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#I feel like we've been barely surviving horrific river rapids and now I'm the ONLY one pointing out that there's a massive waterfall coming
sheliesshattered · 2 years
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I’m just so tired
#things with my dad are getting significantly worse. with terminal brain cancer that's pretty much the only direction things can go#but his mental state is deteriorating quickly. multiple massive brain tumors will do that to you but now it's accelerating#I described it to one of my siblings that it's like Dad's mind is a big jigsaw puzzle and for a year now it's been clear that#the once-whole puzzle is breaking into pieces. for awhile the pieces were still pretty big and he could still carry on a conversation well#he might not remember it 15 minutes later but get him talking about an old memory or something he's an expert on and he could just go on#I've been calling him twice a week for months now. since Mom first suggested we work on writing a book together#in the month since we decided to give that up as a lost cause Dad has gotten noticeably worse. he's gone from losing his train of thought#to talking complete nonsense in a scrambled combination of old memories and things he once read about -- smaller and smaller puzzle pieces#and as things have taken a downward term I know from talking to Mom separately that Dad is also having a lot of trouble with basic self care#balance and bathing and eating and knowing where he is and all kinds of things. all of which is made worse by his memory problems#and by the fact that he outweighs my mom by a good 100lbs. so when he fell in the tub and couldn't get himself out she had to call for help#had to have a church friend who is more than a foot taller than her drive over to help maneuver my dad out of the bathtub#he's also getting obstinate and angry and saying that my mom and my nb sibling who lives with them are the ones with mental problems#all of which means I think they're going to need in-home healthcare ASAP. if not a round-the-clock facility. it's coming sooner or later#but Dad still hasn't officially retired so he's still on his own insurance which apparentlydoesn't have any coverage for that sort of thing#so Mom has to get him to file the paperwork to officially retire and then get him on her insurance. hopefully without a huge confrontation#and I feel like we're running out of time. that he's going to need that care before all the paperwork has time to clear once its started#I feel like we've been barely surviving horrific river rapids and now I'm the ONLY one pointing out that there's a massive waterfall coming#ignoring it won't make it go away or take longer to get here. it'll just hit us with even fewer preparations in place#I have enlisted the help of siblings so hopefully we can convince Mom of the importance of getting the paperwork started#but Mom is so mired in her own grief and busy with work (and she can't quit bc of the health insurance) and unable to get the help she needs#that it's tricky to bring up any of this sort of thing in a helpful way. and all the while Dad is getting worse#meanwhile I'm trying to deal with my own grief and manage my own chronic health situation. and still call Dad twice a week just to chat#and holy hell I'm just so TIRED
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