I (18F) think my mom(F59) has been acting really strange the last 5 months. I’m going to have to give backstory, so sit tight.
When I was 13, I developed a strange eye condition followed by another slew of medical problems, and as a result needed constant help with getting school work done, to emotional support, to being driving to doctors appointments. It was rare I ever went more than one week without seeing one type of doctor, whether if be for physical therapy, to new specialist trying to figure out what my condition was, to actually therapy help deal with onset depression. Miraculously, after years of therapy and finding a doctor to properly treat me, most of my terrible symptoms finally cleared up. My last year of high-school was set to be easier and my family’s life was finally getting back to normal.
Then my father got into an accident in August 2019 and was hospitalized for a few weeks. Every day my mother went to the hospital to be with my father(M60). He went though a few complications while he was there which extended his stay, but finally he came home after what about a month. After a rough say at home, and my mother continuously driving him two and from doctors appointments, things seemed normal again. Still I can imagine it must’ve been hard on her, she still had to take me doctors around once a month on top of all my father’s appointments.
Them winter came. It was around Christmas 2019, and my parents sat me down and told me my father had cancer. They caught it early, so it wasn’t a big deal, but he had to have surgery to have it removed. He was in the hospital for another week. And then came home again. Time at home was tough. My dad has had trouble walking since August and surgery set him back further. My mom played nurse most of the time while I was off at school. It was tough but everyone persevered.
Then in April 2020, I woke up one morning after hearing a bang. My dad had a dizzy spell and had fallen down the stairs. I don’t think I’ll ever forget what saw and I still have nightmares about it. My mom was panicked and I had to call the emergency line, but I gave her the phone since she new more about the medical situation I did. While she was on the phone, I told her what answers to the give the dispatcher when she couldn’t answer them herself. I would have kept the phone myself, but I didn’t know the ins and outs of all my father’s meds and didn’t want to give incorrect information.
He suffered a concussion, needed another surgery and twisted his already messed up leg. After a few months of recovery at home he’s walking again, and just last month he’s started walking down the stairs by himself, something he couldn’t do for a while (understandably.) He’s handling having three surgery in one year as well as anyone can, and is doing better now.
Now here’s where my mom comes in. She always worried now, and had developed some strange habits. During April she started going for walks late at night, like 11pm or midnight. She started going grocery shopping at our local 24 hour drug store at 11, 1 or even 2 in the morning. I’ve noticed when she was driving late at night, her car would swerve just the slightest bit, but often. She used to visit a doctor one a month to get help with her own medical issue, but has since stopped in part because of my father and because of quarantine. Since he is high risk she won’t go anywhere she absolutely doesn’t have too.
She’s been coming into both my and and my father’s room late at night to ask us random things, sometimes 3 or 4 times over an hour, and then promptly forgets about doing so when asked in the morning. She’ll prepare food and forget about eating it the next day.
I’ve been doing what I can, like accompany her when she goes out late at night, telling her to go bed earlier, and making meals to ease her burden in carrying for my father, but I don’t know what to do. She seems to want to take of everyone but herself and it starting scare me because some of the things she’s doing don’t seem safe. My father doesn’t want to bring it up, I don’t know why, and whenever I do try to bring it up I’m just shot down. I’m not sure if the last year is getting to her, or if the last 6 she’s spent dealing with me the issues with my father added on are stressing her out.
Does anyone have any advice or any clue what’s going on with my mom?
TL:DR: I think all the pressure of caring for a sick kid and husband is getting to my mom. She does things at late and night and never remembers them. She goes out shopping past 11pm I’m not sure she’s in a right state to drive. It scares me and I don’t know how to make her take care of herself.
Submitted October 23, 2020 at 10:15PM by Salty_Establishments https://ift.tt/2Hz7n0F
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