Well, the title sums it up. My dad died Wednesday, 11/6 from Parkinson’s - a disease that had, in six years, taken a perfectly healthy, active, hard-working man and reduced him to a total shell of himself - bedridden and unable to speak. We buried him last Saturday. He was 76. My mom in the previous three months has suffered from complications of congestive heart failure, including liver and kidney failure. Apparently, in the elderly, these things cause dementia which was sudden and difficult to handle. She was combative, agitated and didn’t understand what was happening to her. She was hospitalized eight times since mid August - for her kidneys, low blood sugar (she also had diabetes) and a couple of falls that she had. The last fall fractured her ankle and shifted her tibia from her knee implant. It was the final straw. We moved her into hospice care the day my dad died and she died a week later, this past Wednesday. We are burying her today. She was 71.
This had already been a shit year for our family - two car accidents in January, losing both of our sweet Boxers within a month of each other during the spring, and now this. Hoping 2014 has something wonderful in store. My dad used to tell me not to worry about anything because the things you should be worrying about, you don’t even see coming. He was so right.
I am so sorry that this happened to you.
Everyone expects to eventually lose their parents, but both in a matter of days is hard to contemplate.
I really hope that things go better for you in the coming year.
I’m lucky to still have both my parents (and in perfectly good health) but when I was married, between my (now ex) wife and I, we lost 5 grandparents inside of a year. I swear I was ready to punch the next person who said “When it rains, it pours”.
Yep, I’ve heard that a lot. Also “What doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger”. Not sure if I believe that … sometimes what doesn’t kill us just doesn’t kill us.
We’re facing a similar situation. My husband’s parents are in their 90s. Mom has Parkinson’s and Pop has CHF with all the accompanying problems. He has just started to lose memory and has become agressive.
I suspect they will lose their respective battles within days of each other too.
It’s hard to face when you see it coming. Being blind-sided is worse.
