Things have settled down here enough that I was able to write a blog today. I had to treat the subject with humor - I hope you get a chuckle out of my crazy life.
Oh Joan, you dear, dear lady! Thank you for my laugh for the day (not out loud, didn't want to have to try to explain to DH why I'm laughing). You are so right, if you don't laugh you cry. You had every right to write a whiny, crybaby post. I was having myself a pity party the other day & then I thought about you. You have more on your plate than a lot of us here including me. Then you take on the task of giving us a place to come to share our feelings, info, etc with our fellow caregivers. You are one of my heroes. THANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU! ((HUGS))
Joan- I think you are starting to be affected as much as I was......You will find that laughter will change your mood, and disposition. Think of it like a three ring circus, and your job is to keep the clowns in line.....Your life sounds a lot like mine use to be, except I was trying to work full time and still do all the caregiving. Keeping your sense of humor will help you greatly, although others will think you are weird...Skip the pity parties because they are not much fun...but act funny, and you will feel better...Who cares what others think???????? He who laughs, lasts... My father in law used to say "Show me a man who smiles and I will show you an idiot"............Yep he meant that for me...I am an idiot, but I survived.
DH and I both have really bad coughs and colds. DH saw the doctor last week and has finished his antibiotic. I started to feel bad this week and saw a doctor yesterday while DH was in his day program. I later told him I had gone to the doctor and had gotten the same prescription. His response was ' for me?' He did not recognize that I was not feeling well. I guess he does not think of me.
Thanks for the humorous take on your adventures. Years ago at the midway point of my journey, I asked a friend who'd finished her frontal lobe journey for advice. In one sentence: You have to keep a sense of humor. I agree with her and Phranque and everyone else who believes and at least tries to practice this most of the time.
Joan,you are so right. We have to laugh during times like these. Unless you're living through these things yourself, you'd never believe your life could be like this. Besides the events I've written of on the February Thread--DH's hospitalization and placement, selling the house, finding an apartment, etc. I've replaced my crutches, had my lift chair repaired and my powerchair repaired after snagging a cord, had two advenbtures using my "Help" button and 2 false alarms, and tomorrow my computer gets a new e-mail program because the one I have isn't working. I am no longer reacting, "Oh, crap." Rather,I just nod, "Of course. Why not? I'll just deal with that with my other set of hands. Either that, or it'll wait until I get there." I will say though,that I'm looking forward to Sunday night. My daughter is flying in from CA, to help. She has NO IDEA what I'm going to share with her. . . .. I don't need to keep all this fun to myself.
Joan, your idea of vacation ALONE reminded me of LO's one son who had a very nice place on a lake an he would say why don't you an mom come up for the weekend,I'm thinking after all these years they still don"t get it,why don't YOU take mom for the weekend,never happened,I agree with Phranque,humor is the only way we can get thru this,otherwise we'd be crying 24/7
Joan, you are SO right - if we didn't laugh we'd all be in the funny farm. Guess where I am right now. On a vacation ALONE! In Palm Desert, it is wonderful. My friends think I am crazy but the silence is so wonderful!! I can do what I want! Go where I want! Just me! hee hee, I am so tickled I can hardly stand it. Thank you to my DHs 80 year old mom and his sister for babysitting for a couple of days.
Counting down the days until my first nights away from DH in 3 years...3/17 get away day. DH had impacted feces that could not be manually removed so "we"had to do a colon cleanse similar to colonoscopy. Prior to beginning the adventure I purchased and ate a package of yellow marshmallow peeps. I will spare you the details of the cleanse, but it was not fun. Sometimes I wonder how I do this and maintain some sanity? I have an aide come in 3 days a week so I can escape by myself!! Occaisionally DH will be out with aide and I can enjoy being home ALONE in silence.
Thank you for the welcome! My husband was diagnosed in 2007 and is probably in mid to late stage 6. I am his primary caregiver and I have an aide 3 days a week. I am in process of applying for community Medicaid. It's me, 2 pugs, a Siamese and DH in 1 bedroom condo (but perhaps that's good) I belong to support group here in NY. There are 5 of us, all spouses in this unfortunate group. My husband barely speaks so it's lonely . We no longer have a husband wife relationship----I am his caregiver and nag. Some days I don't think I can bear another day and others, especially if I am away, aren't so bad. I try to remember the man I married . My son and daughter in law live close and visit weekly too
Laughing and crying. Yes, I'm doing both. As I have said in another thread, Jeff is just starting to not recognize me. This afternoon he was looking at me in that odd "who are you" way, and I asked "Do I not look like Emily?"
He replied, "No. You're better looking than she is."
We expect short term memory loss. What almost did me in was long term loss of everything that made us US. Things we had always done together. We took turns preparing week end breakfast. I will never forget the time I returned home from my morning walk expecting breakfast to be waiting as it always was. There sat my husband enjoying his breakfast without a care in the world. Not even coffee for me. It killed me that he could still prepare a meal-but forget about me.
Oh Emily! I hope you don't mind - but that really made me laugh! Take the compliment - of course! You must be getting better with age - that's not something many can say :)
Emily, I just put DH to bed (peace finally) after a stressful day (like most days) and really got a chuckle from your post. Doc wants me to give DH laxative to be sure all impacted feces is out, but I'll wait until tomorrow when I've recuperated from Friday night.
lolakins, welcome, i see y ou are new. good to see you just jumped in feet first with your posts! :) if you are going to give the laxatives, i have lots of input in this area, - and suggest senokot S, as its a lax PLUS stool softner which really helps. sounds to me if you arent careful you may take my poop queen crown from me, on your first posts. grin while we deal with all the disgusting things that go along with this disease, we try and must keep our sense of humor or we are done for. divvi aka poop queen, nobody wants my title!:) or rather they dont admit to deserving it. hehe
Welcome, lolakins! When I have a hard time remembering life before AD, I have a photo albums with all pictures of Lloyd from the beginning of time. I can't tell you what a comfort those pictures are. Sure, I cry a little when I look at them (ok, a lot), but I just have such a hard time remembering how he was without those photos. The poor souls do end up living in their own very small worlds which quite often do not even extend to include us. How sad for everyone! Homage to you, divvi, your majesty, the beautiful honorable poop queen!!! lmbo