Summer Sale

It’s mid-July, which means it’s time for a summer sale. We’ve got bargains for you, including: 1. 33% Off Two Coaching Calls with Me Normally, two 30-minute coaching calls costs $150. Today (and today only), you can receive two coaching calls for just $100. Purchase this two-call package today and then schedule your calls at your convenience, including on weeknights and weekends. For instance, you...

Changes

I have been out of touch for what seems a long time. Since my last blog there has been a lot going on in my life more than usual. Mom was discharged from the hospital on Thursday, June 30th. She is doing well and just got staples and stitches removed today. Will be starting physical and occupational therapy next week. She has not had therapy since February so going back to that schedule is going to take a while to...

Ready For Vacation

All has worked out for us to enjoy some time away…we are even able to go to a concert before we leave. (: Denise had asked a while back that I share Pill Pad with you. This is a picture of what Pill Pad looks like. I created it when my mother first came to live with us. At that time, Marah was not yet sleeping through the night (neither was my mother), so I would often be tired when I was putting together...

A Glimpse into Nicole’s Life…

Here’s part 3 of my blog… I will start this by giving a brief overview of Nicole’s life to this point. Nicole was born five weeks premature and weighed 4 lbs. 13 oz. She had some delays due to this in milestones especially in speech. One of the symptoms of CHD’s is failure to gain weight. Nicole has always been in the 10th percentile on the growth chart until a couple of years ago. Another...

Job Offer

I have been working at my current company for 4 and a half years. I work in Oil and Gas as a senior cartographer/drafter for offshore Oil Drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Africa, and other over seas work. I interviewed with Shell Oil Company on June 28th for a position in their drafting department, but doing on land block lease sales, where I draft their maps for when they are drilling for oil and gas on...

“I’m Giving Up, Honey”

After her amazing day yesterday, Mom woke up at 3:30 AM with extreme anxiety and pain. I changed her, and gave her medicine for both. She looked me in the eyes and told me that she was giving up.  I told her that it was okay, that I would be here. So far today, she hasn’t been eating or drinking, and seems very “out of it.” Today is my dad’s birthday (he “moved on” 25 years ago...

Face

Oooooooh, you may think. How am I going to face this? It may be another diagnosis, yet another new home health aide, a different treatment regime, a visit from family, a decision about end-of-life care. Or, it could simply be another day. When it seems that what you face is too big for you, call in the support. Tell a trusted friend that you feel like it’s getting to be too much. Take a walk. Share your worry...

Pulmonary Hypertension (PH)

Part II in my blog… Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries. The arteries carry blood from your heart to your lungs to pick up oxygen. PH isn’t a disease by itself, but rather a result of an underlying condition. Nicole has a rare form of PH called pulmonary arterial hypertension or PAH. PAH affects about 140,000 people worldwide. I believe it is probably more than...

Random Ramblings…

Yesterday was a day where it seems both my husband and my daughter had a dark cloud on/over their heads and I had to fight to keep it from coming over my head. My husband had an employment possibility that he was excited about “die” as he put it. I don’t believe that he needs to look at it that way. He though decided that he wanted to be negative about it and let it ruin his day. Last evening I...

Okay, We’re Back in the Ring…

Without graphic details, Mom has been non-verbal and not eating or drinking for  four days. Hospice told us that she was going. This morning, she sat up and asked for food and water. She’s looking for the dog, asked for my brother and wants to see the baby (my granddaughter, Mom’s great-granddaughter). Trying not to get my hopes up too much, but she’s an amazing woman. I guess I’ll have to...

Leaning On Back-Ups

Rees and Marah participated in an art camp last week here in our town. They had a wonderful time. The camp began at 1:30 and ended at 4 each day. The teachers were very encouraging about the creations that each child came up with. The camp was entitled, “Super Hero Camp.” Friday morning I found out that there was a program for the parents  that afternoon. The kids had been working on a Super Hero...

Congenital Heart Defects (CHD)

Several of you expressed an interest in me doing a blog about one of Nicole’s illnesses, Pulmonary Hypertension (PH). I am going to break it up into three different blogs. The first part will be about congenital heart defects, referred to as CHD’s. I will give you some basic information regarding CHD’s and how the heart and lungs work. I will also define Eisenmenger’s Syndrome. This is where...

Day at the Beach with Mom (Yep, You Read That Right)

We took Mom to the beach today. She told me several weeks ago that she wanted to go. We have a wheelchair van, a Hoyer lift, a power wheelchair, portable oxygen tank, and a son that is a medic. I called my brother this morning, and he was on his way up. He said (before I told him my hairbrained idea) that he was heading to the ocean today, to feel close to Mom. She has always loved the saltwater, first in her birth...

Home Again . . .

It’s nice to be  home.  Our two-week “road trip” went as well as I could have expected; it also went right on track as I expected. Our first day took us from VT to Plainfield, N.J., where we stayed with a friend of Paul’s, then on to VA by way of a boarding school in which he spent a year whilst his parents were traveling.  VA was pretty much the destination though we were mostly in the...

Table Talk: Trish

This morning on Your Caregiving Journey, Trish joined me on Table Talk to talk about caring for her brother, Robert. You can listen to our show via the player below. During the show, Trish spoke about her relationship with Robert pre-caregiving and how caregiving created a new one. She also shared what she recently learned about why Robert embraces his faith so strongly and that he, too, has a very special...

Not Fighting Any More

Today has been all about letting go. I’m at peace. Mom is at peace. I know that I’ve done all that I can, that Mom has been loved and cared for. I am exhausted, but okay. Mom’s respirations are slowing down, and other signs are pointing to about 72 hours (according to the hospice nurse…if she had to guess). That would be daddy’s birthday. The most frustrating part of today was dealing...

PH Awareness Day

Today was PH (pulmonary hypertension) Awareness Day. I asked my facebook friends to wear purple today in honor of my daughter, Nicole, who has this disease. In the caregiving class last night Denise asked me to take a picture of myself (don’t like my picture taken) wearing my PHAssociation t-shirt. I told Denise I would take a picture of Nicole wearing her purple. I am hoping that I do this right and you...

A Life Line: By Then, I’ll Be Too Old

In caregiving, time can seem to pass too slowly. Until you think about time as it relates to your life. And, then you may worry: “I’ve lost my life in caregiving; I’ll be too old to achieve what I want.” In this Life Line, I offer a perspective on “too old.”   Updates Our Caregiving Summer School, Session II, starts next week! Our classes will help you understand where...

Poll: Do You Get Proper Nutrition?

Statistics released yesterday show that Americans continue to put on the pounds. “In the last 15 years, the report said, adult obesity rates have doubled or nearly doubled in 17 states,” reports the Los Angeles Times. “Two decades ago, not a single state had an obesity rate above 15%. Now all states do.” In light of this research, we ask in this week’s poll, sponsored by Caregiving.com...

Call for Nominations: National Family Caregiver of the Year

Do you know a family caregiver deserving of $10,000 and the title of National Family Caregiver of the Year? Homewatch CareGivers and the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) are cosponsoring the National Family Caregiver of the Year award. Nomination Rules: 1. The nominations for the caregiver award must be submitted by a third party, such as a nurse, doctor, support group leader, friend or family...

Today Much Like Yesterday

I hope to get some medical questions answered today. We only have 2 days left of antibiotics left, and the diarrhea has not slowed. Mom still cognitively aware of what’s going on, but not speaking. Her brother (93) is calling her this afternoon. I am very tired, and working hard to slow down a bit today and cut out “extra” activities and phone calls. This picture was taken at my best...

Valuing What We Do, What They Do

Since Lisa’s mother died two years ago, my role has shifted. I still give Lisa a lot of direct care, but the others I work with– my mother (who is going deaf and blind), my step-dad (who has progressing dementia) and my brother (in a nasty and negative mid-life crisis)– need assistance and/or support, but not direct care, thank God. Every once in a while, I get a call to drive my mother or brother somewhere....