Well first off i will upfront apologize for the title and subject matter of this thread because I do know that some people frown on this site being anything other than surround talk.......oh well. Snood has made many friends on QQ and do want them to know that I am still around and why I have not been on as often.
A few of ya know that I had been caregiving for my Mom and working a full time job since 2012 she lives with me, about 3 years ago I hit my minimum retirement age of 55 and things were getting worse at home for mom. She had fallen 3 times while I was at work, having found her twice on the floor when I got home and once she used her 911 device around her neck and Emergency climbed somehow through a small window to get to her. It was either retire or put her in assisted living and I was not about to do that.
She is 83 now.
She had a stroke like 5 years ago and broke her femur just trying to sit down about 4 years ago.
Dumb Snood thought, well I will have more time to listen to tunes and watch movies and play video games while she is asleep or set in her chair..........um no!
I have still yet to put together my surround system with the Elacs I bought 4 years ago and the Oppos and other components are untouched in boxes. I am able to game perhaps an hour or 2 on about 2 Fridays a month - I am able to perhaps watch a movie maybe once or twice a month late after Mom goes to bed if all goes well.
I became the cook, clothes cleaner, driver and most everything else soon after retiring. She could still do some things now and again like make her coffee, dry her clothes sometimes and empty the dishwasher somewhat......stuff to keep her busy. I let her sort her own clothes and put them in her dresser. Busy work to keep her active a little.
Things of course became slowly worse. for example, needing to help her get into the shower to now having to shower her back and backside and yeah that too.....now have a sliding shower chair that cost 300 bux which made it much easier.
But yeah stuff like that........
So about a couple months ago things took a nosedive for her - She started having hallucinations of people in her room and imaginary animals that she was feeding. I started finding old food under the bed. Night visits from late 20s grandchildren that live in other states. First thought was whaaaaaaa and it freaked me out. Second thought was maybe it is a Urinary Tract Infection......worse case urggggh Dementia. Her doctor was out of the country and got another app with another doc that was at the same establishment........turned into a circus.
There were a couple other freaky hallucinations she was having.....
Well after much stress I was able to get her urine sample out to another lab to get properly tested. After more keystone cops from this physician group..............I was there getting mom her schedule blood test for the actual doctor visit the following week. A nurse stopped us on the way out and said are you MommaSnood......was like um yeah whaaa now......we wanna go over her urine tests...........I say well i figure they are negative since you guys did not contact us..........she say oh ummmm they came up positive for E Coli..........Snood lost it. So she say we need to have her back 5 days in a row for antibiotic jab in the butt - nope pills...........So 5 days in row the dr visit 2 days later then urine sample i drove out again 3 days later.................new test comes back negative.
Yay right?? Nope
In the meantime she had stopped pooping for 10 days...............so onto stool softeners and Miralax, nope they did not help but made her even more incontinent and diapers more messy.............so onto lacutose...nada. Doc says Ok Snood give her an Enema, I am like ummm you're kidding right? Nah he wasn't and I did. It worked but was insanely messy and Snood was just spent. I am now wiping her behind with wet wipes in the morning and at night before bed and of course in the shower. So Enema worked and she started pooping again yaaaaaaay - right?? Nope - Hallucinations were from UTI right?? KInda Maybe Sorta and then nope............her hallucinations stopped while on the antibiotics and for a week or so after. Urine stopped smelling like it had for years.
Fast forward to 3 days ago. She fell trying to lift some stuff she shouldn't have. Luckily I was changing some doorknobs in the back bedrooms and heard her calling my name. My first thought was umm what now - She had not fallen for like10 months. Thought she had broke her arm the way she was laying. 180 pounds of Dead Weight, I had to lift.....not fun.
She was seemingly OK - couple sore spots - no bruising need some band aids for a small cut - she is on blood thinners. So I tell her you shouldn't be lifting or moving anything that heavy, you need to call me if you need something moved or lifted. OK.......nope - next day I notice she not in chair and I go into see where she is.......she had take the 2 heavy things - rubbermaid storage things and spilled the contents all on the ground. I am like I am like Mom what are you doing I asked not to do that unless you asked for me. Well.......a blind woman came in and asked her to search for something in them and she was trying to help her..............I also found more recent food for the imaginary animals. Another hallucination this morning too.
Since her stroke 5 years back her short term memory was pretty much shot...long term fine. Last 3 days seems she is having just a bit more probs searching for the right word/s
Called nurse Friday, gonna call for appointment Monday........she just got cleared of a uti about 1.5 to 2 weeks ago so dunno if it could be UTI again. I am just spent, worried all the time and sad...........sad because Snood not wanna lose the Mom I know. I do find myself crying a lot. I have bought a video baby, elderly monitor and have it in her bedroom. I figured it would give me just a smidge of peace of mind. I am not so sure......it is freaky to check in on it and see here not in her chair and over near the window where the blind lady had her digging for stuff or to see her in bed at 4 or 5 am looking around the room in night vision mode. Freaky stuff - I dunno.
Oh and she stopped pooping again about 3 or 4 days ago......
So yeah everybody that is why I have not been around as often. I still pop in and try to catch up here and there or answer Personal Messages sent to me, but nothing like I used to or would like to. I still order the latest and greatest releases and read some reviews, but they mainly sit untouched and unopen dating back to Beatles White Album and more at least. Yep you heard it right......I was able to peruse the Abbey Road a bit, but not in full. There are many more piled up.
I recently canceled my Let It Be Box and the LP Box thinking why? Plus, maybe they will go on sale.....I have never ever done that.
I have the Kiss Box coming........I adore early KISS (do not judge me lol) but thinking twice about that too.
I did get the Tull Benefit and have the REM on order and the Bruce Live, but those are 50 and below.
So I dunno.......I love Surround I love QQ - just so much more going on and I am sorry I am not able to be here as much as I used to be for you all. Love you all
That is where I have been and what I have been doing.
Deep Sigh
A few of ya know that I had been caregiving for my Mom and working a full time job since 2012 she lives with me, about 3 years ago I hit my minimum retirement age of 55 and things were getting worse at home for mom. She had fallen 3 times while I was at work, having found her twice on the floor when I got home and once she used her 911 device around her neck and Emergency climbed somehow through a small window to get to her. It was either retire or put her in assisted living and I was not about to do that.
She is 83 now.
She had a stroke like 5 years ago and broke her femur just trying to sit down about 4 years ago.
Dumb Snood thought, well I will have more time to listen to tunes and watch movies and play video games while she is asleep or set in her chair..........um no!
I have still yet to put together my surround system with the Elacs I bought 4 years ago and the Oppos and other components are untouched in boxes. I am able to game perhaps an hour or 2 on about 2 Fridays a month - I am able to perhaps watch a movie maybe once or twice a month late after Mom goes to bed if all goes well.
I became the cook, clothes cleaner, driver and most everything else soon after retiring. She could still do some things now and again like make her coffee, dry her clothes sometimes and empty the dishwasher somewhat......stuff to keep her busy. I let her sort her own clothes and put them in her dresser. Busy work to keep her active a little.
Things of course became slowly worse. for example, needing to help her get into the shower to now having to shower her back and backside and yeah that too.....now have a sliding shower chair that cost 300 bux which made it much easier.
But yeah stuff like that........
So about a couple months ago things took a nosedive for her - She started having hallucinations of people in her room and imaginary animals that she was feeding. I started finding old food under the bed. Night visits from late 20s grandchildren that live in other states. First thought was whaaaaaaa and it freaked me out. Second thought was maybe it is a Urinary Tract Infection......worse case urggggh Dementia.
Her doctor was out of the country and got another app with another doc that was at the same establishment........turned into a circus.There were a couple other freaky hallucinations she was having.....
Well after much stress I was able to get her urine sample out to another lab to get properly tested. After more keystone cops from this physician group..............I was there getting mom her schedule blood test for the actual doctor visit the following week. A nurse stopped us on the way out and said are you MommaSnood......was like um yeah whaaa now......we wanna go over her urine tests...........I say well i figure they are negative since you guys did not contact us..........she say oh ummmm they came up positive for E Coli..........Snood lost it. So she say we need to have her back 5 days in a row for antibiotic jab in the butt - nope pills...........So 5 days in row the dr visit 2 days later then urine sample i drove out again 3 days later.................new test comes back negative.
Yay right?? Nope
In the meantime she had stopped pooping for 10 days...............so onto stool softeners and Miralax, nope they did not help but made her even more incontinent and diapers more messy.............so onto lacutose...nada. Doc says Ok Snood give her an Enema, I am like ummm you're kidding right? Nah he wasn't and I did. It worked but was insanely messy and Snood was just spent. I am now wiping her behind with wet wipes in the morning and at night before bed and of course in the shower. So Enema worked and she started pooping again yaaaaaaay - right?? Nope - Hallucinations were from UTI right?? KInda Maybe Sorta and then nope............her hallucinations stopped while on the antibiotics and for a week or so after. Urine stopped smelling like it had for years.
Fast forward to 3 days ago. She fell trying to lift some stuff she shouldn't have. Luckily I was changing some doorknobs in the back bedrooms and heard her calling my name. My first thought was umm what now
- She had not fallen for like10 months. Thought she had broke her arm the way she was laying. 180 pounds of Dead Weight, I had to lift.....not fun.She was seemingly OK - couple sore spots - no bruising need some band aids for a small cut - she is on blood thinners. So I tell her you shouldn't be lifting or moving anything that heavy, you need to call me if you need something moved or lifted. OK.......nope - next day I notice she not in chair and I go into see where she is.......she had take the 2 heavy things - rubbermaid storage things and spilled the contents all on the ground. I am like
I am like Mom what are you doing I asked not to do that unless you asked for me. Well.......a blind woman came in and asked her to search for something in them and she was trying to help her..............I also found more recent food for the imaginary animals. Another hallucination this morning too. Since her stroke 5 years back her short term memory was pretty much shot...long term fine. Last 3 days seems she is having just a bit more probs searching for the right word/s
Called nurse Friday, gonna call for appointment Monday........she just got cleared of a uti about 1.5 to 2 weeks ago so dunno if it could be UTI again. I am just spent, worried all the time and sad...........sad because Snood not wanna lose the Mom I know. I do find myself crying a lot. I have bought a video baby, elderly monitor and have it in her bedroom. I figured it would give me just a smidge of peace of mind. I am not so sure......it is freaky to check in on it and see here not in her chair and over near the window where the blind lady had her digging for stuff or to see her in bed at 4 or 5 am looking around the room in night vision mode. Freaky stuff - I dunno.
Oh and she stopped pooping again about 3 or 4 days ago......
So yeah everybody that is why I have not been around as often. I still pop in and try to catch up here and there or answer Personal Messages sent to me, but nothing like I used to or would like to. I still order the latest and greatest releases and read some reviews, but they mainly sit untouched and unopen dating back to Beatles White Album and more at least. Yep you heard it right......I was able to peruse the Abbey Road a bit, but not in full. There are many more piled up.
I recently canceled my Let It Be Box and the LP Box thinking why? Plus, maybe they will go on sale.....I have never ever done that.
I have the Kiss Box coming........I adore early KISS (do not judge me lol) but thinking twice about that too.
I did get the Tull Benefit and have the REM on order and the Bruce Live, but those are 50 and below.
So I dunno.......I love Surround I love QQ - just so much more going on and I am sorry I am not able to be here as much as I used to be for you all. Love you all
That is where I have been and what I have been doing.
Deep
Sigh
mainly ex coworkers
