amie_1

it seems to me that you are thinking positive.... you have your goals and you are reaching/walking towards them. baby steps, baby steps... you are doing great. hugs anne

teenagers... we all managed to get through them and so did our mom's even if it did cause a few more gray hairs...lol... my mom and I are soo close now it is amazing. I put her through some pretty rough times growing up. You are in my thoughts andn prayers, let us know the results when you can. hugs Anne

I am glad that the visit went well. Maybe 2009 will bring more communication from your mom. hugs Anne

Big hug for you Sue... I understand what you mean being browned out. Caregiving is a 24 hour a day responsibility. Dave doesn't have some of the problems Ray does, but it is still hard to be "there" all the time. I can't go to the store and leave him alone... his kids talk the talk, but are always busy if I ask them to sit for 1/2 an hour, so I can grocery shop. But they do know how to ask for certain material things ... "just in case dad dies" nice of them wouldn't you say! I wish I could be there for you and give you a hug or just to sit and have a cup of tea with you and talk. Get yourself to the Dr's and discuss possible anti depressants if it is needed. hugs Anne

Hey Bart, Glad that the surgery went well and is over with. Will pray for your friend Evelyn as well. Happy to hear you and Kelly and getting along MUCH better now! Baby steps, prayers and Gods help is the way to go. hugs to you and Kelly Anne

Hmmm..... did you go to the er or call your doc yet?? You have been through too much to stop looking after yourself now!!

LOL Pete, I had to chuckle reading your blog. Dave has some of the same issues you do. But be careful, lol, our 2 little dogs are getting quite "chubby" with the free meals they have been getting. How about a cup of green tea, Dave has switched to that, yes, it takes some getting used to, there is NO substitute for the coffee taste, but even I like the tea now as well. I am so happy that you as well find some humor in everyday life. hugs Anne

Welcome to the wonderful world of blogging... I am a caregiver to my husband, Dave who is a two year stroke survivor. You are a writer, what kind of material do you write. hugs Anne

I'm glad that you had such a good time with your art classes. It sounds like you accomplished more then learning to paint a picture, you gained some confidence. Post a picture of one of your masterpieces if you can. :artist: Hmmm turkey, stuffing and pies.... i can't wait. Like you , Dave's ex will be with us for thanksgiving, so I can understand where you are coming from.... espically the good hair day. :pullhair I'm sure it will be fine, and I'm sure they feel the same way we do. hugs Anne

Ann What a sincerely touching tribute to Choe. My love and prayers are with you and your family. hugs Anne

Hi Louis, Hugs for you! I am a caregiver to my husband who had a stroke jan 2007. Don't let your wife or son run you down or make you doubt yourself. Maybe they would benefit if they went to a dr's appt with you, so the dr could explain about brain injury and the "healing" process, or if you could find a stroke support group in your area that you could all go to?? Just suggestions, my heart goes out to you. You have been through enough without having to to be made to feel worse. I know stroke changed their life as well and it is an adjustment for them too, not to excuse their behavior. I know things will be okay for you in the long run, it's just that sometimes the road getting there can be bumpy. Just keep doing your best and going at YOUR OWN PACE... and if you need to nap that's okay, it is the one of the ways of healing. Your confidence will come back slowly. hugs Anne

It sounds like a great book....... I hope they have it at the library. thanks........

I'm happy to hear that your's and Ray's outing went well..... and Happy Belated B-Day Ray. :happybday: You are right, one day and one step at a time. Hugs to both of you. Anne

HI Sue I understand about sitting on th epity pot and having to 'flush" pull up our big girl panties and keep going. Some days it is hard, but we do what we must!! I do admire you alot, I look forward to your blogs and posts, they seem to give me such strength. I too right now am going through "extra" stuff (for lack of a better term, lol) they say Dave is having lots of TIA's now. His daughter is stressing him out for her own selfish reasons....... oh life is fun.. But like you I think I will sit out back and watch my weeds grow, cause I don't have the strength for much else at the moment. I know this feeling will pass and once more we will get the strength to keep going and looking after our husbands. Hugs and strength to you.... you are in my thoughts and prayers Anne

good to hear Ray made it home. Hugs to both of you, and don't forget to take care of yourself too. hugs Anne

Hi, it sounds like you are doing really well. I'm glad someone enjoys gardening, myself I can hardly tell a weed from a flower. But that's okay, I do the best I can and my gardens seems to reseed themselves, thank god. I grew up in quebec (canada) the ottawa valley with the gatineau mountains (BIG Hills really) and the fall was always my most favorite time of year...... ahhh all those maple trees turning into glorious color.. the sweet smell the cooler weather...ummm Each leaf is as colourful as a flower. Michigan is nice too, but not the same, not as colourful. lol. I think you'll do well during Barry's vacation by yourself. Your son is close by as well isn't he? Hugs Anne

Hugs for you. The wee dark hours are the worst, I understand where you are coming from completely. I read your blogs and your posts, you have given me strength and energy to keep going forward. I will pray for you and Ray and the dr's as well. take care Anne

congratulations! I'm so happy that everything turned out well. I could picture the sunset and lake in my mind, it all sounded happy and beautiful. hugs to you and Ray Anne

being a caregiver and not a survivor, I would say you know your body best, what it can and can't do. But, I think WE not just survivors but everyone has to push themselves a little bit to do more. I think there comes a time when we are comfortable with out lives in our "safe" zone and we stop doing things that we would like to do but might be a little hard and require a bit more effort for us to do it. It sounds like your husband is worried about you and wants to do things together. Start out small maybe and work up to the museum. sorry if this is rambly....lol hugs Anne

glad that you are settling in and the worst is over. Can't wait to see pics of your new home. Hugs to you and Bill Anne

Congratulations..... You are right, never giving up and having a positive attitude goes along way. hugs Anne

Congratulations :happydance: You and Larry must be so happy. It seems like you can find something to smile about in things, which is good. That has helped me through alot of times as well. I hope you both had a restful nite's sleep. hugs Anne

Dave spent last week in hospital last week, he had/has been extremely dizzy to the point of almost losing consciousness. The "local" dr's determined it was NOT his heart. His cardiologist is not of the same line of thinking. He has an EEG next week finally, I am torn between hoping they find something and can fix it and not wanting to find anything and all these symptoms just disapear and fix themselves...... his blood pressure is all over the map, he can't hardly walk 20 feet without getting all pale sweaty and dizzy. Wednesday was a bad day for me, I got up about 5:30 am, I love that time of day, so peacefull listening to birds waking up cooing (morning doves) Dave usually gets up about 9ish.... I had fallen back to sleep outside in the lawn chair and woke up when he joined me oustide. I was just sooooo tired and had such a headache from all the stress lately, that we decided that we had to take the day off from worrying and such. I had two naps that day did absolutely NOTHING and went to bed about 8pm, boy did i feel refreshed thursday...... like a new woman ready to tackle the world again. It's amazing how your body tells you to stop and recharge. It was a great day of just cuddling with Dave and the two furbabies. Thank goodness there were left overs in fridge as well, so i didn't even have to really cook. Now I have to convince Dave that he needs to go to Dr's again, he is having a problem with blood in the toilet after he goes to the bathroom. I am hoping and praying that it is nothing major, but it has to be addressed. He has lost 7 lbs the last week as well, which is a bit troublesome. He has no appetite, only eats when he has to take his insulin, Which is not like him, I am usually battling with him to get out of the refridgerator and stop eating so much. He has an appt with primary care first week of July, but I would like him to get in sooner...... if he has lost a couple more lbs by monday he will have to go, this is not normal for him. So between, the blood pressure being all over the chart, blood in stool, losing weight, and being dizzy to point of almost passing out, something major is going on. I have been documenting all this so I can give it the dr. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions please share them with me.... I would really appreciate it. thank you and hugs to all Anne

Things will go just fine. I know when they sent Dave home from the hospital it was exciting and soo scarey. I was so happy to have him home and anxious that I would do something wrong. But we both made it through You will do great, just take a deep breath and enjoy having your husband home again. Thinking about you and Larry. Hugs Anne