Welcome! Please Introduce Yourself

• Denise

  said

  If you are new to Caregiving.com, please feel free to introduce yourself. We’d love to meet you!

• mike

  said

  Hi, I’m Mike, 65 nearly 66 years old. My wife is a very brittle diabetic who is already 66 (the old lady, {:O) ) I am her caregiver. There is a constant struggle to get her to be somewhat active. If left alone she will sit and not move. Her sugars are subject to swings for no apparent reason. I’m hitting the wall. I found this site and I hope there are resources and interactions here that will help me. Thanks

• punkie

  said

  Hi I’m Annie, I have been a caregiver for over 22 years. My husband has many handicaps, Which means each time he gets sick or one of his handicaps decide to give him problems for the day is when its just another time the care giving has to kick in. He can go weeks with feeling great and then he can go a few weeks with being down. We just take one day at a time and thank the Lord for each day weather it is good or bad, My husbands motto is beat the disease don’t let the disease beat you.
  Punkie

• 2feathers

  said

  Hello. I have been caring for my husband for 13 yrs. He is only 59 and had a stroke among other medical problems like diabetes, chronic migraines and joint disease. I have noticed dementia also in the last few yrs. I also share caring for my Mom with my sister. She has altzheimers. She is still living by herself but is at the point we will have to make decision about her care. I have to work full time, so feel quite overwhelmed at times and then I feel guilty like I should be stronger.. I guess I joined this group in hopes of finding others that are feeling some of the same things I feel. I could certainly use some encouragement.

• mramstad

  said

  Hi I’m Meg – I’m caring for my husband whi has Charcot Marie Tooth. It is a chronic neuromuscular degenerative disorder that results in sever pain, and muscle weakness. He wears braces to get around, sometimes uses his cane with them. When they are off, he needs a rolling walker. He is able to do less with his hands and upper body as they are also getting weaker. The biggest challenge with him is his negative attitude toward everything. He is a recovering alcoholic and still has his ‘dry drunk’ days. I’m to the point of seriously thinking about walking out. He’s 65, with no other major medical issues.

  I also have my Mom, 86, who is now needing more attention. She is still living alone, 5 minutes from me, but is showing cognitive changes. Additional, there is my 88 yo mother in law, who is in a multi-level facility, but who also needs attention. I’m still working full time – I do feel overwhelmed and tired. The irony in all this, is I’m a nurse practitioner in hospice and palliative care. I know all the words to say – I am just having a hard time applying them. I learn so much from my patients and families, I’m confiden I will learn from you all as well

• nanaroo

  said

  Hello! My name is Lynne. I’m caring for my husband who is disabled with schizophrenia, anxiety disorder, and organic brain disease which causes brain atrophy as blood vessels shrink and die. His symptoms are mental, emotional, and physical. His condition became so severe three years ago that I had to leave my job to care for him and keep him safe all day…everyday. I haven’t been able to get ANY help to this point. We just began the process with the Area Agency on Aging since my husband turned 60 a few weeks ago. I’m hoping that they will give me some hope of using adult day care from time to time. My husband cannot be left alone at all due to safety issues. In recent weeks I find that I am becoming angry, short-tempered and frustrated. I’m ready for a sanity break. Like Meg, I also care for my elderly mother who lives about 5 minutes from me.

• tkhamphant

  said

  Hi, my name is Teresa I am caring for my 76 year old father. Dad has diabetes, heart problems, last year had skin cancer and ended up with surgery and radiation and a feeding tube for a few months. In december he developed a sore on his ankle, his primary doctor gave him oral antibiotics twice but it got worse. On December 24th he was admitted to the hospital and had to have surgery to clean it, he is coming home today. Now we will have to learn how to give him iv antibiotics. I work full time, thankfully right now my 20 year old daughter is home with him during the day. Looking for any information and any help.

• Vikk

  said

  I’m Vikk and I’m on my third caregiver stint. The first, in ’94, was with a close friend who didn’t have any family nearby and who had multiple cancers. The second and third have been my parents.

  The journey with my parents began incrementally a good ten years ago with my dad being the high maintenance one. He died in the spring of 2008 and since then I’ve been caring for my mom who is approaching her 97th birthday.

  My mom is confined to her bed and her bedroom and can’t be left alone. She’s pretty clear-minded, although in the last six months there have been moments of confusion and/or forgetfulness. She has a massively bad heart, hips and lower back riddled with arthritis, and lacks any cushion between her 3 lower back disks.

  Right now I’m not sure whether I have more stress from all the caregiving or from dealing with caregiver helpers. Sometimes life is just easier and more manageable to simply do it yourself. Anyway, spending some time exploring this site and trying to see what’s up. Thought I’d say hello.

• christina

  said

  Hi! I am Christina, a 30 year old caregiver to my 39 year old boyfriend, who recently became paralyzed from the waist down from falling out of a tree this last August. Talk about a change in life! We are taking each day at a time. And learning together, new ways to do things. I need this site, to be able to talk to other people in my situation. My “friends” will nod their heads like they get what I am going through…but I dont think they have any idea! I am thankful for this site, and look forward to being here often!

• Jane

  said

  Hi, my name is Jane and I don’t know whether or not I have introduced myself on this group or not so I will go ahead again.

  I care for my 17 yo daughter who has a ventricular septal defect (VSD) which is a hole in the heart between the right and left ventricle which is a congenital birth defect that wasn’t diagnosed until 2010. Due to the lack of diagnosis for the birth defect she inherited pulmonary arterial hypertension which is high blood pressure in the lungs which causes the pulmonary arteries to close up. This is a rare, progressive, incurable disease. She also has Eisenmengers which will cause shunting of the blood flow to her heart to reverse. All these were diagnosed at the same time. Feb. 4th 2011 she was diagnosed with benign hypermobility joint syndrome which is an autoimmune disease. I do not know much about this as this takes a back seat to her other illnesses. We are waiting for genetic testing to see if this is genetic and she was born with it.

  I can’t express in words what finding caregiving.com has done for my life. Denise is an inspiration to me.

  Hugs:o)
  Jane ~mom to Nicole, 17 yo, VSD, PAH, Eisenmengers (dx 1/22/10) BHJS (dx 2/4/11)
  “You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

• laurad

  said

  Hi. My name is Laura. I am a caretaker of my mother who has been ’dying” for about 30 years. Truthfully she is one good infection away, but in spite of her illness, or maybe because of her illness she is still alive, though she is in/approaching end- stage. She is very attentive to her disease (emphysema). My very healthy 84 year old dad is her primary caretaker and, often, punching bag. After all, he doesn’t have to breathe through a straw (how it feels). That is definitely her trump card and she uses it often. I have 3 siblings with varying levels of involvement. I am a nurse-so I am the first go to person, the appointment maker and keeper, and problem solver. I have made this my ”job” for now. Mom is becoming very frail and has a lot of anxiety. Dad needs help and relief. With a very part time job and with one son fairly launched and only one to go I do have the time. My husband is very supportive-although most caretaking gets done while he is at work. She was and is a great mother with lots of love and devotion to all her family. My biggest problem I know what I would do with a patient but it doesn’t quite work the same with a mother. I need to be so persuasive to get her to try a new approach that spending so much energy talking her into it I start to doubt my own intentions. I am glad I found this group! No one understands caretaking like a caretaker.

• Jane

  said

  Welcome Laura:

  I’m sorry about your mom. I know what that is like breathing through a straw as my daughter breathes like this too.

  I hope that you will enjoy it here.

  Hugs;o)
  Jane~mom to Nicole, 17 yo, VSD, PAH, Eisenmengers (dx 1/22/10)
  BHJS (dx 2/4/11)
  “You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

• Sarah

  said

  Hi, my name is Sarah. In January, my dad had a stroke, and he is soon going to move out of a rehab unit and in with me. I’m going to be his main caregiver, but I don’t have many people I can talk to about it. So far, I have only learned how to do the things I didn’t know how to before: he has a tracheostomy and feeding tube now, and the hospital staff taught me how to clean and use those. Besides that, I have had to empty, clean, move all personal possessions from his apartment, deal with all the medical bills, utility bills, etc; keep his clothes clean, etc. about 90% alone. He isn’t home with me yet, but I am already dedicated to this new role. My dad’s always been there for me, through thick and thin, so it’s natural. But I still get intimidated ans scared once in a while & I’m seeking people who understand this situation. Thank you

• Chris

  said

  Hi – I’m Chris. I’ve been a caregiver for over 20 years – for my husbands parents. His Dad died at the age of 98 in 2010 and I am currently taking care of his Mom who is 92 (she lives with us). For the past 11 years things have been much more difficult. Before that — in the early years of this — I actually had an income of my own and could work and fit their appointments and needs around my work. Last week my husbands Mom had (the doctors think) a mild stroke. Three days of really difficult stuff put me over the edge and I feel I need to reach out for some support and connect with others to gain some perspective. Next week is another week full of tests and medical stuff. If I hadn’t already gone thru so much and lost so much of my own activities and life — this might not be as difficult as it now seems. I’m glad to have found this place – the Cabin Fever webinar was the first thing I found and it was helpful. My heart goes out to others in much more difficult circumstances than me and I look forward to getting to know people. Love and blessings ~ Chris ~

• Karen

  said

  Hi Chris!

  I’m so glad you found this site. Caregiving can just swallow up your life. You lose touch with friends; you have no time for the activities you used to enjoy; and you have a lot of stressful events which most people cannot relate to.

  When you have a lot of tests and medical appointments to deal with, I’ve found that it helps to have something with me–or maybe several somethings–to distract myself while waiting. Some things that helped me were to have a book, a hand held game, a journal, maybe a carry along craft.

  I also always carried Mom’s medical power of attorney and her medical history, list of medications, and list of doctors. I started keeping this on the computer years ago and just updated it every time anything changed.

  Depending on how long I expected we would be, I might also carry snacks and water. Don’t forget coins for parking meters or vending machines.

  I got an over sized messenger bag, which can be carried across the chest, leaving your hands free to deal with walkers, wheel chairs or transfers. I called this my “Mom Bag.”

  I hope that you will feel free to share here. Glad to have you aboard.
  Karen