Happy Christmas to all,
As I know from reading many posts on this forum, my OH and I are not alone in spending Christmas by our loved one's bedside, wondering if they will live or die and unable to communicate with them. In our case we're in hospital today, but whether it's here, a care home, or your own home - this is a tragic time where we look everywhere for silver linings and do our best to have positive thoughts.
Thanks to this forum I know we're not alone in our experience and our sometimes complex and difficult thoughts.
My MIL seems to have had such a rapid decline, we've gone from walks around the park and lunches out together and her being the boss of her home, to her being incontinent, incoherent, and skeletal. The Drs say it might have been a virus, but they simply don't know what's caused it or what will happen next. The symptoms are exactly the same as 'end of life' stages in the dementia guides, but she's at too early a stage, her heart is strong, and the Drs say she should pull through. But she's 35kg, barely eating or able to swallow, not knowing where she is, hallucinating, shaking, and on a drip for survival... it's hard to understand how she possibly could.
My heart goes out to everyone experiencing this, who understand in a way others can't.
Take care of yourselves, remember the happy memories, and be proud of the care you give.
None of us are perfect but we're doing our best.
xxx
As I know from reading many posts on this forum, my OH and I are not alone in spending Christmas by our loved one's bedside, wondering if they will live or die and unable to communicate with them. In our case we're in hospital today, but whether it's here, a care home, or your own home - this is a tragic time where we look everywhere for silver linings and do our best to have positive thoughts.
Thanks to this forum I know we're not alone in our experience and our sometimes complex and difficult thoughts.
My MIL seems to have had such a rapid decline, we've gone from walks around the park and lunches out together and her being the boss of her home, to her being incontinent, incoherent, and skeletal. The Drs say it might have been a virus, but they simply don't know what's caused it or what will happen next. The symptoms are exactly the same as 'end of life' stages in the dementia guides, but she's at too early a stage, her heart is strong, and the Drs say she should pull through. But she's 35kg, barely eating or able to swallow, not knowing where she is, hallucinating, shaking, and on a drip for survival... it's hard to understand how she possibly could.
My heart goes out to everyone experiencing this, who understand in a way others can't.
Take care of yourselves, remember the happy memories, and be proud of the care you give.
None of us are perfect but we're doing our best.
xxx
Last edited: