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whole milk (4%) with original chocolate Ovaltine is the BEST.
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Replacing my whine of a few days ago (since it got resolved about an hour ago, yay) with today's whine: It really IS always SOMETHING! My mother's dementia is progressing -- which I guess translates to her declining, of course. She is currently obsessed with her insurance policies. No amount of telling her that it's ALL taken care of, all up to date, all paid, etc., is doing any good. In one ear and out the other. Despite the efforts of her home care person, her neighbor, and me, she managed to mail them a check. For how much, I do not know. Once it clears I'll be able to see, and then will need to arrange for a refund. Could be worse, I guess...
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Adding a P.S. to the above whine -- I now need to use a personal day from work to make the drive down and remove her checks.
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Thanks everyone for the tips on the frozen milk - the only issue with that is knowing when she's going to want it - it's usually a spur of the moment thing, so having to thaw it in advance isn't really an option. I appreciate the tip, though! She won't drink almond milk, either - tried that - chocolate or otherwise. (She's pretty set in her ways like most older folks.)

I actually have bananas in the freezer and was going to try her on the banana "ice cream" idea to see if that's acceptable to her. Crossing my fingers.

Mom's been in an odd state for a few days now - she normally has a very odd sleeping cycle anyway - has for years. But just lately, she's sleeping 10 mins, then back up, then down again an hour later for 10 mins, then back up again for an hour or two, then down for maybe 30 mins or an hour, then back up. Her "sleep time" is the only chance I get to have something like a small break, so I find myself getting a little irritable when she's down for 10 mins, then right back up again - and I know I shouldn't be.

Oh, and FreqFlyer - guess who wished me a happy birthday today and apologized for forgetting? LOL I knew I was making too much of it, but it just really bothered me at the time. Still no word from the other kids, but at least one of them finally remembered.
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No, Susan, I agree you wouldn't get away with never wasting any - but at least it would only be a quarter of a pint a day instead of the whole bottle! Also it doesn't take too long to thaw out in small batches. And in winter, if it's a hot drink she fancies, the microwave will see to it in a jiffy.

That sleeping pattern *is* odd. I don't know what to make of it. Is anything hurting her or worrying her, in particular? Has anyone else come across this, is it just a treat in store that I've got to look forward to?

A belated happy birthday to you! Mine has just been, too. I don't think the kids forgot, exactly, so much as each of them thinking the others were planning something, sigh… But after last year's fiasco nothing can bother me any more. My perfect birthday, in the unforeseeable future, will be just me, a half bottle of good Champagne, fresh croissants with cold butter and strawberry jam, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, with HOT milk (I haven't worked out how all this is making its way to my bedside without my having to get up and fetch it, by the way - a specially trained assistance dog, perhaps?) and a pile of crisp newspapers and extravagant magazines. Then popcorn and my top five films on DVD - and NOBODY interrupting. Sorted!
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Susan, happy birthday! I had a similar thing with the kids and my birthday recently. Two kids remembered and the kid who always remembers, forgot...for a week, then sent a text. But then again, I nearly forgot her birthday after writing the date all day and thinking "why is this date binging something in me????"
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My whine moment.....I am just plain tired.....I have been caring for my chronically ill mother for almost 8 years now with very little to no help from siblings. There are four of us, but it is only my older brother and I doing all the "caring". My older brother lives away, but comes home frequently to help out. The other two come for "visits" and only help out if asked to. Lately it seems like it is just one thing after another with my mother. If we get one problem/ailment taken care of then another one happens. She tends to focus only on the "pain" and her problems. It is taking it's toll on me and is a very depressing environment. I also work with spinal cord injury patients, so I am taking care of other's needs all day. From the time I get up in the morning until I go to bed I am "caring" for someone...plus I am a single mother of two. Although they are in high school and college, they still rely on me. Some days I feel like I am being pulled in so many directions that I can't even catch my breath. I want to work out so that I can not only keep in shape, but have an outlet for my stress, but I am just too tired. Right now I am so tired, irritated, frustrated and stressed to the point I don't want to have anything to do with my siblings or anyone else for that matter. I hate feeling this way....just waiting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for allowing me to vent...it is hard when there is no one to talk to or vent to....
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This is a sorta whine... I asked my parents for items to donate to a hospital rummage sale. Mom gave me a bedspread to donate.... oh my gosh, it was from a twin bed and I bet it was mine back when I was in high school [from the 1960's]... the thing weighed a ton.

I had to throw the bedspread into the washer as it had the certain smell that tends to develop in elder homes. The washer didn't like the bedspread on the spin cycle, sounded like a wrecking ball was busy in the basement. I was ready to call a tow truck to get that wet bedspread out of the washer.... threw it wet into the dryer and hoped for the best. It came out pretty good :)
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i dont have a whine tonight except maybe i wish my g kids lived closer . i spoke with my son ( bluntman's ) coworker tonight and he said jake is doing wonderful in the engine machine shop . im happy for him . we have worked together for years and both of us need our space right now . if the g kids lived closer id have some new energy for my masonry gig .
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ohhhh,,,,,, Happy belated birthday Susan!!! Good to see you around again, Id though you had disappeared! The on and off sleeping is a bit weird. Could it have something to do with the diet change? No more HEAVY meals that turn you into a slug? ditto on the birthday crud.... turned 50 and not a whisper from anyone ...cept Facebook Friends. Betch yo buns turning 60 is going to be an affair to remember!! LOL yeah, right :/

Goldengirl, you need a few days away to get some really good rest and re-charge yourself. It really does help.

ff... sounds like the washer was off balanced? LOL, does indeed make a loud racket like a wrecking crew!! Mine does that when I wash jeans. I detest doing laundry....wait, I don't mind doing laundry, I detest the folding and putting away part!!

No whines for me today. I love Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays!! Those are the days my caregiver comes and I get to leave and do whatever I want :) ahhhh...... ok, something cute... you know how I've mentioned mom's perception is way off, this afternoon we went for a little walk and there was this sunbeam going across the driveway.... she stepped HIGH over it!!....also when we walk into the grocery store, she steps HIGH over ALL the yellow lines :))) tragically cute!

Countrymouse your birthday idea sounds ideal, cept Id probably have the whole bottle vs half ;)
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JeanetteB, ah yes, the folding and putting away of laundry.... I usually tell myself got to do this while the sun is still out so I can tell if the slacks are black or dark blue... night time folding both colors look the same :P

Yes, the washer was off balance, it's one of those "he" high spin thingee, and sure enough once I got brave enough to get near the washer and open it, the bedspread was huddled on one side.... had to push the washer back into place, reset the bedspread, and stand guard for the spin cycle. Whew, at least that spin was panic free.
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why would you fold a washrag , towel , or underclothes ? i have a long shelf with a ledge across the front . EVERYTHING goes from the dryer to that bin . so the jeans are wrinkled you say ? give me 10 minutes on the job and theyll be covered in mud , mortar dust , saw dust , automotive grease , etc .. i always try to compare myself to the life of a neanderthal . in comparison im living pretty large ..
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I think neanderthals liked dogs :) They helped keep the tyrannosaurus (love spell check) rex at bay and other such meat eaters. Dogs are awesome Bob!

You fold so things tuck away nicer. gives you more space.

My son leaves all his, wait, used to leave all his clothes in the dryer, he'd de-wrinkle every morning before work. I'd come along, do laundry, pile his on top of dryer, when I took mine out, he would put his back. HA!! Why do I miss him so much?!?!
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ff, "he" high spinner thingees? Do tell? :))
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yea , dryer . being the effciency freak that i am , my washer and dryer upstairs are both located in the bedroom closet . im not a stranger to living out of the dryer . with the time and energy saved from these cut corners i build cars , trucks , houses , bikes , etc ..
btw , screw spell check ..
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Anyone ever figure out how to fold fitted sheets?

I gave up years ago, so now I don't have extra sheets for the beds... what's on the bed gets washed and put back on.... of course, there are those times when it is around midnight, you're dead tired and you forgot to make the bed :P
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I think there was an infomercial on it awhile back..even in slo mo i wasn't able to do it
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Susan, my mother is up and down at night like that. She goes to bed about 9ish and gets up every 10-20 minutes for the first hour or two. Then she gets up every hour or so until she finally goes to the sofa in the living room about 2 or 3:00. She gets her best sleep there. Fortunately, I don't have to get up with her. I've wondered if she were to just go to bed on the sofa at the start of the night, would she be able to sleep through. But that is not her routine.
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Told my mother at 11:00 we would go get her hair cut. 12:00 rolls around and I say we better eat lunch, then go get hair cut. She said she wasn't going to eat lunch. 12:30 rolls around and she is still sitting in her pajamas watching TV. I say she better get dressed. She answers, "But I haven't had my lunch yet." 1:00 rolls around. She finished her lunch, but I've been trying to talk her into getting up to get dressed. Maybe we'll finally get out of here before 2:00.

In all honesty, this is showing huge inconsideration of me. She has wasted another chunk of my day. But if I say anything, she say "You're fussing at me." And if I tell anybody around here what I go through I'll be guilty of violating the Family Caregiver Code of Silence.
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Ha! A new one FCCS -- Family Caregiver Code of Silence. It is the thing that keeps of from telling anyone else the torment we go through on a daily basis. We all know that violating the FCCS brings down judgment from all around.
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I have never heard of the Family Caregiver Code of Silence. But I think I may have a good idea of what it means.
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FCCS - LOVE IT!!

I stopped awhile ago. There is just no point in it anymore. Life is easier. I know they care and love mom, they just don't want or can't witness her decline.

I was thinking about taking mom to the coast again to visit her brother. He's in his 80's, but decided not to. She doesn't know who he is and I think it was hard on him. Maybe I should just call and ask permission first?

Jessie, two words ... Cattle Prod :D JUST KIDDING!!! (or am I) funny, my mom is the opposite. I say we are going somewhere and she's up walking around all in a tither until we go. I'm the one that's in no hurry and need the Cattle Prod :)
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Thanks all for the kind words and birthday wishes.

Mom has almost always had a weird sleep cycle for as long as I can remember. She's always napped during the day or pulled all nighters or some odd thing. (I have a childhood friend who arrived one morning to walk to school with my brother, only to be met by a chair flying out the front door as he came up the sidwalk. Just Mom re-arranging the furniture AGAIN...lol)

To be honest, I really do think it's the change in her diet that I'm working on. She hasn't had potatoes, her normal amount of bread (she does have bread, but it's a low-carb bread, and only every other day or so - so far less than she used to), or sweets like she used to - so her carb intake is WAY down from what it used to be. She still eats fruit, but for the most part, her sugar and carb intake is far lower than before - so I believe that's affecting everything, including her sleep cycle.

She's pretty happy with the weight loss - down another 3 lbs in the past week, so a total of about 5lbs in 2 weeks - all without any sort of exercise, so that's pretty good. If we keep this up, she will be under 300 lbs for the first time in about 25 years by next week. :-) I think we'll have to have a celebratory (low carb) dinner. LOL
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You go, Susan's Mom! I'm pulling for you, Susan.
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When it comes to getting ready to go somewhere my parents are total opposites. Mom is ready, coat is on, hat is on, she has her purse and she is sitting in the chair closest to the garage waiting for me to arrive.

Dad on the other hand still hasn't gotten out of his work-around-the-house clothes, can't find his shoes, oops he has the wrong eye glasses on, oh he needs to go back to his desk to get his wallet, then comes the huge hunt for his cane.... [sigh]. Whenever I need to take Dad for an appointment I tell him 10:30 when it is actually 11:00, and keep my fingers crossed we get there on time.
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Susan, ignore me if I'm butting in and going over old ground, but at over 300lbs your mother isn't suffering from sleep apnoea, is she? All the more ammunition for you for the good diet strategy, though, because over time (as I understand it) that could do her overall health quite some damage. Just a thought.
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i dont have a fuss today , feeling better all the time in fact . the caregiving crazies are behind me and im sleeping exceptionally well for the first time in years . hepc got stomped and im still getting constant body rushes of energy . hauled stone today then slipped yet another leaf spring under the back of my smaller truck . 5 leafs and an overload spring now . used to have only 2 and an overload . its getting to be quite a specialized little machine . 4 wd , so it goes into the forest and brings the firewood out , and saves my ass in the wintertime ..
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'Been a while since I have complained here and don't really have one tonight.. 'Been browsing.

You see my husband has been in Hospice now for about two weeks. One at home and one in the facility. The emergency trip there came a day late, since I pulled my back muscles turning and pulling him up in the Hospital bed they provided the day before it was decided he had to go..

But he just won't let go. No liquid for over a week, a deep cough and a whole lot of figetting and grimacing most of the time with no speaking nor real moving.

It is so sad for him and his children who have been here around the clock since he left home. A wonderful bunch of kids we raised. Now, they have both of us to worry about - Dad about, "Will it be today or tonight?" and me, " When will she get herself to the Dr. to take care of her back pain and nausea?"

They have become quite close even with their dissimilar personalities. It's a time to 'get along', no matter what.

I wondered what it would feel like and now I know! For me, it is numbness and wonder about the kindness of those Hospice folks and "Where have these wonderful neighbors been all these years?" Mowing our 4 acre lawn and sending brownies over for our pleasure... A warm feeling to go along with the numbness.

'Could use some prayers from you very understanding folks who have pointed me is the right direction many times before..

Maybe tomorrow??
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LoisCorrinne90, you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers during these difficult days. May your husband pass peacefully with all his loved ones surrounding him.
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Awhhh Lois.... wishing you peace and your loved a safe passage to pain free mind clear eternity in whatever aspect you believe. So hard. Nice that the kids came together and united at such a hard time...I agree, no matter what.

Bless you and your family..
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