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Can I add Jen, Cricket, Cuz and Bobbie. Geez, how did I leave you guys out. Have a good weekend. Cattails.
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Well, hit the wrong button and, as I was saying:

Deef: I feel for you. I can't imagine how hard it must to be take care of your mom everyday. PD is so awful. And I so agree about the docs just expecting that you should haul your mom to the office. Any chance you could just take in a urine sample? I hope you get some rest.

Lildeb: Sorry to hear about the cost of caregivers in your area, but here in Washington an agency charges $20 to $23 per hour. You are such a loving person and so kind to your MIL. She is very fortunate to have you. Too bad about the breakfast change of plans. Isn't it something how just going to the grocery store alone can be the biggest deal. Sorry about Vera. You needed an extra patient. Hope the collar comes off soon.

Linda, your hair will grow back. Diane, Shirley, Mary, Shiela, Christina, Igore and any one I overlooked, have a good weekend. I admire, respect and love you all.

Cattails.
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Hi Everyone: I'm going to a retreat this weekend. I think it will be uplifting and I can use that. It's at a local church, so no travel or sleeping away from home. I'm putting my dad is respite Sat and Sun so my husband isn't having to take care of him all alone. Plus, if the weather is good, then Hubby can get some things done outside. So it's this evening, all day Saturday and Sunday afternoon. I think the opportunity for putting dad is respite may be coming to an end. The place we use is only available for overnights if they are not full with full time residents. They will be full, starting next week. That will make things very difficult in May when I am supposed to go to ND to see my granddaughter.

Deef:
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Morning friends. Deefer, those UTIs create such strange behaviors. Do you have access or ins. for a house call doctor? I do not understand why even the geriatric groups seem to be oblivious to the difficulties of elder care giving. Maybe it is a form of insulation. I find myself doing it to buffer the devastating reality of my Mother's current existence. It is a form of denial, I suppose, my own and the detachment of the medical profession. It is understandable on one hand, or we would all be nuts. I only speak for myself, haha.
Mom can no longer express herself to be understood, and it takes all I have to come up with plausible responses to her babbling. As always, I think I have to "do something." Well, it's rude not to reply to someone when they are trying to communicate, and I take that literally. I kiss her and hug her more, brush her hair, put perfume on her, whatever, to give her attention. I wonder what is going on inside her head, but really, I imagine it to be a bit like fireworks of random pictures; a "bad trip." Why can't it be a good trip? Do the good memories get used first?
Everyone who is grieving: blessings and take care of yourselves. Enjoy those around you who are full of life, look outward to fill your losses. This is a good time of year to have hope, enjoy the environment and plan for the summer. I have 3 classes coming up for summer session, and I love counting all my credits! Yay, I'm going to cash them in for my Anthropology degree. I'm reading 2 good books: a fiction called "The Jesus Discovery", and non fiction "Second Messiah". They are both about archaeological discoveries, rather than being religious.
My roses are blooming huge and gorgeous. Leaves still dark red and green until the migrating pests arrive. Need to put out snail and slug bait, however. I go out every morning early and pick them off the walls and throw them out in the street. Yuck. Escargot, anyone? The Italians put snails in a bucket of corn meal for 2 weeks, then prepare them with garlic, evoo, and butter. Well, they do. Rosella?
I have not been reading posts much--I am either here, or not lurking--right? You all are in my thoughts and prayers, newbies, oldies, and visitors. I wish you all the very best in this task/lesson of caregiving. Big Hugs to my Buds. Christina xo
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deefer- . thats what happens when dr says oh i need to see ur dad . i got so fed up , geeze trying to get dad out ofthe house just to go see the dr , i finaly told the dr if u want his blood come n get it , if u want to see him come and see him , im not dragging dad out n about im sorry ! he ordered hospice right away . faaalala did it and he died 3 mos later , he got to stay home where its comfertable and not havin to get out n about . fk em drs ! id like to see one ofthe dr haul some dying sick person around in the wheel chair , in fact get em dress and all . come on doc i dare ya to try that . what a stupid ass people out there ! they have no clue !

cut my hair last night , oops think i should have left it alone . ah well i still have hair ...
you all stay out of trouble and have a good weekend . love you bunches xoxo
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Oh, I forgot my poor cat Vera was on the leash last Saturday evening and she was scratched on her cheek by the mnl grandma cat or I assume for that was the cat near her at the time. Anyway, i put some antibiotic ointment on her face Sunday for her cheek was little bad and the small spot seem to be getting bigger. I had take her to the vet Monday and they had to sedate her to get the infection out. Now, the poor thing has to wear a cone for a wk while I keep trying to keep the area clean for they left the wound open to drained. Yuck! We have to wait until Monday to get her stitch up because i guess a cat's skin is more fragile than a dog's skin. Let just say, my poor baby is not a happy camper and I don't blame her.
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Shielablake, the diapers have the double tapes so you can re-tape them. Make sure when you secure them, you also pull up the blue tab. If you need to re-tape, the white tab on top is peels right off the blue and you can re-secure the diaper. It's also easier when taking them off if you just pull the white tab off the blue. Trying to get the tab that is secured to the diaper is difficult and tears the plastic sometimes causing the stuffing to come out. Hope this helps!
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OMG!!!!!! She is off the wall this morning!!! Just dropped her at daycare. Felt like taking her to Goodwill. The Cipro may not be effective on the UTI. We'll see for sure over the weekend. She got me going, that got her going and we were off!!!!
Couldn't get her to sit still at all and feeding her was a chore. She wouldn't open her mouth for her pills or food. She takes a few that are extend release, so I can't crush them. Once I get them into her mouth, she rolls them around and won't swallow. Then she tries to pick them out of her mouth. Had to curl her hair. That was not easy either. She kept bending over in her wheelchair and turning her head.
Three o'clock can hold off until next Monday as far as I'm concerned!!! Feel like I already put in a full day of hard labor! Then I come home and have to listen to my husband's voice drone on about the economy, yada,yada, yada!!!! Think I'll run away from home today!!!
Hope you all have a not so exciting start to your day!!!
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Good Morning Everybody: Just having my cup of joe here and relaxing before the mnl gets up. ; ) I hope y'all don't mind but for those who are giving out tips like the 'space-n-wellness diapers,' I am writing them down for future purposes when get the opportunity to follow that path.
I already bought a plastic mastress cover just to be on the safe side for don't know when or even if that day will come but, I will be preapared.
Sarah, unforntually, we all haven't been in church in a very long time, I know shame on us. As for volunteers agencies,I'm not sure what you mean by that one? I only have one relativeher Neice that we can trust around the mnl and she is constantly busy pretty much.
She did offer to take the mnl out for breakfast around 11:00 and I was all excited that, I could go grocery shopping by meself! I had made me a list and figure shoot I just go to Super Walmart and look for some more slide locks as well. However, when the Neice called an hour a head of time to make sure she would be ready, the mnl for some reason did not feel like it. I guess because she was just creeping out of bed. She wasn't sick or anything, she just said that, "she didn't feel up to it" I told her she didn't have to go maybe another time. Within 40mints she mention that she wish she had went. Ah!!!! Oh well. I was a little excited for a minuet or two.

Cuz, I just love that story. lol.
Deef, I am so glad you got some yarn at least that will give you some sort of break.
Cricket, you are so right about the freaking dr. For it seems all they do is look at the lab and if it looks great she is fine. I understand that is great news but I don't think he really is aware that she has went from Mild to ModerateAlzhemiers (AZ). Of course, I guess their is nothing he can do for she refuses to take something for AZ. She refuses she even has AZ.

Meanwhile, I hope you are able to get your house done and it will look great. Hey, when you got time can you come over to our house and put up some wall paper. hee, hee.
Anyone I missed, I hope you all have a great day. I got to drag the mnl with me to get grocerys or we all don't eat. I'll try to persuade her by taking out for her favorite food, 'cheeseburger. : )
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Sarahjean ~ I just got turned on to the Wellness diapers too. They save dozens of loads of laundry. You found the right website. Just Google Wellness diapers. There's another high-capacity diaper named Dry 24/7 that I'm going to try next to see which one works better. I too am disappointed that they don't make the high-capacity diapers in pull-ups and wonder why. Practice has made it easier to put on the Wellness diaper with my husband laying down, but he does attempt to sit on the toilet sometimes during the day, and the tabbed diapers get mangled pulling them up and down.
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Deef, omg, girl you need a break! I totally relate to the doctors and their "need to be seen" bs. Unless we spell it all out for them on each occasion they are clueless..amazing. Glad you got some yarn, it's therapeutic for you to make those shawls, that is what you are making still, right?

I hope everyone is hanging in there tonight.

Love Cricket ღ
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Well, I just found out rhar our waiting on the list for Respite care will be around one year and cost around $12.00per hr for 2-3 days = 6hrs a wk. Because they included my disabiltiy, my husband's paycheck and the mnl retirement SSDI all in one household amount. I even told them that my SSDI money mainly goes on medicine for I don't understand why they would even count it. I have to take diabetic insulin, anti-rejection meds and etc. Part of the mnl SSI money goes toward her medicine and let's face it, teacher don't get paid enough. However, The Area Agency Aging is sending me a list of private Community Care Program however, the price range from $12.00 to 16.00 per hour which I thought was quite expensive. The person that would comes over would only have to sat in a chair and keep an eye on her while the mnl watches t.v. or she will be going through her clothes in her room a zillion times and I would only need help for a few hours. She can dress, walk and feed herself. She can make her own lunch if its a sandwich. she just needs a reminder to fix it or reminder to eat. I will be administer her meds in morning and cooking her breakfast and etc. I just wanting a few hours to get a breather from my mnl the shadow. ; ) The price to me is kind of high or do you think the price is right? I know I will not be getting too many breather breaks.
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Thanks for the tip on space diapers, I tried to find them on the internet and could only find actual space diapers that the astronauts use, I could not find anything that could be purchased.
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God Deef I'd be dead by now I just can't imagine all that. not even with my mom...it is raining here now maybe run him down the ramp with some body wash......
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Mom has a UTI again, so I have been busy playing phone tag with her doctor to call in a script for Cipro. Of course we went through the whole I need to see her bit! I once again had to explain that it takes 2 of us to get her to the office and she is never cooperative when we get there. The UTI makes it too difficult to walk her to the car as she leans seriously to the left because of PD and that gets 10x worse with a UTI. She started being more confused and crazy on Sunday and got a bit belligerent whenever we had to toilet or feed or medicate her. I immediately started her on double doses of her macrodantin which she takes daily as a maintenance antibiotic to stave off the UTIs. This did help overnight enough for me to take her to daycare on Monday. But I never got the Cipro until Tuesday evening after a few calls to the doctor. They also screwed up and sent her Paxil script to the wrong drugstore. SO i had to scramble around on the weekend and get the pharmacy to advance me a few until that got straightened out.
Tuesday I spent the afternoon with a friend in between dealing with all this crap. but I did manage to get to the yarn store for the cotton yarn I wanted. My girlfriend had me knit 2 shawls for her and that gave me some $$ to pay for more yarn. We had a great lunch and visited a bit, then I had to hurry back home and get some supplies for Mom and her scripts. seems like even when we do get to go out, it's too tiring to make all the arrangements so we can leave!
I forget which of you mentioned daily laundry, but you might want to try the "space diapers" from Wellness Briefs. You can find them online and they cost about $1 apiece. You get 60 in a case and they are always on sale for $60. I used to be a slave to Mom's laundry until I found these. Mariesmom is the one who turned me on to this brand and I will be forever grateful. I no longer have wet bedclothes every day. I also line them with an incontinence pad for extra protection. Mom has no idea what she is doing and started to pick them apart at night, so we always pull a pair of her cotton undies over them. For added protection, we put her arms over the top sheet and tie that to the bedrail so that she can't get to her diaper. I also use washable "chux" on the bed under her, but she is rarely ever wet through anymore. That thing sometimes ways 5lbs in the AM!!! Only downside is they do not come in pull up briefs, only with side tapes. It does get difficult getting it on Mom at night, as she does not cooperate, but I have a method to her madness!!!
Linda, So glad you are having some good days!
Jen, Let FP run himself down the ramp again!
Diane, Mom had to pay almost $4000, out of pocket, for her meds the last 2 years. I hate it!!! The Namenda and PD meds are the most expensive. At least you can still have conversations with her. Mom doesn't even know it's me taking care of her!
Cricket, you and Christina sure sound busy!
Everyone else forgive me for not mentioning you, until I get more familiar with your stories. Glad you all found this place!
Time for bed for me. Husband and I spent the last 2 mornings washing down the first floor front porch and I'm tired and sore!
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A older couple moves into a new neighborhood.
The next morning while they are eating breakfast,
The woman sees her young neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean", she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly.
... Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."
Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,
The woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a
Nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:

"Look, she has learned finally learned how to wash correctly.
I wonder who taught her this."
The husband said, "I got up early this morning and
Cleaned our windows."

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others
Depends on the purity of the window through which we look!
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I got to admit, I'm bummed out tonight. Thought I had gotten rid of or packed up all of Sam's personnel stuff. Then today, found his old western hat. Funny how something out of the blue can get me upset. Maybe I will save the hat for his grandson's.
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Boy am I tired tonight. Been trying to fix up my house in town (since I live with my sister now). Have to tear out some old nasty stick down tiles, and replace them with real ceramic tile. At least that is the plan. Those stick down things are stuck pretty good in places.
Igore, good luck with the cleaning.
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Yep Cricket you are RIGHT on..it is an exercise is passive aggressive. And I am not playing! And for sure..he was bright eyed and paying attention to the lawyers and estate planners. THIS is going to cost him dearly. He knew he was facing total financial ruin..so he was 110 % on. I had to drive him hours and hours..he knew we;d be on the turnpike but never offered to pay O-N-E toll!!
I explained before we even left the house that it is unfair to expect my husbnad and I to continue to pay for all of this...he will have to crack that moldy wallet open and use HIS credit card. I didnt even get on the highway before the first fillup and said dont forget Dad, this is going on y-o-u-r credit card. He tried with the ' well I have a diesel account'....well guess what Dad, I am driving this car and it takes gasoline~~so if you just get me that card, we;ll be on the way. OMG what a long long LONG week....hoping for a little rest here soon! Goodight friends...take care and thank you for all of the support
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Howdy all: Cricket, no Sara didn't get canned. She comes on Monday and Friday and another person, Stacy, comes on Wednesday. So Stacy didn't show and the not so well trained person came in her place. The agency didn't call to give me a heads up so it was unexpected. Then some other weird things happened that gave me an eerie feeling. I'll explain later. Got to run for now. Thanks for the beautiful sprinkle of love!!!
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Cattails, to answer your question, I think moderation is the key. However sometime we all blow moderation out the window because we are ALL human. I know you were bummed about the sub caregiver but I wonder if Sara got canned? Also, Stress makes it difficult to get to sleep sometimes. Besides doing some stress reducing activities at night when I'm winding down I have found a supplement that helps calm me down and makes me feel sleepy about an hour after I take it. I bought it at Sam's Club but maybe it's also at the drugstore, It's called Melatonin Ultra and it's made by Schiff. We used to live on an old farm in PA in the country and boy do I really miss the front porch and the wildlife show. I'm glad for you that you have it. :)
Marybschall! I loved what you told your Dad about his sitting and scowling! Good for you girl!! Sometimes (some more than others) our parents can act horribly without considering how they affect others and I love how you stood up for yourself in a matter of fact way. My Dad does that to and it can really bring me down at times. Most of the time I find that if I stop and take an interest in him, talk to him for a minute or two he can snap out of it.. but then their are those days when he does it on purpose in a passive aggressive way to try to demand my attention constantly all day and when that happens I have to put my foot down just like you. He doesn't like it and gets mad and has a little fit but I have learned to accept that it is HIS attitude and HIS problem, not mine. There are times when for our own mental and emotional and physical survival we have to detach and go find something to do that reinforces that we have a life of our own and it deserves love and nurturing also. Okay that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Everyone have a great day and don't forget to remember what Audrey Hepburn said in her poem....remember we have two hands, one to help others and the other to help ourselves.
☻/ღ˚ •。* ♥ ˚ ˚✰˚ ˛★* 。 ღ˛° 。* °♥ ˚ • ★ *˚ .ღ 。
/▌*˛˚ღ •˚ ˚sprinkle of Love . ~♥~˚ ✰* ★
/ \ ˚. ★ *˛ ˚♥* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ ♥ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ
*´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•` ¤ Chirp Chirp Cricket Hugsღ
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Just curious, did he actually talk to the lawyers and estate planners or just sit in the corner and scowl at them too?
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Good Morning Friends!! ..I have to say that I have been keeping up, reading on my phone, or tablet while on the run. It is great to see how many of us are on this crazy ride!! I find it really hard o type a comment from my tablet ..We have had a whirlwind with Dad...we call him GITW (grandpa in the woods) I had to take him to see some lawyers and estate planners. It was over 950 miles in
2 1/2 days..He still just stares..likes to sit in the dak and scowl and my family and I have just been moving ourselves outside to enjoy the beautiful weather..I used to get myself so upset that he wouldnt talk, or just sit with his solo piti party. But that is even more exhausting. I told him that I am certain he is sick of hearing about my rainbows and sunny days....and if he really wants to be depressed and intentionally sit himself in a dark corner and scowl. I suppose you can go right ahead..but dont expect us to quit enjoying ourselves....suit yourself! I love reading about everyones posts....Cricket you are SO BUSY! and Linda ...so good to see you too! Bobbie and Igore, cattails..all of you bring me such a sense of relief to know that I am not alone..hope each of you has a wonderful day today..just beautiful here in rural Ohio. xo Mary Beth
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Why is it so hard to sleep sometimes?
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Igore ~ I know what you mean. Sometimes I think I'm living inside a diaper pail.
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I guess I have been lurking a bit also. If all goes well this weekend I may get mom's room cleaned up and hopefully smelling well enough that the epa will not make me install pollution controls. Its always an adventure.
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Hey there Meanwhile: Thanks for the response. No I am never boring. Too many emotions, heartfelt responsibilities and questions. Don't lurk, I miss you. Glad you are back.
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Cattails, you're never boring. Use all the paper you want. Sorry I've just been lurking. Had to work the last 3 days. Take care everyone.
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I'm having my glass of Merlot. Geez, what a day I have had. The Wednesday caretaker never showed, but someone else came in her place. She's nice, but not trained. Just had some on hands with a friends mom in Alaska and then moved down here and is substituting for caregivers that don't show. WTF? I had a list of to do's a mile long and then realized I had a new person who would need to be walked through, etc., and little experience. More to tell and my mind is just in a tail spin.

The wild like folks tried to dart a female elk this morning. Need to put a tracking collar on her. So much I don't tell cause I don't want to use up paper. HaHa. And I don't want to bore you.

Love to everyone. Cattails.
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well i say its maragritta time . :-)
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