Tomorrow should be a fairly slow work day, so I'll tackle the consolidation of the Christmas party stuff down into fewer totes and put them away for another year, get all the dishes cleaned up, do a little food prep for the week and try to get the house in order again. Still don't have the tree up or all the Christmas decor up yet either...just not really in the mood, but I need to do it for mom. And Christmas cards to send out. I'm back out of the doldrums and raring to go...glad to be back. I hate feeling like that, but I think it happens to the best of us from time to time. I just needed to get out of the house for a while, I think.
Spent 3 hours helping a friend with their computer issues tonight. Got them through 3 forgotten passwords, set up a few "housekeeping" type programs for them and cleaned up viruses, adware and malware on 2 computers. My good deed quota is filled for the week, I think!
Not fair is right! hehe, by the 3rd night of respite care and you feel like maybe you can sleep.... they come home! LOL! Not that I would know.... I'm just sure it's gotta be one of those "Murphy's Law" phenomenons.
She's still going.... hasn't sat for 2 minutes this entire day, much less last night. Wow. I'm impressed.
anyway , while she cleaned the dump up i got my end of year tax ledger all ready to go . im not lazy or a procrastinator , there are just things that matter to me and things that dont .
I just hate wintertime too. Wait, in South Florida I didn't hate it, I loved it. Now I hate it. (imagine my ears laid back and eyes are slits) cold, dark n gray. No colors. Plus side is the Christmas lights look pretty at night, especially in a light fog. Meh...
We stopped by my p/t carer's apt yesterday to see her tree. OMG I didn't know such clean tidy places existed anymore :0 not a speck to be seen, nothing out of place and and .... guess who has been viciously cleaning all day while mom marathons? Yip, me. Why bother though since it will be a short week until it's back to clutter as usual. Really think a few giant garbage bags will do the trick or lots of boxes ... then a mega garage sale in Spring :)
Had to chuckle regarding the discharge papers, especially where it says after 24 hours you can go back to your normal activities.... say what?... whomever wrote this form sheet never had this surgery, and/or maybe if I was 40 years younger I would be able to bounce back that quickly. I feel like something the cat dragged in. No going back to work tomorrow and the next day.
Of course, the day after my sugery, my Dad [93] fell in his garage. My sig other didn't want leave me home alone but I told him go see what is going on. Apparently my Dad had fallen a hour prior and laid there the whole time, Mom didn't hear him call for help. Dad is doing ok now. Since it was a nice sunny day, I bet my Dad wanted to go outside to mulch some leaves with his lawn mower. Dad doesn't like all those leaves on his front yard but he refuses to pay someone to do the work. I had a landscaping service out recently who mulched all the leaves... whew, now one less worry for myself. Wish Dad would realize he can no longer do that type of work, but he's stubborn.
It is never going to catch on, not in the classier cocktail bars anyway.
No. What we have learned is that people who are "challenged" and are on their way out still have cravings for tasty things...thing you or I may not be able to fulfill, but they are there just the same. Part of me cries because they may not remember you or me...but yet they still remember that flavor/taste/smell. All you or I can do is try our best to recreate those flavors/tastes/smells for them. If we can't...then just say so.
Cap, I think you're right - it's a constant barrage of demands, working 60+ hours every week for my clients plus the time I spend doing things for Mom, trying to keep up with the housework and laundry (which seems to be breeding and multiplying moment by moment - I swear, the laundry is like rabbits here), and then trying to get some sleep while "hearing" every move she makes all night long...the only way I get any deep - REALLY DEEP sleep - is to drug myself somehow, either with a sleep aid, nyquil or a strong rum n' coke. (And oh my gosh I must need one now, because I seriously typed that wrong and made myself burst out laughing. Mom's looking at me like I'm nuts. Exchange the "c" and the "r"...that's what I just typed. I think I shall call my drinks that from now on. LOL)
I did sneak out for a bit tonight to get groceries, and that must be what I needed - I feel a LOT better than I did earlier today. I think I just needed a break, however small it might be.
Susan, those FB posts are the worst! It's like a code or something... one must always post happy cheerful fa la la thoughts and actions! I know this sounds awful of me, but I deleted and blocked all my family members aside from my son. I could care less what they're doing and the fun they're having... it was making me seethe inside and I'd rather not hate on them forever so *Poof* begone. I hope the grouchies subside for you Susan...it is perfectly normal and understandable tho and probably good for the soul :) of course, so would punching someone but... lesser of two evils eh?
An old work friend was having a "FB Make-up Party"... yep, a facebook virtual party is the only party I can attend these days... anywho, I ended up buying a few items knowing that I rarely wear make up anymore!! Good grief...
Hope you had a good time at the wedding Jess..hope the drive home wasn't too bad either and your momma didn't end up in the trunk and you blasting George Straight! haha, love that entire CD!!
CM, if we where to say "oh bugger this" and go to the pub and remind ourselves that tomorrow is another day, does this mean we get to go to the pub twice??