Grossed out and need to vent—I just caught Mom using my toothbrush to comb her hair!

Isaac from the Love Boat!

Who's going to bar tend? Haha

OK ladies if you're bringing your husbands I'll have to bring my friend too. I'll take care of the entertainment so you know there will never be a dull moment. You can pick me up at the Harbor Port.

Yes! please bring your husband. Mine will come too. He's not too bad of a fixer and he's a great cook. I think that this boat will sleep 6 in berths (not including the pilothouse...that's my room ha ha) and another 4-6 people in the saloon and aft deck.
Man, I love when a plan comes together........

WooHoo.

lovbob

Can I bring my hubbie? He's a good cook and is great at fixing things.

Bobbie, a lot of people do that! Just spend the rest of their lives sailing around the world. When you feel the itch to wander off, just lift anchor and you're gone!

It's a deal. I'm selling my house and buying a boat. I'm sick of mowing grass and paying real estate taxes. I'd gladly exchange that for fixing the boat, cleaning the boat and paying slip rental.
Let me know where to pick you ladies up.

lovbob

KelleyBean, the Greek Islands sound sooooooo wonderful!! Bobbie, I love the boat idea too!! Just get me to the tropics!! That's funny, KelleyBean, about Lucille Ball because when Mom was young and herself, she used to remind me of her. :)

Anything that gets me out of here makes me go 'woof'!

Here's another dreamboat. she has 2500 gal of fuel so this one can actually GO to Hawaii!!

my husband teases me about me looking at 'boat porn'.
Can't help it. Some boats make me go 'woof'!

lovbob

Kellybean I like your dream.

Bobbie I love your yacht. That's what we'll rent when we go to Hawaii. We'll be served exotic drinks by the chippendale men, dine on whatever Wolfgang Puck decides to whip up for us, and protected by the FBI so that no one can get to us about our parents.

We'll check all worries, frustrations, and guilt at the door, and we'll have spa treatments for "HAIR GROWTH". We'll swim in the beautiful blue ocean, and most of all we will LAUGH!!!!

Nice kellyBean. I'll come by in my boat and we'll go for a boat ride. We'll go below where the staterooms are and wake up Pamela and she will be smiling a big smile.
I'll be wearing a big hat so I don't burn my dome.

lovbob

Bobbie,
I dream about the Greek Islands... cool breeze..calm clear water... a great big drink in my hand... not a care in the world! I can't even hear my cell phone ringing in desperation.. Because I've buried it..

Pamela, I think you mean nightmare don't you? I know I wish I could have woken up from some of the nightmares I've had here!

Miz, your story reminds me of Lucille Ball, when she was telling how her fillings were giving off radio signals in her head!

Bobbie I dream that I will wake up and this will all have been a dream.....for real.

pamela, one morning my mom was trying to put a "battery" in her hearing aid. Much to my dismay and my amazement, the "battery" was a tooth!!

Pamela, I want a boat. That's where we could have our imaginary party! When I get really crazy I go online and look at boats. here's one I think is beautiful. pop this into your browser and tell me what you think. (please no disparaging words about boats, I've heard them all and this is all I have to dream on)

Now keep in mind I don't have any money to buy a boat. Maybe a canoe, but I look at the boats and dream about being a 'sea captain' and taking people on boat trips.
These days all I do is take mom to the bathroom and put her on the pot, clean her up and take her back to her chair. This happens about 2x an hour in addition to all of the other insanity that goes with this particular territory.
So when I can't clean one more thing, except moms a**, I sit here and talk to you guys or dream about boats.
Keeps me off the streets.
thank you caregiverslight for your kind words. naheaton, miz10, pamela, kellybean, you guys are the best and thanks for sharing your gross out stories.
What do you guys dream about?

lovbob

You're so cute, Pamela!

Bobbie if we were in the same place when the folks saw us coming they would close down!!!!!!!!!!! hahahaha cause we would bring the house down.

I said in another thread that we should all plan a Hawaii trip and we could all tell stories and laugh while our cell phones rang off the hooks!!!!!!!!!

Well I hope I don't offend anyone but as soon as I got in my car I cracked up about the tooth missing. I hope I don't offend anyone, it was just so funny to me and I need so desperately to laugh.

pamela..i DO feel bad about that with my mom.. her teeth crack so easily.. and she has no dental.. I really try to avoid looking at that.. but since shes so self conscious about it, i try to make it so she feels most comfortable HERE to smile and laugh without having to hide her teeth like she does on the outside.

One of the many hidden costs of caregiving to an older person who may be confused. It's the little things we always have to pay attention to. I am attentive to as much as I can. When in doubt, I simply throw something out and get another one, including toothbrushes. I think it is one of those things that may be overlooked by some care workers with dire health consequences to older adults who are chronically ill. It is so easy for sick elders to pick up infections if someone is not actively watching over them. Of course, God help us to watch over ourselves as well, as this post proves. We're all vulnerable if we're not alert and prompt with caregiving intervention. Hope that is the worst that will ever happen, bobbie. Sorry you are having to deal with that. Blessings.

I wish that some of us were in the same place so we could hang out for real. A bunch of caretakers, Jim Beam, Jack Daniels and Johnnie Walker!

Oh yes another thing ladies, late at night is the best wind down time and the liquor always taste the best at that time!

How's this....it's not a gross out thing but today when I took my mom her Valentines Day token, she pulled her top lip up and BAMB!!!! there was a tooth missing!. WHAT THE ............I asked her when did that happen, she said yesterday eating crackers. Thing is it is on the stroke affected side, and I wonder if she even knew when she lost it.

I hear you both KellyBean and Miz10.

Early morning before mom gets up and late night after she's tucked in is the only time I have.
I feel terrible with guilt also and have been trying to recall the great mom things that happened when I was little when she is grossing me out to the point of puking. Sometimes it works but most of the time I'm just worn out and obsessing over getting all of this work finished before she kills me.

Thanks you guys for some of the stories....here's hoping for more because they mean a lot to me and the other 'grossees' too.

lovbob

KelleyBean, Yes, me too. I always stay up and unwind after my mom goes to bed. Most days that's my favorite part of the day. I feel terrible saying that but it is.

I must be tired because im sitting here laughing.. wanted to share a random thought I had about this with you all since it seems the right "crowd"

If you notice, on the homepage, midway, right side is a "Top 5 Caregiver Concerns"............. maybe they should add "New uses for toothbrushes, spoons and clothing art"..

Yes i'm off to bed now, but i always stay up and unwind after i've gotten mom to bed finally!

And by the way, yes we do have to laugh. And knowing others are going through the same thing does help.

My husband and I never eat out of the same bowl that my mom does. Like with popcorn for example. Never know what's on those fingers of hers... Or that eye stuff that she gets. Makes me want to yak just thinking about it. I have other examples too. I won't get into them here. Pamela, it's not wrong to be grossed out. It's natural. Don't be so hard on yourself, dear. :)

Kelly bean I am laughing out loud at that butter........It's just making me crack up.

Gosh it's good we all have one another!!!

Butter............lawd hav mercy!