Stories from Caregivers: Mark from ARIZONA
AZ
Mark
FROM ARIZONA
Where does one start? I am the primary caregiver for my Mother .She is 92 and has been declared legally blind. I have lost track of the time I have been in this role.All I know is I retired at 62 and moved in with her in her home to keep her in familiar surroundings. Before I retired I stayed with her except when I was at work and was with her at night. At some point it became apparent I could not work and care for her so I quit my job and moved in with her . It was an adjustment for both of us. She is a widow twice and I am divorced so we have each other. We, she and I moved from Kansas to Arizona in 1972 . Most of her family are gone and my family or my Dad's family are gone as is Dad back in Kansas. So, the phrase we have each other takes on a stark meaning. We now are in our 5th year post-op for a surgical procedure to remove a parotid mass that was malignant. The scary details of that experience are to painful to recall,She now lives with the reminder of a compression fracture of the 2nd lumbar vertebrae. She stood up in front of her recliner and fell.The mechanics of which we will will never know as I was not home when she fell and she doesn't recall as it all happened so fast.The pain meds introduced resulted in bowel obstruction do to constipation and the indication of a GI bleeder. Her primary care Dr. is well I won't go there. She has always been one for if nothing is wrong why go to the Dr. It wears her out carting her to see her eye DR,her primary, her audiologist. Her hearing aides were the best investment 5 years ago and we upgraded 3 months ago.Eyesight,well there is little to be done but eye drops to maintain acceptable surface pressure.We saw the GI that consulted when she was in the hospital yesterday and he has prescribed amitiza and miralax daily regimen. She has lost weight from 150 to 133 which makes her happy but she doesn't eat like she used to.As distorted as it may sound she equates food consumption with more difficulty with her bowel movement and the cluster of hemorrhoids that obstruct her passing waste.We do have someone coming in once a week to help her with her bath. I still get my share of soiled briefs and an occasional trip to laundry to wash a bathroom rug.Bless her heart when she feels good she will walk the length of the driveway across and back up and call it her laps. She has done as many as 10, 2 or 3 at a time with rest in between.
