A quick update on my life.
We are almost complete with the ECT treatment (electro-convulsive therapy). My friend has not responded as well as we had hoped, but she is doing better than before. We will have a two week break, and then delve back into meds and talk therapy. She will be staying with me until she is firmly set in a routine with meds and therapy, so it should be another month or so before my house is my own.
She's doing as well as one can expect. She has memory loss (she's forgotten that she broke her back, and had a car accident; both this year) and has confusion (although not too bad; she knows where she is, and who I am...the rest is just details.), and seems to have developed a bad habit of yanking out her IV before she's fully concious (done this three times now). She has incredible headaches, and her self-care is shot (I have to remind her to shower and brush her teeth and eat, and so forth). She's made great friends with three of the 5, and Pengy tolerates her. Pie's weird, so it's only on Pie's rules that there is any interaction with my friend. LOL.
As for me, it's been incredibly tough. I've had to literally put myself on time-outs because she gets into these verbally poking, aggressive moods and tries to antagonize me. I know to not take it personally, but it's desperately hard not to sometimes, especially if it's been a hard day and I'm tired.
It's really hard; I'm in charge of all the meds, and she doesn't like that at all...she keeps insisting she can dose herself, and I have had to literally get the meds out of her hand. Sigh...
My patience has worn thin, and I am emotionally exhausted at the moment. I know that soon I'll be fine, but at the moment, it's very trying.
We've developed a routine that every other weekend she goes down to her house and stays with her husband (this is one of those weekends.). I stay at home, in my pajamas, call my family, and just play dead...watch movies, do laundry, love on my cats, rummage through the garden, work on my photography...and cram as much of that into my two day break as I can.
I've woken up more mornings that I can count with cramped jaws from clenching my teeth so tightly together during the night...I've had more nightmares than usual in the last month...I've stayed awake almost all night at least 10 times (when she's having a bad night, I worry she'll just walk out the door...) and have done on 2-3 hours sleep dealing with Drs and nurses at the hospital, and with her at home with her head throbbing and hurting and no meds touching it.
I have learned that prayer helps me a whole lot...and so does loving on the cats. So I'm constantly talking to God, and snuggling the cats, and while I'm tired, I know she must be moreso than me; and while I'm ready for this to be done, she must be moreso than me.
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers for a time yet; we'll both make it...but it's hard. So hard.
I'm so tired.
Thanks.
Best-
Michele
We are almost complete with the ECT treatment (electro-convulsive therapy). My friend has not responded as well as we had hoped, but she is doing better than before. We will have a two week break, and then delve back into meds and talk therapy. She will be staying with me until she is firmly set in a routine with meds and therapy, so it should be another month or so before my house is my own.
She's doing as well as one can expect. She has memory loss (she's forgotten that she broke her back, and had a car accident; both this year) and has confusion (although not too bad; she knows where she is, and who I am...the rest is just details.), and seems to have developed a bad habit of yanking out her IV before she's fully concious (done this three times now). She has incredible headaches, and her self-care is shot (I have to remind her to shower and brush her teeth and eat, and so forth). She's made great friends with three of the 5, and Pengy tolerates her. Pie's weird, so it's only on Pie's rules that there is any interaction with my friend. LOL.
As for me, it's been incredibly tough. I've had to literally put myself on time-outs because she gets into these verbally poking, aggressive moods and tries to antagonize me. I know to not take it personally, but it's desperately hard not to sometimes, especially if it's been a hard day and I'm tired.
It's really hard; I'm in charge of all the meds, and she doesn't like that at all...she keeps insisting she can dose herself, and I have had to literally get the meds out of her hand. Sigh...
My patience has worn thin, and I am emotionally exhausted at the moment. I know that soon I'll be fine, but at the moment, it's very trying.
We've developed a routine that every other weekend she goes down to her house and stays with her husband (this is one of those weekends.). I stay at home, in my pajamas, call my family, and just play dead...watch movies, do laundry, love on my cats, rummage through the garden, work on my photography...and cram as much of that into my two day break as I can.
I've woken up more mornings that I can count with cramped jaws from clenching my teeth so tightly together during the night...I've had more nightmares than usual in the last month...I've stayed awake almost all night at least 10 times (when she's having a bad night, I worry she'll just walk out the door...) and have done on 2-3 hours sleep dealing with Drs and nurses at the hospital, and with her at home with her head throbbing and hurting and no meds touching it.
I have learned that prayer helps me a whole lot...and so does loving on the cats. So I'm constantly talking to God, and snuggling the cats, and while I'm tired, I know she must be moreso than me; and while I'm ready for this to be done, she must be moreso than me.
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers for a time yet; we'll both make it...but it's hard. So hard.
I'm so tired.
Thanks.
Best-
Michele