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Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Things are coming to a head with my family. My mum has always suffered Anxiety / Depression / Severe Mood Swings (?Sz/Bipolar - secretive). Now what she fears has come upon her - terminal cancer on top. Shws not coping, and also dads carer (mobility issues and dementia stage 2). Mum has passed her 2yr medical prognosis date with terminal cancer and fought hard to hold independence.

Her MI is sooooooo difficult to work with. Sooo ambivolent about everything, anxious, can't make decisions, argumentative, suspicious, shuts down, cries, abuses, withdraws... Sucks trying to help. Dads care is failing too, she resents all the in home help I've activated with him this last few years I'm seen as the enemy for doing that, even though she can't. Last week dad actually asked me to come help "looks like mums having to go into hospital"

They never ask

Then I get this tx from mum this morning. "Feel crook k#####(me) hows your flu today if you can come down what form of travel you choose and how can you look after the birds they are a concern dont feel good today at all but the day is young yet might pick up"

I have respected mums fierce need for privacy but today I rang palliative care to see what's happening for her? They got her mix d up with another 'same name' patient. Then turns out mum has never beenbreferred to Community Palliative Care (which is why they didn't know her), but had her last Admission Notes referring her to Palliative Care Dr, she's been doing those visits but talks about dad not herself. Next visit ?12th.

Mum has lost 25% body weight, is weak. After talking with her and x3 nurses today (like hours), clarifying wrong contact details and complex family matters, I feel shell shot!

Honestly thought these things were in hand.

I'm gonna have to go down, but OK his time begrudgingly. I live 12hrs away, I have a sister & 3 bothers within 5 - 1hr away. They can't handle mums MI - she has legal rights++ but don't know what she's doing now dad can't take charge.

The palliative care cimmunity nurse can't act without that referral from the hospital Dr, so shell look at that and then ring mum... All maybies of cause. My heads swimming with it all, any wonder mum just throws her hands in the air saying "they don't care, I'm too old, they just want me to die"... "And you lot are selfish and just want to put me inva nursing home and forget about me, and you all care about dad more than me..." Then she crack a joke about something totally related, say "don't wanna talk anymore..."

OMG!!! my cPTSD & cGrief trigger alerts are all firing. Feel resentful. Want to go to bed 'till it goes away.

My son even said to me this morning "mum you know people have totally cut off parents for doing far less than they have done to you!" Suggesting I abandon them. How can I do that and stand before God (and myself) in peace? This is so hard!

Help!

232 replies

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In response to: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Re: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

I guess thank you @Faith-and-Hope 💜

In response to: Re: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Re: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Hugs ❣️

@Former-Member

In response to: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Re: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

@Former-Member
Are you able to discuss with a therapist coping mechanisms or strategies you can implement so that you do not feel powerless and that you set and know when to enforce boundaries when dealing with family members?

In response to: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Re: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Hmmm!

In response to: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Re: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Spoke with mums Community Nurse today, twice - she's bailing on mum too, referred her to another Gov Funded services specialising in Home Care Palliative Care called "Silver Chair". She signed off the week notifying me (because she doesnt have contact details for anybody else in the family), of x3 24hr servixe numbers to call (because nobody else is on the books) closing mum's file with her. She said mum is refusing help since ambulance & a&e just a sent her home Wed - mum is bloody tired, hello. Bro4 has bailed on her, bombing out on strong pain meds slurring his speech when I rang him today, 'burned out' he said, He's got apt with pDr Tuesday to get back on antipsyhotics... maybe hospital admission. Bro3 never copes. Mums giving up I think. I feel so tawn... Deprive myself of Christmas with my son (just to get spat at) or pretendci don't care and stay away. Never a win win with her, never

In response to: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Re: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Oh @Former-Member, sounds like things have gone down a notch or two. Feeling your pain.

In response to: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Re: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

In response to: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Re: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Thanks @F&H, for these words

"Lapses .... your first priority needs to be yourself ..... then yourself and your son ..... you two are your core family. After that comes everybody else in their respectful turn, but you can’t be there for everybody. If each unwell person in your family requires one well person as their carer, there just aren’t enough of you to go around ..... that’s why you need the outside support ..... it’s reasonable and it’s good that you have it there ....

Please go easy on yourself. You are not responsible for the whole lot, and you owe it to yourself to take the best care of you that you can. Do what you reasonably can Hon .... you can hear that there is a roller coaster going on for your parents and brothers ..... sometimes they will be up ..... other times they will be down .....

Just do what you can, and don’t judge yourself over the rest. That is the point to “let go and let God ....”

💜🌻

In response to: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Re: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Well, here I am again, helping at my mums since 28th. I'm tired & the heat makes it hard. Snapped at mum last night, something to do with one of her little NPD games... So this morning, when I made her early morning cuppa - she asked me if I 'poisoned' it 😕 Her many putdowns, high maintenance, assumptions, suspicions, combative manipulation & bossyness... all makes me forget (in the moment) that she's dying! Yep, she's not good! But, I have seen physical improvements since I've been here, eg lower leg / feet oedema gone down today.

I read a great article on NPD which has equipped me with skills to cope with her ways. The 'gentle' approach, though undeserving - it goes far.

I'm having my arvo siesta, mum & dad are too, but its 5pm, late mealtime - so here i go again - I call it Round-5, supper & bedtime = Round-6.

In response to: Re: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Re: Mum Severe Anxiety / Depression +++

Found this little guy on my ‘net travels @Former-Member .... saved him for you ,....

🤗💕

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