Maybe I’m coming here because this sub has always felt safe to me. My mom had a stroke a little over a year ago. It flipped my already shakey world completely on its head. She made a lot of progress the first couple months.
Right now it feels like all that progress has been completely undone. At first it was just a few little physical limitations. Now she hardly finishes a full sentence because she forgets to, insults anything that remotely seems inconvenient for her and does even weirder shit (my mom’s always been eccentric but she literally just went outside with a headlamp to take clothes off the line at 11 pm because we had lightening)…. it’s heat lightening and we’re not due for rain till morning
Me? I’m anxious as hell. From a combination of generally world/political instability, my own disability and life as a stroke survivor myself, my marriage being a literal mess that I need to get out of and trying to help my mom as much as possible while her and my stepdad come and go from the house as they please while I’m trying to juggle a million things in the house too.
Tried telling her earlier or reminding her that, since the stroke she’s way more sensitive to heat and if she starts to have body pains she NEEDS to slow down because the effects mean. Days and days of pain of she doesn’t.
All she seems to want to do is argue, get mad at me, do things that I knoe are impacts from the brain injury but… seem odd and I’m so freaking stressed and overwhelmed and tired
Caregiving tasks and having the nature of a caregiver and wanting to help when EVERYTHING feels like it’s crumbling is the most mentally, physically and emotionally draining thing and then it’s hard to sleep and it means midnight reddit rants.
Sorry. Long night. My next therapy appointment isn’t for 2 weeks and I’m trying my best here. Everything is just heavy.
Comments
Girl, we’re here for you. You got this!
Of course you are stressed and tired. Its alot to process. If she can feel herself kind of regressing, i imagine she is frustrated with herself and her lack of progress.
And the easiest people to take that out on, is the closest people to us. Because we know they will be there and they love us anyway.
The injury to her brain, the frustration and just all the instability would be alot for her. And you aswell.
The only advice i can offer is … Maybe just tell her how you feel. If you have the ability and insurance then prehaps some home help may be a good idea. (Im still getting used to the whole insurance thing so forgive my ignorance there)
Wish i could be of more help. Vent away friend.
Remember that all care giving services are trained that in order to provide good care you must look after yourself first.
Does your country provide any care support or temporary respite care to give you, what sounds like, a much needed break?