For Barbara - Re: PARENTS

[Guest guest]

Barbara, what a caring and thoughtful person you are. I'm glad you

posted today. You are right in that you don't post often enough. It

is kind of surreal when you switch roles with your parents and feel

responsible for taking care of them. I can relate too with my family

business winding down. My Mom is almost 63 and the last couple of

years have been hard on her here and she has major problems with her

scyadic (know I spelled it wrong) nerve in her leg and has times when

she can't walk. I have felt so responsible for her over the past

four years and have felt an obligation to stay with the business to

watch over her. Now that it's winding down, it's difficult because

I've invested 20 years here, our family worked very hard for what we

achieved and now I won't be around her everyday. Plus she'll be in

better health given the massive reduction in stress and I won't have

to focus on her as much. So now it hard to realize that I have the

freedom to do what I want career wise and it's like leaving the nest

for the first time. Very scary.

> Hi all,

>

> This message is to Rashelle. I don't post often, but I am with the

list

> and reading every message. I know how you feel about your

parents. I

> only have my Mom left. I moved from Atlanta to South Florida in

1997

> because Mom was not well. I am so very lucky that the company that

I

> worked for since 1979 agreed to let me work from a home office - I

miss

> the " action " but it has allowed me to be here. I feel that God

guided

> me here for some special reasons. I was here only two months when

Mom

> became very ill with pneumonia (the double bi-lateral kind). She

was is

> a HMO plan that I would refer to as " good old boy " and the only real

> interest they had was how many more specialist they could call in.

They

> did a lung biopsy and punctured her lung. Things were going

downhill

> when they said that the tests were unsure and they wanted to do a

bigger

> lung surgery. I took her to a new doctor, transferred all the

records

> (in less than 24 hours if you know what I mean). In three months

she

> was recovered. It turned out that she had carried an infection in

her

> system since she had owned a bird hospital, many years ago.

>

> Her desire was to have a NEW house for the first time in her life.

It

> had to have white ceramic tile throughout. We did that and had only

> been in a few months when she developed a extreme case of

shingles. She

> still has pain and itching from this. Then in April, while I was in

> Tampa for 60 some hours (it is a four hour drive) she fell in the

> garage. After several weeks, I was able to get them to authorize

> physical therapy and she is on the mend from that. Then a month

ago she

> pulled a muscle in the rib area and had weeks of pain.

>

> Where am I going with this - well she had planned a visit to my

brother

> in Chicago, and was told to go. I was so looking forward to a

break.

> She left yesterday - I did not know how much I would miss her. I

seem

> to think that only I can watch over her properly. Now I feel

guilty for

> wanting the break. Now I am home with the two pups and " expecting "

to

> have her check in a couple of times a day, which he doesn't want to

do.

> I am angry because my brother and his wife went off to Milwaukee and

> left her home alone!! Guess I had better wonder who is the mom.

>

> Okay, I guess I needed to vent - thanks for being there.

>

> Barbara

>

> BTW - is doing much better, and hopefully will start gaining

> some weight. He is nine - would Oxygen Zoo be " too young " for him?