Topic: gpw asked how I'm doing, and I decided not to hijack that thread.

[Cobra951]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing when I bought my PS4 Slim on sale a few weeks ago.  The main thing for me is that all the Microsoft Xbox exclusives are on PC now too.


And I'm doing good man, how about you?

It's been a very rough year.  My mom fell down the stairs in March, and I've basically become her lifeline.  She's finally able to get around on a walker, but nothing like before.  I'm the only one in the family with the time to take care of her, so I'm a slave to circumstance.  There have been some intense frustrations having to do with her refusal to do what it takes to get stronger, which means she gets weaker.  As long as she was at a facility, the therapy department would get her to do the work.  She knew that Medicare would only pay while she was making progress.  But here, I just don't have the authority or persuasion skills to get her to keep up the pace.  It's like training for a sport.  Slack off, and you lose ground quickly.

It's not that I'm busy for most of the day, but rather that I have to be around for most of every day.  Last time I felt this lousy about everything, I was in the process of breaking up my marriage.  Living nightmare, where nothing I say or do makes any difference.

[Quemaqua]

That really sucks, man. Sorry to hear it. I'm starting to get more and more of that with my mom, too. She's stubborn as hell sometimes, even when it's pretty obvious what the right thing to do is.

Hope things start to look up for you soon.

[PyroMenace]

Sorry man, and I've also went through that too a couple years back. My mom got neuropathy in her feet and I was there for the summer to take her to therapy a couple times a week and helping with making food and just getting her around the house. She was in constant pain and some nights she could barely sleep. She was actually improving, though it was a slow progress, but she was quick to frustration a lot of the time.

[Cobra951]

Neuropathy--yes.  That's one of her diagnoses.  It's accurate, though, because a Cymbalta equivalent is working wonders.  The femur she broke healed well, according to her bone doctor.  But then there were knee issues, a cellulitis infection, and this mysterious intense pain on her legs, finally diagnosed correctly.  Add to that stubbornness and fear about walking, excess weight, and yeah, every day is a copy of the previous one.  (The pain kept her awake nights too.  She was so miserable for a couple of weeks, and we ended up in the ER one day she could no longer tolerate it.)

I've tried every way to impress upon her how walking, which we take for granted, is actually intense strength-building exercise, that nothing can take its place while sitting down or lying down.  As bipedal creatures, we must bear all of our weight on each leg as we walk--more, if you consider the push back against gravity with every step.  One therapist told her that for every day she slacks off, she loses three.  I'd be able to take the overall ordeal more cheerfully if I felt she was doing her part to overcome it.  I don't know.  Maybe it's unrealistic.  But I refuse to give up on her this soon.

Thanks for the moral support, guys.

[gpw11]

Really sorry to hear that, man. I had the same frustrations with my dad when he had an offshoot of Parkinson's.  He just refused to do the exercises that he needed to do to maintain his coordination, strength, and muscle control and he deteriorated quickly.  It actually made me realize how important just being physically active and limber is.  It was tough enough to watch as me but it really did a number on my mom. 

I guess we all kind of experience the same thing, one way or the other. That definitely doesn't make it easier for any of us but I'm super empathetic to what you're going through. If you ever just want to vent or anything just shoot me a message.

[Pugnate]

I am very sorry to hear this and I hope things improve soon.

[Cobra951]

Thanks, man.  I really appreciate your good wishes.  I hope you and your family are well.