Confession of a carer

[snuffyuk]

What I really hate is those who ask "how is your mum" and then you reply and they ALWAYS know someones, freinds auntys brothers nephews cleaners brothers dad who had the same condition. They don't want to listen to me one bit.
Regards
snuffy

 

[karen_white]

And don't they go on about it as well. Telling you all about it as if they know all there is to know about AD and for me the conversation suddenly turns round to how they found it hard etc....and they turn off from you completely.
It beggers belief.

 

[Jude]

Well, surely you know by now that just about EVERYONE in the whole wide world knows a whole lot more about AD than YOU do? How can you be so dense.......

I mean after all, they read the papers, don't they?

Everyone I talk to is a sodding expert on AD. They are also totally proficient on how to run the UK Government, solve the war in Iraq, prevent famine in the Sudan and find Bin Laden. Not to mention having the know how to fix cancer, MSRA, AIDS and a whole load of germs that Domestos hasn't even found yet, let alone invented.

I am so amazed. I am daily humbled by my own stupidity.

Jude

 

[HELEN]

Hi Jude

In answer to your question about St Jude I think you might be talking about JUDE THADDEUS so the following might be of interest.

Memorial
28 October (Roman Church); 19 June (Eastern Church)
Profile
Son of Cleophas, who died a martyr, and Mary who stood at the foot of the Cross, and who annointed Christ's body after death. Brother of Saint James the Lesser; nephew of Mary and Joseph; blood relative of Jesus Christ, and reported to look a lot like him. May have been a fisherman.

Writer of canonical letter. Preached in Syria, Mesopotamia, and Persia with Saint Simon. Healer. Exorcist. Could exorcise pagan idols, which caused the demons to flee and the statues to crumble.

His patronage of lost or impossible causes traditionally derives from confusion by many early Christians between Jude and Judas; not understanding the difference between the names, they never prayed for Jude's help, and devotion to him became something of a lost cause.
Died
beaten to death with a club, then beheaded post-mortem in 1st century Persia; relics at Saint Peter's, Rome, at Rheims, and at Toulouse, France
Name
Meaning sweetness or gentleness of character (Thaddeus)
Patronage
desperate situations, forgotten causes, hospital workers, hospitals, impossible causes, lost causes, diocese of Saint Petersburg, Florida

St Jude is my mums favourite saint & the number of prayers he's answered for her i think she must have a hot line. My mum thinks you deserve to claim him as your saint (praise indeed) .There is a novena (prayer) that you can say & if your prayer is answered you are supposed to publish a thankyou . Hence the ads. One of my sisters has got the 2nd name Judith after mum made a pact with St Jude when she was pregnant (complications) , that if the baby survived it would be named after him. So being a girl she was named Judith. My mum believes it doesn't matter who or what you believe in ,but its good to have faith in something . I'm often amazed that whatever life throws at her she never looses her faith & it only gets stronger. It seems to give her such comfort i wish i could be the same. My mum is frail mentally & physically but SO STRONG emotionally. I swear at times its only been will power & her devotion to St Jude that has kept her going!

Take care

Helen

 

[Jude]

Dear Helen,

Crikey! Where did you get all that amazing information from? It's really fasinating stuff.

I've been married twice in my life. My first husband's name was Thaddeus [Teo] and my second one was called Simon. The first one did almost try and club me to death, which is why I left. Simon is a really saintly person and a thoroughly nice chap. We went on a holiday in Scotland once and saw a church that was dedicated to St Simon and St Jude. We split up in the 80's because we were too much like brother and sister, rather than husband and wife. Pretty spooky isn't it?

Many thanks to your Mum, but I think I'll just be plain old Jude. Being a Saint seems like a pretty dangerous occupation!

Best wishes, Jude


My name is Judith, but I've been called Jude for years, well before the Beatles song.

 

[HELEN]

Hi Jude,

I got the info from a leaflet my mum had , she's a member of the St Jude society . It is spooky that your first husband was called Thaddeus , it sounds like you had a lucky escape . So much for his name meaning sweetness or gentleness of character! I know what you mean about being a saint it doesn't sound much fun, & when your dead you have to spend all your time listening to peoples prayers.Given the choice i'd rather be an angel cos i look good in white & you get to fly!

Take care

Helen

 

[Jude]

Dear Helen,

Here's a true story that will make you laugh. It makes me laugh now, but at the time it was far from funny.

The first husband wasa charming bully with a severe attitude problem. He also was big on booze and other women. I was very young when we got married. The end culminated in him flinging a hot pan of boiling oil at me [missed] and then picking me up and depositing me in a chest freezer - and then sitting on the top of it so that I couldn't get out. Fortunately he didn't lock it. Whilst I was inside the freezer, [which was pretty empty] I spent a lot of time avoiding packets of frozen peas and the sides of it to keep my skin intact. I also decided two things fairly rapidly - the first was to get as far away from this maniac as I possibly could [assuming I could get out of the freezer] and the second was to go somewhere really warm....!

I got out of the freezer because he was too drunk to sit there for ever. I grabbed the car keys and shot through to my parents house. A week later I was sitting on Bondi Beach in Australia, thinking - well, it's warm but what do I do now.......!!

Ten years later, I married my second husband, Simon, who was the total opposite. He was so NICE that he ultimately made me sick.....! I could never live up to his holy attitude. He also looked alarmingly like JC, it was a bit of a worry really. From one extreme to the other....

In 1993, I met my present partner, Henky. He is totally different from both of them. He's mad, funny and great to be with. He runs his own very successful business in Indonesia and handles all the 'hassles' for me living there as an expat. I spent almost 6 years driving huge trucks around Java and Sumatra, which was one of the best times of my life. Not the usual prescribed tourist route by any means. A very wild and woolly lifestyle - but absolutely wonderful.... We took on Flamboyant, our hotel in Bali, when the political situation became untenable in Java.- mainly as a bolt hole.

Surrey doesn't quite have the same adventurous thrill, but it's okay for now. Looking after the oldies is very satisfying in some ways too. I do get a buzz out of seeing them so well and happy. I probably need a bit of drama, which is why I've decided to go to Peru next year.

Never say die......

Best wishes, Jude

It's been a great and wonderful life so far and I've only got through half of it, hopefully.....

 

[Mjaqmac]

I bloody well admire you Jude.

As the Beatles put it

You took a sad song and made it better.

Love, Magic.

 

[HELEN]

I agree Magic,

I wish i had your sense of adventure Jude, you should write a book. After you talking about Bali i logged onto the tourist site www.igougo.com & it really does look beautiful. Thanks for making me laugh.

Take care

Helen

 

[Brucie]

Call me Irresponsible

So what is the web url of your hotel in Bali?

Go on - don't be coy....

 

[Norman]

Wild thing -I think I love ya

Jude when you were in the fridge did you chill out

Norman

 

[Jude]

Dear All -

Glad to raise a laugh here... No wonder I hate the cold so much! Oddly enough, I still like frozen peas.

I chilled out SO much that I've been trying to regenerate my brain cells ever since. I'm the original cybergenic [?] person, or should that be cybernetic? Thank God, the stupid sod didn't lock the freezer. The thought of that still gives me the shivers [every pun intended].

Anyway, it certainly made me appreciate being alive and absolutely determined to live every single minute of it to the max. I've spend most of it travelling around the world and seeing and doing everything I can possibly stuff into x amount of years. It's been an amazing experience - and still is. I've learnt so much about other people and different cultures.

Life is a very precious commodity. We need to grab it with both hands and hold on tight for as long as we can.

Jude