Feeling bad lost my temper with Dad last night. A bit of background, Dad has moderate to severe altzeimers with delusions. We look after him in his own home, he deteriorates rapidly in other environments. When my mum died two years ago we moved back from New Zealand to look after him. Currently I have a broken right arm, slipped on a wet path, it's on the mend but makes me tetchy.
Dad has a weird obsession that his legs are cold even on the hottest of days. And no they aren't they are warmer than mine. They have been checked by lots of Dr's who can't find anything wrong with them. His circulation to his feet is OK. Triggered recently by his friend who has diabetes and has real problems with his legs. So dad acquired some of his friends symptoms. To stray of topic a bit, dad seems to pick up other people's illnesses, he has picked up imaginary asthma, total paralysis (which he told me about while walking around them room), needing a hip replacement, etc etc etc. When I first broke my arm, two days later he appeared with his arm in a sling created from his dressing gown belt claiming his whole arm was paralysed waving it around to show me.
Anyway the upshot was, last night he started with the heating up full blast, wrapped in a blanket, wearing full winter clothes and sweat running off him. I feel terrible he said, yes I said you have overheated yourself, but it's the legs the legs he said. No your to hot let's cool you down. No it's the legs the legs he moaned. Then proceeded to start kicking a glass door. Don't kick the glass door I said I am not kicking the glass door he said while still kicking the glass door. He then went and started kicking around his rubbish bin and side table with the leg that he claimed was too weak to walk on. And I snapped and shouted at him. I was just at the end of my tether, arm was sore, I just wanted to sit down and watch TV for half an hour.
Upshot is I now feel so guilty and annoyed with my self, and spent all night dreaming about vampires sucking the life out of me. I know it's the illness and its not going to improve but just really needed to vent the bad feelings before starting another day of the legs, the legs moaning.
Dad has a weird obsession that his legs are cold even on the hottest of days. And no they aren't they are warmer than mine. They have been checked by lots of Dr's who can't find anything wrong with them. His circulation to his feet is OK. Triggered recently by his friend who has diabetes and has real problems with his legs. So dad acquired some of his friends symptoms. To stray of topic a bit, dad seems to pick up other people's illnesses, he has picked up imaginary asthma, total paralysis (which he told me about while walking around them room), needing a hip replacement, etc etc etc. When I first broke my arm, two days later he appeared with his arm in a sling created from his dressing gown belt claiming his whole arm was paralysed waving it around to show me.
Anyway the upshot was, last night he started with the heating up full blast, wrapped in a blanket, wearing full winter clothes and sweat running off him. I feel terrible he said, yes I said you have overheated yourself, but it's the legs the legs he said. No your to hot let's cool you down. No it's the legs the legs he moaned. Then proceeded to start kicking a glass door. Don't kick the glass door I said I am not kicking the glass door he said while still kicking the glass door. He then went and started kicking around his rubbish bin and side table with the leg that he claimed was too weak to walk on. And I snapped and shouted at him. I was just at the end of my tether, arm was sore, I just wanted to sit down and watch TV for half an hour.
Upshot is I now feel so guilty and annoyed with my self, and spent all night dreaming about vampires sucking the life out of me. I know it's the illness and its not going to improve but just really needed to vent the bad feelings before starting another day of the legs, the legs moaning.