Hello all,
I am just checking in with everyone. I feel like I am on a roller coaster with my father on hospice for cirrhosis. Thankfully he and my mother live close so I can check in on them daily (almost). Last week I was sure my father was close to death. He could barely keep his eyes open, he could not get from the wheelchair to the toilet seat without assistance and usually didn't make it in time. Realized at that time My mother was not making him wake up to drink his lactalose. Once we got a few doses in him he perked up. This week he has had good color, could hold a good conversation, able to take some steps of his own and able to stay awake for up to 6 hours at a time. A remarkable difference. As I worry about him I also am starting to worry about my mother. She is losing weight, seems tired all the time but is hell bent to keep Dad at home and to do most of the caregiving herself. And we wonder where I got my need to take care and control others! Mom has meniers (disorder where you get terrible vertigo, you cant keep your balance and you throw up. It takes laying in the dark for a few hours to recover). She used to get an attack once or twice a year. Now they are happening everyday. I am sure it is the stress and she is also drinking and smoking more due to stress and always being home with my Dad.
I have appreciated the postings where we are reminded to care for the caregiver as well. That is my goal.
No help needed here, just thanks for letting me read your postings, your stories and your prayers. I have learned so much from all of you.
Donna