To say that the past week has been stressful would be an understatement of epic proportions. It's like saying "Niagara Falls is a little bit wet." While it has really been a difficult week, I have learned some things.
One thing I have learned is that it's OK to get upset and cry. I spent some time yesterday afternoon sobbing. I am not really a cryer, but after not sleeping well for days and then having to deal with Michael being obnoxious, it was all too much for me. [Overall, he has been great since Granny fell, but yesterday he wanted to tell me I didn't know what I was talking about and it just got on my last nerve.]
Part of the obnoxiousness of teenagers is they think THEY know everything, and grownups are idiots.
As I write this I am sipping an Emergen-C vitamin drink and praying I don't get sick again. After the 3 week sinus/ear infection ordeal that ruined most of May for me, I do not need a relapse. I was coughing a lot two days ago. Today the nose is running. [Help! I gotta catch it! That's enough exercise for one day..]
I do believe in the power of Vitamin C, praise God. It's like a little nuclear reactor of power for the immune system.
To recap: Exactly one week ago I was horrified to wake up and find my mother lying on the floor of her bathroom. She had been there for several hours. Michael wasn't home. Lola was sound asleep on the family room sofa and should have heard her.
We have now reluctantly had to accept the fact that Lola's hearing is really impaired. Mom has a strong voice and Lola should have hear her calling. Mom even called her name a bunch of times. She was not far from where Lola was sleeping. Our last dog, Coco, would have barked her head off if Mom had fallen. She DID bark, a lot, when Mom fell and broke both shoulders in 2005.
Lola, despite her long and velvety ears, which are her cutest feature, sleeps very deeply and often I have to go put the leash on her when she is asleep and gently pull her to get her to go outside. I think she is getting most of her information visually or from vibrations on the ground.
Mother is a lot better but still not 100%. People who are 82 don't make speedy recoveries, unfortunately.
I have learned about a new medicine for arthritis and/or deep bruises. My cousin/BFF Lesleigh came over for dinner Sunday night and brought a homeopathic remedy called Arnica. We've been applying it to the worst of Mom's bruises and it has definitely helped.
Arnica (Arnica montana) has been used for medicinal purposes since the 1500s and is still popular today. Applied to the skin as a cream, ointment, liniment, salve, or tincture, arnica has been used to soothe muscle aches, reduce inflammation, and heal wounds. It is commonly used for injuries, such as sprains and bruises.
I have definitely learned to be more patient. I don't know how nurses do what they do. My admiration and respect for them has gone up dramatically.
I hope Mother will continue to heal quickly and will be back to her normal health - or even in better health - soon. We are all praying for that.
Most of the time I handle being a caregiver just fine. Right now I feel squeezed, though. Michael is still "climbing fool's hill" as my grandmother would say, and running us a bit crazy. He's a good kid though.
I am keeping on keeping on..
