Quote:
Originally Posted by whatever2013
@ Soupe du jour:
Thanks for your support and for being here and being your buoyant self! It is a joy to read your posts, so full of adventures in baking and travel.
Yes, my neighbor Lynne is still with us, or at least she was when the paramedics took her away. She doesn't have a very good quality-of-life tho. Getting dialysis is a burden and she has trouble functioning.
I saw a notice posted on her door warning her to stop doing laundry in her unit as this causes plumbing back-ups in other units and is strictly forbidden. I've seen Personal Support Workers coming and going recently, so she is getting help and my neighbor Louise takes delivery of her meds for her when she is not available. Louise is sooooooo helpful!
Perhaps it's time for Lynne to get into a nursing home as @ Jennifer 1967 is facing with her brother. It's nice to stay at home for as long as possible, but Lynne obviously needs more help than can be provided by in-home assistance.
Is your kidney trouble med-related? |
I'm glad to read that Lynne is still with us. Yes, perhaps a nursing or assisted living facility might be best, as it is for my father. He likes his assisted living arrangement. He'd be too scared to return home, at this juncture, even with my sister right next door and my brother living in his house. Actually, my brother in his house likely scares him off a bit. Long story.
Lithium damaged both my thyroid and kidneys. I'll need to take thyroid replacement hormone (levothyroxine/Synthroid) for the rest of my life. I take 150 mcg, daily. As for my kidneys, I don't take anything for them, except lots and lots of drinking water. It's also very crucial that I don't develop diabetes and keep other things in check. However, the damage is done. It's just a matter of not worsening the situation. I will say that my thyroid was vulnerable because of family history of hypothyroidism. Diabetes type 2 is also rampant in my family, especially among the female members, including my sister. I don't have diabetes at this point, though. Too many cinnamon rolls certainly won't help keep it away. I will never be taking Lithium again, and it was stopped when the damage was discovered. It was never "a wonder med" for me, anyway, despite taking it a total of six years. Some anticonvulsant moodstabilizers and antipsychotics work better for me.
My paternal grandmother had to have kidney dialysis towards the end of her life. I suppose it was heart failure that took her in the end, but it's all related. The nephrologist (kidney specialist) I went to in the US also specialized in hypertension. He was the one that prescribed my blood pressure and cholesterol medications. Luckily the latter two seem well controlled after many months on them.
I hope that some of your irritability and frustrations ease a bit. We've all been there for various reasons, situational and bipolar-induced.