Describes the types of emotional conflicts caregivers experience.
Today is my birthday. I’m a grand ole 56 years young or old depending on which joint is aching and how much sleep I have had. Usually, I do not pay much attention to birthdays. My children are grown and no one is in the house but me and Lynn and he has no way […]
Happy Birthday to Me! Read More »
By far, one of the greatest frustrations I have as a caregiver is that I have no control over what I want to do and when I want to do it. I am sitting here so frustrated at this moment that I can hardly think straight. Today is July 4, my day off. However, I
The Best Laid Plans…Oh, Forget It Read More »
As winter progressed to spring this year, Lynn was finally beginning to feel less fatigue, his muscles were getting stronger, his reactions to the Rebif injections were becoming less and less and it seemed that he was finally over the hump of recovering from his hospitalization in 2010, the anemia afterward, and then the adjustment
Life's Precious Balance Read More »
When I was young, no one in my immediate family had any type of visible disability. I grew up in the “country” and all the adults and children were physically active and spent a lot of time in physical labor. I remember helping my parents build the homes of other family members. By the time
Accepting What You Know Read More »
When you are a caregiver, you learn to multitask and plan ahead… or you don’t survive. Once you get good at doing these two things, then others, especially the one you’re caring for, seem to think that you can do anything…like magic. It mystifies me that I can tell Lynn what’s on my “to do” list
Has Anyone Seen My Magic Wand? Read More »
The following Caregiver‘s Prayer appeared in a local church’s newsletter recently. Lynn’s aunt shared it with me, and I contacted Kelly, the author, to see if I could share it with you. She graciously agreed. I have included her bio below as well as the introduction to the prayer and the prayer, itself. I hope
The Caregiver's Prayer by Kelly Combs Read More »
My first career in life was as a registered nurse. I graduated in 1978 with a diploma in nursing and obtained my BS in 1980. I was fortunate to have a position that allowed me to learn lots of new procedures that I would teach to others so I had exposure to all types of products, procedures,
When is a Nurse Not a Nurse? When she's a Family Caregiver. Read More »
Following the get-together last Saturday with my family, Christmas was fast upon us two days later. On Christmas Eve, we always have our children come over for our family time. Since the baby was still recovering from his cold, my daughter brought him to our house before heading in for the Christmas Eve church service.
I got a text message from my son this week asking us to pray for him, his fiance, and her family. His fiance’s mother was recently diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer that had spread to her bones. She has had a month of radiation and a couple of weeks of chemotherapy, but she is
There are Worse Things Than MS Read More »
One of the greatest challenges of living with MS is how unpredictable each moment of your life becomes. I’ve shared that frustration before but I keep coming back to it because it’s such a constant struggle. Adapting to it not only means being prepared for the unexpected and being flexible but also being prepared to
Live in the Moment Read More »
