Quasi, I’m really sorry you had to quit your job, but I understand why you had to do it.
Perhaps you could find a volunteer position in maybe an assisted living center or something like that, so you could be and feel useful, and be more closely supervised so you will be comfortable that you’re not endangering anyone? Or perhaps something like those “health check” vans that go from neighborhood to neighborhood in underprivileged areas, doing basic health screening?
I’m certainly not trying to tell you what to do, I’m just making some suggestions. I know there’s still so much about you that is useful and giving, and I think it may make you feel better to be able to tap into some of that!
It’s on the blog now, but what ** norinew** suggested is pretty much what I plan to do . I love taking care of sick folks, and I am gonna miss like crazy helping to save lives in the errrr(those of you who work there, will recognize those r’s! :)), but what I would really like to do is mommygrams.
Like all men, I am a pig for breasts, so I thought I’d open up my own kiosk, what’cha’ll think?
I’m kiddin’ of course, but there’s a lot of me left, so I thought I’d just stay right here and be y’all’s favorite “asshole”…
Everybody needs a curmudgeonly “uncle”, so let me fill that void, okay?
I want to thank you for sharing all that you have been sharing with us.
I think my husband’s aunt is showing signs but her children won’t look into things and they think she is just doing things and acting out to get attention.
I mean she has always had a superior attitude and she’s one of those crabby all of the time people and she’s also a know it all person and an attention seeker.
She’s in her early 70’s I think and her husband just recently passed. He had been in a nursing home for the past five years.
Anyway over the last two years I have noticed odd things she’s been doing and how forgetful she has been and things just jumped down hill after her husband passed and her children who live in other areas think it’s grief or attention seeking.
Two weeks ago I helped her daughter move her to the daughter’s house in Georgia and something that really scared me happened with our aunt.
We stopped to get dinner and she wanted tacos and soup. So we got her soup from on place and tacos from the place next door and we got back in the van and all settled and she had lost her spoon.
We were already back on the road and so she just kind of sipped the broth out of the cup and all was okay but she was very aggitated over losing the spoon. When she went to open one of her tocos she found the spoon wrapped up in with the taco and couldn’t figure out why someone would place a spoon in her taco.
I read the 10 signs from the link in your blog. I don’t really think it’s old age, grief or attention seeking but I’m not sure about alzhiemers either.
<exasperated mom voice> Well, ALL RIGHT! you can BOTH be assholes. Is that better? Quasi–you’re not an asshole or even an ass. What did you used to do? Surely there is a place for you still in health care? I hope so, even if it’s not direct pt care. We need all the help we can get, for as long as we can get it.
If I may, I’d like to share something else about my own experiences (and I think that many of my Doper friends will agree): Just in the past year or so, I have allowed myself to get upset over things so inconsequential, that those who know me closely would ask themselves, “WTF??? Why’s he flippin’ out so bad over this?” (See the Christmas 2008 thread)
Is it a sign of Alzheimer’s? I cannot say for sure, but it may be a sign of some form of dementia.
I’m not an Alzheimer’s “expert” by any means, Kricket. What I’m doing with the blog is just talking about what’s going on with me and what I see online that might be a promising treatment. I undergo neuro-psych testing later this month and at that time the scores I make will be compared with those of the rest of the country diagnosed with AD, and I will be assigned a “stage”.
Thanks for reading the blog, Kricket, and I hope your aunt doesn’t have AD; grief can mimic a lot of neurological symptoms, so just keep thinking positive and be aware. She’s so lucky to have you!
Yeah, but I called it, Mom!!! That means I’m a bigger asshole than Inigo!!!
I worked in the ER of my hospital as a respiratory therapist. I’m currently pursuing the disability thing with Soc Sec. (Wish me luck!:rolleyes:).
Can’t say if I would remain in the health-care field and not get to work with patients as I once did (helping to save lives, taking care of ventilator patients, etc). For 15 years, it was the one thing I did, that gave me pride and that I did well.
No, I’m lucky to have y’all around! Y’all have been my “lifeline” for quite a while now, and I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t come here and spend some time with my “family”.
I do appreciate it, and I know to treasure your friendship.
Cos it sure don’t look like an asshole competition to me… and by the way, feckafree, I’m still trying to figure out whether you’re into anal or a proctologist.
I’m so sorry you can’t continue what you love. I don’t have context other than this thread, but I’m glad you’re doing the right thing and I hope you find another position that suits.
Yes this is a good site when you have problems. I’ve used it to relearn a ton of crap I’d forgotten and had scrambled up in my head.
The funniest incident with my memory when I was worse than now and during an potential nuclear escalation with North Korea. I heard something and thought at least our space colonists will survive the nuclear war. The human race will go on. After I thought that I thought we don’t have space colonies. Dah! Back then I would type a completely different sentence than I was trying to. That was weird.
It’s really great that you stood by your cut off point. I know you can find a new niche to grow into. The people here are always around to talk to. Don’t dive too deep right now.
That’s fascinating. I may have mentioned once (or a hundred times) that I’m a bit of a Space fan. I was born in grew up in the Space Age. I remember a birthday cake I had when I was a kid that had a toy rocket on it. I eventually found myself working at Edwards AFB and even had a microscopic role on the Space Shuttle Support Team. (I wish I could find that cheesy jacket they gave me!) Being young, I left The Mecca Of Flight Test to move to L.A. I sometimes think I should have stayed. I love my job, but if an aerospace position dropped in my lap…
Anyway, I’m just thinking how lucky you were to spend time with that woman. It sounds as if she had an amazing life.
