Caregivers and Stress

[Chad]

Originally Posted by ~ocean

snigglet EXRAY a way you can now see into prospective lovers to BEWARE of lololol ** hello Webster's **

Haha! Good one ocean. 😆

[Chad]

I took mom to the psychological exam today and I charmed the doctor into shortening the visit by half the time. I think mom passed her test and is elligible to move forward with the pain treatment.

For me, I worked 2.5 hours and drove 6 hours round trip to take mom to her appointment. We did have a little time for lunch.

Back to work tomorrow for another 12 day. Ugh

[Chad]

It looks like my mom is going to get the procedure to give her some pain relief. I will take her to the hospital for the surgery.

Funny thing, she called last night to ask me if I would take her to a birthday party in southeast Texas. The party is for her old hair stylist from Houston. My mom used to spend 4 hours every Saturday getting her hair done. I guess the bouffant hair style took that long. Haha!
Her friend will be 100 years old. I said of course I will take you to her birthday party.

[girl_dee]

my mom has done a complete 180. i’ve recently had some long talks with her, and wanted to tell her about Mel and my plans to move. i’ve been bracing myself for months.

She said she is so super happy for me, to RUN to Cali and not waste time. She said the fam will have to get over it, that i am entitled to a life, just like they have. (Easier said than done).

We were on FaceTime and she looked away fighting the tears saying not to live a life like her, she regrets not doing things that she wanted to.

i think my mom is a closet case, she’s been without someone in her life for over 25 years, and the two marriages she had were horrible.

Now she’s fighting COPD and having a hard time breathing. i want her to live so i an have many more talks with her. Now i’m being selfish. She is about to move herself back the same facility she hated a year ago, and moved herself to without thought. She’s been in a black hole of misery since. 79 and still trying to find happiness, moving her meager belongings from one government run housing facility to another. Her Social Security payments are a joke, so it’s all she can do.

She’s been so so miserable and unbearable, i’ve not always wish for her to live a long life, i just want to see her at peace.

Now i want her to stick around, i’m enjoying being the daughter.

[girl_dee]

my mom is not doing well. Her COPD is bad and my sister reports that she can’t get up out of her chair at this point. When i talk to my mom it sounds like she’s run a marathon.

i hope it’s just the stress she has put onto herself. If so it will settle down.

my sister said she’s worked herself into a tizzy over her move and looked like she was about to have a heart attack.

i’m checking in each morning and evening, and trying not to get sucked into the drama that’s she’s created with my sister.

[cathexis]

Professional caregivers can also experience emotional trauma. I have been out on disability several years. It's been awhile since I have been at work, but was a RN at major trauma centers in their Surgical ICUs for 30 years. Thought that any nightmares or situational flashbacks would be long past, but not the case.

Over the past year, nightmares have resumed with a vengeance. Have been having what feels like half awake nightmares. I come out of the bed in a panic yelling being in some life death situation and needing to get there right away. Yell that I should be at the bedside doing some emergency procedure. My thought at the time is that I am being extremely guilty about not being with my patient. I will actually rise out of bed with a start rushing around the bedroom trying to take care of the situation. A few times, my Partner had to work at calming me down and trying to convince me that I am at home in my bedroom. That I am not at the hospital in this terrifying situation. Once it took Her about an hour to accomplish this.

These dreams have me afraid to fall asleep. I lay in bed with my muscles tense staring at the curtains fearing another nightmare. This is the worse stress related experience I have had, and could imagine having at this point in my nursing career. Traumatic nightmares occurring years after leaving patient care.

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by cathexis

Professional caregivers can also experience emotional trauma. I have been out on disability several years. It's been awhile since I have been at work, but was a RN at major trauma centers in their Surgical ICUs for 30 years. Thought that any nightmares or situational flashbacks would be long past, but not the case.

Over the past year, nightmares have resumed with a vengeance. Have been having what feels like half awake nightmares. I come out of the bed in a panic yelling being in some life death situation and needing to get there right away. Yell that I should be at the bedside doing some emergency procedure. My thought at the time is that I am being extremely guilty about not being with my patient. I will actually rise out of bed with a start rushing around the bedroom trying to take care of the situation. A few times, my Partner had to work at calming me down and trying to convince me that I am at home in my bedroom. That I am not at the hospital in this terrifying situation. Once it took Her about an hour to accomplish this.

These dreams have me afraid to fall asleep. I lay in bed with my muscles tense staring at the curtains fearing another nightmare. This is the worse stress related experience I have had, and could imagine having at this point in my nursing career. Traumatic nightmares occurring years after leaving patient care.

Have you sought out any therapy for this?