[kimboboo]

I've been gone for about a week. Things have been pretty rough. My father, who is in the first stages of Alzheimer's, was admitted to the hospital in critical condition last Friday. He was eventually diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Yesterday he was discharged. My mother went to get the car to pick him up at the lobby doors and fell in the parking lot. She fractured her arm, wrist and skull around her eye orbit. I have had to do a lot of care taking the last couple months with my parents (my mom also has had 2 surgeries and a mini-stroke in the last 2 months). I am just under so much pressure at work and in my own life I am beginning to feel overwhelmed. While I've been at my parents the past week, I haven't had my meds and I think it's beginning to affect me. I went home today to pick them up and hope it might help a little. It just seems like everything is piling up at once. I could use some good thoughts. Thanks everyone for letting me rant.

Kim

[Rapunzel]

{{{{{{{{{{{Kim}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Hang in there. That's a lot to have to deal with all at once.

<font color=orange>"Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm. - Winston Churchill "</font color=orange>

(((((KIM)))))
Sorry to hear about your parents; and I trust that there are more people who are able to help you with them; as for you, I've missed chattin' with you, so I hope we catch up soon.
Love,
Jon

KICK THE CABLE HABIT!!! http://www.vmcsatellite.com/?aid=84152

[SunshineGold03]

{{{{{{Kim}}}}}}
I am so sorry to hear things are going rough for you. If you want to chat anytime send me a PM. Take care! And lets us know how you are doing.

Jenn

[alm15]

(((KIM)))) Wow! That's alot! Try to remember to take care of yourself first. You can't help anyone else if you forget to take care of yourself. I'm glad you were able to get your meds. I hope you're taking some down time. Atleast 15 mins a day to just breathe. That is some incredable stress! Kudos to you for being there for your parents. My thoughts are with you! Annie

[wisewoman]

Sorry for all of your pain and chaos. You have a lot on your plate. I am glad you can be there for the folks but keep caring for you too and don't forget there are outside resources as well. I wish you peace with this new curve in your journey.

[Beautiful_Pain]

Kim

Sorry to hear so much has been going on...glad you got your meds and hope they help you. I too, hope you aren't having to do everything yourself. I agree with alm that you need to take care of yourself first, to be up to taking care of others.

{{{Kim}}} Take care



<font color=purple>Pain can indeed be a beautiful thing</font color=purple>

[Fuzzybear]

Hang in there (((((((((((((((Kim))))))))))))))) I am sending you good thoughts,
Take gentle care of you,
Fuzzy

[dexter]

Kimbo

Hang in there, it certainly is a lot to deal with very suddenly.

Hope you were able to get your meds... that is a priority... you'll need them to keep firm footing to take care of everything else.

Also hope you can get some help with this.

Good luck.

------------------------------------
--http://www.idexter.com

[darkeyes]

Rant on, I have been dealing with the huge stress you described here, it sucks. My dad passed away 2002, he had emphysema, and then in 2 months after torture he went through, like the ICU having to cut a whole in his trach, cause he could not be kept on the ventilator, they claimed the esophagus can't hold out too long, this procedure robbed him of the ability to talk to us, he was never to eat for the 2 months, just IV feeding tube, it was a horror story, I miss him and I apologize for the whining. Mom, I have had living with us for 9 months (too long) has the whole nine yards, congestive heart failure, respiratory distress, diabetes and the complications that go with that, and vascular dementia, I can really feel for you, and it is good you have come to the forums to talk, I find talking to the wonderful people here help me to hang on. I know this overwhelming feeling, and there are others here that also relate so you will find support with this.
Sometimes I am totally drained physically and emotionally, I am in therapy which started about 4 years ago not related to this recent accumalation of events. I took mom home from FL when she had been hospitalized 6 times in one month, I couldn't take the fact she was alone and the neighbors who were often too busy to look in on here urged me to get her out of her home, even ICU told me she can take a turn for the worst her kidneys were starting to show signs of shutdown, coincidently this nurse was one of the ones that had been assigned to my dad so she remembered me.
See, here I go talking out and about about my stories of woe, and I hope it is okay with you, I hope I can open the door for you to come here as often as you like and vent or whatever you need to say, you can even post at caregiver forum, there is where I can post and reply to those going through the sort of things a caregiver has to or volunteers to.
I am wishing you hope and strength, most of all I wish you some time for yourself, we need time apart from the reality once in awhile. . . helps us to carry on.
I just hold onto the fact that this will all come to pass, even if I lose my mom to her illness, she contributes a lot to her health problems, so I have been her nurse with meds and reminding her to take them, also her dietician, whew, I never thought this would be my life in my middle age stage.
Sorry I yacked your ears off, please take care now.

Sincerely,
DE

PS you can PM me anytime if you wish to talk about this.

In giving advice seek to help, not please your friend
SOLON

[gloria]

Hung in there, and don't forget to love yourself too! Taking care of you is as much needed as taking care of your parents.

I hope the private message I sent to you helps you.

gab

[darkeyes]

This is so very true and when I am in therapy and at my pdoc they stress this, we must take care of ourselves, and do not ever have feelings of guilt that we may have not done enough, not all people fall into this trap, but sometimes I get to feeling like this. I've been told by many that I have done all things humanly possible, and that I am not Superwoman.
Keep in mind what Gloria just said here, kim.

((((((((((((((( for all ))))))))))))))

In giving advice seek to help, not please your friend
SOLON

[PlanningtoLive]

Kim, I'm so sorry about all the stress right now. My parents are not doing the best these days either - my mom fell last year and still hasn't really recovered from it at her age.

I'm sending lots of positive supportive thoughts your way. {{{{{{{{{{{{Kim}}}}}}}}}}}}}

<font color=red>Don't you just hate it when life doesn't follow the manuals? - Author Unknown</font color=red>

[kimboboo]

Thanks everyone for the support. I contacted my church and they are going to be offering a lot of support to my parents and me in the coming weeks. I'm hoping this will relieve me of some of the stress I'm feeling right now. I find myself forgetting to breath and suddenly gasping for air or clenching my fists and not realizing it until I try to open my hand. Overall, I'm feeling worn out. My mom went to her eye doctor today and he feels her nose might be broken as well as her eye orbit, arm and wrist. My father is fighting me about taking his medication as prescribed and I just want to slap him and tell him to cooperate. I'm trying to take time for myself, but it's hard. I have my own life to manage and now I have to manage my parents life for awhile. Today I was filling out life insurance forms, paying bills, running to the hospital, making arrangements for people to drive my parents to their appointments...and of course work. I went nuts last night trying to finish 8 reports I had due for the Department of Human Services. Anyway, that's a short update on how things are going...pretty stressful still, but okay. Thanks again for all your support and good wishes.

Kim

(((((((((((((((everyone))))))))))))))))

[darkeyes]

Again, I feel for you, I have been doing ALL of mom's paperwork, the med thing, etc. that I get anxiety attacks, almost feel like I am having a heart attack or something worse, so my pdoc gave me klonopin take 2 X a day if needed and Ativan at nite if needed, he said I need not worry about addiction due to this stress I am going through, actually my first panic attack started before I had mom come to live in my home. Try to continue to hang in there things get worse and then better they all tell me, just take any second you get to regroup your thoughts and strength.
Parents, can be worse than raising kids cause at least our kids grow up, progress. Not to be bumming you out here, but just letting you know lots of us can relate to you situation, it really sucks but in time you shall be free of this and your life will be back on an even keel. I am sending you positive thoughts and support you
This too shall all come to past. . .
I forget who said this famous line, anyone know?
Was it from Julius Caesar?

Take care and continue to come here whenever you want to talk

DE

In giving advice seek to help, not please your friend
SOLON

[SeptemberMorn]

Don't know if you know, but if your parents are on Medicare or your State's medical program, they can have a caregiver come to their home and help out which would lighten your load. They'll take care of their personal needs such as showers to light housekeeping. There are also visiting nurses that come by and check on their medications, medical progress, etc. and report to their doctor(s).

There IS help out there and sounds like you really need it. Don't forget to take care of YOU first so that you can take care of them. It's not selfish although we tend to feel like it is.




<font color=blue>"Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt" --Shakespeare</font color=blue>

[Beautiful_Pain]

Kim

Glad the church will be helping out, it should help with a bit of the day to day activities, hopefully .

Take care



<font color=purple>Pain can indeed be a beautiful thing</font color=purple>

[lost_lonely]

So sorry to hear, I truly hope things get better for, Kim. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

((((((((((kim)))))))))))))))