Among Friends

[GinaV24]

@Wsmom adding my prayers to others for you and your loved ones.

[GinaV24]

hello @grandma r  I'm so glad @Tique started this thread! I'm sorry that life is so difficult for you and your DH. Getting around with a walker etc. is so complicated.

I'm thinking of you both and sending hugs & prayers for you. 

(I hear you about only going out for doctor's appts. My brother is in the same situation.) He can't drive - he thinks he can but I say no absolutely not. He sill has a feeding tube in. He can walk now thankfully and doesn't need a cane but his reflexes are just not fast enough to drive.  That means I have to take him everywhere.  

Since I'm still working full time, that makes scheduling appointments VERY interesting but I'm lucky that my company is able to accomodate it and I can work mostly from home. 

[GinaV24]

Thank you @Tique, your kindness and concern was something I cherished because sometimes I was indeed on overload!  I still feel a bit overloaded but I'm working on being more calm. His daughter has decided that she can't possibly provide any actual caregiving to him - not even regular visits which is IMO awful. Since this all started in Sept of 2022, she has managed to get here to visit 3X.  I know she lives in NC but her dad used to drive to NC every 2 weeks to visit with them. I don't think a visit every other month is asking too much.  Her latest thing was she took exception to my telling her that I wasn't going to listen to her whine at me about how tired SHE was when I am working a full time job & taking care of her dad too. After that she wrote a very nasty letter to both of us which upset him. I'm doing my best to NOT engage. She's 43 years old. She says she should be treated as an adult. My comment was that she should act like one - part of which means taking care of your family when they need you. Considering that he would drop everything (and he has) to help her, I feel as though she should take more of an active role but hey that's not going to happen.

the upside of all of the running around is that I lost 25 lbs and went down 2 full sizes!  Not on purpose but I was often too tired to eat, so just didn't bother. One of my doctors was very concerned. I explained why I had lost it and told her not to ruin my buzz - if I had gained weight they would be all over me, too.  LOL 

[Wsmom]

@GinaV24 , thank you so much.  You and your brother have been in my prayers all along.   Take care of yourself.  I know the toll it can take on your health.  The eating can be a task but you have to do it.  The only reason I eat is to try to improve my health which really plummeted when I started caring for DH two and a half years ago. It was just the stress and lack of sleep.   I have to get X amount of protein so I have to force myself.  He fought and fought but passed on Oct 15.  

Your brother's DD sounds like a real peach.  Much like my sister.  I feel like she (my sister) is missing a chip, so to speak; skipped the line for the compassion chip but got in line twice for the narcissism chip.  

[Tique]

@Wsmom   you have confirmed what I had been thinking but hoping was not so. I was always careful not to mention who your loved one was but it's okay for me to do so now that you have. You are going through your first holiday season without your DH.  Please reach out if you need to talk/vent/whatever. I am so sorry.

[KBEANS]

I would like to extend my hand in friendship and give you my condolences as well. 

Take care of yourself @Wsmom  😘 

[Wsmom]

Thank you so much @Tique and @KBEANS .  

[abbalulu]

@Tique  Thank you for posting the link to the final minutes of the Thanksgiving GH celebration. I missed it earlier as I had not been signed in for a while. I was disappointed when we had that break in for a news update in our area. I always look forward to the "first we sing-then we eat" segment.

[Tique]

Another example of me not thinking like others. A recent birthday celebrant mentioned in her "thank you" to some including @grandma r   that she had a good day, fell on Thanksgiving. My thought was: She was saying her BD fell on TG but others seem to think she meant she took a tumble. Fingers crossed 🤞🏼 at some point this will be clarified.

Hope everyone is having an enjoyable weekend. I've mentioned this is a hard time for me; however after years of feeling that way it has gotten somewhat better. Sending All good thoughts especially those with recent loses.

[grandma r]

@Wsmom. I am so very sorry for your loss.  May he rest in peace.  Please take care of yourself.