When I first started full time care for my mum I brought in and paid for carers to give her a bath but they did such a shoddy job I stopped them coming - no point in having a dog and barking yourself is there. HOWEVER I found it incredibly difficult to physically touch my mum - its not something we ever did I had never been kissed by her in my living memory and I found that awful too. So you can imagine (or not if you're the insensitive sort) how distasteful I found it to have to clean her nether regions or lift her breasts up to wash and dry under them. Made worse because it was almost as though she sensed my disgust and wanted me to cream her lower groin area or put petroleum jelly around the anal area. I gritted my teeth, donned the obligatory surgical gloves, did it and went up and vomited - I couldn't help it. At one point I wanted to commit suicide rather than do this and when she got an impacted bowel and doctors would not come out (I live in UK so things are slightly different here) I had to manually disimpact her and that was gross. Time marches on though and now 2 years on I can manage to do it without disgust; the feelings of hopelessness have gone but I am known to my family as the mutterer for when it all gets a bit much I mutter terrible obscenities as I walk out the door. Mum doesn't know and I feel so much better for the mutterings. I won't ever say them out loud and they are unprintable here but suffice it to say ffs happens to be the most likely one.
Do i feel guilty? I used to ... now I accept that it is my way of coping and I though I ought to share it on here. Don't get me wrong I love my mum I just don't like her but then we have never liked each other and when I was little she always said she wished my brother had lived and I had died. Odd how 58 years on I would so love to remind her of those words but of course I won't.
Then today through her grumpiness and vile temper she said to me noone else could care for me like you do...So I made a joke and said am I that bad? No she said you are just like the daughter I always wanted not like the one I got. That will teach me to fish for compliments!!!!
You're Mother is lucky to have you Phoenix!And I know your Dad must be very proud.
This early on, I would advise myself to back off, short visits are best, don't see what I see, not my job, not able.
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And breathe
Ah Jude, I tried mom on aricept and it had the opposite effect. She just stared into space. Took het off that pretty quick. She has vascular dementia. Now she's on Seroquel at night and sleeps much better. And so do I. I have absolutely no idea how I managed getting up with mom several times during the night for 6 years then having to go to work next day. I thought I was going to break down and nearly did. Hope you find a solution soon.