Gross Out Alert!
I am not the nursing kind. When my girls were growing up, my line was, “If it’s not broken or bleeding, you’re okay. Stop your whining!” My saying they swear will be on my gravestone will be my response to every complaint, “Did you sit on the potty today?”
Well, one lives and learns and dies and forgets it all, as my daddy would have said. The problem is, I forget things before I kick! Or maybe I never knew it to begin with. I should have remembered the sitting on the potty line in dealing with my mom.
Mama never wanted to go to the doctor. Even now, she gives me a hard time when I insist we go, so I let some of her frequent and varied complaints slide. I don’t know which ones to take seriously and which ones to ease by prescribing another bowl of ice cream.
I wish someone would give me a bulleted list of common physical complaints of the elderly, the possible reasons for those complaints, and what steps to take to make sure that the complaint doesn’t end up in a hospital visit. Don’t give me a book to read. Cut to the chase and just give me the facts!
This is a hint for those of you who may at sometime be in charge of an elderly person. If she complains of having pain while sitting, make prunes her new best friend.
Well, bless my heart. Caregiving is a hard row to hoe. I try to not to be in Mama’s bi’ness, as we say in Georgia. It’s sometimes embarrassing to ask about bodily functions, but it’s a WHOLE LOT easier to ask than spend the day in the emergency room.
Assuming things is most always the wrong action. I assumed certain things were happening because of the medication she takes on a regular basis. Why the meds didn’t work, I don’t know. Because there was some odiferous evidence, I assumed all was well. Because we eat the same things and I wasn’t having issues, I supposed Mama’s problems were something else. I noticed her abdomen being bloated, but since I’m totally a doof when it comes to nursing stuff, I missed on that clue. Long story short…we went to ER.
Because Ronald was in California with our oldest daughter, I was alone and unsure if I could get Mama down the stairs. I went outside to take out the garbage before taking Mama to the hospital. One of the neighbors ‘just happened’ to be driving by and helped me to get Mama to the car. I so appreciate God’s divine intervention!
At the hospital, though it was an horrendously long wait, the people were kind and gentle with Mama. They were able to diagnose the problem without a bunch of tests, take care of the problem, and get us out the door.
Bless their hearts! I can’t imagine doing that for a living! Listening to the moaning, groaning, and outright shrieks of pain would give me nightmares! The things they have to do, touch, and smell are beyond sickening! But if they are doctors and nurses, God probably put in their DNA to be able to cope with it all.
All I know is that from this time forward, medical personnel will be on my prayer list! I will pray serious blessings for those who are such a blessing to others.
We sometimes think we are the only ones dealing with issues, but it doesn’t take long to find others coping with caregiving. My friend, who is younger than I am, cares for her husband who had a debilitating stroke this past year. Another tends her teenage son who is severely physically and mentally handicapped. Another’s husband, who was wounded in Vietnam, requires constant attention as the wounds from his past affect their present. My aunt suffers from a crippling bone problem and dementia and is daily tended by my uncle. They all make my problems look like a piece of cake.
I may not be the nursing kind or having the doctoring gene, but this I know – God gives us all a different path in life. We all have trials, but God gives the strength to carry on if we depend on Him. Even if we don’t have skills in certain things, He either helps us know what to do or provides someone who will help us along the way. I am most appreciative of those who helped me today.
Another thing I know for sure – tomorrow’s breakfast will be bran muffins and a bag of dried prunes!
Blessings
Kara Beth
This is the cake I had made for the emergency room staff. When I timidly asked the baker if she could make this design, she said, “Sure! We have at least 5 designs to choose from!” Just goes to show, I am not as original or creative as I thought!
