Does anyone feel sick after spending a day taking care of their parents? I'm not talking about sick to your stomach either.

PIRATE:

I have a whole box in case of emergency. Where do I it?

Ed can I borrow that glove....(running buck naked out the door tonight...lol)

SUSAN:

Pirate and Lilli hit the nail on the head. Caregiving is a labyrinth of physical work and a roller coaster of emotions. The chronic stress never ends. On top of that, you have to juggle the little personal life you have left. Your marriage begins to unravel, your children start giving you lip, and your budget gets tighter and tighter. No wonder so many caregivers take to the drink and start popping pills to escape or block it all out. ... and I wouldn't be surprised if some of them ran out the back door screaming into the night, buck naked and with a glove on their heads.

If you're caregiving by choice, you can opt to walk away. But somehow I sense you're stuck with it (trapped is more like it). That being the case, time management and prioritizing are of the essence if you are to hang on to your sanity and be there for others who still love you very much.

-- ED

Just got back at 11:00pm from the rehab center. Mom chewed out another nurse because she didn't do things the way she would like them. Drove all the way out there. She wanted to come home, but could not understand why she had to wait until the morning so the doc could release her. I cried all the way home. Thought PT would be good for her...had to work hard to get her into this nice center...now she is frittering it all away...
As I write, I am sick to my stomach...chewing on peppermints to calm it. The thing that worries me the most is that there is no good placement for her now. She is nearing the end of time of living independently and I do not want her to go to a facility. She does not want to live with family. She is scared, I am scared that she is scared, and I simply do not know what to do. Losing sleep...many other things on my plate right now...I just want to escape for a few days - just to get my head straight - but can't.
So, to make a long story short, YES I do know what you are going through. I am sorry that I do not have a solution....but I find solace here in this forum. So many kind and generous voices.
Good luck,
Lilli

OF COURSE WE DO...we understand this so well. I have been going through my pergatory for a year now......you learn a lot as you go. It's very tough in the beginning...you have to learn what is important and what is not, when they are playing you and when they are not...etc etc etc etc etc! What you are feeling is STRESS. Believe me stress will kill you too! So you can take my advice and I am sure others will follow, that you need to relax when you can take it and trully relax, because you will make yourself sick and then no one will be taken care of.