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stayathomegal86 Asked October 2013

Anyone else taking care of a spouse? How do you keep your head above water?

I am an 85 year old woman taking care of my husband who will turn 88 later this month. I am in reasonably good health but find myself very tired and short of patience most of the time. My doctor has put me on an anti depressant which helps somewhat but I still have feelings of resentment and even anger. We have been married fir 65 years and have had a pretty good marriage. We have one daughter who lives nearby but she has numerous health issues which limit the amount of time she can give to helping out. Is anybody out there in the same situation and if so, let's talk about what you do to keep your head above water.

stayathomegal86 Oct 2013
Joanne..I am so sorry about your husband and of course you. Do you have anyone to spell you so you can get out and take some time for yourself? I'm fortunate in that our daughter is not married and can give me a break every week.

Joanne19335 Oct 2013
Dear Stayathomegal, my heart breaks for you, especially given your age. I am 63 caring for a 62 year old spouse with terminal pancreatic cancer. Sometimes I feel angry--that he got this disease and other times I feel I am being deprived of doing things I would normally do at my age--work, taking long weekends with my friends. I even wish (silently, of course) that it would finally end. My doctor put me on anti-depressants, which have helped some, but I already know that the worst is yet to come--the end of life pain and suffering when my husband goes into hospice and I will watch as his body shuts down. My former husband also died of colon cancer and it was horrible. You have my thoughts and prayers, dear lady.

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Eyerishlass Oct 2013
*Your

(I hate grammatical errors, lol)

Eyerishlass Oct 2013
I'm not in the same situation but I wanted to drop you a line anyway and send my love and support to you.

You're husband is a very lucky man to have such a devoted wife but remember that you have to take care of yourself as well. Please don't neglect your health.

Good luck to you.

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