Caregivers Support Group
A voluntary caregiver is a spouse, relative, friend or neighbor of a disabled person or child who assists with activities of daily living and assists those unable to fully take care of themselves. The challenges of a caregiver are unique and sometimes it's hard to find people to talk to who know what you're going through. Join the conversation and find others who...
I live with my sister, sister-in-law, an adult family friend, and my sister's son who is 33 years old.
My sister-in-law is 64 years old. First, she does have a lot of health issuse including diabetes, back,hip and leg pain, and other real and unreal illnesses. She is also a hypochondriac who is always in the ER or at Urgent Care for one problem or another.
I work part time, so I am left to take her to all her Dr.'s appointments. Tomorrow she has 3 appointments. It seems like all I do lately on my days off,is take her to a Dr. Last Wednesday I had to take her to urgent Care for her leg,hip, back pain. After 3 hours iin the office we finally came home and i caught myself nearly having a breakdown. I just went up to my room and stayed there all evening and couldn't come out to do anything. I was exhausted mentally and physically. I need to say, also, that I have Bipolar Disorder. It is mostly controlled with medications and I'm so grateful for that, but I still have issues with anxiety and other things related to the bipolar.
I guess I'm trying to say that last Wednesday I just realized that I am her caretaker and I'm so tired. I feel guilty because I never know if she's really ill or if it's her hypochondria. I , therefore, have to treat everything as if it is real. I know I have it better than a lot of people because my sister and our friend also help caring for her, but they do work full-time, so I have to take her to all her appointments and she can't drive any longer because of her peripheral neuropathy from the diabetes and the leg pain.
I just needed to vent I guess. I try not to judge her, but it is difficult. Thanks for listening.
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And its already been noted by the weather service as heat advisory today thru Wed here.I have a rack of St. Louis Cut Pork Ribs. I will use a charcoal snake method of two rows on bottom shingled around about 3/4 of way on outside of the grill. Then on top of those I will shingle a single layer of briquetted same around 3/4 of grill. Adding some chunks of wood every 3-4 inches around the grill.I...
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Hope the dog days of summer aren't getting you down!
I would say you need to set some boundaries on what time you can personally spend taking her to appointments. You will find very shortly that the more you do the more will be expected of you.
You do have to think of yourself also and your own mental and physical health. I would put your own well being first.
to take your mother in law to some doctors appointments.
And take care of yourself.