It’s been 1 yr and 7 months....

Wow...how quickly time passes. It’s been about 1 year and 7 months since my last post. Let’s see..Dad is no longer in the hospital. He got out in November of 2017. He made another appearance in March of 2018. And has been home ever since not counting a day or two hospital stay. He is completely dependent on my sister and I. We rotate shifts caring for him. My brothers come and help on the weekends. It has not been easy caring for him and trying to take care of our families. We wish it would be easier but this is what God has given us and we are trying to handle it as best we can.

It seems all my time has been swallowed up by Dad. I am in a much better place when it comes to caring for him. Obviously, my absence from here was due to my struggles to take care of it all. I can say now it’s still difficult but we’re managing. Dad requires 24 hour supervision and total care so free time is nonexistent.

Thankfully, Mr. Man and the kiddos are doing good. I’m trying to hang in there and not get too down because it is very easy to fall into a hole of despair when  caring for someone who is in their last years, months or days. It’s unpredictable.

So as you can imagine self care has been a challenge. Fast forward to yesterday. Went to see my cardiologist who kept telling me I am too young to be worrying about heart problems. After examining me and administering a stress test, he said all looked good. BUT....yep there’s always a catch...he wants to see me in 6 months. And the first thing he will look at is my weight! So I have got 180 days to get myself together. All these years I’ve known what I need to do but kept putting it off. During my Blogger break, I went on a nutritional program. It wasn’t for me. I tried but after a year I realized it wasn’t sustainable. So now, I have 180 days to get on track and improve my health. So I figured I’d try to post and keep myself accountable.

My first week has been about getting into better habits. Habits that I had previously but fell to the wayside once I became super stressed with caring for Dad. So its been a bit easier day by day. Resisting temptation of fast food 2-3 times a day to save time has been the hardest. My time at home is minimal so rather than being stuck in the kitchen for hours cooking and cleaning, I would go through the drive thru. Like I said before, I'm very aware of what I need to work on. LOL!

Hopefully in a week I will check in and ramble on some more! I hope each one of you has a great weekend :)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Life, Dad update and America 2021

So it has been 10 months since the pandemic changed how we live. It feels like much, much longer.  Kiddo1 and Kiddo2 are learning from home. It has been a challenge but they have adapted. Mr. Man has had to make changes at his job. His work is pretty stressful and the changes due to the pandemic have only added to his and his coworkers' stress levels. As for myself, change has been difficult on many fronts.  Caring for Dad in this third year was the biggest challenge. It was 7 of us, my five brothers coming from different cities to care for him on a weekly basis, my sister (who had recently returned to teaching) and me. We managed as best we could and did it as safely as possible. Unfortunately, a couple of months ago, Dad passed away. It had nothing to do with the virus and simply the effects of his stroke and dementia that slowly took him. He died peacefully at home.  So now, I'm having to readjust to living.  I am trying to stay busy with life and yet still feel the pull of
Read more

The Ups and Downs of 2020

2020 is definitely taking us on a rollercoaster of emotions. COVID19 had us all in a state of anxiety. Then the killing of George Floyd occurred. Watching the video was heartbreaking and incredibly hard to see. Unfortunately, this happens far too often in the United States. This has brought out both the best in people and the worst. Many say at least we know where everyone stands. The United States has a lot of work to do but I believe we are up to the task. We pray that as a nation we can come together and make change possible so that there is peace and equality for all.  So how has all this shaped our lives financially. We refinanced our home for a lower interest rate. It seems like life can change in a moment lately and we wanted to make sure we are saving wherever we can. Mr. Man sold his vehicle. It was 2 years old so the dealership bought it back for what we owed. He then bought a work truck in cash. So no third car payment. Our total debt numbers are now about $138,000 including
Read more

Life changes due to the Corona Virus pandemic

So it has been quite a while since my last post. Between caring for Dad and my homelife there is not much room for much else. Friday was my last day of caretaking for the foreseeable future since Kiddo1 and Kiddo2 are not at home and starting school online due to the Corona virus pandemic. Dad is doing as well as can be expected. My siblings will continue caring for him. Adjusting to life in these times has not been easy. Store shelves are empty, friends and family are losing their jobs and the healthcare system here is beginning to show signs of strain. Everyone is tired, scared and full of anxiety. It is hard to be optimistic but everyone is trying. It is just scary times when you cannot find toilet tissue, milk, eggs or bread. Store lines are long and at times tempers may flare. People are trying to stay sane but with each day it gets a bit more difficult. We are all coping as best as can be expected. Aside from that I will take this time to help Kiddo2 with navigating school work.
Read more