“Compassion can be put to practice if one recognizes the fact that every human being is a member of humanity and the human family regardless of differences in religion, culture, color and creed. Deep down there is no difference.” Dalai Lama
I spoke with one of my brothers last night who is caregiver for our Aunt with dementia. He was saying how he could really relate to what I have written about care giving. He and I are on the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to politics but we are united in the burdens we share of trying to make it through the daily struggle of being a caregiver.
Mom had another surgery last night to take off another cancerous spot on her face. They had to go in three times to make sure they got it all. She came home with another huge bandage. This time though she came home in immense pain. She can’t take vicodin or Tylenol with codeine. She is taking the medicine for arthritis and hope it helps.
That is one of the hardest parts about being a caregiver. There is no magic wand that you can wave that will take their pain away. There is no magic wand that will restore lost memories so that an oldest sister can look at the picture of her only brother and remember who is was. He was my Dad.
You juggle finances to try and help out as much as you can but there never seems to me enough to go around. As my brother says you rob Peter to pay Paul. I’m juggling to pay my medical bills even though I have insurance. I brought home a bag full of medicines last night to try and get another infection under control. I would never pass an athletes drug test with the amount of prednisone in my system. To say nothing for having to up the dosage on my arthritis medicine, going back on the little purple pill to keep the acid from destroying my stomach and esophagus, something to help me get a little sleep at least in between listening for Mom to make sure she is okay, and a little something to keep from stressing out completely. I feel like a walking drug store.
We are now looking at another surgery for Mom. The clamps they put in many, many years ago when she had her hysterectomy are coming loose. That means abdominal surgery She wants to get it done before the end of the year so that her secondary insurance will have to pay some money out.
I spoke with one of my brothers last night who is caregiver for our Aunt with dementia. He was saying how he could really relate to what I have written about care giving. He and I are on the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to politics but we are united in the burdens we share of trying to make it through the daily struggle of being a caregiver.
Mom had another surgery last night to take off another cancerous spot on her face. They had to go in three times to make sure they got it all. She came home with another huge bandage. This time though she came home in immense pain. She can’t take vicodin or Tylenol with codeine. She is taking the medicine for arthritis and hope it helps.
That is one of the hardest parts about being a caregiver. There is no magic wand that you can wave that will take their pain away. There is no magic wand that will restore lost memories so that an oldest sister can look at the picture of her only brother and remember who is was. He was my Dad.
You juggle finances to try and help out as much as you can but there never seems to me enough to go around. As my brother says you rob Peter to pay Paul. I’m juggling to pay my medical bills even though I have insurance. I brought home a bag full of medicines last night to try and get another infection under control. I would never pass an athletes drug test with the amount of prednisone in my system. To say nothing for having to up the dosage on my arthritis medicine, going back on the little purple pill to keep the acid from destroying my stomach and esophagus, something to help me get a little sleep at least in between listening for Mom to make sure she is okay, and a little something to keep from stressing out completely. I feel like a walking drug store.
We are now looking at another surgery for Mom. The clamps they put in many, many years ago when she had her hysterectomy are coming loose. That means abdominal surgery She wants to get it done before the end of the year so that her secondary insurance will have to pay some money out.
A refrain keeps running through my head this morning, just the line “I haven’t got time for the pain.” I feel that way sometimes. I am too busy trying to take care of Mom and comfort her that I’m glad of the medicine that helps to dampen down some of the stress. Mom has enough physical pain she doesn’t need to see me hurting inside.
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