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Hi everyone. Not much new here other than the roofing people put my new roof on in two days and it cost less than the insurance adjuster estimated! I continue to live better each day after that letter burning event a week ago Tuesday.

The biggest thing that has taken place is I wondered why my mother's long term insurance check did not show up on the 1st like it normally does. Turns out it is due to a name change in her nursing home from being a nursing home to being a short term care and rehab place. This is what appeared on October's bill and has slowed things down for mom's insurance company thinks she is in a different place and not receiving nursing home type care anymore. I called the business office where my mom is and explained to them my need for them to fax a letter to my mother's insurance co. saying this is a new name for the same place, why they changed their name and that my mother is still receiving nursing home level care. I would hate to think we would have to move her to somewhere with the word nursing home in the title just to get her insurance to pay.

Lu, I hope you can find some support and help to get back off of your addiction.

Prayers and hugs to all.
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CMag, so happy to hear you are doing so well, feels good to be a human "being" instead of always a human "doing" doesn't it..... I respect your courage to heal, and it does take courage.... my letter to my son is slow going, life keeps interfering, like work..... but just want you to know I have deep admiration and respect for you and am so glad you are part of this journey......
Ro, you are my Italian sister, and I wish I was there with you... we could get our mind off of so many things and just laugh, talk and drink coffee.... love , hugs and prayers for you......
Bee, my heart breaks for you about your brother..... I have gone to too many addicts funerals in my life... I hate the disease of Addiction as much as I hate Alz.... both destroy the person and the family.... prayers for you.....
Vic, I am so proud of you, you teach me to perservere.... am so happy to hear dad was able to get on the scale... tho your back and body paid a price, it was a victory for you both... love ya girl....Have your bags packed and RUN don't walk when they get there, you and hubby go somewhere and keep it a secret.....
Mis, your sil sounds like my son, lord, we are all kin to each other thru crappy sibs and extened family..... makes me crazy thinking about it...happy to hear you foot is going to be ok.... practice kicken ass now and keep it in shape...be careful in Detroit...
Jo, you and I could throw our "ugly sisters' in pile and we wouldn't know who was who....
Jam, glad your team won, ok, ok, I'm a few days late with that, but you know I think of you all the time.... hope you are eating good icecream tonite...
Seeme Sue, I love you and miss you so much...... prayers for you always.... wish I could come set on your porch and just chill for awhile... love to hear you laugh.... makes my day..... just know how much you are loved...... every afternoon before I lay down for my nap, I say "ni-night Seeme"...... we are both snoozing, we need it....

Told Jam today that if I ever win the lottery the first thing I am going to do is have a nervous breakdown...... I deserve it...... love and hugs to everyone....
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Well gang today was an okay dokey day. Mom was good no problems there got up got dressed had her meds ate her breakfast got her lunch. Got woke p by idiot sister who got a text from idiot brother. I honestly think he's losing his marbles. He asked if somethign was wrong with Shannon *ungrateful niece* and told her to call if she knew what was good for her. HUH. Well she called me Shannon is fine has not popped yet .. has another apointment if she does not have lil Austin by Tuesday of next week they are going to induce. I just want her to have this kid as shes mega beotchy with it. Tomorrow is bill paying day YAY NOT!!!! ... Mom and I are going to go out get bills paid and nice walk while the weather is nice. Gonna go to subway probably and get a sub for lunch then off to wallyworld to pay bills and post net to give them price list and paper showing stuff I sell. I also have to watch Kids tomorrow yeah its cold in their house and such but I guess It will be fine. Working on designs some mug designs that come out pretty kewl. So please check out if you want to.

Vic I am glad your dad was able to stand on the scales ... its not an easy feat I know. When family gets there run don't walk take sometime for yourself.

Ros ... I wish you get a break soon... honey..

Ladeeda ... what is there to say darlin I wish I could make everything better for you between you and you son. But you need to do what ya need to do. I am here anytime you need me.

CMAg enjoy your man cave and freedom ...

Jam well it says your stuff arrived today I hope you liked it. :-D

Might need to find a new supplier for my stuff not sure. That and help fixing when it comes to the water bottles I dont like the way they come out... anyway Hope you all have a nice weekend ...
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Hugs to all. Just checking in for a few moments. Spent about three hours at the mom's this afternoon (neighbor who cuts her grass called me to say she seemed "confused", or more so?). Was going to call her today to remind her for meds times to check, but I can't make it any easier (pill box four times a day). Went to store and got her some additional food (she gets meals on wheels). Check the meds. Had chat about her moving for her own safety, but that did not go well. Will check by phone again tomorrow, and probably stop by to monitor situation. She has been bipolar all her life, now this dementia, and there are days where there is a fine line as to where she is "at." Unfortunately, she was not very close to either of her children when raising them. She kinda did her own thing --- bingo, card parties, etc. Well, thanks for listening.... tomorrow is a new day. Take care!
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P.S. I go down to her house either every day or every other day....... will watch for another possible UTI or the dementia is getting worse.
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It sure is kinda awkward how they hurry the holidays these days. They didn't do that when we were kids. Have so many projects to crochet, embroidery, etc. and hope they can be completed in time. Sometimes it is just hard to find time, but we do the best we can and then realize maybe it's not so bad. Had a nurse come by to check on mom before me could get out of bed. Have just been that depressed and exhausted, but these new antidepressants my doctor has me taking seems to be improving my mood. Just had to catch up on some sleep and stop stressing so much and not be so grouchy because it doesn't help much. Anyway, have a good night. ;- )
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That's cool, it is good to stay busy with arts and crafts, reading or whatever to get our minds off our problems.
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Evening Posse!

Just a quick hello and goodnight to everyone....lol. Been busy today and will get caught up with everyone tomorrow.

Shawna.....yes I got everything today and thank you very much! My Christmas shopping is officially begun now.....great items, very pleased.

Rained most of the evening and it's down in the 30's so we all know what that means...........I most certainly am not ready for winter weather. And the dogs aren't very happy either. Oh my, they hate getting those little paws wet. My little chihuahua looks at me like "uh huh....you're not making me go out there"..........

Must get some sleep.........hope everyone has a peaceful night.

Love and Hugz to all,
Jam
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Mismiley I am very happy for your foot! We need good news sometimes.
Ladee: "When I win the lottery I will be able to afford to have a nervous breakdown" is soooooooooooo true! Let's hope that when we win the lottery we have some nice travels, though.
Shawna you are always very busy! Tks God you have the energy.
Dede, you are at the stage where your mother needs help and she doesn't admit it and you have to worry that she is safe! I know it very well. Most of us have already been there. It took me months maybe more than a year to convince my mother to accept a help... Be patient!
Goodnight everybody....
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Rosella, somehow you manage to say just the thing I needed to hear in your posts.
Shawna, I found your website. I don't always notice the - I'm so busy just trying to (see) read the posts. lol Your art work in very nice!

I cried yesterday. I called to find if the new "medically necessary" lens for my right eye had arrived. (I have serious cornea damage.) I've been waiting 2 months now and it hasn't even been ordered. The specialist had me all pumpted up: this new lens is going to radically improve my quality of life.

Don't you just love how the insurance industry controls our lives?

My evening call to Mom found her in tears because she's "sick of these people just ignoring me". She was a little winded from her walk - out to see if she could find the kids to get them "home for dinner". She admitted she is depressed because of this "situation". I need to get ther to have a face to face talk about this "situation".

Well, i hope today is a better day - for all of us.
Carolyn
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MIsmiley - good news about your leg! So happy for you.
Bee
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Good morning: sounds like some good news for some people going around ... let's make it an epidemic ok?
My mom's meds MUST be finally kicking in because even if she is down a bit (or "lousy" as she calls it) I am able to help her see the bright side of things. That's a plus; never have been able to do that before.
I may be a bit awol for the next few weeks with papers, presentations, finals coming up. Just can't wait for break ~ just in time for the holidays. I am doing better than I thought I would with all the added responsibilities with mom so that's good.
I took an afternoon off yesterday and arranged a display of Swarovski crystal jewelry my daughter creates at the local consignment shop. I would have preferred to spend more time typing and printing labels but that's ok. She wants these items in for only two months (leftovers from a craft fair) so I wasn't going to put too much into it you know. But the display is pretty (posted on my FB) and items are reasonably priced. It was nice to take a few hours and be creative and chat with the manager of the store (swiftly becoming a friend) instead of hitting the books! Yes, nice break.
I wish you all well. We here in CA are still having hotter weather, not good for fire threat, and we look forward to cooler weather in a few weeks (that's wishful thinking). Snow? No thanks!!! I am definitely a CA girl!!!
Hugs across the miles
SDPeg
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Hey gang ... everything is going okay with mom. Though our day out's been canceled and its my own fault. The cold I got is kicking my behind and I have to go watch my grand nephew today while his mom goes to the cheerleading game. that's okay cause the cold outside is just a bit much for me right now so I am gonna take mom out tomorrow. Some good news is I got my dishwasher working agian just have to do another cycle through it and it should be working good as new yay. Holiday's coming up I might be taking a paper or such up to Postnet a place that is a printing company up here my friend runs. She said if I am doing anything like mugs and such she would refer her customers to me (instead of Walmart) since its a conglomorate and I am small business. Also my stuff is a lot more fancy and unique than what Walmart does. IF I do say so myself lol. The more orders I get the better. I got some Christmas shopping done in a way. MY sister needed a camera she was using those disposables all the time and it took forever to get them to be working. Well Fingerhut called to offer my business a deal so I got her a cheap little camera so that's good. I only have to pay like 13 bucks a month on it so ... I also got myself some cooking pans as mine are barely making it and with people coming over for Thanskgiving I need them pretty bad. Here's to hoping I get more orders :)
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Carolyn, I don't know the story of your mother. My mother asks me all the time if we are going to have family for dinner. She is always disappointed when I tell her that it's just the two of us. Well, my mother had 4 siblings. And in the house where she lived (a huge one) lived 3 uncles/aunts as well. So, there were minimum 10 people at the table, her parents included. And my mother said that there were always friends for dinner, so they easily arrived to 15 people. And this happened every single night (this was normal in Italy before WW2). So, as she is living in her childhood, I understand very well why she doesn't understand why we are just 2!
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Good Afternoon Posse!

Checking in to see how everyone is doing today and hoping it's been good.
We went to visit with the col this morning and took her doggie to see her. Yes, he was happy to see her and jumped into her lap, then laid down on the floor and decided it was nap time. She doesn't want us to bring any pictures to put on her walls as that will just be too much to carry when she is released. We will just deal with that daily when she asks......this will be the only time in history that a month may equal years.....lol. She is happy and being cooperative, today was PT, and she seems to be doing better with her walker.

CMag..........glad your roof is on
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Sometimes this site is unbelievable.........
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well...dad is not having a very good day and I guess I lose patience to easy... he had a really hard time standing and wanted to drop like a floppy doll. I asked him if he really wanted to continue pt and he said yes. So maybe it is just me trying to get him to put into practice what he is working on. ...it is cold and cloudy..a blah day here so who knows. all I want to do is run away...to where I don't know but that wont change anything...so I have gotten a better attitude.
I finally resent my brother the text about when he is coming...he said he saw it and forgot. he said the would be here thanksgiving...DUH!!! .... well it got worse as my sweet mom frets about change. she wants to see my brother and her gkids and ggkids but is afraid of one of the kids running and her falling oh...they are supposed to bring a cat! well mom loves animals but she is afraid that she may step on it and trip.. poor lady she was half in tears yesterday with worry. I did what I could to ease her mind ... today she seems better but who knows. I did tell my brother that he needs to remember she is this way and that it is not always best to tell her things so far ahead. finally got out of him he may be here wed nite and leave early Sunday... and you bet I am going to run!!! i don't care if it is to a hotel in town. oh well....enough said. what happens or doesn't happen happens! one day at a time right! my main concern is for my parents and trying to take care of myself. get so emotional sometimes... thanks all for being here and loving me just as I am!
You are all in my prayers each and every day.
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Let's try this again..................

Cmag.....as I previously stated, I'm glad the roof is on.....less noise to ruin your day. You sound happier and for that I'm glad. I hope you get the insurance straightened out for your mother. You would think they would have been informed of a name change but too often those "little" things get overlooked.

ladee........I'll have my bags packed and standing on the corner when you win the lottery....just make it a short nervous breakdown please....I don't want to wait long for my ride...........oh, did I mention that I'm going to Italy with you to see Rossella?
I made a custard type ice cream this time, chilled it for 24 hours then popped it in the ice cream freezer...within 2 min it was rock solid and just sat and spun....had to have Target help me dig it out.....chocolate with walnuts and almond flavoring.....yummmmmmmmm
Jo.........this ice cream is your fault ya know.....and I love you for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And here I've dropped 10lbs and eating ice cream....but homemade has no calories, right? And it's good for me because chocolate is a food group.....:) I loved seeing the pics of Gordie's bench.........how wonderful for you to see that and thoughtful for someone to do it.
SDPeg.......good luck with getting all your "homework" done. I'm sure you are looking forward to your break. And so glad to hear that mom's antidepressant is kicking in. Sometimes it takes a month or maybe two before you really start to see differences. And her appetite is probably going to increase also.
Bee....Carol.....I wish it was easier for you to get your mom to accept help. We were in your situation 2 yrs ago and finally had to just say "this is the way it's going to be", the decision is no longer yours. We had her sign a POA 6 yrs ago, so she really didn't have much choice when it finally got so bad that she couldn't care for herself. The deciding point was when she fell off her back porch, 4 ft onto rocks, cracked the back of her head open and when she fell she landed on her left side wedged between a large rock and the hardened stem of some plant that would have impaled her if she had fallen flat. She was so depressed that she started drinking and then couldn't make it up the stairs to her bathroom. Needless to say, you can imagine the shape her house was in. It took $4000 and 3 men to strip the inside of her house when we finally got her moved 2 yrs ago. But it had to be done. Now, we are at the next step.
I'm using the excuse right now that I have a headache, darn herniated discs, and won't try to mention everyone by name............but just remember that I am the "Mother Hen" and yes, I read everything from each and every one of you and you all are included in my daily prayers while this wagon train is still plodding along........

Love and Hugz to all of you,
Jam
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Vic.....just hold on a little while.........after ladee has a very short nervous breakdown, she's picking me up and we will just hop over and get you and we'll all go see Rossella............sounds like a plan to me, unless ladee makes it a long breakdown............you know how she can be............she knows I love her!
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afternoon all
talking the day off - after a week of cr*p dealing with my sib. I have been sleeping only about 3-5 hrs and need to catch up. Since Gordie died I am hypervigilant - get stressed more easily and it affects my sleep more than anything My sis does not acknowledge anything she has said and gives the responsibility for any upset to her daughter, our mother, and me. However the upside is that she does acknowledge that she and I need not pretend to be friends. Works for me. We never were friends. All this stuff is exhausting. Gary, who has seen the emails, shakes his head in wonder. Hopefully, that will be the end of it, but I doubt it. There has always been an unhealthy triangle between me, mother and my sister with me being the target, and I don't see her giving up that game so easily. But there are ways to cope with that too.
Still above freezing and still no snow - wonderful!!!
The pecan pie was a disaster. It had almost 5 stars in review but was tasteless - I agree with the person who gave it a 1 out of 5. Gary, what a good guy - ate it anyway without complaint. He doused it with cinnamon and cayenne and said it was still tasteless. The crust was good. Go figure. I will have to redeem myself and make a decent pie - maybe apple.

He is off to hunt with his uncle this weekend (an annual event) - so another quiet weekend for me and the cat, which is good, and then more butchering,

mis - glad your foot report was good
lisa - crafts are a great idea. I used knit and crochet and should get back into it -hope the antidepressants are kicking in and helping you to feel better
bee - how frustrating that the order has not even gone in !!! and that mum is still looking for the kids -so difficult
cmag -so glad you are still feeling the benefits
ladee- hope u are having a good day and some relaxation
jam - the col is blossoming there. Darn -the custard type ice cream goes rock hard too, Maybe I won't try it -apaprently the amount of fat, sugar and alcohol will affect the texture. I added 5T sugar to my last batch and it went hard but 2 mins in the microwave and it was a good texture. Going to try alcohol in the recipe next!
shawna -you sound good - and that mum is doing well
dede -sounds like u r doing a great job looking out for ur mum -
sdpeg - glad mum is doing better -the timing is about right for the meds - arranging crystal must have been fun -a change anyway
maya - how is ur mum's incision and how ur u?
burned - hope some things are working out - u haver such a load to deal with
54 -wondering how you and hubby are
starri is in a bikini in the sunshine
seeme - hope you got the house damage repaired from a month ago and u r taking it easy?
stormy - missing you - how r things?
vic -sorry u r having a hard day and mum got so upset - it would be easier in some ways if dad didn't want to keep up with the PT but you have to honour his wishes - hope you get a decent break

everyone - have a good evening, When he gets home G and I are going out cutting tamarack boughs for a project - He won't tell me what the project is. He loves secrets and surprises.
love, hugs and prayers ♥♥♥
jo
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Jam, Ladee, everyone: you are welcome in my crazy house. I think you wouldn't be shocked by anything you would see here.
Jo, it doesn't matter the cake didn't come out very good. Always keep experimenting! One day you could stumble upon a fantastic recipe.
Maybe G wants to make an original Christmas tree with the tamarack. Maybe he wants to grow mushrooms! I am curious!
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Since being up there for her doctor's visit, I have just not felt like going up to the nursing home to visit my mother, but I have had new energy for doing other things. Today, she called the house while I was out of town, but did not leave anything on the answering machine, but I knew she had called from the caller ID. I figured she was going to ask for a visit, but I never know what is on her mind. I was a little uptight when I made this call which is typical for me.

This time, it was I want to get out again, but this time to shop Sat. afternoon at a yard sale. She said other people get to check out for a day trip, why could not she do the same thing although she said, she would have to be in her wheel chair for they don't want her to walk out of fear of falling. I agreed yes she did not want to fall and break her hip again. Then she claimed that she had fallen years ago and broke her hip and her mother took her to the doctor. I knew right then that dementia was kicking in big time. No one does not want to her walk so she will not fall. She has not walked in 2 1/2 years because she refused to work with PT. She wants me to call the social worker in the am to see if she can go shopping on Saturday, but she does not want me to tell the social worker that it is a yard sale. Not a chance in Oz that she is going to be able to do that.

Another sign of her dementia was the invitation for my family to come up there for Thanksgiving. Like sure, we are going to have our Thanksgiving meal in the nursing home. I told her that we already had plans but would come up to visit. She said she would allow me to do that but to make sure that I brought both of our boys. No mention of my wife coming or not. "Allow" me who is 54, now that is a joke although when I was younger and she was younger, I would not have been allowed and I would have had to do only what I was "allowed" to do.

We ended the conversation with her saying for me to come and visit, just to visit whenever I could. No mention about come up Sat. to take me shopping.

The place where I go for open mike night downtown was closed due to the heater being broken. So, I don't have my outlet and escape for Thursday night like I normally do. Thus, I'm in my man cave just chillin.

Hugs, love, and prayers to all for a good night's rest and as good of a weekend as is possible. :)
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Help for translation!
I am translating the latest ep of Criminal Minds. In the line
HOTCH (into computer) Garcia, start compiling a list of missing persons (over computer) and crimes in the area.
GARCIA (into computer) Faster than a Hotch Rocket.

What does it mean Garcia's line? Why is it funny? Can you explain to me PLZ?
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Just wanted to share some good news for a change.......we have new babies!!!! My fave nephew just had his first children.....twin girls....not identical. All are doing fine. Niece had a C-section, nephew got to cut the cords, girls weigh 4 lbs. 9 oz and 4 lbs 10 oz. Already have pictures. Girls are a little underweight and will stay until stabilized for sure, but they are good sized for 37 week babies, coming from a tiny vegetarian mommy.

Rosella, I don't watch that show, but it could be a play on the term "Crotch Rocket" which describes foreign (to us) made motorcycles that go fast, but tilt the body so it looks like the driver is leaning forward trying to get more speed out of it. Not a very funny line to me......hope that helps.......
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Congrats on the babies SeemeSue, little earth angels for you to spoil..... do they live close so you can hold them . I have 'baby envy'.... nothing I love more than holding a baby.....
Have you ordered your babies yet??? You haven't said anything so hope that plan is still in place... for those that don't know, it is puppy babies and I want pics of them.....
And what Seeme said is right Ro, just a play on words...it's funny to me, but then it doesn't take much for me does it....
love everyone, day off, will be napping most of the day...
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Vic et al, I friend of mine, many years ago, begged me not to pray for patience. You will be given patience without asking for it. But if you pray, implore (andother word for bag!) for patience you willhave it in abundance. Then, you need to have lots of trials and tribulations to give you somewhere to use all that patience.
My friend suggested that, instead, I pray, ask, beg for joy, peace, harmony, rest, anything but patience.

Today, I have to work with Mom to balance her checkbook - long distance. It will take me several hours on the phone to accomplish what I could do in 15 minutes or less by myself. But I will have to hear the stories behind everything, more than once. Talk about needing patience!

So this morning, I will pray for all of us. I will ask for peace of mind, harmony in our relationships, and a moment or two of joy to treasure and give us hope.
Happy Friday, friends.
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Cmagnum, and others, I'm sorry I didn't acknowledge you individualy, I do read your posts but it takes me a while. I have to juggle a magnifier and my vision fades in and out of focus. It's quite tiring and a strain. But....

Sorry you didn't get your night out, fella. I know what you mean about being "allowed" to do things. At our age, 62, my Mom still tries to basically force feed my husband and I when we visit. We rarely eat sweets. She always buys pies when wer're visiting. She insists we will eat it or wear it. She has yet to carry out her threat, but it is never a pleasant time.

Seeme, congrats! Isn't it a joy to welcome little ones into our lives? We now have 3 grand daughers : Taylor, 2, Julianne, turns 1 in Dec, and Olivia just 2 months old. Christmas shopping this year will be fun!

I often talk about rainbows in my day. Seeing new picuures of the babies always brightens a day for me. For these rainbows, I am grateful.
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Good morning...

I went on a feel sorry for myself jag in an e-mail to my best friend about not being able to sleep through the night, about living off No-Doz so that I can function when I'm awake. He listened and didn't comment. He knows when I'm venting and he doesn't tell me I'm wrong. Yesterday, I talked to my cousin and his wife about not sleeping and basically, I was told to get over it, that I had to do it all regardless of what it does to me and my own health. I wanted to smack the crap out of him, but I didn't. If he says anything like that to me again, I'm going to remind him that he's never been a caregiver, that he had the chance to help with his dad and didn't because he was waiting to be asked and how ridiculous it still sounds that he would have to be asked. I'm not going to just let it go any longer. What they don't seem to get is that if something happens to me, there won't be anyone else to step up to the plate for my mother. You know, I no longer care if these people give a flip about me, because they're all caught up in themselves and who they think they are. I'm seeing all kinds of carefully crafted illusions come down.

And I'd love to know how these folks have all gotten disability and early Medicare. If they're able to have a lawn care and gardening business where they're the sole employee, they're not disabled. It galls me that someone younger than I am is getting disability and Medicare even though he can still manage to do yard work at fifty bucks an hour. Then, he has the nerve to complain about the co-pays that he has to come up with because Medicare doesn't cover it all.

In the meantime, my mother's been shuffled off on another doctor. I think these folks are trying very hard to spread the liability issues of their non-care around. I'm documenting it all just in case.
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Oh, Maya. I'm sorry you have to deal with these self centered relatives and the buraucracy of government care. It's bad enough to be dealing with our loved ones health deterioration and trying to keep them safe and comfortable.

Who needs these aggravations?
Hang in there. You are not alone.
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It is raining this morning both outside and inside my house. This new roof must not have sealed or something for I woke up to rain water all over my kitchen floor, on top of the kitchen table, inside the globe of the light that goes over the kitchen table with almost more drips that I have recepticales to catch. :( I called the man whose company put the roof on. His wife took my message and he will get back with me within an hour. I also called my insurance man who suggested this person and left a voice mail with him about how all of this does not make me very happy.

I tried calling the social worker where mom is, but had to leave her a message.

What a morning!
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