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Susan what a shock for you, I'm so sorry. I hope it's some comfort that your uncle didn't continue to suffer, but such a wrench for you and your cousin's family. There's just never enough time.
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Thanks, everyone. You know....it's strange. I am having a really hard time with this. Harder than I thought I would. It's like someone just reached into my chest and gave my heart a good hard squeeze. I guess it's just because Dad's only been gone 2 years now, and this feels like dealing with his death all over again, because the circumstances were similar. Having to make all the phone calls to family all over again just felt like deja vu.

The group of men that worked with my dad at the local plastics plant is slowly dwindling away. There's only 3 left of the group of friends/relatives that worked there now. Both of my uncles worked there, my dad worked there, and so did a few of his friends. They were a tight-knit group, and our families all spent time together often - camping trips, company picnics, things like that.
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Susan, I am so sorry to hear about your Uncle. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
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My condolences Susan. Just in the past few weeks several people I knew passed away. Some unexpected and you never can prepare for the loss.
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(((Susan))) very sorry to hear your Uncle passed. It does seem like he passed peacefully, which is all we can truly ask for. Please give your mother my condolences and a hug.
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I'm so sorry about your Uncle Susan! My thoughts are with you and your family!!
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Susan, so very sorry for your loss. My condolences to you and your family. May you all find peace and comfort in fond memories.
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I am sorry for your loss. If I ever have to be on Hospice, I hope I don't linger long. My 2nd husband, Jack, was with Hospice at our home. His mind was sharp. He died in his sleep at the age of 101. We were married only 7 years.
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Lost my uncle today at 1:15pm. Spoke to my cousin at 1:00 regarding his situation and if she needed any help or wanted me to bring coffee or a meal or something, and she said they were preparing to take him home on Hospice, where they would keep him comfortable (medicated) until it was time for him to go, because it wasn't going to be long. 5 minutes later, she came back and told me he was gone.
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Sorry you are going through this phase Susan, they do all seem to go at once and it brings home our own vulnerability. It gets even worse when one's contemperaries begin to go. I am guessing the client that made a few is the same one who pays his bills late!!!!! I had a couple of women that told be they paid all their bills on the 20th of the month. I told them firmly that mine sere due on the first and if they did not pay I couln't buy feed for their horses. Hope for his sake that your uncle passes peacefully.
Glad Mom is becoming like a piece of Dresden china. When you are told there are no beds to be had that is frequently not true. They just don't want to admit a geriatric patient to an acute bed. I say if they can keep you ten hours in the R then you can at least stay there overnight so they can watch you. Just my jaded observation.
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Thanks everyone - I should make it clear the relative in question is not the one I'm providing caregiving for -that's my mom. But it just seems that when we start to lose our elderly relatives, it really hits home, because the next one *could* be the one you provide care for.
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Susan, so sorry to hear about your uncle/loved one. Sounds like you've had a very rough couple of years. Hopefully your aunt will be able to return home from rehab soon. Prayers for you and your family.
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Prayers for you Susan....it is impossible to begin to even know how to describe that feeling isn't it....praying for comfort and peace for your loved one and all of you
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Elderly relative that was not expected to make it through the night last night is still holding his own, but must remain immobile in bed, or his BP crashes. Not sure how long he can last like this, but my own dad's BP was a huge issue for over 6 months before he passed - he had to be kept on medication to artificially raise it to keep it at an acceptable level.
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With a bp that low, glad, it's no wonder she fell. I'm glad you were there for her.
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Oh goodness, Glad! You need to wrap your Mama in bubble wrap.
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It's a balmy 7* above right now here....supposed to be 5* tonight, and in sub-zero territory by tomorrow night. Fun, fun.

Jeanette, I was talking with Mom about this relative's (soon) passing...and it bothers me a lot. We've lost too many too quickly, and it's just hard. Even when there's a year or so between them, the losses seem to just happen so close together when they reach a certain age. Maybe that's why this one bothers me. I already let my clients know that I will need to be gone for at least part of a day when it's time to celebrate his life, and one of them had the gall to balk about me being out for a few hours for the funeral and reception afterwards (if there is one) - I let him know in no uncertain terms that I am *going* to be gone for this, though I'll try to minimize my absence - I am not going to miss any more family funerals due to my work. I missed my favorite uncle's funeral because I was working, it was 600+ miles away, and we simply didn't have the funds to make the trip after just having made that trip a few months before. I'm not letting it happen again when the relative that passes lives only 5 miles away. Mom is going, and I'm taking her - that's all there is to it.
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Aaargh! Aaargh! And yet again. She rolled an ankle getting out of a chair, fell banged up her knee, trip to ER, bp very low 76/48! Ankle swelled immediately, not broken, bad sprain, maybe broken would have kept her in the hospital over night anyway, but not a bed to be had. How do you get them to rehab if not from the hospital?!
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Don't worry, I'm not a spoiler Jeanette.. :) Yes, they are saying back into the teens during the night and 30's and 40's for the days beginning Wednesday night I think. It already feels cold to me.... I did see a pretty yellow crocus this morning. I meant to get a picture of it to show Mama and I got sidetracked. It's little noggin will be there in the am...I love croci or crocuses...which is it..hahaha
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The worst thing about getting older, is you loved ones dying.

My parent's used to "snowbird" in Arizona, every year I had to hear about another person dying. Since I visited them in AZ every year, I knew that person also. Several of the friend mom and dad had still call me to check on mom.

Shhh!!! I am 3 hours behind most of you so no talking about the Bachelor!! LOL. Worst part about living in the PNW.

Mom had a warm shower ( yay, so did I) she's got a full tummy... she has to sleep tonight!!

hope, I saw on the news that you are in for a ICY spell! Gads! I'm so done with winter!
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Wow, Jeanette! Nerve racking! We had a really bad storm here a few years ago, trees down and wrecked the shed. Wiped a path of hundred year old trees down at the local park. Worst storm I've ever seen. Feel so helpless when you have kids, elderly and pets during one. Glad you guys are alright and that your mom is able to relax and sleep tonite. Susan, so sorry for your losses. That's really rough. Hope, i watched the first season of the bachelor and couldn't believe women put themselves through that! No thanks! Katie, my mom just finished meds for 3rd UTI in a year...now have to check again and make sure it's all gone. Pretty sure it developed from Christmas day blow-out (first one ever). Freqflyer I hate filling out all those forms. I took mom to 3 specialist appts in the same day, same practice, and had to do it for each. 4 more appts in the next 30 days - i sure hope i don't have to update anything. Captain the stonework is something that will be enjoyed for generations - that is very cool! 57twin my mom's got a real sweet tooth, too. The popcorn just doesn't cut it unless you drizzle chocolate over it haha! I'm hoping for a good night's sleep. Going to get mom settled for the night. Then I'll be reading Elizabeth Gaskell and snuggling with the furkids. Blessings and peace to everyone and your loved ones.
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Aw, your poor Mom, Jeanette - and poor you! Hopefully you can both get some much-neede rest tonight.

Possibly losing another elderly family member soon. It's so hard when they all start going ...seems like it happens too close together. We lost Dad and his brother 2 years ago (seems like yesterday), and now we're losing my mother's brother-in-law, her sister's husband. Her sister passed several years ago. Nearly lost my dad's sister a few months ago - she's still recovering in a nursing home and hoping to go home soon, but it was a close call.
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Oh Katie..so sorry about the UTI...those are rough, but thankfully you caught it early on..Amazing what those do to our folks...

dee, never got the nap, actually started to try the car out and then this cold front started blowing in really hard and while it does not compare with what Jeanette is going through out there it was substantial enough to really make it seem very cold and since I didn't want to get out and get stuck in it, I just decided to wait...

I know you will be glad when those winds calm down and the rain goes away Jeanette. Praying you and your Mom stay safe through all this...and your Pibbles and kitties as well... :)

freqflyer...ugh..don't you hate having to fill out those ridiculous forms when there has not been one change...I never understood that...Recently I have noticed some of our healthcare providers have those online forms you can fill out and so that is already done when you get there...thank God!

I have no idea why I watch The Bachelor...but it is coming on and looks like I am getting roped in....
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When my cousin visited my dad last before they left to winter in Florida she brought dad 4 king size Hersey bars. I snuck them home as dad does not need that much candy. At the end of each month they have an auction in which they can bid on items with the points they earn every month playing bingo, exercise etc.... Most of that stuff I take out of dad's room too. I think they may have gotten rid of the big candy dish and have a fancy popcorn machine which is less tempting to dad.
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Whew what a day!! The storm rolled in around midnight with howling winds and sideway rain. We lost power around 9:00 a.m and finally came back on 5 hours later. These storms here are bigger than many of the Tropical Storms I've been through in FL. Steady 50 mph winds for hours and hours....

Best part was making grilled cheese sandwiches on the grill out back. haha... least she ate most of it this time.

There is nothing more nerve wracking than someone with AD/power outage and major storm outside, every few minutes it was "What's Happening"? "I'm cold" "I have to go to the bathroom". Poor thing was as nervous as I've seen her in quite awhile.

A nap would be awesome !!
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Ugh...another UTI. It seems my Mom has them every few weeks because she has to have that catheter. Thankfully we caught it soon and she can start on the antibiotic. I am always afraid of delirium setting in from the infection again as we went through that twice in the last 8 months. The gloomy weather here doesn't help with my depression either. This was just a crazy Monday with this that and the other. At least one more day is over with, almost. One day closer to Spring and hopefully a sunnier day...
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Took my parents to the eye doctor this afternoon... of course Dad forgot his Medicare card, and Mom didn't have her secondary insurance card, even though I reminded Dad to make sure everyone had their cards... even asked before we got into the car.

Then the front desk wanted a new 3-page registration form filled out, so I asked if I could just write SAME across every thing. No, they wanted it filled out. Good grief, my parents have been coming here for years, everything is the same. Ok, just write out their address and telephone number. Whew. How I hate filling out those forms, it's hard enough for me to remember the names of all MY OWN doctors, and all the prescription and over-the-counter meds. Plus sitting in the waiting room yelling in my Mom's ear [she's hard of hearing] all these questions 5 times overs until she understood I would have had a nervous break down :P
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cracky is a football fan . her and the farm foreman speak their own language . if it aint differential gear ratios , i have no idea what theyre talking about .
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my petty problems are working themselves out . my helper ' cracky ' needs to work a lot . the men at the farm have offered to let her work a full 8 hrs a day then knockoff and help me when i show up . shes really a hard worker . today i left at 3 ; 30 and she'll spend the next hour or so jointing up our stonework and has my work area ready when i get there in the mornings . good deal . i cannot work 7 - 8 hrs a day in this business without falling on my face bout every 4th day . cracky's getting her hours in , im relaxing and canning beef . theres more beef coming , ive got to keep this canner cycling for a few evenings .
canned beef = fork tender and almost instant dinner when ya come home too tired to cook much .
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Hope, I know what you mean about leaving your mom alone, even just for 5 minutes. I keep thinking, what if something happens? She's here alone! Hope you get your car fixed soon. That's so stressful. I took 2 naps on Saturday and one yesterday. Sometimes you just gotta go for it. You're getting sleepy, Hope...veeeeery sleeeeeepy...zzzzz....
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