Donna Shares holds nothing back as she shares her journey with readers about her life as a family caregiver. She began blogging after finding she needed an outlet to share her pent-up emotions with other caregivers; however, she had access to none. Starting a blog was her solution to feeling isolated and gave her an avenue to share what she knew with others in hopes that her experiences might help them not feel isolated. Since her history as a caregiver has expanded many years now, she has reprinted those past posts for new readers who might be interested in comparing past to present or learning from prior experiences. Blog Library has them all categorized by the type of topic covered. Some posts listed were from the time she wrote as a contributor for multiplesclerosis.net. Therefore, you will leave this website and go to theirs when you click on that link to read the full post. Happy reading!
May 27 at 3:51 p.m., my daughter gave birth to a beautiful son, Elijah Gregory–Eli for short. I was fortunate enough to share in the experience with her and her husband and at the moment of Eli’s birth, my daughter weep tears of joy, as did I. The decision to have a child was not […]
The Blessings of Children Read More »
Have you seen that commercial that asks, “Where do you hurt when you have depression?” and the answer is, “Everywhere.”? That came on while I was helping do something this week for Lynn and suddenly I realized that maybe I have “misdiagnosed” his symptoms. Lynn started on Rebif about two months ago. Over the past
Are you the type of person who keeps a calendar and checks their watch several times a day? I am. Since I can remember, I have been a clock watcher. I always had a sense of what time it was and what day. Not that I was always punctual but I always had my schedule
Time or Just One Continuous Move Forward? Read More »
Pressure. So much pressure. …but where does it come from? Me or “them?” This has been one of those weeks where I have felt I was under extreme pressure all week. The week started off with me getting up early on Monday for a conference call that wasn’t actually scheduled till Tuesday. I needed to
Sometimes I Feel Like I will Explode Read More »
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about respite care. I was asked to participate on a committee to look at creating a voucher program in Virginia for caregivers to obtain a small amount of financial assistance so they could afford respite care. I think the idea is wonderful. So many of us need a break
Financial Support for Home Care Read More »
Do you remember when the person you care for was first diagnosed with MS? You might not have been around them at the time, but I remember it very well. Those were very confusing days. I was almost sure Lynn had MS. He didn’t want to talk about it or give the disease any power
I Don't Know What I Don't Know Read More »
Out of the blue today, Lynn asked me to write about advocacy. He said, “please stress to your readers the importance of having an advocate or being one for yourself,” so here goes. When Lynn and I first got married, we were both VERY independent. Both of us had been married before and both of
If you are a full-time caregiver, or even part-time but the primary person responsible for someone else’s care, then you know all about paperwork. It’s another one of the unpleasant aspects of caregiving that we have to endure but are all too often unprepared for or unfamiliar with. I’m very fortunate in that I have
Keeping up with the Paper Work Read More »
Ever since Lynn became totally disabled, I’ve had lots of encouragement to get some help. I know I need help. My muscles hurt from overuse; I get frustrated trying to do everything I need to do; I know that there is a high risk as a caregiver that I will have a shorter lifespan. So
Why is Getting Help so Hard to do? Read More »
Lynn has started a new MS medication–at least new for him. It’s Rebif, an interferon beta-1a therapy that is supposed to slow disease progression, reduce the development of lesions, and reduce exacerbation occurrences. Sounds like a good drug but it’s also used primarily for relapsing-remitting forms of MS and Lynn maybe into secondary progression now,
Free to a Good Home…with patience Read More »
