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11-13-2015 08:45 AM
Thank you for your prayers. Status quo here. Each day there is a new problem to solve. This week we bought him a watch that speaks the time to him when he presses a button. He appreciates that. My brother is visiting for a whole TWO DAYS. He arrived last night and I thought he was staying until Monday, but whaddaya know, he's leaving Sunday morning! As much as I love my brother, I think I'm going to leave him alone with Mom and Dad all day Saturday so he can at least get a tiny taste of what we deal with every day.
I'm sorry to hear that you've been in the hospital. I hope you are feeling better.
12-09-2015 03:16 PM - edited 12-09-2015 03:17 PM
Dear House Cat,
I hope the visit with your brother was an "enlightening" one for him. Those family members who are not involved in the care of elderly parents often do not have a clue as to what all is involved on an ongoing daily basis. It probably was good for your brother to get a "birds eye" view of the reality of your parent's situation and all that you have to deal with every single day of your life.
How are you all doing? I just wanted to let you know that I was thinking of you and your folks.
12-09-2015 09:47 PM
Thank you, Writer. I hope you are feeling better.
We're hanging on. I hired an aide to come on Monday's with the hope of having her help them shower and do some other things, but they are so stubborn and insist they don't need help. So, she comes and does some other light housekeeping and let's my mom tell her the same stories over and over and over again, which is more helpful than you might think.
My son lives with me and he's not working (for legitimate reasons), so I've been paying him to be there for lunch and dinner - Mom broke her wrist last month and it's not healing, so she can't even microwave meals. Between my son and the aide on Monday, a little pressure has been taken off me. My husband is also a great help, as many times we have simultaneous medical appointments for mom and dad and try as I may, I cannot be in two places at once - three places, if you count my job.
Here's the kicker... DH's mom, who is 10 years younger than mine has fallen ill and is in the hospital. We don't yet know the extent of her illness and she lives in NY, we are in California. I'm trying not to drive myself nuts worrying.
Anyway, I'd like to send postive thoughts to all those who are dealing with similar issues at holiday time. Wishing you all a blessed season.
12-09-2015 09:53 PM
I think he needs to talk to a Priest and also go to reconcilation. He may be touched by the spirit and realize that God is there for him. He said he wished that God is in his life. I think a priest could help. He should reconcile before it is too late.
12-09-2015 11:19 PM
take your Fathers hand and look outside around you....how can you not believe?? sometimes we want an explanation but sometimes in this case one is not needed...God Bless you and your dear father..
12-10-2015 11:50 AM
So good to hear you have help on Mon and for lunch/dinner time! Anything to relieve the pressure you must be under. Here's hoping your parents will lighten up/relent a bit about the kind of help the Mon person can give them.
Does your DH's mom have family/friends/help in NY? There's not much you can do being so far away, as I'm sure you know. But, I hope you can quell the additional stressful worrying (I hope she gets better soon).
You are in my prayers, Karen.
12-12-2015 03:34 PM
@house_cat wrote:. . . We're hanging on. I hired an aide to come on Monday's with the hope of having her help them shower and do some other things, but they are so stubborn and insist they don't need help. So, she comes and does some other light housekeeping and let's my mom tell her the same stories over and over and over again, which is more helpful than you might think.
. . . Mom broke her wrist last month and it's not healing, so she can't even microwave meals. . . .
Dear House Cat,
I know what you mean about hearing the same stories over and over again. I'm sure that it helps to have someone besides you to listen to them. Bless your sweet aide for her patience and kindness toward your dear mother.
So sorry to hear about your mom breaking her wrist.
For what it is worth, I broke my ankle several years ago and it was not healing. The doctor was even talking about having to do surgery on it.
A friend told me about Biosil (a supplement you can get at Whole Foods or at a vitamin/health food store). I started taking it, and, by my my next trip to the doctor, the x-ray showed that the bones in my ankle were healing. I never had to have any surgery.
Here is a link about this product in case you want to ask your doctor to see what he/she thinks about it and if he/she would recommend it (or not) for your mother. I would not give it to her without your doctor's approval.
http://www.biosilusa.com/collagen-bones-joints/
I took the liquid form of Biosil but it also comes in capsules, too.
Wow! Now your mother-in-law is ill as well. Goodness, House Cat! When it rains, it pours! I hope she is doing better. It is so difficult when loved ones are far away and have health problems. I'll be praying about that as well.
Hang in there!
Writer
12-12-2015 04:16 PM - edited 01-20-2016 10:56 PM
house_cat please reemember our prayers are with all of you, during this very trying time...
During these moments of doubt I will give you some insight as to how I handled difficult situations...and it may lighten your burden and understand how many others faced their indecisions, lack of belief, and fears of the unknown relative to passing on from this earthly plane and into the next realm of pain free eternal life.
When I lost my beloved husband of 45+ years, and exactly 2 weeks later I also lost my beloved Mother, I went into such deep shock, isolation, and very deep depression for a very very long time.
Day became night, and even with the sun shining my world became filled with constant darkness, intense grief, and a tsunami of bitter never ending tears flowed from my eyes from morning through night.
Each day was the same as the day before...Hopeless and filled with such horrific sadness and intense pain, that I only wished to join all my family because being a sole survivor, is indeed a very heartbreaking experience.
After a very long time I knew I was slowly giving up on life as we know it, I had lost 40 pounds, dredded living with such pain day and night, so I also knew I had to do something to give meaning again to the reason for my still being alive, even if the last survivor of my entire large clan.
Below is what I chose to do which brought more intense meaning, hope, faith, love, and comfort back into my life...and I hope reading all this, also bring you and yours comfort as well.
I volunteered in Nursing homes and Hospitals where many terminally ill had no loved ones left, or their families stopped communicating completely, and that was very sad.
It gave me great comfort to know the terminally ill I sat with who were all alone, would not necessarilly die all alone, unloved, and not cared for.
I wiped away many a tear, read many a Bible verse, said many prayers, wrote many letters, made many phone calls, and tried my best to ensure while I was there as a volunteer, these lovely terminally ill people would not enter into their next realm, without knowing someone was there and cared about them.
It is very strange, but even many who said they did not believe in any religion at all, when their day to pass on approached, they sat with outstretched hands and eyes filled with shock, awe and wonder.
Their words spoken were the following:
I see beautiful very large Angels, and they want to take me with them, and I want to go with them.
I see Jesus Christ and his eyes are so blue, and he is filled with love, and I want to go with him.
I see my deceased loved ones gathered at the foot of my bed smiling at me.
I see my deceased loved ones gathered in the cornor of the room by the window, waving and smiliing at me, calling me to join them.
Atheist or not many seem to have found religion, and the wonder of miracles right before they passed through that invisible doorway, and continued their journey into their next realm of peaceful joyful pain free eternal existence.
To live with hope and religious faith is a blessing, but many who do not believe, in the end find their own way and believe, others just enter a very happy deep peaceful slumber and acceptance .
Many still believe in nothing, and prefer to just succumb to the inevitable.
All in all I do believe only the Divine Creator knows the reasons why many of these end of earthly life miracles occur, and only us mortals can hope when our time comes it will be as enriching and wonderful, as all the passings I have personally witnessed which deeply touched my heart, and enriched my hope and religious faith.
I believe in the end of our life on earth, we all eventually find our own way in accordance to the kind of life we led on earth, no matter what our religious, or on religious beliefs truly are.
01-13-2016 06:40 AM - edited 01-13-2016 06:42 AM
Dear House Cat,
Just checking in to see how you and your family are doing. Hope all is well.
Writer
01-13-2016 08:55 AM
Not much has changed. Yesterday, I took Mom to have her cast removed from her broken wrist. It's been about three months, so she was glad to have it removed. DH took my dad to the VA for new shoes, because he's diabetic. He can't walk, so they should last a while.
I have a new saying, "A doctor a day keeps the relaxing away". At least one doctor every day this week, though today it's mine! Yippee!
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