A First For Us

Today a home health aide is coming in for the first time. She will be here for hygiene, company, respite care, etc. Hopefully mom will accept the care and not be freaked out by a stranger coming into the house to help care for her. She'll come for four hours a day, two days a week if all works out. Keep your fingers crossed for us that all will go well. I really need the help to get over the pinched nerve thing and to take care of myself. I have cardio-vascular disease, moderate, am pre-diabetic, and it takes some doing on my part to beat these diseases back and keep them at bay. Poor mom, she's had to suffer indignities this past week with her constipation problems that resulted in a mild impaction landing her in the ER where she had to wait 4 hours for treatment. I believe this problem might have been avoided had I known what signs to look for and how to treat it. We did call the doctor's office and get advice but I think by then the problem had progressed to the point where immediate professional help was necessary. I've had to do things for my parent that I never thought I'd have to do and it's certainly been a learning experience for me, well it has been one for all of us here at home. I guess girls do take care of moms and boys take care of dads which is good because there are things only a daughter or woman can do for a mom and I'm sure that only men can take care of some things for sons and dads.

Speaking of my pinched nerve. I'm coming off of my second round of prednisone therapy and I feel like a puffer fish and look like a chipmunk with his cheeks full of nuts. I was told that the swelling will go down now that I'm finished with the pills. I hope so. I worked to get my weight down and now I've gained 8 pounds since I've been on those pills. Weight, so easy to put on so hard to take off! Well the puffiness takes away the wrinkles. ;-)