I am single, 56 years old and had to resign my job as admin assistant at the American Embassy in Mex city to take care of my mom. I live with her and have a caregiver four days a week during the day, I take advantage of that to do all my shopping for the house and go to banks to pay bills. I had 9 back surgeries and I was feeling ok but now I am beginning to have back problems. She is very deppressed because I am not with her all the time and her family tells her is because I care more for my dogs than her, which leds into a fight everytime. I try to do my best but sometimes I nag at her for not trying harder to forget and not think about her pains all the time as I do. I tell her that unfortunatelly she has to get used to pain as I have and try to put her mind in something relaxing. she watches soap operas all day unless someone from the family comes to visit, Her attitude changes 90 degrees when they come, she smiles and enjoys them as she does not me. Pls help, I am going crazy, I don´t have a life and try to engage in doing manual things to relax my mind a little bit
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Give yourself a pat on the back. She needs you and you are there for her that's all that matters. If they criticize you it's only because they are feeling a little guilty for not doing what you are doing. You should never feel bad about that. Your reward is waiting for you in heaven. Nothing can take that away from you..or that you were there for her in the end. God bless and Merry Christmas to you.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL and thank you for your kind words
Of course it wasn't. They waited until the last minute to even look at what needed to be done. It spent today running around doing last minute errands that would have been much easier last week. Her medicines weren't called in to the pharmacy until today. They weren't completed before she needed them. Some of the medicines are narcotics so I can't get them filled until the doctor sees her. We have an appointment tomorrow. She just got home and really isn't up to trip to the doctor tomorrow.
Tomorrow's doctors appointment means I'm going to miss a Christmas party. And a break and something fun that I really need to do. Couldn't they have told me I need one sooner so I could have gotten an appointment when I wouldn't have to miss my party?
There no consideration about what might work for me. It's as if I have nothing else to do but take care of my Mom. I have no life as it is. If I complain they will say "oh I'm sorry" but the same thing will happen again.
I just tired of doctors, nurses etc. thinking I have no life but care taking.
As for liquid meds, we went to them on some of Daddy's meds. If possible, I'd stay with crushed pills. (Not all pills should be crushed) For me it is easier. The liquid meds, for the most part, have to be refrigerated and taste bad. For some reason, hospice sends concentrated liquid meds. It makes it very difficult for my mother to give them. For the crushed pills, I do them once a week. I bought a crusher at Wal-Mart along with some little plastic medicine bags (right next to the crusher). I put each time's (AM & PM) meds in the dispenser box. When I finish the week, I take each time's meds out to crush. As I crush them, I put each dose in one of the bags & fold it up to put it back in the medicine dispenser box. For the liquids, I bought some of those little plastic cups like restaurants put salad dressing in (also available at Wal-Mart). I put each dose of medicine in a cup & use a marker to put what it is on the top. Some have to have water added to them because they have to be shaken & because they are so thick. I do not mix the liquid meds because it would be difficult to label them. I then take plastic boxes (such as tupperware) & put each time period's meds in the same box. By doing this, I can make sure with caregivers coming & going, 1 that he gets all the meds he is supposed to and 2 he does not get overdosed. I go to my parent's house daily and check to ensure the med situation is going like it is supposed to. Hope this helps some people. For all of us, this is a daily learning experience.
I think we each have to find what works out of the suggestions that are made here and not every suggestion will work for us.
I have the sweetest dog in the universe, perfectly well behaved. My mom hated to find even one hair on the carpet. She never liked having the dog come for a visit. After many attempts she finally forced herself to be nice to the dog.
I think she even liked the gentle little hugs eventually and some times she told me she loved me too. It was never a jolly happy easy experience with her, but with these suggestions that I read here, over time it got better for me and shockingly my mom tried a little harder to be nicer too. I hope that helps others to know some times it is downhill and some times they go up hill a little bit too.
I do plan on asking her nurses about liquid meds. I figured it would be safer that way. I made sure the pills I do crush are safe because I asked her nurses just to be on the safe side. The truth is that without any kind of training, I am learning as I go, and each day brings something new. Thanks for asking. How have you been lately? I did leave you a message, but I am not sure if it went through on your page.
On the pills, you can buy a crusher/pulvorizer one on amazon is best, and put them in pudding or yogurt , I use prune pudding. Some pills you cannot chew as they are time or sustained release and dangerous so make sure they are all crushable ok? I know it feels like our lives are on hold, we have to use their money for time off if we can, it makes a huge difference if you can find help. Hang in there!!!!
My question, I see everyone above saying to hug your mother & tell her you love her. How I wish I could. My whole life my mother told me to not hang on her everytime I tried to show any affection. I'm not sure she would tell me that now, but I can't move past those words. I don't know how. I have no problem telling my dad I love him or showing him affection. He was always affectionate.
How does one show affection, which I truly have, for someone who never wanted any shown? I need to resolve this while I can.
Forgive me if I'm too direct, but it looks to me like you're trying to rebuild your life while your Mom needs to find one; or at least make an effort to develop a social circle. About the dogs, my family used to say the same thing about me when my mother lived with me.
The poochies' love was unconditional, and they gave me more affection and signs of gratitude in one hour than my mother gave me since she spat me into the world; and has been charging me for it ever since.
My sisters were always critical for my lack of "worship" towards my mother. I told them to take her with them if they thought they could do better. That surely shut their flytrap, for I didn't hear about it again.
If I were your Mom, I'd certainly be grateful.
First, stay on this site, pose all the questions you would like to talk about, vent. Tell the truth and share. After my mother passed away, I looked back at my first question and I could see how 'crushed' I was while I was caring for her. I could forgive myself and let go.
People on this site told me that I should hug her every day and tell her I love her, which I did... no matter how hard it got.
Also, I struggled with my health and finding time to make exercise and my friends a priority. I asked, how can I do ANYTHING, when my mother is essentially dieing? Isn't she the priority? How can anything for me be more important. When my sweetheart and I did take a week off, my mother didn't want us to go although she can plenty of care around her, and within a week of our return with every day an emergency, she ended up in the hospital. She just wanted me there every day.
For a long time I did not know if it would be a week or a year or quite a few years. My mom passed at 92 of congestive heart failure. Her health was up and down and she could have lived to 100. I wish she did live to 100... but the point is that you never know.
I joined a gym where I could go to exercise 3 days a week. I had standing appointments in the morning, so mom knew that I could take her to the doctor, shopping, errands, etc in the afternoons, evenings and weekends. One Sunday I spent the day with her, so I could be sure she would be OK on Monday so I could make an appointment, but she called me back to her house. She told me she didn't need me on Sunday! So, no matter what I planned, it was Impossible! for me to make an appointment for me for anything. I didn't even know when to make a dentist appointment.
The point is, I found this site very helpful. One day it will be over. Tell her you love her every day. Hug her if you can. Try very hard to make your own health a top priority!! Stay on this site and share and read and hopefully you will find your sanity here.
We have a sense of what you are experiencing and I can confirm that it's a challenge and a blessing.
Mom is such a perfectionist. She create much more work for me and herself than is needed.
My husband insists we get away for a weekend every once and awhile. I find it really helps to recharge me. Though it doesn't last long enough. But it's really good thing to do.
I've also been treating myself to personal training. It helps in that its a lot of money to waste if I don't go and the exercise does energize me.
I'd love to have time to read a book. Or at least get my Christmas shopping done.
I'd like to see what other have to say.