Update on my family and me

[Guest guest]

Well, LONG time no chat, but things are wilder than ever here. For those of

you who thought my life was complicated before, well, it wasnt haha.

First, my client, Sheila, got her waiver finally she had been waiting on, so she

could have waiver hours to have people drive her around (supportive living).

Well, I was SUPPOSED to take just a few of the hours, but Sheila is a bit of a

control freak, and panics when she has to work with people she doesnt really

know, so I wound up having to add more and more waiver hours to my pile till

finally I was working more hours than I could claim! I thought I was

overwhelmed before, but then I was really overwhelmed. (btw the waiver hours

were available for claiming, but my agency has this silly rule you cant claim

over 40 hours (even if you work them!). I have had a problem over this one

before......). Anyway, this was supposed to only go on till November when we

found out what the status of all her hours was going to be for the next year,

then she was supposed to find another driver anyway. Well, November came and

went, and on December 1, on my grandmother's birthday, we found

her on the floor with a broken hip! She had fallen during the night. So she

had to have surgery on her hip the 2nd. We opted not to have rehab done in a

facility, or have her go in a nursing home because I hate those places with a

passion. My friends Sharlene and Jeanne were going to help with night respite

and I was going to switch her from elder's choice to independent choices so she

could get more hours and we could get the actual hours we needed respite for,

covered. I did my part of the paperwork by the 7th, the day after she was out

of the hospital! (I get on the ball, because you know the old adage, hurry up

and wait really applies to government!) Anyway, we brought her home with inhome

therapy. Well, things didnt go so well. Evidently coumadin was messing with

her blood levels of her antidepressant and memory meds from as near as I could

figure out, plus the stress of the surgery itself I am sure didnt help either

(although the docs actually LISTENED! and took

all the little mito precautions! I was so proud ) but anyway her

dementia was made worse. They said her dementia was apt to get worse as a

result of the surgery. Anyway, they were right........ So while she has

recovered remarkably well from the surgery itself physically, all of it has

taken a toll on her mentally, tho a lot of that has stabilized since she went

off of the coumadin. Her sundowner's effect is very strong. Anyway, things

went from bad to worse....... My friend Sharlene? She DIED! She had an

aneurism burst on the 19th of December, followed by a massive stroke, and 3

heart attacks. She was declared brain dead, and a do not resuscitate order was

given, and she officially died at around 1:40 am the 20th. My friend Jeanne

meantime, had some health issues come up where they think she may be getting a

blocked carotid artery, so she cant help. is helping some, but the one

night I got a break since helped (because of her work schedule,

things are difficult for her, and Sharlene was her mother) Ruth and April had

to stay over at her house. Meantime, the independent choices people, after

repeated calling on my part, finally got back to me, and their nurse was out for

a month after she had emergency surgery, and so she is running behind

(naturally!) so it will be around early February at best estimation before she

shows up. Oh, btw, after my grandmother's surgery, Sheila FINALLY had to get

another waiver driver, however, since Sharlene was the one laying Sheila down at

night, and was the one who was my mother's aide to boot, guess who now has full

responsibility of my mother, and has to lay Sheila down most nights? You got

it! ME! So I am still working around 28-30 hours a week with Sheila, have all

of my mother's care, and no real respite with my grandmother, except for

occasionally Jeanne's stepdaughter during the day and an occasional night with

's help. April and I are going nuts! Oh did I mention

the fact that one of my favorite dogs got hurt accidentally on the evening of

the 23rd, and died around midnight of Christmas eve? It has all been perfectly

horrid. I work around 12-14 hours a day, 7 days a week, and that is if nothing

goes wrong in the middle of the night with my grandmother!

For some reason, along with all the extra work, and the fact that right now I

cant afford the good medication, and dont have the time to even go buy the cheap

coq and b vitamins, I am in a crash........

Just hanging on till February........

HUGS to all