Broken Heart

Need help? Ask for it. Serious Discussions Only.
Post Reply
User avatar
Fyrenza
Posts: 417
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 7:38 pm

Broken Heart

Post by Fyrenza »

Folks? i just need a place to vent, and this is going to be a L O N G post, because so much went so wrong...

My mom had a sort of stroke at the very beginning of this year. My dad, a retired Naval Commander, and alcoholic, immediately grabbed control of Mom's Medical Power of Attorney, and the drama began.

Mom was in ICU for about 2 1/2 months, with an intubation tube shoved down her throat, because

when she was first taken to the "hospital," a rinky-dink, small town facility, even though if they had gone the OTHER way, the same distance, she would have been in a less rinky-dink, small town facility, WITH ACCESS TO REAL DOCS AND AN EXCELLENT HOSPITAL,

the flippin' EMS fools, who had NO OXYGEN on board their vehicle, decided that she was in respiratory distress. (That's when they figured out that they had no oxygen :rolleyes: )

She wasn't. She had allergies, and the beginnings of a cold/cough, but my dad didn't bother telling them that, so.

Dear and i aren't rich. i don't work because of some rather major health problems of my own (HepC, Hemachromatosis), and Dear doesn't make much as a CO, in transportation, at the local prison.

In order for me to be able to remain in town, so that i could stay with my mom through some of the hospital stuff, i needed help, financially. In times past, when my mom was hospitalized, they paid for a motel room for me to stay in, as well as food.

Evidently, that was my mom's doing, because as soon as she couldn't speak for herself, all of a sudden it's a Whole New Day, and my dad isn't going to help, AT ALL, with the additional expenses. i ended up having to "hock" some jewelry ~ what a TRIP that was! Well, anyway. When i said something about it, Dad blew a gasket ~ how stupid, how financially irresonsible, how ... well, you get it.

i was a nurse, working private duty, for 20+ years, which he chooses to consider me as being a "baby-sitter." No credit for being a nurse, even though he knew i kept a Lippincott AND a PDR at hand, at all times. i never worked in a hospital, so i'm not a "real" nurse. And the truth is, i never did apply for my license ~ i knew i couldn't work in a hospital situation, treating folks like they were nothing more than slabs of flesh/meat, so i never bothered. i was a nurse. That's how God made me. That's what i'm supposed to do, in life. Folks that couldn't have afforded what a "real" nurse would have charged (up to $25/hr, for ALL hours), could easily afford me ($250/wk + room and board, i did Live-In).

When things started going wrong at the first rehab place,

the respiratory therapist came in, on the DAY a shunt had been installed in Mom's head to take away the excess spinal fluid that was building up in it,

and suctioned her trach (yep, by that time, she had been trached, because of a COLD...) to the point that Mom was coughing so hard that she was turning BEET RED and holding her head in her hands!

i asked if that was necessary, making her cough so hard, and was assured that it was. THEN i mentioned the shunt, and could tell that this weasel hadn't even GLANCED at Mom's chart, and had no idea what she was doing.

In later "sessions," i asked simple questions, such as "Well, there HAS to be SOME mucus in the lungs ~ the cilia move it around" ~ at which point she butted in with "There ARE no cilia in the lungs. They are only in the bronchi and sinuses." WTF??? Oh, she had more little "gems," but since i was only there for a week, i missed a lot of 'em.

Why was i only there for a week? Because i made noises about this woman's incompetence, and dear old Dad, decided that i was "making a scene" for NO good reason, and had me "removed" from the place.

Then, after Mom fell and was diagnosed with a subdural hemotoma, under these folks spectacular care, and RE-hospitalized ~

y'all don't know the hell i was going through, worried about Mom, not able to talk with her, because of the trach ~ oh, but of COURSE they damaged her vocal cords in their rush to "help" her ~ fighting with Dad about the care she was receiving, ... It was horrible.

At the second rehab, i was "allowed" to stay with her, the whole time, and she made excellent progress and was in good spirits.

It's funny, how, after so many years of being around each other, we STILL had cool stuff to talk about, but she was an interesting person, and common sense smart!

One of her thangs, when she had to go to the hospital, was "Getting Back To Normal Doin's." For her, the first thing that meant was a cup of coffee and a cigarette. She had been cutting down on her smoking, even before this all began, and only smoked 7 - 10 per day. Of course, with her trach'ed, she needed to completely quit, but while she was in rehab, she wanted like 3, maybe 4 per day.

And here is where the "nursing" comes in. No, you don't want her to smoke, AT ALL.

BUT:

Even though she hasn't had a cigarette in over 5 months, to HER, most of that time just disappeared, so SHE STILL SMOKES, regardless of any physical addiction. Not just that, but she has a RIGHT to make the decision to quit, ON HER OWN. (With LOTS of encouragement! lol)

Well, in his inimical way, Dad decided that he was in charge, and like it or not, SHE was quitting. He turned it into physical confrontations with me, right in front of her, with her so sad and crying, and summarily Threw My Ass OUT.

i tried to explain a patient's Bill of Rights to him, and that what he was doing was ABUSE, of the worst sort.

Oh, yeah, in amongst all the rest of what's going on, his drinking is still going on, full bore. He pulled a loaded gun on my son, twice; he physically accosted me several times, with the last time being him trying to shove me over the railing of the porch, which is approximately 10 feet high.

My brother sort of stabbed me in the back, at the very beginning of it all, by refusing to come be at a meeting with the first rehab, so that they would understand what they were dealing with, in Dad.

Also, because he drinks until he passes out, he's "sick" the next day, in a horrible mood, and will just throw stuff down, in front of Mom, ignore her when she tries to talk to him (she could speak, by that point, but very low, and he's semi-deaf, and refuses to get hearing-aids, so), and gets angry with her for asking questions about her meds, or ANYTHING, for that matter. Like she doesn't trust him, or something, idk.

Dear just got home, and i'm feeling sort of tired, so i'll continue later, maybe.

User avatar
abbey
Posts: 15069
Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2004 1:00 pm

Broken Heart

Post by abbey »

Wow!

I'm so sorry

:yh_hugs Hugs to you. :yh_hugs
User avatar
Odie
Posts: 33482
Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2008 9:10 pm

Broken Heart

Post by Odie »

O m g...........:yh_hugs:yh_hugs
Life is just to short for drama.
Patsy Warnick
Posts: 4567
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2006 12:53 am

Broken Heart

Post by Patsy Warnick »

Sounds like the family tree is alcohol

and your poor mother is the leaf in the wind..

with all this disturbance / which is just a power struggle- perhaps mother should stay in the rehab facility just to relax from the caos

I would contact a agency available to you to visit Mom & survey the living conditions.

Having a agency intervene will ease your worry also..

Patsy
User avatar
Fyrenza
Posts: 417
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 7:38 pm

Broken Heart

Post by Fyrenza »

Patsy Warnick;1232272 wrote: Sounds like the family tree is alcohol

and your poor mother is the leaf in the wind..

with all this disturbance / which is just a power struggle- perhaps mother should stay in the rehab facility just to relax from the caos

I would contact a agency available to you to visit Mom & survey the living conditions.

Having a agency intervene will ease your worry also..

Patsy




Patsy? She already gave up, and passed away.

i thought about reporting this; but, what would that do to HER? Having to "nark out" my dad?

SHE would NEVER betray the trust put in her.

That was part of the prob ~ she only told ME about the bad stuff.

i actually took a tape recorder to my last visit with her, but she wouldn't say anything against my dad, mainly because she just gave up.

He wouldn't let her speak ~ just shouted her down; he wouldn't let her ask questions, to settle info in her own mind ~ he just called her "forgetful," even though she could remember things better than he could; and he took what ever financial means she had away from her ~ when she got home from the second rehab, her wallet was EMPTY, there were NO credit cards, NO check book, NOTHING. It was ALL his, and he wanted her to KNOW it. She did. And she finally gave up.
User avatar
Fyrenza
Posts: 417
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 7:38 pm

Broken Heart

Post by Fyrenza »

Patsy Warnick;1232272 wrote: Sounds like the family tree is alcohol

and your poor mother is the leaf in the wind..

with all this disturbance / which is just a power struggle- perhaps mother should stay in the rehab facility just to relax from the caos

I would contact a agency available to you to visit Mom & survey the living conditions.

Having a agency intervene will ease your worry also..

Patsy


Yep, pitiful as it is, we're all alcoholics, to some extent or another.

My brother is a tea totaler, b/c of the family, and has little to do with our dad;

my son, i'm honestly not sure about ~ my mom mentioned something about a bottle of rum being found in his room, but i've never known of him to be a big drinker. That isn't saying much, though, since i DO know of him being an herb smoker, as am i.

Patsy Warnick
Posts: 4567
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2006 12:53 am

Broken Heart

Post by Patsy Warnick »

Fyrenza

Here I go & please understand what I'm suggesting will take time...

You'll need to work thru the resentment you hold for your Dad.

You see your Dad is frustrated - he didn't want to see your mom sick

his reaction is pure frustation with life period. With you being around then

you were his target - he had to vent & take it out on you at times. and he cetainly wasn't going to listen or take orders from you or any one for that matter.

Your mothers condition was getting worse & your Dad was also.

Your mom understands the man more than anyone - don't you see, cleaning the wallet out was his control - screaming, demanding, sending you out is all control. It's his wife.

With not knowing your age - your @ 30 ish - I'd have to say your younger than me, I'm 52 and also learned life the hard way.

A spouse & only a spouse has control over the other spouse, and the more others chirp in with ideas/suggestions, friction begins which triggers frustrated outburst and all hell breaks.

Don't dwell on what you can't control - embrace what you have & get control of yourself & your immediate family.

Ease your mind - your Mother is at peace and you should be too.

I'm always here if you'd like to talk

Patsy
User avatar
Fyrenza
Posts: 417
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 7:38 pm

Broken Heart

Post by Fyrenza »

Dang, Patsy! You've NAILED him! You're a lot like him, but

that's where i come a-cropper, as it were.

i don't see life like that; i don't see love like that; i don't understand a life of strife, trying to BE something. You ARE, or you aren't.

i'm not.

i'm just a person. i can touch individual lives, sometimes, but i'm not "all that." Regardless of what any IQ test could prove.

i'm just a loving, caring person. When i said i'm a nurse? It's a CALLING, something you can't deny, something that rules your actions and behaviour.

It's "What It Is," you know?

Not so much a choice, as something that fulfills your heart and soul, and makes you feel whole.

That's what being a half-assed nurse is to me ~ life, on the path that the Lord meant for me to walk. Not for money ~ never. That's why i didn't go for the license. Not for recognition. Just for agape love ~ the care and feelings we ALL share, and NEED to share with the "least" of us.

Sorry ~ my faith does rule my feelings about things such as this. If it offends, i'm truly sorry, but i refuse to "hide it" under ANYthing.
User avatar
Fyrenza
Posts: 417
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 7:38 pm

Broken Heart

Post by Fyrenza »

Patsy Warnick;1232328 wrote: Fyrenza

Here I go & please understand what I'm suggesting will take time...

You'll need to work thru the resentment you hold for your Dad.

You see your Dad is frustrated - he didn't want to see your mom sick

his reaction is pure frustation with life period. With you being around then

you were his target - he had to vent & take it out on you at times. and he cetainly wasn't going to listen or take orders from you or any one for that matter.

Your mothers condition was getting worse & your Dad was also.

Your mom understands the man more than anyone - don't you see, cleaning the wallet out was his control - screaming, demanding, sending you out is all control. It's his wife.

With not knowing your age - your @ 30 ish - I'd have to say your younger than me, I'm 52 and also learned life the hard way.

A spouse & only a spouse has control over the other spouse, and the more others chirp in with ideas/suggestions, friction begins which triggers frustrated outburst and all hell breaks.

Don't dwell on what you can't control - embrace what you have & get control of yourself & your immediate family.

Ease your mind - your Mother is at peace and you should be too.

I'm always here if you'd like to talk

Patsy


It isn't resentment, Patsy ~

it's more horror, at what a person could think is important,

MORE important than anything else.

This man considers himself more important than ANYTHING.

To himself, he's GOD, and the rest of us are fools for not recognizing that fact.

He isn't. He's so FAR AWAY from God, it's truly pitiful.

He feels for NO one, but himself. During all of this? We were to feel for HIM, NOT my mom. HE was "going through hell," while she was

idk what he thought she was, actually,

other than the focus of the entire family's love and concern, which he will never be.

This is so sad, but for HIS memorial? i'll probably be the only one there. The rest of the family hates him, for beating up my mom for all those years, for being an ******* to them for all those years, for being a fuktard towards me,

one of the few peeps in the family that all of the family would come to the "rescue" of! lol (Folks seem to WANT to "rescue" me, just because they think my life sux worse than theirs ~ it doesn't. i have love. i have A/c. A roof over my head, and an indoor toilet. What MORE could a person ask for? lol)
User avatar
Peg
Posts: 8673
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2004 12:00 pm

Broken Heart

Post by Peg »

Fyrenza;1232384 wrote: It isn't resentment, Patsy ~

it's more horror, at what a person could think is important,

MORE important than anything else.

This man considers himself more important than ANYTHING.

To himself, he's GOD, and the rest of us are fools for not recognizing that fact.

He isn't. He's so FAR AWAY from God, it's truly pitiful.

He feels for NO one, but himself. During all of this? We were to feel for HIM, NOT my mom. HE was "going through hell," while she was

idk what he thought she was, actually,

other than the focus of the entire family's love and concern, which he will never be.

This is so sad, but for HIS memorial? i'll probably be the only one there. The rest of the family hates him, for beating up my mom for all those years, for being an ******* to them for all those years, for being a fuktard towards me,

one of the few peeps in the family that all of the family would come to the "rescue" of! lol (Folks seem to WANT to "rescue" me, just because they think my life sux worse than theirs ~ it doesn't. i have love. i have A/c. A roof over my head, and an indoor toilet. What MORE could a person ask for? lol)


The greatest gift you could give your mom is to not ever follow in her footsteps. By this I mean to never allow a person to abuse you, control you, etc. Learn from her mistakes.
User avatar
chonsigirl
Posts: 33633
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:28 am

Broken Heart

Post by chonsigirl »

:-4 I am thinking of you and your family situation.
User avatar
Rapunzel
Posts: 6509
Joined: Thu May 12, 2005 5:47 pm

Broken Heart

Post by Rapunzel »

chonsigirl;1232431 wrote: :-4 I am thinking of you and your family situation.


You're in my prayers too. I hope things get better for you. :yh_hugs
Patsy Warnick
Posts: 4567
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2006 12:53 am

Broken Heart

Post by Patsy Warnick »

Fyrenza

No, I'm not anything like your Dad. I just know Dad's like yours. I suppose I understand the frustration of life out of ones control.

Sure your Dad is a rough, tough control individual - your mom chose to stay with this man - she knew what he was all about - learn from those mistakes.

Like I said - your young - don't dwell on your Dad & his errors.

All you can control is yourself . I'm sorry for the loss of your Mother, sounds so resent and raw. Every one will mourn the loss differently. stop dwelling on what you've already experienced - learn from that & move on......!!!

Interesting - we both work in the Medical field. we give & give & give.

So, put the Beer down - put the weed away - and prove to yourself you can get that Nursing license ...

So no control freak can belittle you or will take that away - do it for yourself...

Your mother would want that - now go do it.

Patsy
mikeinie
Posts: 3130
Joined: Sat Jun 16, 2007 3:43 am

Broken Heart

Post by mikeinie »

I am sorry for your hardship and trouble; life can be very difficult sometimes. You don’t need to mend bridges with your dad, in fact you are free to completely cut him out of your life if you so choose to do so.

Sorry to hear about your mom.

I hope that thinks get better for you.
User avatar
Fyrenza
Posts: 417
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 7:38 pm

Broken Heart

Post by Fyrenza »

Patsy Warnick;1232502 wrote:

So, put the Beer down - put the weed away - and prove to yourself you can get that Nursing license ...

So no control freak can belittle you or will take that away - do it for yourself...

Your mother would want that - now go do it.

Patsy


You're absolutely correct; however, there are some major malfunctions with this idea,

not the least of which is my health, i'm afraid.

Either while working in the hospital, during the first 9 mos of LVN school, OR by getting a tattoo with some really good friends from school one drunken, wild night (!),

i contracted HepC. i've done the Peg-Introl treatment, which almost killed me, and the virus rebounded after about 6 mos. of the 48 week treatment, so. i'm now in end stage cirrhosis, because of it ~ i've always been a drinker, but i've gone for years at a time without doing it ~ unfortunatly, it's one of my coping mechanisms, as is the pot. Anyway, i get depressed, very easily, have panic attacks (what a shock, eh? lol), only have 1/2 of a voice due to a thyroidectomy, where my thyroid was completely removed, so i can't speak for any length of time. Well, AND, nowadays, everyone i type to seems to think i'm crazy... :yh_rotfl (Which i already knew. ;))

Dear is a LOT like her, actually, and i'm blessed to have HIM, every bit as much as i was blessed to have my mom, and between the Lord, and him, i'll be back, just a little more melancholy, at times.

For real.

And, again ~

Thank y'all, from the bottom of my heart!

wendy
Patsy Warnick
Posts: 4567
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2006 12:53 am

Broken Heart

Post by Patsy Warnick »

HI, Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you..

Will Dormant Hep. "C" keep you from being licensed.?? NOT

I don't want to be harsh - but, you have several excuses..!

either get your license or - drop the option..

Get on with YOUR life.

And may you have a smooth journey.

Patsy
Post Reply

Return to “Friends, Relationships, Advice”