Right to Decide
I often feel like I have multiple personalities, and knowing which one I should use can be difficult. Sometimes, I know who I want to be, but it’s not always the one I think I should be.
Unexpected Sadness
Feelings of sadness hit me unexpectedly today. Since my husband was with me, I worked hard on the tears that rose to the surface from his knowledge. I don’t often cry about Lynn having MS.
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Reflections on Caregiving
New Year’s Day often brings a time of reflection and, for some, a time for establishing resolutions for change. My life tends not to be stable enough to attempt to create resolutions for change. However, I have been indulging in reflection quite a bit.
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Avoiding Typhoid Mary
Have you heard of Typhoid Mary? Mary Mallon or Mary Brown (she used both names) worked as a cook and harbored the typhoid bacteria in her gallbladder.
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Retirement to the Rescue
Retirement to the Rescue I have always had a tough time saying “no” to anyone. Saying “no” fills me with guilt. I like to solve problems and make others feel better. I, therefore, tend to suffer a lot of blame if I can’t solve the issues presented for resolution quickly or at all. I feel
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Holiday Preparations
Getting ready for the holidays at my house incorporates specific considerations that many families who do not deal with chronic illnesses do not consider as part of their preplanning task list.
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Can You Speak?
I recently needed to use that phrase in a way I had hoped never to have to use it. No, my husband did not need CPR, but he was unresponsive. He lost consciousness while being moved using a ceiling transport device. Slipping out of the harness, he fell four feet from the lift equipment, landing
An Essential Member of the Healthcare Team
As a former nurse and current caregiver, may I emphasize to you the importance of your role as a member of the healthcare team. Never doubt your value to the team for I can assure you that your value is beyond measure. Different Pieces of the Story In years past, doctors made all important decisions
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Something’s Different. Something’s Not Right. Listen to Me.
I wrote the following poem based on an event that happened while Lynn was a patient in the hospital. I recognized changes beginning to occur that indicated he was heading for trouble with his medical condition. I tried to alert the medical team that something wasn’t right, but they insisted, based on lab reports, that
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Caregivers Need Preparation
Caregivers Need Preparation The more knowledge a caregiver, the better prepared they are to meet the challenges encountered when home alone. When healthcare professionals (HCPS) send a patient home for a family member to provide care, they don’t envision the obstacles the family will encounter. For instance, I don’t think HCPs understand how the gap
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What Goes In Must Come Out
What’s to Come One of the joys of having a progressive disease is that everything changes. Just as you adjust to one change, something happens, and the “fix” you had in place no longer works. As Lynn’s caregiver, I have not found his physician particularly helpful in warning me about future things. If I ask
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Realities of Life
For the most part, our home life is fairly stable, meaning we have the same things happening daily. We have a routine – I get Lynn up for the morning and help him with his exercise, take him to the bathroom for his bowel regimen, put him back to bed, and do a partial bath,
